Tampa Bay Sports Blog

The Magic jumped out to a big lead early and held on late to beat the Celtics in game one. Both teams are fighting injuries with Courtney Lee and Kevin Garnett down and this set up opportunities for some others to step up. The Celtics had no one to step up in Garnett’s absence against the Magic and they exploited that enough to win game one. From what I saw though there are some huge holes out there that the Magic can take advantage of and really take hold of this series.

We really shouldn’t expect Rafer Alston to do what he did to Rajon Rondo last night in every game, but he needs some props for what he did. Rondo still had 14 points and 8 dimes, but Alston helped force Rondo into seven turnovers last night and that was great. Alston was all over Rondo and this could be a short series if he keeps that up.

Mickael Pietrus stepped up off the bench with 17 crucial points and played with the toughness and intensity that this team needs. Let’s not forget that Pietrus was a starter earlier on the season until an injury allowed Lee to take over, so this shouldn’t be a surprise.

My last thought on things is this. The Celtics have no answer for Rashard Lewis with Garnett out and that should lead to Lewis having some big games in this series. If Boston keeps matching Davis up with Lewis, he will go off. Lewis is too quick and athletic for Davis to handle and that should lead to more opportunities for both Lewis and Turk.

It is troubling that the Magic let another big lead dwindle down to five, but it was in Boston and it’s not anything to freak out about yet, but we’ll see.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Courtney Lee, Hedo Turkoglu, Kevin Garnett, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Rafer Alston, Rajon Rondo, Rashard Lewis

The Magic are going to be stuck playing the Celtics in the second round and that could be good. Dwight will do his thing against Perkins, Garnett or whoever squares up on him. Lewis will continue to be effective yet erratic. Turk will be the enigmatic figure that he has become with the injury. Alston will get torched by Rondo throughout every game. The key will be Courtney Lee.

Lee is fighting off an injury himself, but he’ll be there. Injury or not, if the Magic turn him loose, he’ll go off. Courtney Lee has shown what he’s capable of this year and hasn’t even touched the surface yet. Lee is quick, tough, athletic and a defensive animal that will leave the Celtics wondering what happened to them if Van Gundy gives him the keys to the offense.

Alston has helped and hurt at the same time. It’s obvious. He would be great behind Nelson, but that’s not an option. I loved the strides Jameer Nelson made and he’s is the biggest reason the Magic became an elite team earlier in the season. When he went down it was awful. Alston gave us hope and has done enough to keep the Magic alive thus far.

Now it’s time to play inside. Let’s stop relying on 400 three pointers a game to get by. Time to hit the hole hard and angry. Time to bring it with force, give facials and draw fouls. This sounds like porno movie script, I know, but it will be a winning formula for this team.

It looks like the NBA is angling for a Laker/Cavalier finals so this series shouldn’t be overofficiated too much. We’ll see what happens, but I’m keeping hope alive.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Rajon Rondo, Rashard Lewis, Stan Van Gundy

The Magic are tearing through the NBA right now with a 33-8 record and look like serious title contenders right now. The improvement on both sides of the court is relevant to everyone picking up their game. Turk is what he always has been, a cold blooded beast that attacks other teams defense’s with the reckless abandon of a football player. Dwight Howard is dominating inside the paint and has dramatically improved his defense, namely his shot blocking skills. Rashard Lewis has gotten with the program and has shown a much tougher side to him on both ends of the floor. Courtney Lee is doing right now what we expected from Mickael Pietrus and when Pietrus is healthy again the bench will get that much deeper. Aside from Lee, we’ve seen all of these guys play at this level before during their careers. The one guy that has really taken giant steps forward is Jameer Nelson, and that has translated into the Magic taking a giant step forward.

Nelson is having a career year for the real Orlando Blue Man Group and is bringing the team with him. If anyone said they didn’t notice before, the Laker game should’ve gotten their attention. Nelson outplayed Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter of that game and led the Magic to the most notable victory this season. That win not only solidified them as a top tier team, but served notice to the rest of the league that they can beat anyone anywhere. Now I’m not comparing Nelson to Bryant, that would be silly, but I’m saying that it’s time to start giving the man some run as a legitimate MVP candidate. He’s not putting up numbers like Bryant, James or Wade, but he’s doing as much for his team as anyone. He’s hitting clutch shots, spreading the ball around and helping create opportunities for Lewis, Turk and Howard to get theirs. The team has improved as much as Nelson has and that’s no coincidence.

