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.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Yao dominates as HOU keeps Magic struggling

Led by Yao Ming's 37 pts, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks, HOU (39-24, 22-10 home) cruised past the Magic (29-35, 10-22 road) 103-92. The Magic now fall into the 9th spot in the East, 1/2 game behind NY and 1 game behind 7th seed IND, as the Pacers are struggling as much as the Magic. This was the Magic's 9th loss in 11 games in this difficult stretch of games since the All-Star Break.

In addition to Yao, TMac scored 19 pts with 10 asts; Juwan Howard off the bench 14 pts, and Shane Battier 12 pts, 8 rebs. The Magic were led by GHill, back in the starting lineup, with 17 pts, DHoward 16 pts, 12 rebs, DMilicic 15 pts, 9 rebs; and HTurkoglu, playing with a broken nose, 10 pts. KBogans led the reserves with 8 pts.

The Magic (38 of 84, 45.2%) actually outscored HOU (36 of 68, 52.9%) from the field 80-79. HOU shot 7 of 18 from 3 pt range, while the Magic shot 4 of 10 there. HOU (24 of 30) shot much better at the FT line than the Magic (12 of 20). HOU outrebounded the Magic 38-36, though the Magic had an 11-6 edge in offensive boards. The Magic had one of their best AST/TO ratios of the season at 23/10, while HOU also had a decent ratio of 30/17. The Magic bench outscored the HOU bench 30-24.

This game represented a better effort from the Magic than they put up against the Bulls, but they had basically no chance of winning this game, with Yao and TMac at the top of their game for HOU. Magic now have to go to CHA MON night in what promises to be another tough game but one in which the Magic almost have to win if they want to be serious about a playoff run.

posted by Mike from Illinois @ 10:59 PM  

7 Comments:

  • At 11:25 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    For once, it was nice to see the Magic put up a very good AST/TO ratio at 23/10. Also, our 2 pt guards had a combined AST/TO ratio of 8/1. However, they both combined to shoot just 3 of 12 for 8 pts.

    Compare that to TMac, who had an AST/TO ratio of 10/2, and their pt guard Rafer Alston, who scored just 5 pts, but had 8 asts. When you have players as dominant as Yao and TMac, the pt guard doesn't have to worry about scoring hardly at all.

    Also, 30 asts on 36 baskets showed how well the Rockets ran their offense, while the Magic score yet again well under 100 pts.

    I wish BHill would take a look at one of last season's games during the final month when the Magic were playing so well, and see how nice the offense was operating in those games. JNelson, in particular, was playing so well in comparison to this season, where we've seen only an occasional flash here and there where Jameer has played like we know he's capable of.

     

  • At 10:00 AM, Blogger Big Figure said…

    We get bsh for another year says the sentinel,YIPPEE!!!! Last nights game was a joke,seems like bsh and otis are trying to use battie as the reason were losing now,everything i read is talking about battie the same way they did trevor when he was out.

     

  • At 12:13 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    It is quite obvious that from now on we should target Hill and Smith together. I hear that a lot of season ticket holders are cancelling their contracts.

     

  • At 12:17 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    By the way, if you read through the comments on that article in Sentinel, very little support has been given to Hill. I will say more than 90%, even some people with mild and logical comments, agree that Hill has to go.

     

  • At 3:06 PM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    The Magic are really making me sick to my stomach.

    All I can do is hope that everything that is being said in regards to Brian Hill is just "proper etiquette". I mean, they don't have to fire him publicly. In the summer, he could step down for "health reasons" or something. If they want to be nice to him, use their imagination!

    But seriously, there is way too much talent on this team to be losing like this. Even the Magic have to realize there is something wrong. Try to blame it on injuries, or the age of this team, but those are two reasons you need a good coach. A good coach wins with injuries, as all teams have to deal with them. And a good coach teaches and directs young players. Does anyone honestly think Brian Hill is helping any of these young guys? Is he making any of these guys better? If anything, he's making some of them look worse.

    At this point, I don't know if I really care if the team makes the playoffs. While it would be good for our guys to get in, and experience it; we'll just end up getting crushed in the 1st round anyway.

    And if we make the playoffs, we'll end up hearing Otis and Brian say that we made our "goal" and improved from the prior year.

    Now if we don't make the playoffs, that's pretty bad, especially in the east. EVERYONE in the basketball world will take notice. It'll be that much harder for them to bring Brian Hill back, even though I believe they will. But there will come a boiling point, and it’s hard to imagine it being far away. And if the team continues to lose, if ticket sales go down, and if the community starts jumping off the train before it ever got going; it'll be even more difficult for changes not to be made.

    It's just really frustrating being a fan right now, as I'm sure all of you know. I should be used to it. But it's even tougher, because there is a lot of talent on this team, yet no direction.

     

  • At 3:08 PM, Blogger Big Figure said…

    Yea i agree matt,otis claims that if we dont make the playoffs that the whole team will be evaluated(even the coach and gm),well if thats the case,i pray we dont make it.....An evaluation from top to bottom is exactly what we need!!!!!

     

  • At 5:20 PM, Blogger Matt said…

    Depsite very little time that I have, could not help but to post the following on the Sentinel:

    "Forgive me for being blunt, and may be disrespectful, but believe me when I say, anybody who can't see Brian Hill for what he really is - an average coach with absolute lack of communication skills - should stop watching basketball because they don't have the slightest clue what the game is all about. Blaming players despite the lack of any system - offensive and defensive - which is the coach's job is a sin. These players are replicating what they are taught on the practice court. If PGs are not passing and putting up clunkers, who's fault is it? If our offense is so predictable, who's fault is it? If our rotations are so obvious that all teams can set their clocks on, who's fault is it? I can go on and on forever. The fact is Brian Hill is so pigheaded in his approach to the game of basketball that he kills all enthusiasm in players to play for him. He is so slow in adjusting to the ongoing situations in the game, that by the time he figures it out, if he does, it is too late.

    Please stop blaming the players. These are the same group of players - never a team under this so-called coach - that when set free from an autocratic system imposed by Hill, played the best and most enjoyable basketball towards the end of last season. So if you are not on the Magic organization's pay roll, join the majority and let's sing this tune together: FIRE BRIAN HILL!!!!!".

     

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