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.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Monster game by Howard leads to Magic win over GS

The Magic (22-14, 8-8 road) started off their 4 game road trip on a positive note, defeating GS (18-19, 14-6 home) 91-76, led by a career-high 30 pts from DHoward, in addition to 25 rebs. The Magic held GS to 41 fewer pts than they scored in a 117-108 loss to the Warriors in DEC.

In addition to Howard's career game, KBogans scored 16 pts off the bench, and KDooling, back from injury, added 13 pts. Bogans and Dooling combined to shoot 6 of 9 from 3 pt range. HTurkoglu was not active for this game; TAriza started in his place and scored 5 pts, but had to leave the game just before the half with a sprained MCL. GS was led by Monta Ellis with 14 pts, and Baron Davis was held to just 13 pts after scoring 38 pts against the Magic last month.

The Magic (34 of 84, 40.5%) outscored GS (28 of 76, 36.8%) from the floor 74-61. The Magic hit on 6 of 14 3 pt FG, while GS was 5 of 17 from long range. FT shooting was a struggle for both teams, with the Magic going 17 of 33, and GS 15 of 27. The Magic won the rebound battle 52-45. The Magic had a slightly better AST/TO ratio of 20/14, while the GS ratio was 20/18. The Magic bench outscored the GS bench 33-27.

Aside from the FT shooting and injury to Ariza, good start on this tough 11 game stretch. Bogans and Dooling were impressive off the bench. Of course, not enough superlatives can be said for Dwight. Magic head to LA to play the Lakers FRI night.

posted by Mike from Illinois @ 3:55 AM  

13 Comments:

  • At 4:50 AM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    BULLET TIME

    Call it ugly, call it playoff style basketball; I call it Magic basketball. The Magic are beginning to show their true identity. When this team plays defense, they control the tempo of the game, and they win, period. And yes, this team has the chance to do that every time they step on the floor, no matter who they're facing. They showed that tonight, with a huge win to start the road trip. Even more impressing, they did this without Turk and Ariza who went down early with an injury. Too boot; Jameer finished the game with only 7 points, G Hill had 6, Darko was 1-11, Arroyo had 0, and the Magic still ran away with the game. Of course there was another tiny factor; our "man child" had a small 30-25 game. Just sick... I can't imagine the day when I witness this kid put down a 30-30 game.

    Overall, it was a great win to start the road trip. I'm slightly worried about our next game against the Lakers, as we'll probably be without Ariza. I don't know what the status of Turk is; being that he's had some of these weird symptoms before. Hopefully he'll be ready to go Friday, especially because I fear Ariza will not be. As for the Lakers, they are coming off of 2 losses; one to the Griz and the other to the Rockets. I expect them to be quite pissed off and ready to play. The Magic will have to show up. When the smoke clears, I still expect a win. Maybe that's just wishful thinking for the fact that we face the Suns the following night and I'm not feeling nearly as confident about that game. Regardless, I expect a hell of a game Friday night against the Lakers.

    OVERTIME

    This is a side note relating to our Magic. Tonight, I went downtown Orlando. I went out to see a friend’s band play at The Social. After the show, we were looking for places to go. Our group was huge, so it split many times. I myself went to Ale House. Another friend of mine, "Showtime", if he ever decides to post on our blog, went to Fridays. I guess it’s good that we have folks our there that read our blog like the newspaper even if they don’t post; doesn’t that say something about us? I talked to him once I got home around 2 in the morning. Both Fridays and Ale House had one disappointing thing in common; neither of them had a TV tuned in for the Magic game? I mean seriously, Orlando has no other professional sports team... I might have understood this when we were a losing team; but we're not a losing team anymore. We're top in our division, we're challenging the rest of our conference, oh, and we have a 21 year old stud named Dwight Howard who is going to be starting for the Eastern Conference All-Stars for probably the next decade once Shaq retires(he should be starting this year). I know I shouldn't let this bother me, as it's bothered me years before. But really, I sat in an ORLANDO ALE HOUSE, as the ORLANDO MAGIC were playing, and not a single damn TV in the place had the game on! Once I got home, my friend told me it was the same case at Fridays. I'm sure this will all be taken care of in time once the Magic prove they are a legit team, but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Still, in the end, it worked out well; as I was able to go home, watch the entire game on my DVR (fast forwarding the commercials) not knowing a single thing about the game, and enjoy the game for what it was; MAGIC BASKETBALL.

     

  • At 6:22 AM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    AFTERTHOUGHT

    The Magic were the last team in the league this season to have a player score 30 points in a game. Think about that... It's kind of scary, yet kind of impressive, that the Magic are as good as they are, as this is the first time we've had a player hit 30. That truly says something about the depth of this team. Yet, it makes you wonder, because that just doesn't sound normal.

