Posts Tagged → Boston Celtics
Friday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has decided he’ll stick with the same quartet of Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Brandon Bass to start alongside center Dwight Howard for tonight’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But that doesn’t mean Van Gundy will keep those players in the game, especially if they play with the same low energy they displayed during Wednesday night’s frustrating loss to the Sacramento Kings. Van Gundy pledged won’t hesitate to use his entire active roster — even the guys who’ve been buried on the team’s bench — if he doesn’t like what he sees. Young forward Earl Clark, veteran wing Quentin Richardson and veteran point guard Chris Duhon might receive some playing time against the Thunder, especially if Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are scoring at will.”
- Dwight Howard hopes that his teammates heeded his words.
- John Cohen of OrlandoMagic.com evaluates the copious amount of trade deadline deals.
- Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated: “The Magic were thought to need more size in order to match up with Boston, but the Celtics traded away that advantage by sending Perkins to Oklahoma City.”
- More from Thomsen: “Will Perkins’ departure hurt Boston in the East? He was able to play one-on-one against Dwight Howard, but the Celtics have reason to be confident in a series against the newly reconstructed Magic, who have yet to develop title-worthy chemistry around their center. Neither Miami nor Chicago has a high scoring center to exploit Perkins’ absence, so perhaps the Celtics are acting on a gamble that they can make it back to the Finals without him.”
Dwight Howard and the power of one
Photo by Fernando Medina
In case you haven’t seen, read, or heard, Carmelo Anthony has been traded to the New York Knicks and will be teaming up with Amar’e Stoudemire to form a dynamic duo that will surely make noise in the Eastern Conference. No, the Knicks won’t be contenders in the East — not yet — due to a lack of depth and defense, but they’ll be a pesky out in the 2011 NBA Playoffs without a doubt.
What does any of this have to do with the Orlando Magic?
Let’s get to that in a second.
One of the primary motivations for New York to acquire Anthony in a trade was to provide Stoudemire with a teammate that could help carry the load.
If it hasn’t become clear already, to win a championship in the NBA requires multiple stars to lead the way for their respective teams. It’s how the Boston Celtics won in 2008 with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. It’s how the Los Angeles Lakers won in 2009 and 2010 with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. It’s why LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh teamed up to play for the Miami Heat. It’s why Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose teamed up to play for the Chicago Bulls. With Anthony and Stoudemire, the Knicks are working towards that model of winning. In fact, the Eastern Conference is so loaded with stars and superstars, the Magic are quickly becoming the exception to the rule.
While their rivals trot out multiple great-to-elite players on a nightly basis, Orlando is buoyed by their lone ranger — Dwight Howard.
Dwight Howard’s star shines bright at All-Star weekend
Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE/Getty Images
Via the Orlando Magic:
For those that normally don’t get the opportunity to watch Dwight Howard on a regular basis, the 2011 All-Star Game was another inimitable showcase for NBA enthusiasts across the world.
While it’s customary for the participants of All-Star Games to dazzle fans with a variety of spectacular acts and creative plays, Howard has a tendency to find a way to stand out amongst the other elite competitors in the NBA. Not just because of stature and size, but also because of his innate talent and freakish athleticism to inspire a crowd with just about anything he attempts to do on the court.
Just like he has done this entire season with the Orlando Magic, D12 enjoyed the opportunity to showcase these abilities in front of a national audience. Although the East had no answer for MVP Kobe Bryant, who erupted for 37 points and 14 rebounds, Howard shared the spotlight with the rest of the NBA’s elite to share in a memorable night.
Howard, in spite of not getting too many shot attempts, flabbergasted those in attendance at STAPLES Center with a couple of thunderous slam-dunks, including a breathtaking two-handed flush in the first quarter off an alley-oop pass from Amar’e Stoudemire.
The five-time All-Star even teamed up with familiar foes such as the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, who notched a triple-double, and Dwyane Wade to accomplish some of the game’s most electrifying plays.
