Tampa Bay Sports Blog

It was NASCAR night in Charlotte, where the Orlando Magic needed overtime to eventually outpace the Bobcats 106-95.

The Magic earned the right to take their victory lap with some timely 3 point shooting and tough defense in the overtime period.

Yesterday, I called for better production from the Magic’s starting backcourt and Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter definitely responded. Nelson led the way with 21 points and 7 assists, while Carter chipped in 21 points and 5 assists to go along with his stellar defense against All-Star candidate Gerald Wallace.

The Magic used there outside shooting to build a decent cushion going into the fourth quarter, then suffered a cold spell and allowed the Bobcats to crawl back into the game. Unfortunately, as good as Jameer Nelson was offensively, his defense down the stretch against D.J. Augustin could have cost the Magic the game.  This is becoming a very unwelcome trend with Jameer allowing opponents to go off on him.

The biggest story line for the Magic, at least from my perspective, is the outstanding play of Dwight howard, who is finally looking like the player who carried the Magic to the Finals last season. Howard was huge, snatching a game high 20 boards and swatting away 7 shots. Dwight sets the tone for the Magic, and lately, he looks like a man on a mission, displaying a tenacity that was missing most of the season.

The move to Matt Barnes in the starting line-up over Mickael Pietrus is continuing to pay dividends as well. While his numbers don’t always jump out at you while perusing the box score, his effort and intensity are clearly evident when watching him play. The same can be said about JJ Reddick, whose hard work and dedication have helped him become a consummate pro. Otis Smith’s decision to hold onto Reddick looks like a brilliant one.

Now it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t use this or any other opportunity to blast off on good ol’ Rashard Lewis. Sure, he had what appeared to be a nice game with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. However, he took 13 three’s and made only 4, a couple of which came when the Magic already had the game in hand. Excuse me if I’m missing something, but on what planet is it ok for a 6′10″ power forward to jack up 13 three point shots? Mercury, Juptiter, Venus or maybe Uranus? I’m not sure about those places in the solar system, but here on Earth, this simply isn’t acceptable. Dude, drop a shoulder and drive the lane, trust me what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. At this point, some girl push-ups might even be an improvement. Rashard apparently got gypped out of his “Roid Rage”, while he was using performance enhancers, since I’ve never seem him express anything remotely close to aggression.

As much as you fall in love with them when there going down, you cannot simply rely on 3 pointers to be the focal point of your offense if you want to win consistently. Last night the magic hoisted 39 three’s and while it helped Orlando build their lead, it also almost cost the Magic the game.

With that being said, there are still a lot of positives for the Magic to build on, and if Dwight Howard continues his ascent back to last years form, the Magic should be in great shape the rest of the way.

Technorati Tags: Charlotte Bobcats, D.J. Augustin, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Otis Smith, Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter

The Magic took their show on the road hoping to capitalize on the momentum of their blowout victory against the surging Atlanta Hawks last Saturday.

Things began nicely, with a convincing win in Sacramento against the injury riddled Kings.

Then reality struck once again on Wednesday night in Denver as the Nuggets dissected the Magic en route to a 115-97 trouncing over Orlando. Playing short-handed without their leading scorer Vince “Cupcake” Carter for the secong straight night, Orlando simply had no answer for the physical play of the Nuggets. Dwight “The Coward” Howard struggled mightily against the likes of Kenyon Martin and Chris “Birdman” Andersen, managing a meager 8 points on 1-7 shooting. A far cry from the 30 points and 16 rebounds he collected the night before in Sacramento.

In what may have been the funniest sound bite I’ve ever heard from a player came from Dwight Howard after the loss to Denver in which he stated “the Nuggets took away the inside game and FORCED the Magic to shoot jump shots”. Excuse me if I’m missing something here, but have you ever seen anyone having to force Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson or JJ Redick(let me stop here, before I name the rest of the roster) to shoot a jump shot?

