Darrell Armstrong didn't figure on him and the Orlando Magic going almost three-and-a-half hours Tuesday in their first practice of training camp.

But anyone who hadn't figured on the 34-year-old guard hitting the floor and screaming at his teammates, even in what is supposed to be a reduced role for him this season, must not know Armstrong very well.

The Magic ended up practicing nearly a full hour longer during the first part of two-a-days at the University of North Florida than coach Doc Rivers had planned. If anything, Armstrong became more animated and forceful as time went on.

Whether he was taking an accidental elbow from free agent Jermaine Walker, exhorting his fellow members of the Magic's second unit, or snapping at players whom he thought weren't trying their hardest during a shooting drill, Armstrong looked and sounded in mid-season form. He may have lost his starting job to Jacque Vaughn, but he hasn't lost his zest for playing.

"One thing a lot of fans know about me is I love this game," he said. "So it doesn't matter where (Rivers) puts me at or how much time he gives me.

"He really doesn't care if he starts or if he's the sixth man," Tracy McGrady added. "Wherever he plays or whatever his role is, he's going to try to master his role.

Armstrong was grouped by Rivers with Mike Miller, Pat Garrity, Shawn Kemp and Jeryl Sasser for the scrimmage portion of practice. That unit defeated a team led by McGrady and Grant Hill twice in a row. And with Armstrong's unmistakable voice rattling off the bleachers of the UNF Arena, there was no risk of anyone becoming complacent.

"That's what he does, and he does it well," Rivers said. "It really helps me. It saves my voice, I'll tell you that."

Armstrong is relishing a return to the role he had three years ago of coming off the bench to begin the fourth quarter.

"The fans are going to love it," he said. "I'm going to love it. Pat Garrity's going to love it. Shawn Kemp's going to love it. Mike Miller's going to love it. I don't think other teams are going to love it."

In other news from camp:

-- Horace Grant did not practice and may not do so until the end of the week. Grant underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two weeks ago. Andrew DeClercq and Olumide Oyedeji worked with McGrady, Hill and Vaughn, although Rivers said the starting power forward and center positions remain up for grabs.

-- The Magic's regular-season opener Oct. 29 against the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Waterhouse Centre has been changed to a 7:30 p.m. tipoff by TNT, which will televise the game nationally. The game had been scheduled to start at 8.