Posts Tagged → Rashard Lewis
Wednesday’s Magic Word
- Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel: “You could sense Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was going to say something typically and hilariously Stan when asked about his thoughts on Amway Arena’s impending demolition. Was he sad? Was he reliving his three years calling the building home? Not quite. “It’s a building,” Van Gundy said. “It doesn’t have feelings, it’s a building.” He later added, “Sorry guys, I’m not going to shed a tear when a building comes down. Unless it’s my house.” There wasn’t much nostalgia about the Orlando Magic’s final regular season game at Amway Arena among players, either. That will be tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers.”
- This is, arguably, the greatest thing invented. Ever. You have the opportunity to give head coach Stan Van Gundy a makeover. Life is now complete.
- Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference reveals his 2009-2010 APBRmetrics awards. Unfortunately for Rashard Lewis, he ends up with the dubious distinction of winning an award for finishing with the lowest total rebound percentage out of any player in the NBA that is 6’10” or taller.
- Help Dwight Howard‘s cause by making a donation to his fund to help the kids of Haiti affected by the earthquake that struck the island in January.
- Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus: “My colleague Bradford Doolittle did find the importance of balance in a recent study, however, and it’s these kind of subtle effects I annually hope to tease out by comparing playoff teams to their most similar predecessors. My method compares the 16 playoff squads to the most similar playoff teams of the last 14 years (from the 1996 through 2009 postseasons) based on their Offensive and Defensive Ratings and pace of play (half weighted), all adjusted for league average. Each of the past teams has had their playoff performance rated, getting a point for each playoff win, losing a point for each loss and getting four points for making the playoffs (three prior to 2003, when the first round was extended to seven games) and four points for winning a series. [...] Statistically, Orlando has emerged as the league’s best team, ranking second in Defensive Rating and atop the NBA on the offensive end. That kind of balance should translate very well in the postseason, and while the Magic’s comparables are not overwhelming, they are very solid. The 2000 L.A. Lakers were the lone similar team to break through and win a championship.”
- J.J. Redick, an unsung player? Ben Q. Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post explains: “How can he be unsung? I’m not sure many people realize just how much he’s improved this year. He’s assisted on just 62.9% of his field goals, including a remarkably low 50.9% at the rim, which means he’s learned to create for himself off the dribble, something many NBA observers doubted he’d be able to do at this level, given his lack of size (6’04″) as an NBA two-guard. Additionally, he’s second on the Magic in foul-drawing rate; only Dwight Howard, whom many teams foul strategically, earns more trips to the foul line relative to his shot attempts. In short, Redick’s much more than a spot-up shooter or three-point specialist. He’s refined his game and is playing a key role, backing up a potential Hall-of-Famer in Vince Carter, on a championship-caliber team. And if you didn’t know that by now, well, now you do.”
- George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel states the Lakers have directly motivated the Magic as the playoffs loom.
How Did the Orlando Magic Get to This Point?
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
For Billy Donovan and Stan Van Gundy, it’s a tale of two stories for two head coaches that are in two different positions right now. While the Florida Gators are currently undergoing a rebuilding phase after winning back-to-back NCAA men’s basketball national championships in 2006 and 2007, the Orlando Magic are enjoying an era of prosperity not seen since the mid-’90s when Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal were household names. It’s no secret that Donovan and Van Gundy will forever be linked in Orlando lore after the drama that unfolded in the summer of 2007. Long story short, Donovan accepted then declined the Magic’s offer to become head coach after Brian Hill was fired and as a result, Van Gundy ended up with the job. The question is, how did we get here? How did Orlando become a powerhouse in the NBA?
Look no further than the man that “replaced” Donovan.
There’s no doubt that other people should be credited with returning the Magic to prominence, including the DeVos family (for paying the luxury tax), general manager Otis Smith, and others. But at the end of the day, Van Gundy is at the epicenter of this era. Van Gundy is defining the narrative that is unfolding in Orlando and it’s an interesting one, to say the least.