In the last three games including last nights loss to the Blazers, which I will get to momentarily, the magic took 27,31 and 30 three point shots. So what was so different about the Nugget game as far as the game plan Dwight?

Now we move on to last nights debacle in Portland against the Brandon Roy-less Blazers. Portland came out strong building an 11 point first quarter lead, taking advantage of Orlando’s ritual of slow starts, and never looked back. Without Roy, the Blazers looked to Andre Miller and Steve Blake to lead the charge and also got a strong outing out of Martell Webster who scored 24 points(more than twice his average of 10 a game) and 9 boards. While Dwight Howard managed only 11 points playing against Juwan Howard. Yes, Juwan Howard is actually still in the NBA; amazing isn’t it?  Vince Carter, finally back after suffering a debilitating(wink wink) sprained shoulder, was a non factor, while his backcourt mate, Jameer Nelson, continued to get lit up by opponents point guards. First Chauncey Billups had his way with Jameer “The Steer”, then came Andre Miller( the slowest man on earth, getting paid to run) and Steve Blake to take advantage of the Magics fearless leader . The Tattoo on Jameer’s back reads ” All Eyes On Me”, and if that is the case, there are a lot of people out there witnessing him getting used and abused night in and night out.

Rashard Lewis remains MIA, and is either unable to adjust to playing with his new teammates(especially Vince Carter) or is simply missing his medicine. Remember, Lewis A.K.A. Mr. Softy, was suspended for violating the NBA’s banned substance list for the first 10 games of the season. Rashard is making close to max money and is playing himself into a possible reserve role. Look at what the Philadelphia 76ers did with their version of an overpaid, underachieving player in Elton Brand, who is currently coming off the bench. In the last two games Lewis has scored a total of 15 points and collected a staggeringly low 4 rebounds. The man is 6′10″ 230 pounds, plays power forward and manages to grab 4 boards in a combined 50 plus minutes of action. Pardon me while I scroll through my trusty thesaurus for alternative words for PATHETIC!

The fact is the Magic are a soft, finesse, jump shooting team masquerading as title contenders. Now if this is what they aim to be as an organization; let me be the first to issue a mea culpa: Mission accomplished.

Unfortunately, we all know this isn’t true. The Magic were successful last season because they played much better defensively, and Howard and others asserted themselves more both offensively and on the glass.

Chemistry is a key ingredient, one often overlooked by fans and GM’s alike, who simply look at players numbers and highlights and fall in love with the idea of having them on their team. This Magic team is severely lacking leadership and a sustained consistency. There is a phrase ”The whole is greater than the sum of its parts“. However, when it comes to the Magic, it seems the parts just don’t fit, and it’s time to start assessing the value of each individual piece of the puzzle. The trade market is plentiful this year with all the impending free agents and economic turmoil that has plagued the NBA this season.

If the players aren’t going to be aggressive on the court; management needs to step up and get aggressive off the court.

New Orleans is a prime example of a team suffering crippling losses financially; maybe the Magic can swoop in and pilfer Chris Paul away from the Hornets. Another option to look into is Chris Bosh. Toronto is almost certainly going to lose Bosh at seasons end, and the Magic and Raptors were able to orchestrate deals this past off season, so there is a good working relationship there.

At this point, anything the front office can do to bring about change will be welcome by Magic fans. In most cases the coach is usually the easiest target, and with Stan Van Gundy’s approach wearing on his players, I’m sure there wouldn’t be too much resistance to him being ousted.

The Magic face the lakers Monday night in Los Angeles, a rematch of last years NBA Finals, and I can only imagine what lies in store for them. One things for sure there will be plenty of Kobe Beef on the menu. Vince Carter better rest that shoulder and get ready to do battle, or else, things could get ugly. I’m almost certain we will be seeing a lot of Mickael Pietrus if things start going south early.

