Archive for May, 2010

Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy was critical of the team’s effort on Sunday. The Magic know they have to raise their energy to win Game 2. Fresh off of their first defeat since early April, all Magic starters pledge they’ll work harder tonight in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals than they did Sunday in the series opener. “We just didn’t play hard,” power forward Rashard Lewis said. “They played harder than we did and we made a lot of mistakes. But it comes down to who played the hardest, and they played the hardest.” Josh Robbins of [...]

After a disappointing Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic got back to work on Monday afternoon. The news of the day was that starting Small Forward Matt Barnes, who has been bothered by back spasms, participated in and completed practice on Monday. Tania Ganguli caught up with Barnes after practice and you can read that story here. The Magic had a lengthy film session in order to figure out just what went wrong Sunday afternoon. “We watched a lot of film, a little bit of X’s and O’s,” Rashard Lewis told reporters after practice. “We came [...]

The Orlando Magic fell behind 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals after losing Game 1 92-88. The Magic did not look ready for the Celtics. Off the past five days after dominating Atlanta in the most lopsided four-game series in playoff history, the Magic looked to be shocked at times on Sunday with the white-hot intensity with which the Celtics defended. The magic trailed by as many as 20 points and failed to lead in the game at any point for just the second time all season. And when a furious fourth-quarter rally fell short, the Magic were left to [...]

Despite a poor performance for three quarters, Andy Staples of SI.com thinks the Magic were unfazed by their loss. Van Gundy seemed equally unfazed by the loss. Sure, he didn’t like his team’s slow start. He didn’t like the way the Magic failed to force the Celtics to use more help defense — which would have created looks for shooters. He didn’t like the way his team responded to Boston’s bruising style. But Van Gundy didn’t see the need to call down the thunder in the aftermath of the loss. All that stuff is correctable, evidenced by the Magic’s comeback [...]

13. 3-of-10. 7. 5-of-22. These were key numbers in the Boston Celtics’ 92-88 Game 1 victory over the Orlando Magic Sunday. What do they mean? 13 is the number of points Dwight Howard scored on Sunday afternoon against the Boston Celtics. 3-of-10 was what he shot from the field. 7 is the number of turnovers he had in the game. 5-off-22 is what the Magic shot from beyond the arc. What does Orlando’s 3-point shooting have to do with Dwight Howard? The Celtics have been able to single cover Dwight Howard. The Magic often play 4-in/1-out sets and when opponents [...]

It was too little, too late for the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon. The Magic couldn’t complete a 20-point rally, falling to the Boston Celtics 92-88. Vince Carter led the Magic with 23 points while Jameer Nelson added 20. Ray Allen scored a game-high 25 points for the Celtics. NBA Stats NBA NBA

It was obvious that Matt Barnes’ back was bothering him on Sunday afternoon. He never really looked “right” and only played 15 minutes. He finished with 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting, grabbed 3 rebounds and had 1 assist. Barnes offered a couple of comments about his injured back after the game Sunday. “I didn’t get a chance to to get it real lose tonight,” Barnes told reporters following the game. Barnes was lifted in favor of Mickael Pietrus and eventually J.J. Redick. “But it’s no excuse. I didn’t get it done tonight. Coach had to go with someone who was [...]

The Orlando Magic have not played since May 10th but will finally get back on the court when they square off with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The two teams will get the series underway Sunday afternoon. Tip-off from Amway Arena in Orlando is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST and the game will be shown by ABC. If you can’t watch the game, you can listen to it on ESPN Radio or locally on WDBO AM 580. The Line: Orlando – 6.5 Starters: Boston Celtics Kendrick Perkins Kevin Garnett Paul Pierce Ray Allen Rajon Rondo Orlando Magic Dwight [...]

The Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic starts Sunday afternoon and the predictions and breakdowns of the series are rolling in. Dwight Howard thinks the Magic should win this series. The visualization process for Dwight Howard is simple. See yourself winning. Win. That’s why when Howard says, “We should win this series,” as he did after Friday’s practice and again after Saturday’s practice, it’s not overconfidence or bravado. It’s his way of making sure the Magic don’t even think about losing. “We have to believe it,” Howard said to the throng of media gathered around [...]

For the second straight postseason, the Orlando Magic will take on the Boston Celtics. Last year these two teams squared off in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with the Magic eventually prevailing in a hard-fought, seven-game series. This season, a trip to the NBA Finals is on the line. NBA Basketball Stats