Posts Tagged → Atlanta Hawks
Complete Orlando Magic first round playoff schedule announced
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
Via the Orlando Magic:
The National Basketball Association has announced the complete schedule for the Orlando Magic’s first round, best-of-seven playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks:
Game 1 – Saturday, April 16, 7:00 p.m., Sun Sports/ESPN (Orlando, Amway Center)
Game 2 – Tuesday, April 19, 7:30 p.m., FOX Sports Florida/NBA TV (Orlando, Amway Center)
Game 3 – Friday, April 22, 8:00 p.m., FOX Sports Florida/ESPN 2 and ESPN 3D (Atlanta)
Game 4 – Sunday, April 24, 7:00 p.m., Sun Sports/TNT (Atlanta)
Game 5 – Tuesday, April 26, Time TBD, FOX Sports Florida/National TV TBD, (Orlando, Amway Center), If necessary
Game 6 – Thursday, April 28, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/National TV TBD (Atlanta), If necessary
Game 7 – Saturday, April 30, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/TNT (Orlando, Amway Center), If necessary
- All Times Eastern
- All games on Magic Radio Network (Flagship: AM 580 WDBO) and in Spanish (AM 1270 WRLZ).
- Local Sun Sports/FOX Sports Florida Television Schedule TBA.
While supplies last, single game tickets for the 2011 Orlando Magic playoffs are available for purchase:
- Online at www.orlandomagic.com
- At the Amway Center box office (cash, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover)
- At all TicketMaster outlets (cash only)
- By calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover)
Playoff tickets start at $12.
Previewing the Orlando Magic’s first round series with Synergy
Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images
The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks will square off in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. On Monday, I discussed Pythagorean wins and win profiles. Today, we will look at specific tendencies the teams utilize.
Ranked by points per possession
Orlando’s offense and Atlanta’s defense are evenly matched. The Magic have the 11th best offense in the NBA, and the Hawks have the 13th best defense in the NBA.
Orlando is the best team in the league in scoring with their roll man off the pick-and-roll, and Dwight Howard deserves much of the credit. Orlando’s first play in their recent contest in Charlotte is the epitome of their prowess in this area. Dwight set a screen on the man who was guarding Jameer Nelson, and then he slammed home Nelson’s lob pass to give Orlando a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately for Larry Drew, Atlanta ranks near the bottom of the league, 19th, in stopping the roll man.
The Magic are also successful when the pick-and-roll ball handler attempts a shot. They score the 4th most points per possession in the NBA on this play, and Atlanta is in the middle of the pack (15) at stopping the ball handler. Nearly 50% of Jammer Nelson’s possessions make use of the pick-and-roll, and he is the 30th best player in the NBA in scoring from that set up.
The Magic are near the top in the league scoring off cuts, and Atlanta has issues defending this play. However, Orlando only cuts to the rim about 1 out of every 20 plays.
To no one’s surprise, Orlando is the second best team in the league on scoring after offensive rebounds. When the MVP candidate secures the ball right at the rim, he usually scores. Atlanta is dead last in the NBA at thwarting opponents from scoring on offensive rebounds.
Expect a fierce battle when Orlando spots up on offense. The Magic sharp shooters are the 5th best in the NBA on this type of play, and the Hawks are the 6th best at stopping teams from scoring on spot ups.