Recap: Orlando Magic 118, New York Knicks 103
AP Photo/John Raoux
The Orlando Magic were able to defeat the New York Knicks by the score of 118-103, a win that seemed like a formality for the Magic. A trio of starters and reserves led the way for Orlando, all scoring in double-figures and accounting for the majority of the Magic’s points. Dwight Howard had 25 points and 13 rebounds and Vince Carter had 25 points, five assists, and two steals, both seemingly scoring at will against the Knicks. But it can be argued that Ryan Anderson stole the show, stuffing the stat sheet with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks and playing one of his best games of the year. On the flip-side, Danilo Gallinari had 28 points for New York.
Recap: San Antonio Spurs 112, Orlando Magic 100
Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images
Matched up with a good opponent on a back-to-back, the Orlando Magic lost to the San Antonio Spurs by the score of 112-100. The Magic played with the requisite effort and energy required to win but a dominant performance by Manu Ginobili, with 43 points, six rebounds, and five assists, allowed the Spurs to come away with the victory. As expected, Tim Duncan returned to form for San Antonio with 23 points in 24 minutes after being held to his worst shooting percentage game of his career the last time these two teams met. Orlando was led by a balanced attack, with six players scoring in double-figures. Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus each had 18 points and shot with great efficiency.
Recap: Orlando Magic 97, Dallas Mavericks 82
Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images
The Orlando Magic, healthy and rested, were able to defeat the Dallas Mavericks by the score of 97-82 in front of a nationally-televised audience. Coming off an overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies on the road the evening before, it seemed like the Mavericks were a step slow against the Magic. Especially when you consider the fact that Orlando played on three days rest. Dirk Nowitzki, with 24 points and six rebounds, was the only starter for Dallas that played with any sort of energy (J.J. Barea and Jason Terry performed admirably off the bench). For the Magic, Vince Carter and Mickael Pietrus returned from their minor injuries and performed well. Pietrus played a great game off the bench, in particular, with a season-high 24 points on eight shots. Efficient. Dwight Howard was splendid, also, dominating on both ends of the floor and finishing with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and five blocks. For Howard, that’s the ninth time in the regular season in which he’s grabbed 20 or more rebounds in a game.
Recap: Orlando Magic 110, San Antonio Spurs 84
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
When you’re a team that holds Tim Duncan to his worst shooting percentage game of his career, odds are you’re going to win the game. And that’s what happened last night, as the Orlando Magic defeated the San Antonio Spurs by the score of 110-84 in front of a nationally-televised audience and a sellout crowd at Amway Arena. With Tony Parker sidelined with a broken hand and the Spurs playing on a back-to-back against a well-rested Magic squad, the last thing San Antonio needed was a career-worst performance from their future Hall of Famer. Needless to say, Orlando took advantage of the circumstance. The Magic were led by Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis, two players that played extremely well on an evening when Dwight Howard had a pedestrian game for his standards. Carter had 24 points and eight assists, while Lewis had 20 points.
Media Log: Orlando Magic 110, San Antonio Spurs 84
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
I was able to speak with head coach Stan Van Gundy amongst the media, as well as talk with Jameer Nelson, Marcin Gortat, Rashard Lewis, Matt Barnes, and Dwight Howard after the Orlando Magic defeated the San Antonio Spurs by the score of 110-84.
Stan Van Gundy
Rashard Lewis got things going in the first quarter and it seemed like you ran a few plays for him to get him going. Could you talk about his performance tonight?
Well, I thought … certainly the first play … I wanted to get the ball in his hands on a play where I thought he had a chance to get a shot. I just wanted to get him into the flow right away but yeah, he played well tonight and shot the ball well. Everybody is going to have ups and downs but he’s always been a guy that’s bounced back and I thought he had a good night tonight.
Jameer Nelson
With Tony Parker absent from the game, how do you think that changed things for the San Antonio Spurs?
Well, he’s a big part of what they do. He’s a one-man machine on the fast break and they need that. They need easy buckets and we didn’t allow that tonight. We all got back, for the most part. We shut down the paint and made them shoot jumpshots.
Could you talk about your relationship with Anthony Johnson? What has he taught you?
Well, he just … each game we warm-up, he stays on me about practicing certain shots. We [are] out there practicing certain shots before the game in the layup line. Every timeout, he’s in my ear about certain things that he see and he could be not playing, he could be one of the guys that’s just … ‘aw, I’m not playing, I’m not going to say anything’ but he’s not like that and he’s the ultimate professional. I’ve been very fortunate to have him, guys like Grant Hill, and other guys around me that are great professionals.
