The Magic not only features the inside dominance of center Dwight Howard - "an animal," according to Heat power forward Udonis Haslem - but also has made the second-most 3-pointers in the NBA this season.

As exasperated Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro put it after Wednesday's 113-94 home loss to the Magic, "If you don't double-team Howard, he kills you inside. They have shooters around him. It makes it hard on your rotations. It seems like we were running in circles."

That's why Spoelstra had his players running in four-on-four circles.

"Guys were running around all over the place and said, 'Hey, we're covering so much ground,' and I was like, 'Yeah, tomorrow night it's going to feel like four on four, even though it's five on five,' " Spoelstra said.

In many ways, the Magic takes the approach that the Heat succeeded with in Tuesday's victory over Cleveland, when its 11-of-18 3-point shooting made it a pick-your-poison night for the Cavaliers against Dwyane Wade.

"There's no easy way to play teams that have inside-out threats," Spoelstra said. "It's also something we've been trying to develop."

The difference is the Heat's 3-point threats against the Cavaliers were 6-1 Mario Chalmers and 6-5 Daequan Cook. The Magic's 3-point threats include 6-10 Rashard Lewis and 6-10 Hedo Turkoglu.

"We've really got to be on our A-game and get to them and close out to them and make them put the ball on the floor," forward Shawn Marion said.

Made in the shades

Having already missed practice time this season because of a migraine, Wade went through part of Thursday's practice wearing tinted Oakley sports goggles.

"I'm sensitive to light," he said. "The lights are real bright up here. I looked like a fool, they said."

Wade said he did not expect the migraine episode to prove limiting, and is not considering wearing the goggles during games.

"It takes away a little bit of your peripheral vision," he said.

Still Stan's man

Spoelstra said he remains close with Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, the former Heat coach and assistant.

"After every one of our losses, Stan's the first guy to text," Spoelstra said. "He's been a very important person in my life and I have a great deal of respect for him as a coach, but also as a friend."

Said Van Gundy, "I'm biased, but I think Erik has done as good a job in Miami as anybody in the league."

To the limit

Spoelstra said the key to the Heat's recent success is his players going hard defensively, "to the point where guys are calling to come out of the game because of fatigue."

He said even with victories in nine of the past 14 games, the slightest letup could lead to a significant letdown.

"We're not in a position to take anybody for granted," he said, "because we have to play and be committed to such a high-energy level, and when we're not, we're a mediocre team. That's the reality of the situation." ...

Spoelstra said with Chalmers evolving, the team is deploying additional plays for the rookie point guard.

"The last few games, we've been running quite a few pick-and-rolls with him," he said.

Ira Winderman can be reached at iwinderman @SunSentinel.com

INFORMATIONAL BOX:

Tonight

Heat AT Magic

When/where: 7, Amway Arena, Orlando

TV: SUN Radio: WINZ (940-AM), WQBA (1140-AM, Spanish)

Scouting report: The Heat has lost nine in a row to the Magic, after winning 10 of the previous 11. ... Orlando is coming off Wednesday's 113-94 victory in Chicago, when it placed seven players in double figures, and has won eight of its past nine. It enters on an eight-game home winning streak. ... Heat guard Daequan Cook is 28 of 44 on 3-pointers over the past seven games. ... Forwards Dorell Wright (knee) and James Jones (wrist) are out for the Heat. ... For the Magic, swingman Mickael Pietrus (wrist) and guard Mike Wilks (knee) are out.

- Ira Winderman