Nelson is not only putting good numbers up, he leads all guards in field goal percentage. That’s right, he’s shooting at a better clip than James, Bryant, Wade or any other guard you want to name. He’s twentieth in the NBA in overall FG% and that’s comparing him to guys like Howard and Shaq who get most of their points off dunks and easier shots inside. He’s also fifth in the NBA in 3-point percentage and he’s doing all of this while basically being the fourth option offensively here. I’m not trying to make a case for the guy to be the MVP, but he should at least be in the conversation. When a player improves as much as Nelson has, and subsequently his team does as well, it’s time for everyone to take notice of it. I would just like to see him mentioned within these MVP rankings I see tossed up and, other than Third Quarter Collapse and Orlando Magic Blog, haven’t seen too much about Nelson put out there. Like I said, he’s not top three or maybe not even top ten, but he should at least be in the same class as Paul Millsap and Allen Iverson right now, don’t you think?

Technorati Tags: Allen Iverson, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Mickael Pietrus, MVP, Orlando Magic, Paul Millsap, Rashard Lewis, Shaquille O'Neal

Orlando capped of their 4-0 road trip last night with another convincing win, a 106-88 victory in Denver. The Nuggets are a good team but the Magic turned it up in the fourth quarter to run away with it. Turk, Nelson and Lewis took it to the Nuggets combining for 77 of the Magic’s 106 points. This win was impressive because of the night before. After the game they played the night before against the Lakers, you could see a letdown game coming. They didn’t let that happen and are establishing themselves as THE force to be reckoned with in the NBA. They have the best road record in the league and have done so while beating teams like the Lakers, Nuggets, Spurs, Hawks and so on in their buildings.

That Laker game was everything I thought it would be by the way. Jameer Nelson stepped up again with 28 points, which included 15 in the fourth quarter. Howard showed Andrew Bynum that he still has some growing up to do as he dominated the paint despite getting into early foul trouble. It was an outstanding game and I come away even more impressed than I already was. It was nice to see Jameer hit the big shots in the fourth, especially as Kobe missed. Everything is going pretty well right now, hopefully they’re not peaking too soon, and I am now looking forward to the future match-ups with the Celtics, Cavs and Pistons.

Technorati Tags: Andrew Bynum, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Courtney Lee, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, San Antonio spurs

I’m not going to bother going over it too much because I’m sure everyone out there saw the aerial bombing that the Magic dropped on Sacramento on Tuesday, but it was amazing to watch. Normally when teams get hot like that you just sit back and wait for them to cool down and see what happens from there. It never happened and the Magic embarrassed the Kings at home 139-107. It was awesome and got me extremely excited for tomorrow’s game with the Lakers.

I could be setting myself up for a huge letdown, but I’m excited none the less. I can’t wait to see if they can keep the hot shooting going, how Courtney Lee does defensively against Kobe Bryant and if the Magic can beat one of the NBA’s best on their home floor. If they pull out the win I think it go a long way toward this team believing that they can go all the way and give them a little more swagger in future match-ups against Cleveland and Boston. This team has come a long way this year and there is no ceiling on what they can do. I once again encourage everyone to watch this team that hasn’t yet and I think you’ll be hooked when you do.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Courtney Lee, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings

What we have seen so far from the Orlando Magic this season has been remarkable so far and all of us fans should be excited for what may be to come. The Magic are now sitting atop the NBA along with Boston and the Lakers as the first teams to clinch the 30 victory mark and don’t look to be slowing down at all. I’ts been an awesome sight to watch this year and it has been highlighted the last week with an impressive road victory in San Antonio last night and the absolute destruction of Atlanta on Friday.

Last night’s 105-98 victory over the Spurs really set them apart as the leagues best road team and has helped them let everyone know that they’re for real and need to be in the conversation as one of the best in the NBA right now. If they keep this pace up they should be considered elite, but they need to show and prove in the playoffs to really make their mark.

There are a few things different this season than in the past that make me believe that this team is ready to snag a title and I’ll go through them quickly.