Dwight finished with five points, seven rebounds and one assist. Big men generally do not post big stats in All-Star Games largely because the ball is mostly in the hands of the wing players.
Perhaps the most bizarre stretch of action was when Howard was on the floor alongside four members of the detested Boston Celtics in the first quarter, including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.
The most hilarious moment from the night had to be right before tip-off when James was joined by the rest of the East’s starting lineup, Howard, Stoudemire, Wade and Derrick Rose, in doing the notorious pregame powder toss.
Friday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The season is winding down, meaning every game is big when you are chasing the leaders and jockeying for playoff positions. With 25 games left, the [Orlando] Magic are hunters instead of the hunted this season. Circle March 3 and 4 on your calendar. It’s likely a tell-tale back-to-back. The Magic are at Miami on March 3 and then home to host the Bulls March 4. They currently are chasing them both in the Eastern Conference race, trailing co-leader Miami by 5.5 games and Chicago by three games. We’re at the point of the season where head-to-head battles are critical. The Magic can take care of business themselves, not having to rely on help from others. But losses would increase the deficit, and in the case against Miami, give the Heat the season series 3-1 and playoff tiebreaker. Oh, and state bragging rights. A loss to the Bulls would put the Magic behind them 2-1 in the season series, perhaps forcing them to beat Chicago in Orlando on April 10 to salvage a tie in the four-game season series. While it looks as if the Magic are a long-shot to catch the Heat, who basically share the top spot with Boston, you never know, especially since injuries can change things quickly.”
- Dwight Howard is going to be busy during All-Star weekend, but he won’t be the other one. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel explains: “Point guard Jameer Nelson said he’ll spend time with family. Power forward Ryan Anderson expects to go on a trip with his brother-in-law and a few friends. Point guard Gilbert Arenas wants to lose six pounds and get down to 210 by playing pickup games.“
- The Orlando Magic and the city of Orlando are prepping for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game.
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “With that said, I think Simmons is fair to rate Howard behind James. Most sane fans would do the same, to to claim Howard is “underrated,” and not “properly rated,” is, on some level, tantamount to saying Howard should top Simmons’ list. That’s not what I’m getting at, though, because I agree with Simmons that James is terribly underrated despite the exposure the media give him, in addition to the exposure he brings upon himself. My point is that James and Howard are so far away from the proverbial field, at least in terms of affecting basketball games, that no one really stands a chance of challenging them. [...] We ought to be able to agree, like most reasonable folks, that James and Howard are, in some order, the league’s top two players, and that it’s not close. My hope here is that we’ve at least got a better appreciation for how truly great Howard is, particularly as a low-post scorer.”
- A look at where the Magic stand compared to the rest of the NBA.
- David Stern wished the media didn’t speculate about Howard’s future.
- Is Orlando still a title contender?
- A sneak peak at the shoes Howard will be wearing for the All-Star Game on Sunday.
Thursday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Here’s Dwight Howard’s chance to win MVP. His best chance. Why? Because he can lead a Magic comeback in the stretch run — and don’t we love comeback stories? I mean, there’s really not an overwhelming MVP favorite to date. Let’s review: LeBron James, obviously. But then sometimes you might lean to his sidekick in Miami, Dwyane Wade. They might split the judges’ voting. There’s Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City scoring machine. Doesn’t feel as if young KD has quite acquired that MVP gold card yet. There’s Derrick Rose, who has taken a super star leap to lead the Bulls to the East’s third-best record. Hasn’t quite earned his full-bird stripes. Lakers star Kobe Bryant has been great at times, and other times looked human. Do Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony move the MVP meter? The Celtics’ Big Four cancel each other out in the team concept, as do the Spurs’ Big Three. None of their names really are on the tip of your tongue for MVP, which is maybe why their teams are so good.”
- J.J. Redick gets crossed over — cue laughter now.