Recap: Orlando Magic 92, Indiana Pacers 74
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
With the regular season coming to a close, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Indiana Pacers by the score of 92-74. With the win, the Magic finish with a record of 52-30, matching the win-loss total from head coach Stan Van Gundy‘s first season with the franchise in 2008. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, as four players scored in double-figures. Dwight Howard wrapped up an MVP-caliber year with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals in 26 minutes of playing time. Ryan Anderson had 14 points, Hedo Turkoglu had 13 points, and Brandon Bass had 12 points — each of them playing sparingly in preparation for the 2011 NBA Playoffs which begin Saturday. As a result of Danny Granger and Jeff Foster not playing, coupled with the game being meaningless, it’s no surprise that the Magic’s victory felt like nothing more than a preseason game. Both head coaches emptied both benches in the second half and as such, the fans in attendance at the Amway Center or those watching on television were subjected to a brand of basketball that was about as ugly as it gets. Aside from Brandon Rush and Mike Dunleavy Jr., the Pacers struggled to find scoring from any of their players. Roy Hibbert committed five fouls in less than 10 minutes of action. As a team, Indiana shot 30.7 percent from the field. As for Orlando, they committed 28 turnovers. It was clear that the Magic and Pacers wanted to get things over with. The downside for Orlando is that Bass tweaked his left achilles early in the third quarter. Bass is expected to be fine for Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Wednesday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “J.J. Redick and Gilbert Arenas will not play when the Orlando Magic face the Indiana Pacers at Amway Center in their regular-season finale tonight. Dwight Howard and everybody else will not have the night off. Redick, one of the key cogs on Orlando’s bench, has missed the Magic’s last 16 games because of a lower abdominal strain, but he is inching closer to a potential return. [Stan] Van Gundy said Redick took part in the team’s offensive drills during this morning’s shootaround. That’s the first time he’s did any work with teammates since he sustained his injury on March 11. Redick will get more work tonight and probably play some one-on-one. [...] He hopes to be available to play when the Magic begin their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. Arenas had an MRI Monday on his sore right knee, and Van Gundy and Arenas said the results of the exam showed no damage. Van Gundy said he has no doubt that Arenas will be ready to play in the playoffs, and Arenas added that he’s sitting out to rest the knee and also his left knee.”
- Head coach Stan Van Gundy talks about Dwight Howard’s leadership qualities.
- Should Howard sit out of tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers?
- The Orlando Magic may surprise in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reveals his awards ballot.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Howard’s MVP case starts of course at the defensive end. Watching defense isn’t just unpopular, it’s difficult. To really get a sense of what Howard does, you have to not watch the ball move. You have to focus on Howard, how he keeps his spacing, reacts to not just the ball’s movement, but how the offense shifts to try and create opportunities with the extra pass. How many times has an offense drawn help against the Magic, rotated the ball the corner where the offensive player attempts a pump-and-go baseline drive, only to find Howard have rotated from the far side over and completely cut off the lane? To put Howard into the simple context of just blocks is to ignore the real work of a defender, dissuading field goal attempts, disrupting passing lanes, and suffocating possessions. No one does it better than Howard.”
- Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus: “At this point, the notion of any other player winning Defensive Player of the Year while Howard is in his prime seems almost laughable. Howard no longer blocks shots at an exceptional rate (his 4.9 percent block rate ranked 12th in the league), but the tradeoff is that he’s improved his foul rate and can stay on the floor for almost 38 minutes a night. The strength of Howard’s game is his glass cleaning; he’s almost single-handedly responsible for Orlando leading the league in defensive rebound percentage. Overall, Howard is the biggest reason a Magic team that did not put any other players in consideration for my All-Defensive Teams ranked third in the league in Defensive Rating.”
- Jason Richardson screws up on a possession against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Orlando Magic playoff opener announced
AP Photo/Rich Addicks
Via the Orlando Magic:
The National Basketball Association has announced that the Orlando Magic will begin its 2011 first round, best-of-seven NBA playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, April 16th at 7 p.m. at the Amway Center. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN and locally by either Sun Sports or FOX Sports Florida. Orlando will host Games 1 and 2, and if necessary Games 5 and 7.
The remainder of the first round series schedule will be announced at a later time.
All games will be broadcast on the Magic Radio Network (Flagship: AM 580 WDBO) and in Spanish (AM 1270 WRLZ).
While supplies last, single game tickets for the 2011 Orlando Magic playoffs are available for purchase:
- Online at www.orlandomagic.com
- At the Amway Center box office (cash, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover)
- At all TicketMaster outlets (cash only)
- By calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover)
Playoff tickets start at $12.