• The emergence of Jameer Nelson as a better floor captain and scorer is probably the biggest improvement in the team this season. Nelson is on pace to set or match career highs in FG %, PPG, FT %, rebounds, steals and 3 pointer %. Nelson has probably set himself up for the most improved player award at least.
• The recent addition of Courtney Lee to the starting lineup is going to do nothing but help this team that has been lacking at the SG position for some time. Lee is an animal defensively, is lightning fast and will do enough offensively to keep the job he has earned. His scoring will slowly improve as he gets more time, but I wouldn’t expect too much from him there with Lewis, Howard, Turk and Nelson doing most of the damage.
• Rashard Lewis looks like he finally understands how talented he is and has improved his game on both ends of the floor. I have dogged Lewis in the past for not driving the lane enough and I must stop that now. He could probably go to the hoop more, but with Lee in the lineup, it’s not near as necessary as before. Lee will be aggressive inside so Lewis can light it up from the outside and these guys really seem to understand that and are playing very well together.

All of these things coupled with coach Stan Van Gundy’s relentless defensive approach has set this team apart from the rest of the league and should have this team believing they can take down Boston as NBA Champs.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Courtney Lee, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Championship, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, San Antonio spurs, Stan Van Gundy

The Magic invited the Wizards into Orlando last night for what has become common occurrence, a loss. Granted these are the Gilbert Arenas-less Wizards, but they are an NBA team none the less. Caron Butler went off for 29 points but got little help as the Magic’s balanced scoring and good defense carried them throughout. Hedo looks to be shaking off the hideous slump he’s been in the last couple games as he scored 22 on 6 of 12 shooting to lead the Magic to the 89-80 win.

Dwight Howard chipped in his usual double double with 15/16 and the good offensive numbers pretty much end there. Lewis and Nelson had 26 combined on 9 of 29 combined shooting, though they hit 4 of 10 from down town. It looks like they may be headed toward a little slump themselves but I actually would like to see that. I personally would like to see the slumps go up and down until the end of the season and have everyone get hot for the playoff run, but maybe I’m being too optimistic. My favorite thing about tonight’s game was that Courtney Lee got the start. I’m developing an Evan Longoria like man-crush on this guy and really want to see him getting more action. He’s lightning quick and very aggressive on both ends of the floor. He really plays the type of ball that need more of here and he could definitely be the guy to compliment Turk in driving the lane and drawing some fouls while Nelson and Lewis drop bombs from the outside.

This was a nice warmup game for the Magic as they head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks, who are only 4 games behind the Magic and hold the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta seems to be the team everyone forgets about when they’re talking about the Eastern Conference, but these guys are tough and they always give us a tough game, so the Magic better be ready.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Caron Butler, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Evan Longoria, Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, Washington Wizards

The idiots on the four letter network keep driving me insane with their doubting of the Magic because of their schedule. It’s not college football you assholes! They don’t get to pick who they play, they play the schedule they’re dealt and all they can do is win. Guess what dumbasses, they’re winning! It’s not like they’re playing St. Mary’s high school or a pickup game in the back yard. They’ve won on the road against the Western Conference and they’ve beaten good teams at home. They beat up on San Antonio and New Orleans at home and won tough games on the road. They’re doing this all without really having the entire team clicking on all cylinders. It took Lewis a while to get his offense going and Dwight Howard hasn’t exactly been lighting things up lately while he nurses an injury. They won while Nelson and Pietrus were out and nothing seems to be slowing them down at this point. Since their tough loss in Boston earlier this month the Magic are 13-1, with the only loss being on a last second shot by Grant Hill in Phoenix.

I’m sick of hearing people doubt this team because they want to hang all over LeBron James’ sack. Get over yourselves idiots. The Magic are in Detroit tonight for a big game and follow that up with another tough one in Chicago on Wednesday. Next month they will get Boston at home and have to play the Spurs, Kings, Lakers and Nuggets in a brutal West Coast trip. If they bomb out there then you can get on them, but if they win these games now, you need to get on board with the rest of those that think they’re finally reaching elite type status. I can’t wait to see what this team can do with everyone healthy and playing well and everyone out there should be looking forward to it as well. We’re seeing Jameer Nelson mature into a very good player and could be on the verge of something really great with Courtney Lee. If Rashard Lewis’ sudden newfound toughness isn’t temporary we could really being seeing something special out of these guys. I hope they keep winning and the four letter network retards keep overlooking it until they’re holding up some hardware.