Technorati Tags: Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Chris Andersen, Denver Nuggets, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Kenyon Martin, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Marcin Gortat, Martell Webster, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis, Ryan Anderson, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Blake, Toronto Raptors, Vince "Cupcake" Carter, Vince Carter

Kudos to Coach Stan Van Gundy for making the prudent decision to insert Matt Barnes into the starting line-up replacing Mickael Pietrus.

The move gives the Magic a much more aggressive/active player to help combat their inability to start games with a high level of intensity. Barnes is a tireless worker on the glass and gets out and runs the floor hard on every play. Hopefully, this type of play can rub off on his fellow teammates.

Orlando has been plagued by slow starts at the beginning of games, to go along with their woeful low post scoring and extreme reliance on 3 point shots.

It’s unfortunate that the Magic needed to suffer a couple of losses to serve as the impetus for change. However, it is better late than never.

The move also illustrates Van Gundy’s commitment to winning and not just being satisfied with the status quo. The Magic have a tremendous wealth of talent and ultimately it is up to the coaching staff to utilize it most effectively.

I’m still waiting for Marcin Gortat to be given a permanent spot in the rotation and a larger role in the Magics offensive scheme. Dwight Howard has regressed severely and clearly cannot be counted on to shoulder the load up front.

Technorati Tags: Dwight Howard, Marcin Gortat, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy

After watching Vince “Cupcake” Carter hit the deck following a mild collision with  Ersan IIyasova, I immediately predicted Carter would be slow to get up, so he could milk the crowd for some attention.

It is a scene I became all to familiar with while watching him play in New Jersey for the Nets. The slightest chance of faking an injury would send Carter into full “Drama Queen” mode.

The replays of this play clearly showed there was no contact between Carter’s head and IIyasova’s shoulder, no matter how many times the Magic announcers tried to tell us otherwise.

Much to my chagrin, I was forced to listen to media outlets attributing Carter’s false bravado as the spark that helped lead the Magic to victory against the mediocre Milwaukee Bucks.

The Magic got off to a slow start, a consistent theme this season, then eventually found their shooting touch and ran the inferior Bucks out of the gym.

Once again, the Magic lacked  defensive intensity and relied on their depth and the three ball to carry them to the win. As I’ve said repeatedly, this formula will work against weaker opponents, however, it will continue to hinder the Magic against the leagues top teams. The Magic have feasted on the losing teams and benefited greatly from playing in the pathetic Eastern Conference, where two-thirds of the teams are sporting losing records.

If the Indianapolis Colts are actually right in their view that the ultimate goal should be winning a Championship. Then the Magic clearly have to make some adjustments and roster moves. Otherwise, we will be relegated to finding satisfaction in a bunch of meaningless wins and false hope.

Coach Van Gundy’s decision to replace Mickael Pietrus in the starting line-up with high energy reserve Matt Barnes could be a step in the right direction. I like Pietrus, however, he tends to settle for too many jump shots, mimicking Carter and Rashard Lewis on the offensive end.

Barnes could provide that necessary spark to help the Magic get out of the gate quicker.

Jammer Nelson continues to be MIA, and is simply not the same player he was prior to his shoulder injury. Coach Stan Van Gundy addressed the Jameer Nelson Dilemma after the Bucks game, saying ” we have to re-evaluate where we are at with Jameer”. Unfortunately, Jason Williams seems to be regressing as well since jameer’s return into the line-up. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Last year Rafer Alston helped lead the Magic into the Finals against the Lakers only to be foiled by Nelson’s selfish desire to play.

Dwight “The Coward” Howard came up small against the very talented and equally inconsistent Andrew Bogut, who baited Howard into  early foul trouble. Bogut and the rest of the Milwaukee front line did a good job limiting Howard’s effectiveness on the offensive end when he returned and even interrupted a few alley-oops intended for Howard.

In limited spot duty Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass continued to play well when given the opportunity. Which begs the question; When will Coach Van Gundy insert either of them in the  regular rotation?

