Tampa Bay Sports Blog

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

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

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 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

   The Magic coundn’t keep things right last night as they dropped theirfirst home game of the season to the Portland Trailblazers 106-99. They took a one point lead into the fourth quarter and couldn’t do enough to hold on. They turned the ball over 14 times, Pietrus was hampered by early foul trouble and Keith Bogans was the only bench player to contribute any points. Bogans finished up playing over 30 minutes and had 12 points filling in for Pietrus. Rashard Lewis is still playing like garbage as he scored 6 on 3 of 11 shooting which included 0 for 5 on three point shots. I’ve never been sold on Lewis and he continues to disappoint as the third scoring option behind Howard and Turk. Howard finished with 29/19 and Hedo had 35/4 in doing their part. The bench needs to do more than this and Lewis has to establish himself as a legitimate scoring threat. It’ll be interesting to see how things develop this year as there are already trade rumors surrounding Bogans and Turkoglu. Turk can opt out of his deal at the end of this year and I gotta think he will unless the Magic renegotiate before so. If they keep up this type of play, it may behoove the Magic to deal both Turk and Bogans and try to get some help with the offense. I like both these guys and would hate to see them go, but the Magic have had bad habits in their history of letting guys walk away without getting anything back. Turk seems happy here too and he could be someone they could trade and re-sign. One things for sure with these guys, there will be plenty to talk about this year.

Technorati Tags: Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Keith Bogans, Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers, Rashard Lewis