Orlando Magic Blog

Group Blog talking about the NBA 2009 Eastern Conference Champions. Due to the amazing success of the 2009 playoff run comments are now frequently deleted to kill offensive comments, incoherence, or asininity. Comments can no longer be anonymous and require either a Blogger or OpenID account.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Heat send Magic staggering into All-Star Break

With a trade for DET's Darko Milicic apparently imminent, the Magic went out and lost their 6th game in a row and 10th out of their last 11th 110-100. The Magic trailed by 21 at the end of 3, but scored 41 pts in the 4th qtr to make the final respectable.

MIA dominated from the field, outscoring the Magic 90-62 on 54.1% shooting, including 10 of 21 from 3 pt range. The Magic shot just 40.5% and only 2 of 9 from long distance. The Magic did well at the FT line, making 38 of 47 (80.9%). MIA shot 20 of 29 (69%). Rebounds were about even (40-39 MIA). The Magic had 21 assists, which is better than they had been doing, to just 12 TOs. MIA had 18 TOs.

Even though Shaq had just 7 pts and 11 rebs, DWade (36 pts) and AWalker (26 pts) had superb games. Six Magic players scored in double figures, including the 5 starters, led by DHoward and TBattie, who each scored 16. Even though Francis scored 12 pts with 6 assists and 6 boards, he shot only 3 of 15. The Magic bench, led by KDooling (11 pts), outscored MIA's bench once again 28-24. The Magic are now 6 games behind the last playoff spot, but with the imminent arrival of Darko, the eventual return of JNelson, the continued development of DHoward, if GHill could stay healthy, and if Francis could play like he's capable of (if he's not traded), maybe the Magic can have a decent second half and give all of us hope for next season and beyond.

posted by Mike from Illinois @ 10:40 PM  

13 Comments:

  • At 11:32 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    Magic finally showed some pride and made the game interesting at the end.

     

  • At 12:31 AM, Blogger Ken said…

    You said it matt, it was nice seeing them get under the skin of MIA, to bad it couldn't have started in the 3rd though....

     

  • At 4:24 AM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    The Miami Heat and Dwayne Wade are basketball at it's worst. They're the kind of team that makes me believe that David Stern has a list of teams that he wants to shine, and he and the officals are the only ones that know about it. They get every call, even the obviously bad ones. And it's not just against Orlando; I'm not being bias. I pretty much watch basketball everynight of the week, and every game this year I've watched the Heat play, "IT" hits the fan at one point or another. The NBA wants this team to be great so badly, but they never will be. Shaq is almost 34, and no matter how good Wade gets, it won't be that good. Speaking of Wade; he is the biggest flopper in the league, he came in at just the right time, after Reggie retired. But this shit in treating him like he's already Air Jordan needs to stop. He gets more love than Kobe, and that's just insane. He's a nice player, but if Shaq wasn't in Miami, he'd be in the class with all the other guys just like him. He has no range, but it doesn't matter, because no matter where he shoots, including his jumpers, he's gonna end up on the free throw line. As for the rest of the team, they're decent. Walker, no matter what his number were tonight, sucks... Jason Williams will never be the starting PG of a championship team. Worst of all, Gary Payton, yes I know he made 2 big 3's tonight, but PLEASE RETIRE. This guy used to be great, one of the top 5 in the game. His choices at the end of his career, are ruining everything he was. He doesn't even closely resemble what he was, and the only reason he is wearing a jersey is because the name on the back of it. It just really bothers me, when one of the greatest PG's of our time, gets traded to the Bucks, tries to cheat a championship in LA, gets traded to Boston, and follows Shaq again in hopes to get a ring. He should have retired when Karl Malone did, but honestly, I lost a lot of respect for him when he signed with LA. He got what he deserved though, with Billups owning his ass, and he'll get it even worse this time around when the 2 teams meet up in the playoffs, and hopefully after this year, he'll stop the bleeding and retire. I'm sorry, I just enjoy my GP-RainMan memories way to much, and the guy that is on the Heat, is nothing near the same player. OK, I'm done ranting...