Up next for the Magic are the Minnesota Timberwolves, another of the NBA’s cellar dwellers, who are proud owners of the second worst record in the association. I guess we should expect another repeat performance of the Magic taking advantage of a lesser opponent and eventually prevailing in the end.

It’s amazing, I find myself almost rooting for the Magic to lose, so just maybe the powers that be will somehow miraculously wake up and make some changes. Santa must have missed my house again, because I wanted a Point Guard and Power Forward for the Magic. Instead, I’m left with Jameer “The Steer” who continues to shoot blanks, and Rashard “Please Don’t Touch Me” Lewis who is deathly afraid of human contact.

Didn’t take long for me to break my New Years resolution to be more positive!

Technorati Tags: Andrew Bogut, Brandon Bass, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, jason williams, Marcin Gortat, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Rafer Alston, Rashard Lewis, Stan Van Gundy, Vince "Cupcake" Carter, Vince Carter

After watching a frustrating, yet understandable loss at Utah last week, followed by another heartbreaker the following night in Phoenix against the Suns, I decided to take a few days off to see how the Magic would respond.

As expected, they returned home Monday night and won and ugly game against the very physical Indiana Pacers. Followed by an unimpressive dismantling of the feeble Toronto Raptors last night.

I think we can all agree that a couple of victories at home against the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors is not quite an accurate barometer of where this Magic team is at.

So I waited on the outcome of tonight’s rematch against the Miami Heat, who narrowly escaped Orlando’s Amway Arena with a victory less than a month ago, courtesy of a last second put back shot by Michael Beasley off an errant D Wade Jumper.

Before giving out my humble assessment of this Magic Team as presently constructed, I want to go on record as having taken into account the Magic are playing 3 games in 4 nights after returning from a long West Coast road trip.

Having said that, I was still completely frustrated by the performance the Magic put on against the Miami Heat tonight. They were simply out-hustled, out-muscled and out-manned. They showed absolutely zero signs of life and continued to struggle against teams who have any low post presence. Amazing, we actually consider Jermaine O’Neal, Udonis Haslem, Dorell Wright, Michael Beasley and Jamaal Magloire a formidable front line. Where have all the good Big Men gone?

Dwayne Wade was efficient and continued his dominance of the Magic, which previously hadn’t always coincided with a Heat victory, pouring in 25 points to go along with 7 assists.

Dwight Howard, who usually has monster games against the Heat, was held pretty much in check, even though he did attempt to assert his aggressiveness. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly enough, especially, when none of his teammates bothered to step up. Which is abnormal for the Magic, who usually find contributions from the bench on off nights by the Superstars.

Vince “Cupcake” Carter is starting to show his complacency once again and seems to be losing the desire to attack the rim. I guess with the rest of the Magic jacking up 3 pointers, it can be contagious. Carter and Lewis average  a mere 4.4 and 2.9 free throws per game respectively. Rather startling when compared to slow footed and athletically challenged JJ Redick who averages 2.3 free throws per contest, coming off the bench in a limited role.

What boggles my mind is why Stan Van Gundy refuses to utilize either Brandon Bass or Marcin Gortat. Both have played well when called upon and have also demonstrated a willingness to play physical. Something you will NEVER hear me saying about Rashard Lewis, who seems immune to going anywhere inside the arc.

With Vince Carter,  Rashard Lewis , Mickael Pietrus and Company continuing to hoist up 3’s at will, the Magic are non-existent on the offensive glass

Jameer Nelson will be back in a week or so, however, I’m not sure that will be enough to keep the Magic in the NBA’s upper echelon with the Lakers and Celtics.

If the Magic aren’t going to incorporate Brandon Bass or Marcin Gortat in their regular rotation, they should look to trade one of them for a player who better fits whatever coach Van Gundy is trying to do. Which at this point I can’t quite figure out. The Magic have no identity and are living and dying by the long range jump shot.

The Magic aren’t getting it done on the defensive end and that is in direct correlation with their lack of sustained intensity and effort. Isn’t that a reflection on the coaching staff?