Tuesday’s Magic Word
- Josh Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com: “Ignore the regular season series between the [Orlando] Magic and Hawks because every game they played was inconsequential evidence of what to expect in this rematch of last year’s conference semifinals. The first meeting was before Orlando’s blockbuster trades; the second collision was during the Magic’s stomach virus epidemic, the third was the first game following the deals and the final contest was injury-plagued for the blue and white. While Jason Collins was credited for his willingness to body up on Dwight Howard in the regular season, I expect Superman to flourish and dominate against his counterpart in a seven-game series. I also anticipate Jameer Nelson to thrive against Kirk Hinrich, who the Hawks acquired at the trade deadline from the Wizards. One of the more intriguing matchups will be at the shooting guard spot with Joe Johnson and Jason Richardson – two explosive scorers and primetime players. Some of the most glaring curiosities will be injury related as Atlanta’s Josh Smith recently returned from a sprained knee and it remains unspecified whether Orlando’s J.J. Redick will be back after missing more than a dozen games with a lower abdominal strain.”
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com looks back at the top 10 moments for the Orlando Magic in the 2010-2011 NBA regular season. Here’s number one: “A sluggish Magic team given up for dead when it trailed the rival Heat by 18 points at halftime and by as much as 24 points in the second half awoke from its slumber and pulled off a comeback win for the ages. Once down 73-49 early in the third quarter, the Magic used runs of 22-7 (to end the third period) and 18-2 (to start the fourth quarter) – a shocking 40-9 spurt in all – for what very well could be the biggest regular-season victory in franchise history. The 24-point rally just missed equaling the all-time Magic record. Orlando’s comeback from 25 points down on Nov. 8, 1989 in Cleveland is the all-time franchise record. Orlando held LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to just 10 points combined in the second half after the Heat duo had 47 points in the first half. Wade did not have a field goal in the second half and James did not score in the fourth quarter.”
- Dwight Howard likes being the underdog.
- Tas Melas of The Basketball Jones makes his case for Howard and the MVP award.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Orlando poneyed up for the new arena critics of small-markets allege the non-top cities never approve. Ownership elected to go above and beyond the cap, deep into the luxury tax. They were smart enough to draft, and develop, a franchise player, acquire a competitive and arguably brilliant head coach, surround the team with competent role players. When the 2009 team failed to get past the last challenge, management did not get complacent, and instead opted for the home-run move you’re supposed to make, according to many. Vince Carter, for all his Vince-Carter-ness, was still a legit star in the summer of 2009. They went for the big move. When that didn’t work out, they once again swung for the fences. You can’t say Otis Smith didn’t try. But here they are. Entering the playoffs as the worst seed they’ve been since 2008, with little to no momentum, and considered nothing more than after-thought in the playoffs. They are a speedbump in the road to the Finals for teams from Miami, Chicago, Boston. They gambled. They lost. And the worst part of all is this season may turn out to be the one that gives Dwight Howard an excuse to leave Orlando; it may be the one reflected on as what turns Howard away; it may be the year Orlando lost their franchise center, again.”
- Offensive rebounds aided the Orlando Magic’s victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk is skeptical that Jason Collins will make a difference for the Atlanta Hawks in their first round matchup against the Magic in the 2011 NBA Playoffs: “Orlando has dominated this matchup in recent years, but Atlanta is counting on Jason Collins to change that. Sure, that will work.”
- Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus reveals his awards ballot.
- Atlanta and Orlando are two teams searching for respect in different ways.
- Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated: “Based on this regular-season performance, Orlando has to hope Howard remains loyal when he’s eligible to become a free agent after next season. That would enable the Magic — whose salary-cap situation doesn’t look pretty — to go back to square two in rebuilding around the 25-year-old center.”
Notes on the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks
Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images
Pythagorean wins
The Orlando Magic (4) and Atlanta Hawks (5) will square off in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. The seeding would indicate this series is evenly matched, but one measure tells a different story.
Orlando has 55 Pythagorean wins on the season, and the Hawks have 17 fewer. Orlando actually has 50 wins during the regular season, and the Hawks have 44. This means Orlando has won 5 fewer games than their point differential would predict, and Atlanta has won 6 more games than their point differential would predict. For comparison, the 4 versus 5 match-up in the Western Conference will feature teams with a difference of one Pythagorean win.
Among other things, Pythagorean wins can be an indication of teams who are over/under performing or teams who have experienced good/bad luck throughout the year.