    On a side note... Many in attendance were Heat fans as I expected. But what really made me sick, is how everyone acted in awe of Wade. I mean, he'd get the ball, and do a normal dunk, and the crowd was all about it. He had no fancy dunks tonight. And overall he got more of a reaction than any of the home team Magic players received. The part that pisses me off, is all these people come out to see this guy right, because they want to see the "Great Dwayne Wade" and what he is going to do next. Like a said before, he's a good player, but everyone there was acting like they haven't seen a guy like this before. When just a few years ago, we had T-Mac, who is still a better player than Wade, and did anyone come out to see T-Mac when he was here 41 times a year, no... In one way or another(Shaq going to the Heat), Wade has become the most popular player in the league(#1 selling jersey); does he deserve it, definitely not at this point in his career, but it is what it is...

     

  • At 11:18 AM, Blogger Matt said…

    Any faithful long-satnding Magic fan should resent MIA as a team. I agree that Wade is overrated and Payton is older and slower, but I expect MIA to win against DET in finals. DET has no answer for Shaq, 34 or not, and as much as I resent Mourning's theatrics, he is the best back up center in the league.

     

  • At 3:46 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    I might be a little prejudiced because I'm from the Chicago area, and so is Dwyane Wade, but how can you guys say he is overrated? The numbers do not lie... 27 pts on 49% shooting, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals per game... and he's only 24 yrs old! Geez, I wish the Magic could have an overrated player like that!

     

  • At 3:53 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    Oh... and I will take DWade over T-Mac any day of the week! Has T-Mac ever led his team to a playoff series win, let alone the conference finals?

     

  • At 6:31 PM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    Umm, anything positive that has happened in Miami is because of Shaq, not Wade. Wade contributes, and everyone gives him most of the credit, and everyone says "he's the best player in the league now", but that's the same thing everyone said when Shaq was with Penny, and when Shaq was with Kobe. So sure, Wade helps the team a whole lot, but without Shaq, Wade will be another Vince, Tracy, Kobe, Allen, James, or whoever is your hero. Look at Kobe, he's having one of his best years, but he is struggling to get his team into the playoffs, and last year he didn't. It'll be proven, everyone will see that come to be, in a couple years, when Shaq's fat ass is gone, it'll be Wade's team, and everyone will see how great he is without Shaq.

    Detroit not having an answer for Shaq is just stupid try and say. Sure fat ass weighs 350, but he's not what he once was. Regardless, Detroit has beaten Shaq 2 years in a row, and you can listen or make up whatever BS you want, but Shaq played, and he lost. Detroit has only gotten better, and Shaq has only gotten older, why would he get over the Mighty Pistons this year, when he couldn't the last two.

    The Heat down graded their team this year. They got rid of and lost solid role players and added douches like Walker and Williams. Yeah, they're OK, but nobody is ever going to convince me that those 2 are starters on a "championship team". And if it happens, it's going to be one of the biggest jobbed series in NBA history. The Pistons will have home court, and should win in 5 or 6. And if hell freezes over and the Heat make the Finals, the Spurs will be waiting, having home court over Miami, and they'll send them back to South Beach with no title to show for.

    To try and say the Heat are coming around is also a dumb statement. They've been struggling all year. They just lost by 30+ a week ago to Dallas and everyone was talking about how much trouble this team is in. Now, they get lucky and beat Detroit by 2 at home, and beat the screwed up Magic and they are coming together and rolling? What the hell? And yes, they will finish the season strong, because their schedule out is weighted with teams with losing records, so when the Heat run off a little winning streak, make sure to look and see how many of those teams are legit, or at least not in the lottery.

     

  • At 6:32 PM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    I need to find some friends like you to bet against. ;)

     

  • At 7:49 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    Introvert316, thank you for the insulting words.

     

  • At 8:01 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

     

  • At 8:06 PM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    Yeah, I'm an ass, but someone has to play the role.

    As for the Heat, I would be nervous if they still had Eddie Jones, Damon Jones, and Dooling around, but that's not the case.

     

  • At 4:02 AM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    Even though I think that Wade is a fantastic player, that the Heat have some solid veterans, and that Shaq is a beast when healthy, as long as the Pistons have home court advantage, they (the Pistons) will win the East this year.

    Intro, you admitted that Shaq isn't the player he once was. That makes Wade's emergence that much more impressive.

     

  • At 11:28 AM, Blogger Matt said…

    I tend to disagree for the simple fact that DET is thin upfront ... the only big they have on the bench is McDyess, and he is not a really big body. That would show in long stretched out play-off series even before DET meets MIA, and then they need all the warm bodies to foul Shaq. That's why I think they are not going to waive Cato, despite what is rumored, if there is any chance of him giving them a motivated warm body.

     

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