Posts Tagged → Brandon Bass
Recap: Denver Nuggets 111, Orlando Magic 94
AP Photo/Jack Dempsey
When the Orlando Magic embarked on their four-game road trip to the West Coast, it was said that the players would learn a lot about themselves and as a whole, they’d figure out where they stand vis-a-vis the rest of the NBA elite — the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, and the San Antonio Spurs.
After the Magic went 1-3 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets, one thing has become clear.
Orlando isn’t an elite team or a championship contender.
Something is missing from the roster. Against the Blazers, the Magic couldn’t score if their lives depended on it. Against the Jazz, it was a lack of defense. Against the Clippers, after a brilliant first quarter against one of the worst teams in the league, complacency and consistency cropped up as ever-too-familiar issues.
Against the Nuggets? There was little to no defense present from Orlando but more importantly, there was a lack of mental toughness and fight that has plagued the roster since the season began. When the going got tough in the fourth quarter, the Magic wilted and displayed a body language that emitted negativity.
Denver was able to defeat Orlando by the score of 111-94 in a game that was close for 42 minutes. After Vince Carter made a three-pointer at the 6:05 mark of the fourth quarter to pull the Magic’s deficit to one point at 92-91, the Nuggets went on a 19-3 run to turn a competitive game into a blowout. Carmelo Anthony led the way for Denver, putting up 35 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony got plenty of support from his supporting cast, with five players for the Nuggets scoring in double-figures. Orlando was led by J.J. Redick, who had a career-high 29 points on 12 shots — an excellent performance. Dwight Howard finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks. Carter chipped in with 18 points. Unfortunately for the Magic, it was a three-man show offensively between Redick, Howard, and Carter. No one else for Orlando was able to make a significant impact on the game, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The defense?
That was a different story altogether.
Tuesday’s Magic Word
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “The next time the [Orlando] Magic see the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony will be wearing a New York Knicks uniform — or so the story goes. Could he be wearing a Magic jersey? Or another team’s gear? [...] Anthony faces the Magic tonight and likely won’t be with the Nuggets for the March rematch in Orlando. Or maybe he will. Approach any trade rumor with care. The Magic haven’t been in the rumor mill for ‘Melo’s services. But I’ve talked to their execs, and they aren’t backing away from trying to swing a deal, whether it’s for Melo, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis, Fill-In-The-Blank. Sam Smith of the Chicago Bulls’ website just tossed out a trade scenario involving Memphis and Orlando — involving Vince Carter and Brandon Bass and Zach Randolph and O.J. Mayo. Trade talk is bound to pick up because this summer’s players signed as free agents can be dealt starting Wednesday.”
- Head coach Stan Van Gundy jokingly suggests the Denver Nuggets should sit Carmelo Anthony in tonight’s game: “Well, I’m just concerned about his knee injury for the long term, and I really think more rest is what’s needed for him.”
- Brandon Bass will start at power forward against the Nuggets.
- Chauncey Billups may not play against the Orlando Magic later this evening.
- Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post: “The point here is that, from at least one standpoint, the current Magic team that seems like such a letdown to many of its fans is actually right on track with the 2008/09 squad, which is so beloved. Scoring margin isn’t everything, of course. I realize that. But the 2009 team went from “pretty good” to “freaking fantastic” once its three-point shooting corrected itself and the defense took it to antother gear, contending for a championship despite subbing the production of two mediocre point guards (Rafer Alston and Anthony Johnson) for one All-Star one (Jameer Nelson) in mid-February. There’s no reason why the current team can’t make a similar advance as the season goes along.”
- Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated: “A team with the best defender on the planet always merits respect. But with more than one-quarter of the season gone, a trademark of the Magic’s past success, three-point accuracy, is still missing. In the last six games, Orlando hasn’t shot better than 36 percent from behind the arc, and it ranks 17th overall at 35.5 percent. Then there is the team’s recent post-intermission blues: The Magic have outscored their opponents in just one of the past 10 second-half quarters over the last five games. After a relatively light week — at Denver on Tuesday and home against the Sixers on Saturday — the schedule ratchets up with a trip to Atlanta and home games against Dallas, San Antonio and Boston.”
