Doc Rivers practically guarantees his Orlando Magic will win in Milwaukee.

	Tracy McGrady scored a career playoff-high 33 points, but Orlando fell to the Bucks.

"I said before hand that we are going to steal one," Rivers said, "and I truly believe it. After going through [Game 1] I believe we will win on Wednesday."

Listen, Doc is a very bright guy, a wonderful fellow. He can tell you a story that will make you laugh and he can tell you another that will make you cry. He is also -- you should pardon the expression -- full of it if he thinks his team can beat the Bucks in Game 2.

If Rivers had Grant Hill with two healthy feet, sharing the load with Tracy McGrady, of course he would he would have a chance. But Hill is still wearing that walking boot after a second serious surgery to restore him to NBA health. As he learned in a painful lesson Monday, McGrady is on his own.

As Bucks forward Tim Thomas noted, "It would be a lot different series if Grant were playing. I think it would be the best of the first-round series." Thomas feels sympathy for his pal McGrady, who is forced to carry the offensive load for the Magic. "I have a few more weapons now than Tracy," Thomas said. "Right now, I got a machine gun and Tracy's got a squirt gun."

	“	I said before hand that we are going to steal one, and I truly believe it. After going through [Game 1] I believe we will win on Wednesday. ”
		— Doc Rivers

Isolated, young McGrady can hardly do more than shoot up a puddle. It's killing Rivers, one of the most competitive players of his generation and no less so as a coach.

What Doc can't stand is that he has never beaten Milwaukee in nine tries as a coach, eight in regular season games, plus Sunday night's first-round series opener. What hurts worse is that Rivers is a hero in the Brew City. He played three years at Marquette before being drafted by Atlanta in 1983. He is beloved in this town but he can't beat George Karl, the resident genius, and Big George is testing him with a steady barrage of verbal fire. Shouldn't Rivers be fined for saying bad things about me, George wonders?

No surprise Rivers gathered up his team and retreated for three nights in his hometown of Chicago, before bringing the short-handed Magic to the game that should put the Bucks up 2-0, ending the suspense in this 2 vs. 7 series. And, by the way, George wants to know why the league didn't force Rivers to keep his team in Milwaukee.

	Doleac

	Armstrong

But it's the sticks and stones of the games that are making the difference. With Darrell Armstrong coming off painful groin and abdominal injuries and Michael Doleac trying to play through an ankle sprain, the Magic have limited firepower. If Armstrong lacks the quickness to penetrate the soft underbelly of the Bucks defense, the Magic lacks the most basic element of success against a team that lacks a strong shot blocking presence.

There is no doubting McGrady, who finished the regular season with the highest scoring average of an NBA player age 21 or younger (27.1 ppg). That beats Bernard King (24.2), Allen Iverson (23.5), Shaquille O'Neal (23.4) and Isiah Thomas (22.9), pretty fancy company. But McGrady can't overcome all the Magic weaknesses himself. The kid scored 33 points in Game 1, but he needed 34 shots do to it. (Note that this performance far exceeds the poor work of his cousin Vince Carter Saturday against the Knicks.) "If they are there I don't care how many shots he takes," Rivers said. "I would like to use the clock more but that's changing our stripes a bit. We need one more guy to step up."

	Outlaw

Trouble is the Magic fail to step up alongside McGrady and they also showed a lack of courage in backing him. Rivers is still seething about what Scott Williams did to McGrady, throwing him down like a sack of potatoes on a dunk with the referees only willing to give him a flagrant 1 technical, which amounts to a merit badge.

"That's playoff basketball," Williams said sweetly. One free throw and the ball? Please, sir, may I have another?

In Toronto, McGrady knew Charles Oakley had his back. Where were resident tough guys Bo Outlaw and John Amaechi on Sunday? Rivers wonders. "I'm an eye-for-an-eye guy and we didn't get an eye for an eye. That shouldn't happen. It burns me."

	Allen

	Robinson

	Cassell

And McGrady isn't handing out bouquets in the Magic locker room. "We don't have the players they do. Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, Tim Thomas. We just don't have that."

Unless the Magic show better stuff there may be more important fires burning, like the team's future in Orlando.

Recall, in a grand scheme to corner the market on free agent talent, owner Rich DeVos paid Hill $9.65 million not to play this season, missed on Tim Duncan and landed McGrady for Hill money and got lucky. He was rewarded with weak preseason ticket sales and inflated attendance numbers that added up to 14,716, no better than 23rd in the league. It is no secret that in the summer of 2003 the Magic will take another run at Duncan, who is coming up on an option year in San Antonio.

In return, DeVos wants a new arena, heavily laden with luxury suites, and the Amway billionaire wants the taxpayers to kick in $250 million while he reaches into his own pocket for $10 million. Now, this doesn't put DeVos in the same class with George Shinn and his carpetbagger henchman Ray Wooldridge, but when he threatened to move the team he certainly invoked comparisons.

But it likely will take a serious playoff push before the Magic can bring back the excitement and passion of the Shaq and Penny days that died with a 4-0 Finals sweep to Houston in 1995.

To that extent, what the Magic do in this series has some significance. Short-term, hand this series to the Bucks and let's move on.

Jeffrey Denberg, who covers the NBA for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.