Chicago has 22 more Pythagorean wins than their first round opponent, Indiana. Miami has 14 more Pythagorean wins than Philadelphia, and Boston has 12 more Pythagorean wins than New York. Atlanta has as many Pythagorean wins as the Pacers, and Orlando is tied with the Celtics. The Lakers and Spurs both have one more Pythagorean win than Orlando. The Bulls lead the NBA with 60 Pythagorean wins.
Win/Loss profiles
The website 82games.com breaks down each teams’ wins by opponent profile. 82games considers teams in the top 10 of a category as good, 11-20 as average, and 21-30 as bad.
Orlando is 15-12 against teams ranked between 11 and 20 in point differential. The Hawks rank 16th in the NBA in point differential. Atlanta is 8-17 against the NBA’s top teams in point differential. The Magic rank 6th in the NBA in point differential.
Orlando is 10-16 against teams ranked in the top 10 in points allowed. The Hawks rank 9th in points against. Atlanta is 10-15 against teams ranking in the top 10 in points allowed. The Magic rank 5th in points against.
Pace
Orlando is 14-16 against the slowest teams in the league. The Hawks rank 27th in pace (possessions per game).
Atlanta is 18-10 against teams that rank between 11-20 in pace. The Magic rank 18th in pace.
Shooting
Orlando is 10-15 against average shooting teams. The Hawks rank 12th in effective field goal percentage.
Atlanta is 9-17 against good shooting teams. The Magic rank 6th in effective field goal percentage.
Turnovers
Orlando is 21-6 against the teams with worst turnover differential in the league. The Hawks rank 25th in this category.
Atlanta is 20-6 against the teams with worst turnover differential in the league. The Magic rank 24th in this category.
Rebounds
Orlando is 20-10 against bad rebounding teams. The Hawks rank 22nd in total rebounding rate.
Atlanta is 18-8 against good rebounding teams. The Magic rank 2nd in total rebounding rate. The Hawks are .500 (26-26) against average and bad rebounding teams.
Monday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic almost never hold a shootaround on the day after a game. If they’re in Orlando and are about to play the second leg of a back-to-back, they’ll hold a walkthrough on their Amway Center practice court a few hours before tipoff. If they’re on the road, they’ll assemble in a hotel ballroom around 11 in the morning and go over the keys to that night’s game. That routine changed today even though the Magic faced the Chicago Bulls in a hard-fought game Sunday afternoon in Orlando. Indeed, the Magic originally weren’t scheduled to shoot-around, but Stan Van Gundy decided to bring his players to the Wells Fargo Center, where they worked for almost 80 minutes. So what gives? It’s all about the playoffs. In an effort to prepare for their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, the Magic did more today to fine-tune their offense instead of preparing for tonight’s opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers.”
- Which team poses the biggest threat for the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference?
- J.J. Redick is close to returning for the Magic.
- Gilbert Arenas may sit out tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “Just because he’s not getting my MVP vote doesn’t mean that I won’t take a quick 20 to hat-tip Dwight Howard for joining Hakeem, Barkley and Moses as the only players in the last 30 seasons to average 23 ppg and 14 rpg.”
- According to Zach Lowe of The Point Forward, Dwight Howard should be the MVP: “I’ve made the case all season, so I won’t belabor it again here. In general terms, Howard has emerged as an elite offensive player, the foundation of Orlando’s offense nearly (but not quite) to the degree that Derrick Rose and LeBron James are to the offenses in Chicago and Miami. His free throw issues and resulting lack of shot attempts in the clutch place him a small notch below the league’s best offensive players, but no one touches him as a defender. No one. That two-way combination, plus his value to an otherwise ho-hum Orlando roster, separates Howard from the field in an award meant to honor an individual’s play over 82 games and not during the final 45 seconds of a game that is happening in the imagination of too many voters.”
- Chris Mannix and Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated are unanimous in their vote for Howard as the Defensive Player of the Year. Here’s what Thomsen had to say about Howard’s wizardry on defense: “Howard has the gaudy numbers and every scout will tell you he has an effect on virtually every defensive possession that finishes in or near the paint. But the most impressive part of Howard’s season is that he has carried a stingy Magic D almost single-handedly. He plays next to an undersized power forward (Brandon Bass), and the defensive skills of the wing players in front of him are average at best. This is an award that, barring injury, Howard should win every year.”
