Wednesday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Stan Van Gundy is one of the most candid coaches in professional sports, but as Wednesday night’s highly anticipated game between the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat approached, he did not deviate from a time-honored cliché. Although he acknowledged the game would reveal areas where his team needs to improve, Van Gundy insisted that the matchup against the Heat had no special importance. [...] It would be easy to dismiss Van Gundy’s contention as “coachspeak,” but at the same time, it cut to the heart of a question the NBA has faced ever since the 1983-84 season, the first year the league allowed 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs. Just how important is a game in November if a league plays an 82-game regular season and allows more than half of its franchises to qualify for the postseason? That question is especially interesting in the case of the Heat and the Magic, two franchises closely connected by geography, star-studded rosters and enormous expectations.”
- Dwight Howard is not friends with the Miami Heat.
- For the Orlando Magic, tonight is just another game.
- The Heat’s plea to their fans to show up on time at American Airlines Arena is “embarrassing.”
- Vince Carter will not play against the Heat.
- Head coach Stan Van Gundy sounds off on Phil Jackson: “First of all, to second-guess the other coach and comment on a situation he knows nothing about, it’s inappropriate and it’s also ignorant. I don’t mean that commenting on Phil’s intelligence. He’s obviously a very smart guy. I mean it as ignorant. He doesn’t know what that situation was and he doesn’t know what the situation in Miami is now. I don’t think that, unless their relationship’s changed drastically, that he and Pat talk on a regular basis. So, I would doubt that he would have any information whatsoever on what’s going on in Miami.”
- Shandel Richardson of the Sun-Sentinel on Miami’s addition of Erick Dampier: “I never imagined a guy who played in the 1996 NCAA Final Four would receive so much attention on a team that features LeBron, Bosh and Wade. Dampier likely won’t play tonight, but his name has been on the minds of fans and media since the Heat’s struggles began. Time will tell if he can help. Dampier had a poor workout the last time he auditioned for the Heat. If he’s in solid shape like he says, then I could see him bringing muscle to a team lacking physical toughness. If not, the Heat will have wasted their time and added to the already existing chemistry problems.”
- Is Orlando ready to play on prime-time? Sekou Smith of the NBA’s Hangtime Blog tries to answer that question: “There is nothing more entertaining than a supremely talented team struggling to find its motivation. And make no mistake about it, these Magic are one of the three most talented teams in the league — and are a group rarely spoken about around these parts. They went flat in the Eastern Conference finals last season against Boston and it’s like we’re all scared to take them seriously since then. It certainly doesn’t help the cause when Dwight Howard and his boys fail in measuring-stick games — the Heat routed them by 26 points in Round 1 of the Sunshine State Classic in Miami on Halloween weekend, the Jazz stunned them with a monster comeback win Nov. 10 and the Spurs handled them Monday night. Tonight’s rematch against the Heat in Orlando provides the perfect opportunity for Stan Van Gundy’s team to show us that they are free of the psychodrama that has plagued them since the Eastern Conference finals.”
- Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse has more on Van Gundy’s comments towards Jackson.
- Howard likes to perform on Thanksgiving Day.
- Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie: “Van Gundy, to his everlasting credit (and bank account statements) has steadfastly stuck with the company line ever since. And who knows, the company line might be the correct line, but we’re also correct in pointing out how all signs point to an unceremonious departure for Van Gundy back in 2005, and how it mirrors what’s happening right now. And it’s not cool for Phil to say what’s on his and our minds … why? He’s not allowed to say what has been on the tip of every sports writers’ tongue, seriously, since it became news that the Heat were going to clear cap space to try and add another star two years ago? Pull up some cable chat show from two years ago, and I guarantee that’s the first quip out of someone’s mouth.”
- How overpaid is Rashard Lewis? No one really knows.