I’ve said it all along and will continue to harp on the fact that the Magic need to address the deficiencies in their roster if they are planning on a repeat of last seasons successful playoff run. They need a rebounding power forward and a low post scoring threat. On second thought, the Magic already have both of those types of players in Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat. Maybe they should actually insert them into the game.

With the economy in the toilet and many teams bracing for the worst, and let us not forget the impending 2010 free agent class, there are key players available and deals to be had. Otis Smith needs to come off his wait and see approach to things and start being aggressive.

Technorati Tags: Brandon Bass, dorell wright, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Jermaine O'Neal, Marcin Gortat, Michael beasley, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Otis Smith, Rashard Lewis, Stan Van Gundy, udonis haslem, Vince "Cupcake" Carter

In what would best be described as a shoot out between the Magic and Golden State Warriors, two clearly unevenly matched teams, saw the Magic prevail in relatively easy fashion. Yes, the Warriors kept it close with great offensive performances by Monta Ellis and a career night from Anthony Randolph. Unfortunately, that simply was not enough to derail the Magic who continue to stay on their winning track.

Once again, Dwight Howard was plagued with foul trouble, which doesn’t really concern me anymore. Since the Magic seem to play just as well, if not better, with him riding the pine. Vince Carter is showing that he can still carry a team at this stage of his career, at least offensively. Heck he even dished out seven assists and grabbed 5 boards. Mickael Pietrus also came up big against his former compadres with a season high 22 points and Rashard Lewis chipped in a quiet 20 points.

Another bright spot for the Magic continues to be the steady play of Jason Williams. True, the Warriors were able to expose the Magics lack of speed in the backcourt, with the slow footed JJ Redick and aging Jason Williams. However, Jameer Nelson will be back soon enough to help address one of the few flaws in the Magics arsenal.

The Magic are fortunate to have 2 nights off before taking on the Clippers, which will be a nice respite before taking on Utah and Phoenix in a grueling back to back stretch.

Technorati Tags: Anthony Randolph, Dwight Howard, Golden State Warriors, Jameer Nelson, jason williams, JJ Reddick, Los Angeles Clippers, Mickael Pietrus, Monta Ellis, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Rashard Lewis, Utah Jazz

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

The finals have been good on both ends this year and there has been a lot of discussion and debate over a lot of crap. I think it’s time for me to toss my opinions out there on the whole thing and I really don’t care what anyone thinks. I’ll start with the Lebron/Kobe debate.

Kobe is still better than Lebron for one reason. He is a closer.  In my opinion, there is way too much talk about sharing the ball, game ending shots and officiating in these games. The thing that still stands out to me is this. Kobe finishes games like Lebron doesn’t right now. The ball sharing argument is stupid to me because of this. When it is time to finish off a game, you’re best player needs to do it. Kobe shares the ball early in the game but in the last couple minutes, when it matters, he has it and finishes things off. Lebron doesn’t finish games this way. He is still looking to dish the ball even though he is rolling right through the lane and that is a sign of a guy who doesn’t think he can do it. He hit the big three at the end of game 2, but he should have taken charge of that game way before that. Jordan, Bird, Magic, and Kobe have all done that consistently. Win or lose, you die with your star in the NBA. There are occasions where someone else MUST take the shot because the defense takes you out, but there shouldn’t be so much doubt with a guy like Lebron.

Now I’ll talk about the Magic. They are better than I thought behind guys I didn’t think would do it. First off, Rashard Lewis is way tougher than I ever thought and it’s time for me to bow down to him and take back every negative thing I’ve said about him. He has shown some serious nads on both ends of the floor that warrant some major ass-kissing. Without Lewis this team isn’t here.

Next up is Rafer Alston. Alston has shown some cold-blooded toughness that I think most of us didn’t think he had. I went back and realized that he has done this before with Houston and understand now that I underestimated him beyond belief.