- Add John Hollinger of ESPN Insider to the MVP tally, as he also declares Howard as the rightful player for the award: “I explained this in a lengthy column earlier this month, and while my logic has clearly displeased certain factions, it hasn’t changed any of the facts. The most notable one is that the three Florida stars — Howard, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — were the league’s three best in the league by a fair margin, whether you want to use numbers, the much-beloved eye test or any other standard. Howard has no chance in real life, however. For some reason, the concept that the league’s best player could be on an also-ran team remains an insurmountable hurdle (for reference, see also Kobe Bryant in 2006 and Kevin Garnett in 2005).”
- Life without Howard for the Magic wasn’t easy on Sunday.
- Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk: “Dwight Howard will finish the season averaging more than 23 points and 14 rebounds per game. Last person to do that (via ESPN’s Marc Stein): Hakeem Olajuwon. I’d have him higher, but if he’s not in the top three on your MVP ballot, you’re doing it wrong.
Recap: Chicago Bulls 102, Orlando Magic 99
AP Photo/John Raoux
BOX SCORE
Taking advantage of the absences of Dwight Howard and Quentin Richardson, the Chicago Bulls were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 102-99. The Magic, which were short-handed, played with energy and effort consistently throughout the day but it wasn’t enough against the Bulls. With Chicago leading by one point at 98-97, Orlando fouled Taj Gibson with 14.2 seconds left and put him on the free-throw line. Gibson split the free-throws, but Luol Deng was able to retrieve the offensive rebound after the second free-throw came up short. It was a bad bounce for the Magic and the Bulls were able to take advantage, as Derrick Rose made two free throws to extend the lead to four points. On the ensuing possession, Jason Richardson, after tripping on the original out-of-bounds play drawn up by head coach Stan Van Gundy, recovered and made a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to one point. This was only after Ryan Anderson was able to feed Richardson with the basketball on a offensive rebound following a missed three-point shot by Jameer Nelson in the corner. Rose made two more free-throws to give Chicago a three-point lead. On the final possession of the game, Nelson got the ball at the top of the key, pump-faked Rose to get him in the air and create an open look, then put up a three-pointer which he made but it was too late. The Bulls escaped with the win. Three players led the way for Orlando. Anderson, playing in place of Howard, put up a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds. Richardson finished with 24 points, while Nelson contributed with 17 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, and three steals.
The perception and reality of a boring series
Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images
Getting past Atlanta will be a relief for a couple of reasons. For one, it’s flat out unsettling to have to play a team that has beaten you three times in the regular season. Second, no matter how you spin it this is probably the least exciting matchup in the East, and in that regard I’m already looking toward the second round.
There is a sense of confidence that comes out of that argument. It’s the confidence that Magic fans have, that their team belongs in the upper echelon. Bring on Chicago! We’ve got no time for riff-raff in the first round. Or the last 20 games of the regular season, for that matter.
You get that vibe from Orlando fans and players alike, and hopefully it doesn’t doom a potentially strong playoff team.
I say potentially for a couple of reasons. As we’ve seen all season, the Magic pick and choose when they are going to show up, and sometimes struggle against the Atlanta’s of the league. Granted, anyone watching closely can find a decent excuse for each of the three losses against the Hawks. Jameer was out for the first loss, Redick was out for the third, and of course the second loss came right after all the trading. For the record, I don’t think Redick’s absence led to a midseason loss, but I’m willing to concede that the 1-3 season record is a bit conditional.
The bigger problem for me going into this series is the total lack of national interest. Even on Saturday, there are two far more compelling games earlier in the day. All eyes will be on Chicago, as all the non-NBA fanatics will get their first or second glimpse at a team they just realized is the number one seed. Similarly, it’s not as if Miami will somehow become any less scrutinized and anticipated than they’ve been all year long. The more I think about it, Saturday afternoon ought to be a fairly riveting basketball-watching afternoon.
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