     

  • At 11:42 AM, Blogger Big Figure said…

    Good win even with the starting line-up blunder,anytime grants been out keith bogans has gotten the starting nod,but last night hedo's out and trevor get the start,huh? Sorry to any trevor fans but he should never start,he's an energy guy that feeds off of hustle usually taking advantage of players getting tired when he gets on the floor,but in the starting line-up with grant on the floor,that gives us to many players without a three point shot to spread the defense all the way outside the three point line,golden state was packing it in in the first half causing us to struggle offensively,add in the fact that trevor couldnt find his shot he really wasnt helping out on the floor,in the starting line-up its to early in a game for hustle to become a factor,everybody's fresh.Notice in the second half grant moves over to the three (only because of trevor's injury,it wasnt bsh getting a clue)which allows keith and keyon to man the shooting guard spot,and the offense looked fine,golden state was forced to pick there poison because of the match-up problems that dwight and grant pose,man-to-man without a double and dwight kills you,man-to-man with a double three pointers rain,zone defense keith and keyon play shooting galary.I love trevor as first off the bench though,and as sad as it sounds,his injury was the adjustment that helped us win,not coaching like it should be,BSH showing again why i say we win despite the coaching.FIRE BSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     

  • At 12:04 PM, Blogger Big Figure said…

    5 games away from the half way point and were tied for the most wins in the east,nobody wouldve predicted this type of improvement.

     

  • At 1:11 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    Excellent point about starting line-up, Big Figure. That was my initial impression when I first heard that Trevor has been inserted in the starting line-up in place of Hedo. With Jameer struggling to find his shot again, it is imperative that Trevor be on the floor only when a shooter is inserted at the 2 position.

    I admit that Magic played good defense, credit to Hill who is expected to excel at defense, but I have to add that both teams were pathetic on offense. Good defense is a good thing, but eventually you have to put the ball in the basket to win, and against balanced teams, offensively and defensively, you simply cannot rely on good defense to carry you through. Remember that this same GS team defeated us at home by making timely three point shots, which was basically the difference in that game. Magic should try to improve their offense by playing Travis and J.J. , who seem to be MIA, totally. The other night Travis was in street clothes, and I didn't see where he was last night. J.J. is just a bench warmer. Either one of them could be an upgrade over Carlos who is struggling mightily to get his shots off, let alone making them, and is responsible for many turnovers.

     

  • At 2:44 PM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    BIG and Matt, you both are right. With Ariza and Grant out there together, there was no chance of spreading the floor. But I can tell you what Brian Hill was thinking. "Let’s see, I lost my small forward, who is the 1st small forward coming off the bench; Trevor Ariza, oooh, that’s what #1’s name is; at least it's not Penny, that bastard". Once he looked at his notes, he found a paper that had his clockwork rotation on it down to the second, he saw Ariza’s name and put him in. I really don’t think the decision had anything to do with compatibility; rather, it was probably a next in line seniority move like always. We have the most predictable coach in the entire league.

    The only excitement Travis and J.J get to experience every game is which one gets to keep the starters seats warm, and which was gets to show off his new suit. Those are the guys that should be out there knocking down the 3's that Dooling and Bogans were last night. There is a problem with that, Dooling and Bogans are not nearly as good of shooters as Travis and J.J., so our offense is going to come and go from night to night as we’ve seen. And as of now, they should both be getting time. We've had guards out on a regular basis as of late, still J.J. hasn't seen anytime. As for the PG spot, Carlos has provided zero offense. And when Nelson was out injured, Travis outplayed Carlos every night. Why is he in street clothes?

    BIG, I didn't know if you were saying Ariza should never start; like never, or just in a situation like this. I agree that he shouldn't be out there with G Hill, it just doesn't work. But he's a lot more than just an energy guy. That's only 1 of many things that he provides. Even last night, you pointed out that he struggled with his shot, yet look at what he did in only 14 minutes. 5 pts, 4 rbs, 3 stls, and 1 asst. So sure, he might not be starting anytime soon, and he definitely shouldn't be out there on a regular basis with G Hill, but it'll be hard to keep this guy out of the starting lineup because he's a lot more than a hustle guy like Battie. Dooling, or Outlaw.

    I actually feel uncomfortable saying this because I don’t like saying “I told you so”, but I'm not surprised the Magic are tied for the most wins in the East. I actually went back to October on our blog to check myself before I opened my mouth, but it was there; my prediction for the Magic was a 50 win season and for them to win the division. Of course Miami is helping us out a whole lot right now, but I considered that team a joke last year, as I still do this year. As for the rest of the East, who scares you? Going into the season, "the pros" either picked the Bulls, Cavs, Pistons, or Heat. I never bought into any of that. The Bulls added a low post defender, when they needed a low post scorer. The Cavs are average at best, besides Lebron. The Pistons were going to be solid no matter what, because they've had the same team for a few years, but the lost Ben. And that leaves the Heat, and those chumps made the mistake of coming back as they starting believing that they won the title on their own, rather than having it handled to them on a gold plate. So really, as it stands right now, I'm not surprised one bit.

    A few days ago a friend of mine asked me who was the best in the East. Who had a chance to make some noise in the playoffs? Who would make the Finals? And really, I didn't know how to answer. I think whoever goes to the Finals this year from the East is going to be embarrassed, or at least there is a good chance of it being a major embarrassment. So who will it be? The Cavs because of 1 guy? The Wizards because of 1 guy? The Pistons because of chemistry? The Bulls because of defense? The Heat, because of Flash’s FT’s, players getting in shape, off of social security, and the return of the fat aging Superman? And then there is the Magic, who are probably the best overall team in the East. If Orlando was aged another 3 years, we'd be my pick to the Finals, but as of now, we're pretty damn young.