Technorati Tags: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Courtney Lee, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Mickael Pietrus, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Rashard Lewis, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio spurs

The Magic headed out west last week looking to remove any doubts any of us may have had about them and what they could accomplish this year. I’m on board now! They came out last night in a game that could’ve easily been dropped with Howard out and the boys lagging from the tough trip that it was. Jameer Nelson wasn’t about to let that happen though. Nelson stepped up a dropped 32 points on the Warriors, which matched a career high, as he dropped bombs from the arc in the fourth quarter in finishing off Golden State. Nelson has been out of his mind lately and there’s nothing prettier than that high arching shot of his going through when he’s on. The way he shoots really lends to prolonged slumps during a long season, but when it’s on it’s sooooo pretty. Turkoglu was driving the lane like a wild animal and Marcin Gortat stepped up with a 16/13 effort in Howard’s absence. We have come to expect this type of play from Turk, but Nelson and Gortat have shown tremendous strides in their game and the mental toughness they both displayed on this road trip really impressed me. Turk shot like crap again, but has really showed he’s capable of running this offense when he’s needed. It’s good to see him taking on such a leadership role with this team and we shouldn’t freak out about his shots not falling because we know they will. Rashard Lewis is staying consistent right now as he contributed 21/8/5 and Courtney Lee also sparked things with 16 off the bench. Lee has been tremendous off the bench since he’s been given an opportunity and I see no reason that won’t continue. The final last night was 109-98 and the Magic finished up their road trip 4-1 with their only loss being a 1 point loss to the Suns on a final shot by Grant Hill. Outstanding trip to say the least. Speaking of Grant Hill, there are rumors circulating that the Magic are interested in re-acquiring the enigmatic Hill from the Suns for JJ Reddick (hat tip to Third Quarter Collapse for that one). I would be extremely disappointed with this move. Not that I would miss JJ Reddick, but why bring back a guy that essentially flattened this franchise for years with injuries and average play. Hill is not a player that we need here anymore and hopefully the higher ups recognize that as well. No Grant Hill! Anyway, it was a great trip and the Magic now sit at 19-6 and are 3.5 games up on Atlanta in the Southeast. We can’t rest easy now though, tough games are coming with San Antonio, the Lakers, Golden State and New Orleans at home. We really need for Howard to be back Thursday when Tim Duncan and the Spurs come to town, let’s hope he’s ready to go then.

Technorati Tags: Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Golden State Warriors, Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Los Angeles Lakers, Marcin Gortat, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis, San Antonio spurs

I’ll have to cover 2 games at once again as I freakin work too much. The game in Phoenix didn’t have the Shaq/Howard crap that I had anticipated, but it turned out to be a great game. The one in Utah amounted to a melodramatic road game without much intrigue. Let’s go.

• The Magic went to Phoenix and played an absolutely great game against a good team that went down to the wire. Turk shot like shit the entire game until hitting another clutch shot to put the Magic ahead with 9 seconds left. The worst part of the whole thing came when Grant freakin’ Hill took a beautiful pass from Amare Soudemire and hit a reverse layup that won the game. Dwight Howard left the game with a sore knee, that will hopefully not keep him out long, after only playing 22 and a half minutes of game time and really wasn’t much of a factor in things. The Magic did a great job of moving the ball and spreading out the scoring, but in the end it wasn’t enough. I take solace in the fact that the Magic were in this game, and almost won it, on the road with their best player hurt and Hedo Turkoglu shooting like crap against a complete Phoenix Suns team. The Suns were minus Shaq and Raja Bell, but Shaq isn’t much of a factor anymore and Bell’s absence is equated by the loss of Mickael Pietrus, so I write that off. With Howard out and Soudemire in and the Magic losing by only one on a final shot in the last 9 seconds, I take the loss in stride and these guys can build from that.
• In the fourth game of the West Coast swing the Magic beat the Jazz 103-94 and have brought their  record to 3-1 out west so far. It was an off night as Dwight Howard sat out along with Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer. Turk and Lewis did most of the damage and the Jazz just couldn’t keep up with Orlando’s offense. I didn’t get to watch the game because it wasn’t on TV here tonight but things appeared to be good on our end from those that started. Nelson dropped 17 as he continued his long due breakout season and Keith Bogans chipped in 10 in essentially split duty with Courtney Lee. Being that I didn’t get to see this game I can’t add anything to my man crush on Lee, but I’m sure he did what he does.