Mickael Pietrus is an animal. There may be no bigger free-agent signing when it is all said and done than this guy. He has been great on both sides of the floor in the playoffs and has now made himself invaluable to this team.

Time to dog guys out now. Dwight Howard has shown no inside offensive game and is proving to be a young guy looking to find himself. With his size you would expect him to overpower people in a Shaq-like manner, but no. With his athleticism you would expect quicker less clumsy moves in the paint, but no. He has done decent on the defensive end but has been getting into foul trouble and losing his head too much. I expected a lot more from Dwight in this series against Lebron, but haven’t gotten it.

Hedo Turkoglu has proven that it’s not necessary to bring him back. Most, including myself, have made a lot of Turk’s ability to be the man in the fourth quarter for the Magic and that he is needed to make this offense work. He has proven in the playoffs that it is Lewis and not himself that is the most vital cog in the Orlando offense. His low FG% will always be over played because of the role he plays in the offense, but his poor decisions and turnovers late can’t be overlooked in the playoffs. He is flopping and complaining too much at the end of games, taking too many poor shots and not working the middle the way he should be. Thank god Rashard Lewis can make clutch three’s at the  end of these games or the Magic wouldn’t be where they are.

The bottom line with these NBA playoffs to me is this. The Nuggets and the Magic are the two best teams left even though it’s closer than made out. The Lakers will beat the Nuggets because Kobe can finish. The Magic will beat the Cavs because Lebron can’t. The Magic match up better against the both the Cavs and the Lakers so I will predict the Magic winning the title. It won’t surprise me if the Lakers win because of the Kobe factor, but I would be shocked to see the Cavs or the Nuggets come back.

The NBA is a strange world but I do think the Magic take the trophy home. It’s not a homer thing either, I just feel them doing it.

Technorati Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Hedo Turkoglu, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Micheal Jordan, Mickael Pietrus, NBA, NBA Championship, Orlando Magic, Rafer Alston, Rashard Lewis

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 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

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 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

   Let’s get to the Pacers game. The Magic pulled out a great road win against an Indiana team that plays much better at home. Orlando was led by Dwight Howard who had 24/17 and swatted 5 shots. Howard blocked a possible game winner at the end of the fourth and a game tyer in overtime. Howard had five more blocks to extend his league lead and stayed out of foul trouble against the Pacers big three of Ford, Granger and Daniels. Rashard Lewis chipped in with 23 points and 6 steals and Jameer Nelson had 22 points and 9 assists to lead the Magic to a 100-98 win. Hedo was awful with 3 points on 1 of 13 shooting and we found out that he had the flu and would miss Saturday’s game for that reason. Hedo always looks sick as he’s naturally ugly so it was hard to tell on Friday that he was sick and left me wondering what the hell was wrong with him. Glad there was an explanation for that performance.

   Last night the Rockets came to town, along with former Magic great Tracy McGrady, and issued the Magic a tough home loss. T-Mac wasn’t great but the Rockets spread the ball around nicely and Yao Ming took advantage of Dwight Howard again getting himself in early foul trouble. Not making excuses here, but this would’ve been a completely different outcome had Turkoglu been able to play. His presence would’ve opened things up more for Pietrus and Lewis from the outside. The Rockets spent the evening pounding the paint against the smaller lineup the Magic had to put out in Turk’s absence and the rest is history. JJ Reddick had 13 off the bench and Jameer Nelson had his fourth 20+ point performance in five games. Howard needs to find a better way to get his blocks without getting into foul trouble and Rashard Lewis still needs to learn that he’s big enough to play inside the three point line. Lewis shot 5 of 12 from outside the arc and 1 of 9 from inside. Huh?! How can he be the presence the Magic need when he’s spending way too much time so far away from the hoop? The Magic are 9-4 now and have four games left this month to build some momentum going into the tough December ahead.