- No more dunk contests for Dwight Howard.
- Zach Lowe of The Point Forward kicks around trade ideas: “The wing is crowded in Orlando, with [Quentin] Richardson, Vince Carter, [J.J.] Redick and Mickael Pietrus all fighting for minutes (and Rashard Lewis getting more time at small forward), and it wouldn’t shock me if the Magic somehow addressed the redundancy.”
- Eric Freeman of Ball Don’t Lie: “Howard’s path from dunk contest fun to retirement is a familiar one for superstars. Players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter stopped participating in dunk contests to focus on being serious. It didn’t work for all of them — VC will always be mostly fondly remembered for his 2000 victory in Oakland — but the best players around trade in dunk contest hardware for championship rings.”
- Chris Tomasson of NBA FanHouse opines on Rashard Lewis’ struggles offensively this year.
Orlando Magic’s Brandon Bass scores points with pediatric patients at Florida Hospital for Children
Photo by Fernando Medina
Via the Orlando Magic:
The Orlando Magic always make an extra effort to increase their immense number of off-the-court endeavors around the holiday season.
This year is no different.
Prior to heading on his team’s west coast trip, the Magic’s Brandon Bass paid a visit to pediatric patients at Florida Hospital for Children to spread some holiday cheer.
The 6’8” power forward did his best impersonation of Kris Kringle, donning a Magic-themed Santa cap as he popped into the rooms of countless children throughout the evening.
“It’s a blessing for me to be able to do something like this,” he explained. “Coming from where I come from, it’s very humbling for me to be able to come to a hospital like this and be able to give kids a moment to forget their current situations and put a smile on their face.”
Along with spending time with a number of the patients, Bass walked through the halls pulling a wagon filled with goody bags that he delivered to kids upon each visit.
He also took time to take photographs, sing Christmas carols and hand out autographs.
“It was great,” said Brian Gribben, one of the kids touched by Bass’ tour. “It helps me forget what I am going through.”
But Bass wasn’t the only one doing the giving.
Recap: Orlando Magic 104, Detroit Pistons 91
AP Photo/Duane Burleson
No Dwight Howard. No Jameer Nelson. No J.J. Redick. No Mickael Pietrus. And after spraining his right foot literally seconds after checking into the game in the second quarter, no Ryan Anderson either. Guess what?
No problem.
Despite playing the basketball equivalent of a skeleton crew, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Detroit Pistons by the score of 104-91 to extend their winning streak to a season-high six games. Even though a stomach virus depleted the roster and forced the Magic to play with eight players, they performed like a more talented version of the “Heart and Hustle” team in 2000. Orlando has won a lot of games over the years but given the circumstances, this was one of the most impressive wins in franchise history. That’s not hyperbole. The Magic should be proud of this win because they played with tremendous energy and effort. It was a balanced attack for Orlando, as five players scored in double figures but the leaders of the game were Vince Carter and Brandon Bass. Carter, for one night, was the focal point of the Magic’s offense and superb in his role, finishing with 25 points, nine assists, and three steals. Bass was equally brilliant, scoring a career-high 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting and serving notice that he’s a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year candidate in the NBA. Marcin Gortat chipped in with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Quentin Richardson and Rashard Lewis each had 15 points at the forward positions.
Thursday’s Magic Word
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “As much as [Otis] Smith likes Arenas — and their relationship is akin to that of a father and son — I don’t think Arenas fits for the [Orlando] Magic. Forget all the controversy that surrounds Arenas. Smith knows Arenas well and wouldn’t consider that a roadblock. Instead, Arenas has a recent injury history that can’t be ignored. Even worse, he has a massive contract and will earn $62 million more in the three seasons after this one. One of those concerns could be overlooked if the other problem didn’t exist. But the two taken together? That’s why I don’t think the Magic would trade for Arenas.”