The Magic have gone 1 and 1 since I last talked about them, but they’re now 3 and 1 on this road trip and that’s a great accomplishment. The Western Conference is considered the varsity league in the NBA and the Magic have put up a winning record against them, on the road, with injuries. It shows the fortitude of the team and the ability to overcome arduous situations. Hedo hasn’t shot well, but he’s hit the ones that count, which proves my point regarding his importance to this offense. Rashard Lewis has played very well on both ends of the court during this stretch and has finally stepped up, temporarily, to being the player the Magic thought they were getting. Jameer Nelson is playing at a level we all had hoped for and Courtney Lee is doing major damage off the bench. One guy that played well the last couple nights that I have dogged also is Marcin Gortat. Gortat has stepped up in Howard’s absence and is proving that he belongs in this league. He will never be, and shouldn’t be, a starter in this league but he’s developing into a nice spot player that embraces his role very much. I would prefer Lee get more playing time and Gortat less, but situations dictate that. Lee needs more attention, that post is coming, but things are working and you can’t argue with Stan as they win. One more in Golden State boys,  bring it home right.

Technorati Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Grant Hill, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Keith Bogans, Marcin Gortat, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Raja Bell, Rashard Lewis, Ronnie Brewer, Shaquille O'Neal, Stan Van Gundy, Utah Jazz

The Magic looked very good for most of the game last night and were handling the Blazers at home pretty well for most of the game. That was until the fourth quarter. The Magic were hitting threes and playing well until the Blazers came at them with the zone defense and some offensive firepower provided by LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy who combined for 19 points in the fourth quarter. The Magic slumped a little in the fourth but a couple threes by Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis helped them keep it close until Hedo made that ridiculous three pointer in the closing seconds to give the Magic a 109-108 road victory. That shot was silly and would’ve won a game of H.O.R.S.E, much less an NBA game. After the game Turk and coach Stan Van Gundy joked that that was the way it was drawn up and intended to go. Nice to see some personality in these guys who rarely show any and this team is really going good right now. It’s easy for everyone to smile and laugh when they pull out victories like that against tough teams during tough road trips. The celebration after the game was fun to watch also and these guys seem to be on a totally different level than we’ve ever seen any Magic team on prior to this. I don’t remember any team, even the Shaq and Penny teams, that looked so together at any point and I’m really starting to get a little too excited about things right now. I would really like to see Courtney Lee get some more time at the two guard right now also as he really looks great right now. There’s a post coming dedicated to this by the way. Anyway, it was a great win on the road against a very good Portland team and it showed that the Magic are ready to step up into the elite team status in the Eastern Conference. Next up is Phoenix and we get to hear all the crap with Shaq and what not, hope they can pull that one out.

Technorati Tags: Brandon Roy, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, LaMarcus Aldridge, Orlando Magic, Penny Hardaway, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis, Shaquille O'Neal, Stan Van Gundy

The Magic started their West Coast swing last night in L.A. against the Clippers and got out with a 95-88 victory. It was a nice win in the sense that the Magic started and finished strong. They closed out the game with a 29-13 fourth quarter where they trailed by 9 to start and won by 7. That showed a nice finish the Magic have not always had, especially on the road. Dwight Howard led the charge with another 20/20 game and finished with a 23/22 line. Rashard Lewis had 18 and Jameer Nelson chipped in with 15 in another quality game. Nelson has shown marked improvement this year and should be getting more credit than he has received so far. Third Quarter Collapse came to his defense yesterday and did a nice job in pointing out how much he’s improved on paper. Nelson was criticized by 3shadesofblue where they stated “Just think about how good they would be if they had a real, live point guard on the roster.” I wouldn’t say that they couldn’t upgrade the point guard position, but to dismiss Jameer Nelson as if he’s not doing anything to help this team is just stupid. They obviously haven’t seen much of him this year and are judging him strictly on his past. Back to the game now, Lewis and Turk still haven’t got their shooting touches back yet going 9 of 17 combined and if these guys can still win with these guys shooting this way, it should be interesting to see how things go when they get their strokes back. Courtney Lee had a nice effort off the bench with 8 points and played some solid defense in the process. They Magic head to Portland tonight and it should be interesting to see how well they can play on back to back nights out west.

