Apr 29
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic face a long, uncertain offseason. Those months off will be filled with questions about how a season that started with such promise ended with such overwhelming disappointment. A team that advanced to the NBA Finals in 2009 and reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2010 didn’t …
Apr 27
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “For the first four games of this playoff series, the Orlando Magic could depend on only one player: Dwight Howard. No one else hit shots consistently. No one else defended game-in, game-out effectively. And no one else brought the necessary intensity at the beginning of games. But with their …
Apr 25
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “In the Orlando Magic‘s postgame locker room Sunday night, Stan Van Gundy turned to his assistant coaches and asked a question. Should they take their players directly from Orlando International Airport to Amway Center upon arrival in Florida and shoot baskets until their teamwide shooting woes disappear? Van Gundy …
Apr 23
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic can point to a fortunate 3-point heave by Jamal Crawford as the reason why they lost Game 3 of their playoff series to the Atlanta Hawks 88-84. But as Crawford triumphantly hopped up and down the Philips Arena court, game-in-hand with 5.7 seconds remaining, the Magic …
Apr 20
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic may have saved their season Tuesday night. And to do it, they relied on a tried-and-true formula: an improved defense, a critical hustle play by Jameer Nelson and a 48-minute dose of Dwight Howard. Riding another Herculean performance by their all-star center, the Magic outlasted the Atlanta Hawks …
Apr 18
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic won’t sweep the Atlanta Hawks out of the playoffs this year. This time, the Magic look like the ones who could be steamrolled. In a dramatic reversal from last postseason, the Hawks dominated the Magic on Saturday, winning Game 1 of their first-round playoff series 103-93 …
Mar 24
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic may have found their teachable moment Wednesday night. After a first half in which the New York Knicks’ Chauncey Billups, Toney Douglas and Roger Mason Jr. drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer, the Magic returned to the visitors’ locker room inside Madison Square Garden and received a not-so-gentle …
Mar 15
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The [Orlando] Magic couldn’t shake Kobe Bryant. Bryant stayed at The Ritz, the Magic’s team hotel, on Sunday night (he has a permanent residency there to avoid constant travel back to his home). And the Magic couldn’t get away from him Monday night, especially. Kobe shook off a sore …
Mar 04
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “When the final buzzer sounded, Jason Richardson clasped both sides of his head. Jameer Nelson pumped his right fist and turned toward Dwight Howard. The two co-captains exchanged high-fives. Coach Stan Van Gundy raised both arms into the air. None of them will forget what their team accomplished Thursday night. Trailing by 24 …