- Should the Orlando Magic try to acquire Tayshaun Prince in a trade?
- John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com talks about Mickael Pietrus‘ positive impact on the Magic: “Early in the season, Orlando Magic small forward Mickael Pietrus was in a danger zone of sorts. He was not only playing just 14 minutes a night, but he wasn’t playing especially well and he had just gotten pushed out of the rotation. He exchanged heated words with Magic coach Stan Van Gundy along the sideline, was benched for two games and quietly wondered if his future was still in Orlando even though he had previously enjoyed two of the best years of his NBA career with the Magic. Knowing full well that his season could likely head one of two ways – sulk and play himself out of Orlando or stay focused and get back in the good graces of the team – Pietrus poured himself back into his work. The straying, after all, was surprising because Pietrus had been one of Orlando’s best players in the preseason and seemed poised for a big season. Pietrus doesn’t always fit the NBA mold with his happy-go-lucky nature and his carefree attitude. The Guadeloupe native has an free-flowing island sense about him and never is there a sense of entitlement. He openly talks about his love for Orlando and his blessings to be playing in the NBA, and he said he owed it to his teammates and his supporters to play his way back onto the floor.”
- Brandon Bass is shooting the lights out of the basketball.
- Bryan Crawford of SLAM ONLINE witnessed Orlando’s domination of the Chicago Bulls.
- Dwight Howard is a fun person to be around.
- Howard is happy about the Magic’s win against the Bulls: “We got us a really good win Tuesday night against Detroit and then an even better one last night in Chicago. We were facing a Bulls team that hadn´t played since Saturday while we were on a back-to-back. Chicago was getting Booze back and D-Rose is steady blowing up. We played defense like a championship team and we moved the ball on offense. When we put it all together and ball like we did last night, I think we show people and even ourselves how good we can be as a team.”
- Gilbert Arenas isn’t expected to be traded by the Washington Wizards. Not yet, at least.
Recap: Orlando Magic 107, Chicago Bulls 78
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The Orlando Magic played one of their best games of the regular season and were able to defeat the Chicago Bulls by the score of 107-78, winning their season-high fifth consecutive game of the year. For the Magic, they blew the game wide-open by halftime after putting up a 33-15 margin in the second quarter. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, as five players scored in double-figures. The Magic’s starting backcourt was excellent, as Jameer Nelson finished with 24 points, nine assists, and two steals while outplaying Derrick Rose head-to-head, while Vince Carter had 22 points and six rebounds. Dwight Howard had another pedestrian game for his standards, chipping in with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. Rashard Lewis had 13 points before leaving the game early with a left knee injury (it’s not considered serious). And once again, Brandon Bass contributed off the bench with 17 points.
This was a weird game.
J.J. Redick had to sit out with a stomach flu and unfortunately for Orlando, a virus that has been going around the team had Mickael Pietrus vomiting in the second quarter. With Redick and Pietrus absent, the Magic were short-handed on wing players which resulted in extended minutes for Quentin Richardson, Chris Duhon, and Carter to shore up part of the rotation.
Video Analysis: Orlando Magic’s Pick and Roll Attack
As I wrote at the Heat Index last week when previewing the grudge match between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, the key to victory for the men in blue came down to one thing.
Pick and rolls.
That’s it.
Scouting the Heat’s loss against the New Orleans Hornets and witnessing Chris Paul butcher a defense in the pick and roll made me realize that the Magic could do the same thing (a fun exercise is to watch to compare both games and see how similar they are in terms of offensive execution).
Instead of Emeka Okafor on the receiving end of alley-oop passes from Paul, it’d be Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard. Instead of David West and Jason Smith on the receiving end of open looks for mid-range jumpers in pick and pops, it’d be Rashard Lewis and Brandon Bass. Head coach Stan Van Gundy is one of the most diligent coaches in the NBA when it comes to scouting opponents and he must have seen the same footage.