Technorati Tags: Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis

The Magic beat the T-Wolves on Wednesday (I know it’s late but I’ve been working!) and seem to keep having things fall just right in spite of the injuries that have ravaged them. Wednesday’s game was great in a different way though. Turk, Dwight and Lewis did their usual in combining for 68 of the Magic’s 100 point night, but a new face stepped in and took advantage of his opportunity to show and prove. Introducing Courtney Lee! Lee had yet to play 30 minutes or get double digit points in his glorious 14 game career. That’s over now as Lee stepped up to play 34+ minutes and dropped 19 off the bench to help beat the Wolves 100-89. Now I’m not declaring this guy the next big thing yet, but he looked very good the other night and it’s nice to see this guy get the anti-Reddick treatment in his rookie season. Maybe the Magic are more forced now to play this guy than they were to play JJ in his rookie campaign, but it was in the back of my head coming in that maybe they were going to do the same thing with C-Lee. Nope! Now we need to move forward.

The Magic had the Thunder at home and kept piling up the wins against a bad team by beating them 98-89. Jameer Nelson came back and picked up where he left off with points 15 on 6 of 10 shooting, which included 3 for 3 from the arc. Howard was especially dominant with 21/23 and helped offset bad shooting nights by Lewis and Turkoglu who went 10 of 32 combined. Keith Bogans also made his return and scored 9 points on 3 of 6 shooting, all three pointers by the way, in a balanced effort from the bench. I would’ve liked to see a little more than 10 minutes for Courtney, but it’s hard to argue with another victory. The Magic now sit at 14-5 on top of the Southeast, 2 games ahead of Atlanta, as they head out on an extremely tough 5 game West Coast swing. We could be singing an entirely different tune about things at this point next week, but let’s hope this road trip goes well as it could be a huge confidence boost to an already good team and set things up for an impressive season.

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Keith Bogans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis

   The Magic have played four games since my last post and had put on a good showing in all but last night’s big one against the Celtics. Now I’m not going to pick on them for losing an away game, in Boston, while down three major contributors in Mickael Pietrus, Keith Bogans and Jameer Nelson. Pietrus hurt himself in the Philly game and is going to miss at least three weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb. The Magic have been getting hit hard with injuries and Pietrus is just the latest victim to be sidelined. Orlando had two very good showings on national TV last week against Philly and Washington on the road. The Philly game was the tough one as Rashard Lewis stepped up and hit a big three in the final 5 seconds to give the Magic the win. Lewis has definitely stepped up big lately and may finally be developing into the offensive force the Magic hoped they were getting when they first acquired him. I get on Lewis a lot and it’s playing like he has been that’s going to shut all of us up that pick on him. We all know he’s talented enough to play this way and have been waiting for him to show it consistently. In the other national game the Magic beat up on the hapless Wizards 105-90 who still look awful without Gilbert Arenas. Pietrus scored 17 points in the Washington game while trying to play through his injury, but in the end it was too much. Howard has been consistent and is doing a better job of staying out of foul trouble. Turk is still driving the lane and doing a good job of drawing fouls, though his shots aren’t falling the way we expect. The Indiana game was an awesome display of what this team is capable of. Howard dominated inside with 32/21 and Lewis and Turk dropped bombs from the three point line going 8 of 15 combined. It was a beautiful thing to watch but the Boston game showed once again that the Magic need more to compete with the elite in the Eastern Conference. If the Magic are going to get by Boston they are going to need a complete lineup that includes Pietrus, Nelson and Bogans. This holds true for Detroit as well and we may get to see most of tat lineup by the time the Magic get to Detroit at the end of the month. The Magic big three of Howard, Turk and Lewis should be enough to carry them to that point, but they are going to need more to break the Piston’s hold over them. The Detroit team they will face is not as good without Billups and Iverson seems to be doing more harm than good since his arrival, but it’s more a mental thing with that match up and the Magic need to break through that before they head into the playoffs. I’m calling the Celtics game a wash and looking forward to getting a healthy Magic team on the floor before I pass judgement on them. They should be able to handle the T-Wolves tomorrow night and I’d personally llike to see a lot of Courtney Lee and JJ Reddick in that one. It would be nice to see them take advantage of the injuries and get these guys more time on the floor as it would improve the bench dramatically when the team is healthy.

