"It would be tempting to attribute the Orlando Magic's 103-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night to midseason doldrums. Even the best NBA teams suffer two or three embarrassing losses at home. It happens.

But perhaps the loss revealed larger problems that must be addressed before the postseason arrives.

What will happen if the defense doesn't improve?

Won't Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics carve up the Magic more easily in the playoffs than Austin Daye, Tracy McGrady and Tayshaun Prince did on Monday? How about LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat?

"Either we get it together or we're just going to be a playoff team that doesn't win a championship," Magic center Dwight Howard said.

Howard made that statement after the Magic allowed Daye, McGrady and Prince to score 20 points apiece and Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey to score 16 points each.

Obviously, the Magic's perimeter defense suffered through an awful night.

"Maybe we have to play other people if these guys won't commit to it, but we've got to defend a lot better than we did tonight," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "That's my responsibility."

The Magic have allowed opponents to shoot a collective 44.1 percent from the field since Gilbert Arenas, Earl Clark, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu started playing for the team on Dec. 20."