- Don’t expect the Orlando Magic to make a move at the trade deadline.
- Bill Simmons of ESPN.com: “[Ryan Anderson] submitted a rock-solid impersonation of 2009 Rashard Lewis (sans any steroid masking agents) after Orlando’s big December shakeup. He’s made at least one 3 in his past 29 games (42 percent shooting), 13 ppg and 6 rpg playing just 25 minutes a night. He’s the darling of the statistical community right now — if we bring him to Dorkapalooza next month, there might be a per-minute riot.”
- Dwight Howard is a black hole on offense to some degree.
- Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated: “The Magic have become a game of Mad Libs. Any report that reads “Orlando called (insert team name) to express interest in (insert power forward/center)” is probably true. GM Otis Smith has come up empty so far in search of a backup big man to replace Marcin Gortat. That Smith has tried to dampen expectations means he is not optimistic about landing one before the deadline. Orlando’s best hope may be for the Nets to negotiate a buyout with Murphy, whose most likely destination would be Orlando, according to a source. “
- Rashard Lewis gets love from Magic fans and former teammates during last night’s game.
- Howard is a TV star, not just an All-Star. Andrew Unterberger of The Basketball Jones explains: “Many NBA stars bring many diverse talents to the table when it comes to their advertising work, but chances are, only The Beast From the Far East is going to encourage spontaneous sing-alongs among viewers. Dwight may or may not be able to actually play the piano, but he can certainly improvise song lyrics mixing hoops braggadocio and commercial plot contrivances (“Getting quick to the rim game after game / Taking planes to Aruba with Slim, it’s never lame”) with the best of them — and sound damn good doing it, too. There’s even enough legitimate chemistry between D-12 and Ken “The Hangover wasn’t even that funny and that was like ten movies ago” Jeong to make the latter tolerable for possibly the last-ever time. Resurrecting Gilbert Arenas’s career in the second half of this season would likely be a lesser accomplishment.”
Interview with Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles
Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Heading into the season, the Los Angeles Lakers were widely seen as the favorites to win their third consecutive NBA championship. Even the Miami Heat, after making their free agent splash during the offseason, knew that the road to an NBA title went through the Lakers.
However, with more than half of the regular season gone by, Los Angeles is only tied for second in the Western Conference with the Dallas Mavericks and trail the San Antonio Spurs by seven games. Not only that but the Lakers are tied for fourth in the standings overall, so home-court advantage throughout the playoffs may not be a luxury that they’ll enjoy this year. That doesn’t mean that Los Angeles still isn’t seen as a threat to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy when it’s all said and done, but clearly their road is going to be a bit tougher than in previous seasons.
To preview today’s matchup between the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, I asked Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles a few questions.
_______
In your opinion, who’s more important to the Los Angeles Lakers’ success? Is it Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol?
This isn’t a popular opinion among your average Laker fans, who often view Kobe as a cross between “basketball god” and “political prisoner,” but I’d say Gasol. To be clear, Kobe is still the best, deadliest and most talented player on this team and that’s not about to change anytime soon. But more often than not, Pau’s performances swing the Lakers in one direction or another.
At the top of his game, Gasol is a nightmare matchup in the high and low post, a facilitator (sometimes even more effective than Kobe), an outstanding offensive rebounder and an often underrated defender. At his most passive (an oddly recurring state this season), he settles for jumpers instead of making opponents defend him, gets pushed off his spots, bobbles the ball and rotates slowly. In the former mode, the Lakers can be brutally difficult to beat, even with Kobe off his game. In the latter mode, the Lakers become considerably more vulnerable, even with Kobe in a “Mamba” zone. Plus, when Pau dominates, Kobe can be less inclined to go into “takeover” mode, which sometimes creates as many negatives and positives.
The same correlation can be found between the Lakers and Lamar Odom, but I think Pau tips these scales slightly more.
