May 09
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images There once was a man made of brick-and-mortar, but his role diminished in the 4th quarter. He will be remembered as an all-time great, but you’d never guess it from his usage rate. Today, I stumbled upon a poem I wrote a while ago (yesterday), and it compelled me …
May 05
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images It’s hard out here for Orlando Magic fans. The Magic lost in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks. There’s so much uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard‘s future. And general manager Otis Smith‘s continued quest to to find the right combination of players to surround …
May 04
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: As the franchise attempts to sort out exactly what went wrong, where 2010-11 turned for the worse, they can point to a mystifying playoff shooting slump or to some superb clutch shots by the Atlanta Hawks’ Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson or …
Apr 25
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Before the playoffs started, I previewed Orlando’s first round matchup using data from Synergy Sports Technology. Last week, we looked at the playoff games in Orlando. Today, let’s examine the results from the contests in Atlanta. Game 3 PPP = Points Per Possession Orlando offense Orlando’s spot-up game finally …
Apr 24
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “[Orlando] Magic GM Otis Smith will take applications for the backup center position behind Dwight Howard for 2011-12. Can a kid who logged zero minutes and seldom practiced with the team win the job? Is Daniel Orton that guy? ‘I believe I am,’ Orton told me. ‘I believe I …
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 23
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images BOX SCORE In a crucial Game 3, which can decide a series (the winner goes on to win the series 82.2 percent of the time), the Atlanta Hawks were able to defeat the Orlando Magic by the score of 88-84 to take a 2-1 series lead in the first …
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 20
Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images BOX SCORE Avenging their home loss in Game 1 on Saturday, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the Atlanta Hawks by the score of 88-82 to tie the series at 1-1. Defense and the timely contributions of Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson on offense in the fourth quarter, as …