Archive for March, 2011

Today, Charlie Bernstein and I discuss the Orlando Magic and the Eastern Conference in general. Be warned, it starts off with some March Madness talk but quickly moves into the NBA. (Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and ESPN 1080′s Magic Insider (http://espn1080.com). Subscribe to his RSS feed, add him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter to follow him daily. You can download the HTD app here).

I am pleased to announce that the inaugural Magic Basketball Online Bracket Challenge is being launched today and will actually include real life prizes for the winner. Most importantly, it is FREE to join.  Sounds to me like the perfect compliment to your illegal workplace bracket… To get all the details on how to join and the prizes for the winner, click HERE.

The Orlando Magic did something they have really struggled do recently; beat down an inferior opponent. Recently we’ve seen the Magic struggle with the likes of Golden State and Sacramento (twice). Against the Phoenix Suns, the Magic rode a huge third quarter (they outscored Phoenix 26-13 in the third quarter) to overcome a poor defensive star and earn a 111-88 victory. Dwight Howard led the Magic with 26 points and 15 rebounds while Aaron Brooks had 19 points and 10 assists to lead the Suns. There Magic got off to another poor defensive start, letting Aaron Brooks, who starting for [...]

The Orlando Magic, who have lost three of their last four games, will try to snap out of their funk when they travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns Sunday afternoon. The Suns will likely be without Steve Nash while the Magic will be without J.J. Redick. These two teams met back on November 18, before they made their blockbuster trade. In that game, Orlando took a 62-34 lead into the half and cruised from there. Former Magic forward Grant Hill led all scorers with 21 points while Dwight Howard led the Magic with 20 points and 12 rebounds [...]

Per Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, Magic guard J.J. Redick may miss the remainder of the trip. Redick strained his lower abdomen during the Magic’s morning shootaround. “Yeah, it’s still pretty painful. We’ll see how it goes,” Redick said. Redick might miss the remaining two games of the West part of the five-game trip that ends in Milwaukee next week. You can read that story here. (Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and ESPN 1080′s Magic Insider (http://espn1080.com). Subscribe to his RSS feed, add him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter to follow him daily. You [...]

In one of the more unbelievable games most of us have ever seen, the Golden State Warriors used a franchise record 21 three-pointers to defeat the Magic in overtime, 122-119. Jason Richardson led the Magic with 30 points while Monta Ellis had 39 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. The Magic, who have had early struggles on the defensive end as of late, played very well in the first half. They held the fast-paced, high scoring Warriors to 42 first half points on just 18-of-47 shooting (38.3%). The Magic also used a 15-2 run during the second quarter, eight three-pointers [...]

Per Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, Magic reserve guard J.J. Redick will not play in Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors. Redick was injured during shootaround Friday morning. Redick strained a muscle in his lower abdomen while making a “close-out” defensive move during the practice. The club listed Redick day-to-day. He was seen by the Warriors’ team physician an hour before tip-off. “I guess you could say I’m in some discomfort,” Redick said after the shootaround. “I’ll get some treatment and see how it feels. I don’t know.” (Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and [...]

The Orlando Magic got off the snide with a victory over the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night. They’ll look to make it two in a row This will be the first home game for the Warriors since February 25. They just completed a seven game road trip that saw them go 2-5 to drop to 28-36 on the season. Orlando’s win improved their record to 41-24. These two teams met back on January 3 in Orlando. Golden State had a nine-point lead at the half but the Magic absolutely dominated the second half, winning the game 110-90. Monta Ellis led the [...]

On Monday, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy made some interesting comments regarding NBA commissioner David Stern. Thursday morning on Colin Cowherd’s radio show, Stern fired back at Van Gundy. “You haven’t had your skin thickened for as many years as I’ve had mine,” Stern said. “Nothing is ever personal here. I’m not going to talk to Stan Van Gundy; I’m going to talk to the ownership of the team.” The commissioner also added that Van Gundy’s remarks didn’t make him angry, but, rather, upset, then fired a jab right back at Orlando’s head coach, whose team is 41-24 and [...]

The Orlando Magic again struggled with the Sacramento Kings, especially in the first half, but rallied from a six-point fourth quarter deficit and hung on for a 106-102 win. DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with a career-high 29 points while Jameer Nelson tied a season-high with 26 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Once again the Magic came out with a poor defensive effort. They saw the Kings shoot 10-of-16 from the field, 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and 9-of-14 from the free throw line en route to a 33-point first quarter. The Magic didn’t shoot quite as well [...]