StubHub Ticket Giveaway Round 2: Enter for a chance to watch the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers at Amway Center on February 13
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Magic Basketball will occasionally give away free tickets to upcoming Orlando Magic home games with StubHub serving as the provider. How do you enter for a chance to win Magic tickets?
Easy.
Answer a trivia question.
The rules are simple:
- If you’re able to attend the game, you’re more than welcome to submit your answer in the comments section.
- Please do not answer more than once or add irrelevant commentary to your submission.
- Two tickets will be given away, which means you can bring a second person.
- In future instances, readers will be given 24 hours to submit their answers before a winner is announced. The winner will be determined by random drawing and contacted by e-mail (please make sure to submit a valid e-mail address).
Due to extenuating circumstances for today’s contest, everyone has until 6:00 PM EST to post a response. That’s six hours from now. There’s six tickets, in total, that will be given away so readers have three chances to win tickets to see the Lakers on Sunday.
Which player will have the most points in tonight’s game between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers?
Enjoy!
A steady descent for the Orlando Magic
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
It was January 9.
The Orlando Magic just got done beating the Dallas Mavericks the night before to extend their winning streak to nine games — tying a franchise record. The Magic’s record was 25-12, third in the Eastern Conference, and they were within striking distance of the Miami Heat (trailed by 3.5 games) for the No. 2 seed. It looked like general manager Otis Smith struck gold with two blockbuster trades that brought Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jason Richardson into the fray.
All was well.
The playmaking that was needed? Turkoglu took care of that.
The offensive firepower on the perimeter that was lacking? Arenas, Turkoglu, and Richardson brought the ammunition.
Unfortunately for Orlando, their nine-game winning streak — looking back on it now — was fool’s gold. That 22-point win over the San Antonio Spurs? The Spurs were playing on a back-to-back and head coach Gregg Popovich waved the white flag early in the third quarter, knowing the outcome was decided. That eight-point win over the Boston Celtics? Rajon Rondo, someone that has given the Magic plenty of problems in the past, didn’t play due to sprained left ankle (Kendrick Perkins was out, as well). That 10-point win over the Mavericks? Dirk Nowitzki sat out of the game with a sprained right knee. Orlando’s lone other win against a winning team in that timeframe came against the New York Knicks, a squad that is merely average and capable of beating beaten on any given night. Especially by the Magic.
Granted, Orlando has had some close losses too.
Losing by three to the New Orleans Hornets in overtime. Losing by a point to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Losing by three to the Celtics. Losing by nine points to the Chicago Bulls. Losing by four points to the Miami Heat. These aren’t bad losses, per se, but they’re not wins either.
For the Magic, close enough isn’t good enough. Not for a franchise that’s been considered part of the elite in the NBA since 2009 when they made their run to the Finals. And since Orlando’s winning streak, they’re 9-8 in their last 17 games and looking less like a championship contender.
It’s spurred writers from around the blogosphere to ask if the Magic are done?
Monday’s Magic Word
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com: “Delighted to be off losing teams and vaulted into the chase for a championship, Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas initially played well in the afterglow of the Orlando Magic’s blockbuster trades back on Dec. 18. But in the weeks since, that glow has faded, the NBA’s dog days have hit and the two centerpiece players in the Magic’s midseason makeover have struggled mightily. That was never more evident than Sunday in Boston when Turkoglu and Arenas endured forgettable afternoons in Orlando’s 91-80 loss to the Celtics. Turkoglu missed nine of his 10 shots, while Arenas didn’t make any of his seven shots and went scoreless for the first time in his career since 2004. And when the frustrating Boston loss was over, Arenas not only racked his brain as to when the last time he played without scoring, but as to why all of his work in practice isn’t translating over to games.”
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said that injured starting power forward Brandon Bass, who missed his third consecutive game Sunday because of a severely sprained left ankle, is making strides in his recovery. The club said that Bass still might be out until after the Feb. 17-19 NBA all-star break. Van Gundy said that the swelling in Bass’ ankle has decreased considerably. Bass, who was injured Jan. 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies, has been back in Orlando performing non-weight-bearing exercises in a swimming pool.”