    Anyway, I got sidetracked, but that's what I use this place for. Sometimes I just need to vent out Magic. What can I say, I got a Magical Mind.

     

  • At 3:22 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    One other thing I noticed about the stats last night... even though Darko (1 of 11), Arroyo (0 for 5), and Nelson (2 of 9) each had poor shooting nights, all 3 did other things to contribute. Darko had 7 rebs, 4 blocks, and 2 asts; Arroyo had 5 asts and a steal; and Nelson had 3 steals and just 1 TO. I think that's a good sign that those guys kept their focus and didn't let their poor shooting get them down.

    "Overwaded", you and I were thinking alike in OCT; I predicted that the Magic would get between 47-50 wins this season, get home court advantage in the first round, and advance to the second round of the playoffs.

    The East is obviously wide open. as there is no dominant team. If the Magic can continue to impress and improve, heck, they have just as good a shot as any team to come out of the East (despite our coach, who can be clueless at times).

    But that's much later. For now, I'm just going to take it one game at a time.

     

  • At 3:27 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    OVERWADED, I think you are right in your assessment of Trevor, and I don't think Big Figure meant to say he would never be a starter, as in NEVER. His jumpshots are improving, as well, and although it is doubtful that he would ever become a jumpshooter, so to speak, yet who knows? The core of my assertion was that him and Grant on the floor is not a good combination. I also agree that Keyon is not but a streaky shooter, but Keith's numbers has been a lot better than we may give him credit for.

    As for the best team in the East, the Magic could have been right up there with the best of them if the team's talents had been used to its utmost potential. I think the parity in the East is as such that it comes down to consistency and coaching difference, at the final analysis.

     

  • At 5:33 PM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    Keith Bogans reminds me of a Bruce Bowen type. He's a solid spot up shooter. He plays defense. Yet, he looks to be really uncomfortable doing anything in motion or on the run.

    I wish Hill could find Bogans a little more playing time. However, and I know I've said this before, Hill has no clue how and when to use Bogans. The only time he knows how to use Bogans is when G Hill isn't playing in which then he gets the starter call. Then the game gets going, and Dooling always get more playing time than him. We actually can't access Bogans as of now. It would actually be unfair for us to, seeing that his playing time goes from a little to none game to game.

     

  • At 8:03 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    Interesting post by "Overwaded" about how the Magic game against GS wasn't on any of the TVs at the Ale House or the other place his friend was at. My take on that is now that the college football season is over, and the Gators are now national champs, more and more people will start to take notice of the Magic. The past month, much of the focus in Florida has been with the Gators and their game against Ohio St. The 14 days I was in the Orlando area, I was amazed at the daily media coverage on the Gators. The Nick Saban situation with the Dolphins also received conderable coverage. Now that that's all over, much more focus should now be on the Magic in the coming weeks and months, especially if they can remain near the top of the East, even with the Gators basketball team playing well.

    I was disappointed when I found out that ESPN will televise the Rockets/Nuggets game FRI night. Haven't we seen enough of the Nuggets these last few weeks on ESPN and TNT? I thought that ESPN had the flexibility to change which games they televise, if there's a more compelling matchup, which I think the Magic/Lakers are.

     

  • At 8:30 PM, Blogger WeRDevos said…

    I haven't seen a game in a month, but I've got to be happy that the Magic have gone through adversity and come back with a five game win streak.

    As usual, Howard has a monster game for the ages (only second 30/25 game of the last ten years) and ESPN is all over Webber being cut and Iverson playing on a .500 team.

    Riley acts like he wants the Heat to miss the playoffs, 'Sheed is ready to implode and kill Detroit, Chicago may have killed their next four years with the Wallace contract, they are talking about blowing up Indiana. It could come down to Washington, Cleveland and Orlando as the favorites to go to the finals.

    If the Magic can get healthy and pick up a half way decent big (for Garrity) they could win the East. But please, don't pick up Chris Webber.

     

  • At 9:25 AM, Blogger Matt said…

    It seems that Webber's signing is picking up some winds in its sail. The possibility of signing him on a low price tag for the remainder of the year is intriguing. The pros of such moves, which I do not want to get into since they are obvious, should be weighed against two cons:

    1 - The attention that a player like Webber is demanding, causing distraction and overall lack of focus.
    2 - The future prospect of Darko, who is basically in his first full rookie year. I can see that while Darko is playing aggressive these days, his motivation seems waning at times, which I can read between the lines when he is shooting air-balls and/or when he is not dunking the balls that he should.

    Bearing in mind the aforementioned points, and the overall health of the team for the long term, I am with WeRDevos in rejecting the idea, citing that even short term gains of signing Webber is questionable.

     

  • At 12:10 PM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    Webber says the only thing left to do in his career is win a championship; funny, I thought the only thing left for him was retirement.

     

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