Tampa Bay Sports Blog

As expected, the Magic took care of the hapless New York Knicks in convincing fashion. You could get the sense early on that this was going to be a good old fashion shellacking. The Magic came out with good energy, executed well and ultimately wore down a decimated Knicks line up. Depth was a big factor again for the Magic, with Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes picking up the slack on an off night for Vince Carter. Dwight Howard was his usual self, overpowering opponents and claiming his domain inside the painted area. While Rashard Lewis continues to be extremely effective with his long range accuracy since his return from suspension.

Watching this game and others around the association tonight made me seriously contemplate the state of the NBA. Six out of the ten games on the slate for tonight’s action were blow outs, with the Atlanta Hawks leading the way with an impressive 146-115 drubbing of the Toronto Raptors. As many teams, such as the Knicks, jockey for salary cap relief for the impending free agent class of 2010, we the fans, are left to watch a lackluster product to say the least. The Eastern Conference actually has 10 of it’s 15 teams sporting sub .500 records. With the inept New Jersey Nets off to an NBA Record worst start at 0-18. Jay Z will need to become one heck of a salesman to pursuade Bron Bron to join the pitiful Nets.

As a native New Yorker, it is hard to comprehend the current state of the New York Knicks. They do not have a single player on their roster who would even warrant any legitimate basketball fan purchasing a ticket to watch them go through the motions. Instead of instituting a meaningless dress code for the players, why doesn’t David Stern demand that franchises field competitive teams? I’m shocked some slick talking New York City Attorney hasn’t sued the New York Knick organization for performing fraudulent business practices. How can you charge people a premium ticket price for the mediocre talent they carelessly assembled? While pushing hope like some low life TV evangelist, that they somehow have a legitimate shot at acquiring Lebron James. Who mind you, has yet to win anything of significance, unless you count his High School Championships. Which I’m sure 90 percent of NBA Players can claim to have won as well.

Now let’s get back to the Magic, who are playing excellent basketball and staking their claim as the top team in the East. Already collecting wins on the road in Boston and Atlanta, two out of the three other serious title contenders in the conference. I can’t stress enough, the significance of the Magic’s ability to get contributions from different players on any given night. We’ve already witnessed the likes of Jason Williams, Mickael Pietrus and reserves Anthony Johnson, Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson provide much needed contributions on nights when the Magic needed a player to step up.

As good as things have gone over the last ten games or so, there’s still a lot to improve on. I’d still like to see Vince Carter, Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis play more aggressively and start to impose their dominance on opponents. Coaches are always instructing players to take what the defense gives them, however, players of their stature are game changers and need to be more assertive, especially when attacking the rim. Success in sports, such as it is in life, is due in large part to a certain mentality or mind set. And I still think the Magic lack a killer instinct that is going to be critical if they have championship aspirations.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Brandon Bass, David Stern, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Matt Barnes, NBA, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter

The Orlando Magic continued their winning ways tonight against the lowly New York Knickerbockers. Concluding an impressive road trip in which they did what a championship caliber team is suppose to do; win games against inferior opponents. Each game saw the Magic get behind early then fight back with their superior talent and depth. All this while actually playing short handed, minus All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson, still out with a knee injury.

After losing a heartbreaker to the Miami Heat on Thanksgiving, the Magic showed a lot of character, going on the road and getting the job done. I have been somewhat hard on newcomer Vince “Cupcake” Carter, since his arrival in Orlando. Mainly, because, he continues to underachieve by most peoples standards for a guy with his god given ability and sheer talent. However, since his arrival in the NBA, he has yet to play with a legitimate title contender, so I’m going to take this into consideration, and give him a chance to lose some of the bad habits he’s picked up in his 12 year career with poor performing clubs.  Through all of that, he still manages to carry the brunt of the offensive load while Rashard Lewis regains his composure after being suspended for the first 10 games of the regular season.

Another bright spot continues to be the play of the inspired JJ Redick. It is becoming clearer with each game why Otis Smith held onto Redick while some including JJ himself felt he should be dealt. Not only has he found his collegiate stroke which had been missing in his first couple of seasons. Now he has improved defensively and is even showing the ability to put the ball on the floor when pushed off the 3 point line. With the off season additions of Matt Barnes and Brandon Bass, who also stepped up big in Milwaukee, the Magic have become one of the deepest teams in the NBA. This bolds well  for them when playing a grueling regular season and will prove to be the difference when it comes to seedings in the Playoffs. With the other 3 elite teams in the Eastern Conference, Boston, Cleveland and Atlanta, playing inconsistent and showing transparent flaws in the early goings, the Magic continue to get stronger and are exemplifying a cohesive unit able to withstand the ups and downs of the long haul.

Not to be lost in all the praise for Vinsanity and the other the role players, is the continued resurgence of Dwight Howard as the games premier dominant center imposing his will on all comers. Howard needs to continue to assert himself more as a leader and defensive juggernaut if the Magic are going to fulfill expectations. With that being said, I sincerely believe the Magic need to add another piece to the puzzle if they have serious title aspirations. Memo to Otis Smith: Iverson is still ripe for the taking. Jason Williams is not going to hold up much longer and despite Anthony Johnson’s nice showing against the Atlanta Hawks, he is not a legitimate force on the 2nd unit. If there is any merit to the cliche there’s “Strength in Numbers”, then the Magic need to be proactive in addressing their need for a spark plug to get their motor going. This team is still not where it should be and a little A.I. could do a lot in the way of helping the Magic reach their full potential.