- The Orlando Magic, simply put, are a team in disarray.
- Bradford Doolittle of Basketball Prospectus recaps the Magic’s loss yesterday.
- Dwight Howard was Jekyll and Hyde against the Boston Celtics.
- Is there a hitch in Howard’s free-throw shooting form?
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “The Magic were a wobbly 16-9 when they swung their big trades … and they’ve slumped to 16-11 since. They’re so out of sorts that Dwight, for the first time since December 2006, hasn’t blocked a shot for three games.”
- Howard is keeping the faith that the Magic can turn things around: “I look at the Packers in the Super Bowl and I know it can be done. Green Bay wasn´t great all the time during the season, but they got hot at the right time and crushed folks in the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers got it going and those dudes followed him, so I´m keeping the faith and hoping that I can do the same thing here with the Magic. We know we have so much talent on this team, but for us it´s about being more consistent on a night-to-night basis and bringing it defensively. We´ve struggled getting stops defensively and too often when our offense is struggling we let it affect our defense. We have to be tougher mentally and not let that happen.”
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Howard evidently is willing to be patient. A free agent in 2012 along with the Hornets’ Chris Paul, Howard has yet to form a strong opinion one way or the other, according to a person with knowledge of his thinking. Stay or go? To paraphrase LeBron, what should he do? If he does leave, Howard has his eyes on two teams — the Lakers and Knicks — as the big-market destinations where he’ll chase down his championships and marketing opportunities if things don’t work out in the Sunshine State. The Nets, who are supposed to be in Brooklyn by then, also are in the mix, the person said. So the Magic are on the clock — the way the Cavs were with LeBron and the Raptors with Chris Bosh, and the way the bill has come due for the Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony. But if you ask Magic GM Otis Smith — and I did — there isn’t some knee-jerk plan to deal with Howard’s future. Smith has been planning for the next year and a half for the past seven years.”
- Gilbert Arenas’ inability to produce in cold weather is not a hoax.
- Is Orlando still an elite team and championship contender?
- Zach Lowe of The Point Forward: “There are so many questions, and Van Gundy is still trying to answer them to find the right mix and the right sets on offense. The Magic will have only 25 games or so to work this out before Bass’ return. That’s not an ideal situation; the Cavaliers last season lamented how little time they had to prepare for the playoffs with their core lineup, and though Shaquille O’Neal’s late-season injury made that situation more troubling that Orlando’s current state, the fact remains that more preparation time is better.”
- Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports doesn’t mince words about Arenas’ struggles.
Recap: Boston Celtics 91, Orlando Magic 80
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
The Boston Celtics were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 91-80, further proving the notion that there’s a team from the state of Florida that doesn’t deserve to be considered an elite team and championship contender. And it’s not the Miami Heat. Buoyed by Rajon Rondo’s excellent play and a stifling defense that didn’t allow many open shots on the perimeter, the Celtics smothered the Magic in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. Rondo led the way for Boston with 26 points and seven assists, aggressively attacking Orlando’s defense and dismembering a unit led by Dwight Howard. Paul Pierce contributed with 18 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Kevin Garnett chipped in with 16 points and nine rebounds. For the Magic, it was a lot of Howard and little else. Howard was dominant, putting up 28 points, 13 rebounds, and three steals. There was little that Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis could do to contain Howard, even though they did an admirable job of making him work offensively. Unfortunately for Howard, a scrap with Perkins in the second quarter that saw him throw an elbow after he was fouled on a play earned him his 14th technical of the season. The elbow wasn’t needed and it didn’t help that Howard threw it in front of an official, but it’s easy to sympathize with the big fella’s frustration when he’s getting fouled continuously on plays and sometimes not getting calls go his way.