Technorati Tags: Danny Granger, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Houston Rockets, Jameer Nelson, JJ Reddick, Marquis Daniels, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, TJ Ford, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming

   The Orlando Magic have looked pretty good so far this year. A 9-3 record is good enough for first place in the Southeast. Quality wins over the Sixers, Mavericks and Bulls help build some confidence toward the long road ahead. The real season starts for the boys in blue next month though. That’s when we’re going to find out how much progress they’re making as a team this year. They start off on the road in Boston to face the defending champs. Then, after two games at home, they head out on a very tough West Coast swing that includes the Clippers, Blazers, Suns, Jazz and Warriors. They then come home to face the Spurs and Lakers among others and finish off the month on the road again to face the Pistons and Bulls. It’s gonna be a tough month however it winds up and we should know a lot more about this team before New Year’s Day. The key matchups are obviously the Celtics and Pistons. Both are away games and both teams are the elite of the Eastern Conference. The Celtics returned most of their team and have looked like they haven’t taken any steps backwards so far. The Pistons have struggled a little, especially since the Iverson/Billups deal, but are still among the best. They carry the intimidation factor as well when they face the Magic. Teyshawn Prince has been sick so far this year and Rip Hamilton still poses nightmares for the Magic. We’ll have to see how big a difference Mickael Pietrus can make. Pietrus was brought in with Hamilton in mind. The Magic have had no answer for Hamilton in playoffs past and now have to contend with Iverson as well. I don’t want to pass judgment on anything until we see, but it’s hard to see Magic containing the Hamilton/Iverson/Prince trio come playoff time. There’s no need to break down the Celtics big three, we already know what they can do. Jameer Nelson looks to be improving the way we had hoped (finally) and Mickael Pietrus has been a little better than expected so far. What’s troubling to me is the fact that Pietrus and Howard have been getting in early foul trouble a lot. What happens when they deal with the tougher matchups that are really gonna beat up on them? It’s also been a rough offensive start for Turk and Lewis. We know my opinion on Lewis already so I’ll leave it be, but the Magic need Turkoglu to maintain his presence on the offensive end. He’s uhh, how you say, the straw that stirs the drink. It’s going to be an interesting month for these guys and I personally can’t wait to see it.

Technorati Tags: Allen Iverson, Boston Celtics, Chauncey Billups, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard, Golden State Warriors, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis, Richard Hamilton, San Antonio spurs, Teyshawn Prince, Utah Jazz

   It was a strange night in Orlando. The Magic hosted Toronto last night and were without starting twoguard Mickael Pietrus so that means Keith Bogans gets in there to take up the slack, right? Oops, there was a JJ Reddick sighting and he was shockingly in the starting lineup. Reddick hadonly logged 48 plus minutes in the team’s ten games this year and didn’t play at all in 4 of those games. Getting the start tonight Reddick scored 10 points on 4 of 9 shooting in just over 34 minutes tonight. He didn’t turn the ball over and did a decent job defensively against the Raptor’s guards. Not a bad night for JJ I guess. The Magic again had to overcome an off night from Dwight Howard, who found himself in foul trouble again and finished with an 18/9 line. Hope this doesn’t become a trend. Hedo, Lewis and Nelson all stepped up again in scoring 22 a piece and were able to do enough to hold off Toronto 103-90. The game was closer than it appeared and Chris Bosh was abusing anyone who got in his way in getting off for 40 points and 18 boards. Howard and Battie did a good job on Jermain O’Neal and no one else could step up for Toronto, even with the late run in the fourth quarter. It’s good to see Orlando off to an 11-3 start atop the Southeast in spite of really getting any sort of offense to click consistently. The Magic head to Indiana Friday and it’s gonna be a tough one with Danny Granger and TJ Ford to contend with.