Technorati Tags: Allen Iverson, Anthony Johnson, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brandon Bass, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, jason williams, JJ Reddick, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Orlando Magic, Otis Smith, Rashard Lewis, Vince "Cupcake" Carter, Vince Carter, Vinsanity

The Orlando Magic and Diwght Howard got back on track last night with an impressive road victory against the up and coming Atlanta Hawks. More importantly, Dwight Howard finally found his offensive game and played with aggresiveness we haven’t since yet in the beginning stages of this season. Hopefully, this is indicative of what we can expect from Mr. Howard and the rest of the Magic from here on out.

It is expected for a team who reached the NBA Finals just six months ago to suffer a bit of a letdown when embarking on another long regular season. So I give the Magic a pass for some of their lethargic play early on. They’ve still managed to pick up some nice road wins in Boston, Toronto and now Atlanta. They say winning starts with defense and that has been the one consistent formula the Magic have put on display. Lead by Mickael Pietrus who has done an excellent job against some of the biggest names in the game, such as Paul Pierce, Dwayne Wade and Joe Johnson. Pietrus is also contributing on the offensive end with some very timely long distance shooting. Hopefully, he starts attcking the basket more, which will make the Magic even more dynamic offensively.

The most impressive aspect of last nights victory was the way the Magic fought their way back into the game in the second half, rather than mailing it in and blaming it on a tough back-to-back road game. Apparently, coach van Gundy challenged his team during his halftime pep talk and they definitely responded. So much for the notion he is losing his team.  With Orlando’s depth at several positions, they should be able to combat fatigue and the occasional off nights by their starters. Evident last night  with Anthony Johnson, who I owe a sincere apology to, putting up 17 points to make up for Jason Williams ineffectiveness.

Again, I can’t stress enough how important Dwight howards tenaciousness is needed to keep the Magic rolling. Every team plays off their best player and while Orlando may have other All-Star caliber players, Howard is clearly the emotional leader of the team. He set the tone in the second half and the rest of the Magic follwed suit. If this continues, the magic could be headed for anpother trip to the finals. Up next is the Milwaukee Bucks and rookie phenom Brandon Jennings. Without Jameer Nelson, this will be a tough assignement for the Magic backcourt. Can’t help but think what might have been had the Magic reached out and grabbed Allen Iverson after he cleared waivers. I guess I’ll have to settle for “White Chocolate” vs. the next “A.I.”.

Technorati Tags: Allen Iverson, Anthony Johnson, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, brandon jennings, coach Van Gundy, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, jason will, joe johnson, Mickael Pietrus, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Orlando Magic, paul pierce, Stan Van Gundy, Toronto Raptors, Vince Carter

The Orlando Magic take on their Florida Rivals the Miami Heat tonight at Amway Arena. If recent history holds true to form, Dwayne Wade will have a monster game, and the Magic will prevail. This game should serve as a barometer of where Vince Carter is defensively and also serve as a great opportunity for Dwight Howard to get back on track offensively. Howard usually has big games against the Heats smaller line-up, averaging a double-double in the last 12 games in the series.

Wade, who’s career average is a cool 30 points per game against the Magic, has been feasting against all his Southeast Division foes over the last 3 seasons. Hopefully, Vince Carter is reminded of this by head coach Stan “I’m a Nicer Man” Van Gundy, and accepts the challenge of thwarting Wade on the defensive end of the floor. If not, expect Mickael Pietrus to get the nod. JJ Redick has continued to make strides but is clearly no match for Wade.

Jason Williams, who has performed more than adequately while Jameer Nelson continues his usual injury Hiatus, gets a chance to face his former team, where he was the starting point guard on their championship team. Williams has been adept at finding his teammates and even better at not turning the ball over, averaging just 1 a game in his 3 starts. I will root for anyone who can keep Anthony Johnson glued to the pine. Watching him play is almost as uncomfortable as remembering Carl Lewis singing the “National Anthem”.  I guess Johnson is a hell of a locker room guy, Dwight Howards best friend, or has serious dirt on Otis Smith. Otherwise, what could explain how he is still on the roster?

Miami is coming into the game banged up, with starters Mario Chalmers, Quentin Richardson and Jermaine O’neal battling injuries.  Let’s hope the Magic come out of the gate strong and pounce on a clearly weaker Miami Heat team. These are the games that help define how a team is going to play the rest of the year.

Technorati Tags: Anthony Johnson, carl lewis, Dwayne Wade, Jermaine O'Neal, JJ Reddick, mario chalmers, Miami Heat, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Otis Smith, quentin richardson, Stan Van Gundy, Vince Carter

Rafer Alston came over to the Orlando Magic last week in their big trade deadline deal and looks like he’s going to fit in nicely. He has played two games, starting one, and helped the Magic get victories against the Heat and Bobcats. Alston is a true point guard and increase scoring opportunities for everyone else. The deal came shortly after the Tyronn Lue deal and that’s what leaves me scratching my head. It’s obvious at this point that the Magic threw everything they had into the Alston deal and are counting on him to lead them to the promised land.

Prioritizing these things, I like the Alston deal. It will help the team this year and should help in the next season or two, assuming that Alston takes the back seat to Nelson next year with a good attitude. The Lue deal still irks me and is one of the dumbest moves the team has made to date. Lue already played here and didn’t work out. He is younger than Anthony Johnson yet looks less athletic. He wasn’t an upgrade over Johnson and dealing away Keith Bogans for him was completely stupid and was a knee jerk reaction to Jameer Nelson going down that shouldn’t have happened.

All that being said, every team makes dumb decisions sometime and the Magic at least made the deal for Alston to attempt to fix things. I would still rather see Bogans coming off the bench in playoff time, but that doesn’t matter now. The one thing we all need to see is how well Alston plays against Boston, Cleveland and Detroit. Those are the teams that matter and that is the only thing that will show us how well this deal will work out.

The Magic head to Chicago tonight and I’ve got a feeling we’re gonna see another big game from Dwight so tune in and see if I’m right.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Keith Bogans, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Rafer Alston, Tyronn Lue