Even though Nelson isn’t as great as Paul, he’s good enough to break down Miami’s defense as long as he was aggressive offensively and attacked. And that’s what Nelson did on Wednesday. Orlando ran a steady diet of pick and rolls from the opening tip until the final buzzer and Nelson was the orchestrator of a systematic breakdown of one of the best defenses in the league.
Video Analysis: Jameer Nelson’s Fourth Quarter Onslaught
If there was any doubt that Jameer Nelson has fully returned to being an All-Star caliber point guard like he was in 2009, his performance against the Miami Heat proved that he’s playing to the peak of his ability once again.
Led by Dwyane Wade, the Heat made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 12 points earlier in the game. All it took was a 12-3 run that spanned roughly three minutes for Miami to take an 88-87 lead. Magic fans had seen this movie too many times before, and it seemed like Wade was going to steal another win for the Heat against their rival.
However, Nelson — with a verbal push from Brandon Bass — “let it fly” in the late stages of the fourth quarter when the Magic needed buckets. Nelson scored 11 points in the period and Orlando was able to come away with a much-needed win versus Miami, even if they’re not playing to their full potential. With that scoring flurry, Nelson reminded everyone why he’s the engine that makes the Magic go.
The one thing that stands out the most from the video, however, is that on two separate possessions, the Heat elected to use Wade and LeBron James to defend Nelson on the perimeter. Didn’t work. And this last point won’t comfort supporters of Miami but at the 0:33 mark of the video, look at Chris Bosh’ worthless attempt at help defense as Nelson attacks the basket.
Instead of meeting Nelson as he enters the paint, Bosh waits until the very last minute before putting up any resistance defensively.
Something to keep in mind when the Magic and Heat face off again.
Recap: Orlando Magic 111, Cleveland Cavaliers 100
AP Photo/John Raoux
The Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers by the score of 111-100 and move to a record of 11-4 in the regular season. The Magic were led by a balanced attack, as every starter scored in double-figures. Dwight Howard had 23 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals, Jameer Nelson had 20 points and six assists, J.J. Redick had 15 points, five assists, and two steals, while Rashard Lewis and Quentin Richardson each had 14 points. Chris Duhon had one of his better games coming off the bench for Orlando, finishing with eight points and nine assists. Brandon Bass chipped in with 10 points.
Matt Guokas said it best on the Magic’s television broadcast. It felt like a preseason game.
Recap: Orlando Magic 104, Miami Heat 95
Photo by Fernando Medina
Orlando, we have a rivalry.
In a hotly contested game that captured the imaginations of a sellout crowd at the Amway Center and nationally televised audience, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Miami Heat by the score of 104-95. This is the matchup that everyone expected to see when the season began. Sure, basketball was played but there were words exchanged, players ejected, and animosity that grew exponentially as the evening wore on. Rest assured, the Magic and Heat don’t like each other and last night confirmed that yet again. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, as five players scored in double-figures. Dwight Howard had 24 points, 18 rebounds, and one block, providing a dominating presence for the Magic on both ends of the court. Jameer Nelson had one of the best games of his career, slicing and dicing Miami’s defense and finishing with 17 points and a career-high 14 assists. J.J. Redick, filling in for Vince Carter, snapped out of his shooting funk and chipped in with 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Brandon Bass played his best game in an Orlando uniform, scoring 18 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting. Lastly, Rashard Lewis was able to contribute with 14 points.
For the Heat, it was LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and little else. The SuperFriends combined for 64 of Miami’s 95 points. Despite an inferior supporting cast that is hurting with the absences of Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, the Heat were able to have a chance to win with talent alone.
Unfortunately for Miami, several things cost them — an unimaginative offense that relied too much on isolations, pick and rolls, and little else, an inability to punish the Magic in transition with James and Wade, and shaky pick and roll coverage that undermined their defense.
As was stated before the game, Orlando’s ability to get a victory against their rival relied on — literally — one thing.
Pick and rolls.