Technorati Tags: Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Indiana Pacers, Jameer Nelson, Jermaine O'Neal, JJ Reddick, Keith Bogans, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, TJ Ford, Tony Battie, Toronto Raptors

   The Orlando Magic have won three straight now on the road after they beat the Charlotte Bobcats 90-85 on Sunday. It was a game that could have been ugly had everyone not stepped up forDwight Howard who was the focus of the Bobcats and ended up fouling out after only playing 7 plus minutes in the second half. Howard only scored four points on 4 of 6 free throws and was 0 for 3 from the field. Tony Battie played well in Howard’s absence with 9/7 and played great defense in helping limit Emeka Okafor to 8/9 who also was in foul trouble all night. Turk ended up with 20/4 despite shooting 6 of 15. Hedo drew fouls driving the lane and ended up 8 of 9 at the free throw line to offset his poor shooting. Rashard Lewis played decent on both ends and finished with 17/6 in spite of his poor shooting, 6 of 16. Lewis hit some big three’s along with Mickael Pietrus, who had a line of 18/4 while shooting 7 of 13. Pietrus has been improving offensively and we can only hope that he continues to do so. Jameer Nelson had 15/5 and Keith Bogans contributed 7 points off the bench. The Magic had to win this one with defense and Howard added five blocked shots to his league lead before fouling out. It wasn’t pretty, but it works.

Technorati Tags: Charlotte Bobcats, Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Keith Bogans, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis, Tony Battie

   What an outstanding victory for the Magic tonight. It doesn’t matter if the Mavs have been struggling and it doesn’t matter that Josh Howard is either blind or stupid. A road win is a road win and the Magic hadn’t won a game in Dallas since 1997. Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus and Rashard (yes Rashard tonight) Lewis stepped up big in Orlando’s 102-100 victory tonight. Big Dwight only scored 18 and the rest of the boys stepped up to help out tonight. The Magic trailed to start the fourth quarter 80-72 and outscored the Mavs 30-20 behind Pietrus, Nelson and Lewis. Pietrus, Nelson and Lewis had 20, 21 and 23 respectively which included 6, 8 and 8 in the fourth. Pietrus had that sick killer look on his face when he hit those two late threes and Lewis hit 2 of the final three (Nelson went 1 of 2) put away free throws to finish it. Lewis actually played some good defense on Dirk Nowitzki (no really, he did) and the Magic pulled out a nice come from behind victory. Hedo Turkoglu fouled out with just over two minutes left after another off night offensively for him. The Mavs reporters will have a field day with Josh Howard in Dallas after this though. With around 10 seconds left and the Mavs down 101-100, Howard threw an awful inbound pass in Jason Terry’s direction that went straight into Jameer Nelson’s arms as if intended for him. Nelson held on, hit 1 of 2 free throws and that finished it off. To me it doesn’t matter that the Mavs are now 2-7 on the season, this was still a big win for Orlando and they should feel good about themselves tonight. The best part of the comeback was the fact that it wasn’t the annoying ‘foul everyone down the stretch and bomb three point shots’ kind of comeback that’s so typical on today’s NBA. It was a straight up tight defense, good shooting victory. The Magic have another tough road game coming on Sunday in Charlotte so they better not party too much, but they need to enjoy this one.

Technorati Tags: Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis

   Sorry it’s late but it was a long workday yesterday. The Magic beat up the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Wednesday 109-92. Dwight Howard got off something fierce, he had 30/19 to go with 10 blocks that put his league leading total at 35 and gave him his first triple double of the year. He got help from the other four starters who scored in double digits, led by Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus who both scored 17. Turk was off a little while scoring 15 and Rashard Lewis hasn’t come out of his “slump” yet either. This is what the Magic were looking for from Pietrus and Nelson. This team needs these guys to step up outside, especially when Turk is off. Just imagine how good the offense could be if Ra-Soft Lewis ever started scoring consistently like he’s been expected to since coming over in the sign-and-trade deal that got him six years and $118 million. I don’t think we can label him a bust and it’s too early to really call him a true disappointment yet, but he’s working on it. It was a nice victory on the road but we can’t get over excited about, let’s see how the boys do in Dallas and Charlotte.

Technorati Tags: Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Rashard Lewis