Technorati Tags: Allen Iverson, Boston Celtics, Chauncey Billups, Courtney Lee, Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard, Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, Indiana Pacers, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Keith Bogans, Mickael Pietrus, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Rashard Lewis, Washington Wizards

   The Magic pulled out a weird win at home against the Milwaukee Bucks 108-101. Dwight Howard led the bunch 24/13 even though he only played 31 minutes because of foul trouble again. This is becoming a disturbing trend and is not going to end well for the Magic if Howard can’t get his foul issues under control. I love him getting blocked shots, he had six more last night, but not if it means he can’t play for long stretches because of fouls. He was 10-20 from the free throw line as well and is looking a little too much like Shaq, and that’s not a good thing to be compared to Shaq at the stripe. Turk was back and had 22/9 which included 8 of 8 from the line. Rashard Lewis also finished  with 22 points, going 10 of 11 from the line, and played 39+ minutes in spite of his injury scare. I dog Lewis a lot for his inconsistency and soft play but we need him on the floor to be successful. The Magic were 38 of 54 from the fre throw line as a team, opposed to Milwaukee’s 17 of 21, and that’s what put them over the top. JJ Reddick contributed 10 points off the bench and will be getting a lot more playing time with Keith Bogans out. Now to the injuries.

   Keith Bogans will be out for at least a month with a fractured thumb and strained ligament in his left hand and that’s gonna be hurt. We should see more of JJ Reddick and Courtney Lee in his absence. Turk came back from the flu and we needed that last night. The biggest concern for the Magic right now has to be Jameer Nelson’s injury.  Nelson left the game in the third quarter with a groin strain and it’s uncertain right now how much time, if any, he could miss. Groin strains are tough, and the Magic absolutely need Nelson right now. He has been playing great this season, showing the ability we all had been hoping to see earlier, and he is becoming a vital cog in the Magic machine right now. Hopefully this will be a game or two type of thing as Anthony Johnson can hold down the fort for that long, if any longer they will have to scour the free agent pool. We’ll see what happens, in the meantime have a national game on ESPN tomorrow night in Philadelphia so tune in.

Technorati Tags: Anthony Johnson, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Keith Bogans, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Rashard Lewis, Shaquille O'Neal

Technorati Tags: Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, JJ Reddick, Keith Bogans, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, Washington Wizards

   The Orlando Magic have gotten off to a 2-2 start after their close win against the Bulls last night. They beat the Bulls 96-93 behind Dwight Howard’s 22 pt/15 rb and five others scoring in double digits. Howard has stated that he intends to get a double double in every game this season, an achievable yet somewhat lofty goal, and has backed up that statement thus far. The Magic are going through a small transition after losing Keyon Dooling to the Nets in free-agency and are giving JJ Reddick his shot to prove himself in the aftermath. Reddick has no more excuses and needs to perform better than he’s shown, two points on free throws and no field goals in four games. Courtney Lee got his first action last night and looked like a rookie is supposed to. He should develop this year off the bench and there isn’t too much pressure being put on him to make any impact. The keys for this team’s success this year hinge on Rashard Lewis becoming tougher defensively and being more consistent offensively, Hedo maintaining his presence as a scoring threat and Mickael Pietrus becoming the big time two guard the Magic so desperately need. Pietrus doesn’t need to become Kobe Bryant, but he needs to at least be more aggressive from that spot. His defense and his perimeter shooting are the reasons the Magic signed him, but his athleticism is what can make this team a power in the East. The bench also needs to step up. Reddick, Bogans and company have looked below average so far and that’s not going to get it done. Bogans finally had a decent game off the bench last night with 13 pt/5 rb, yet had struggled before that. With Pietrus developing, Nelson and Lewis’ inconsistency and Howard being the defensive focus of other teams, Bogans/Anthony Johnson/Reddick need to give this team points off the bench. I believe these are just early season transgressions and think Bogans and Johnson will contribute as expected, Reddick I’ve always doubted, so we’ll just wait and see.

Technorati Tags: Anthony Johnson, Chicago Bulls, Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Keith Bogans, Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis