Playoffs Round 2: MAGIC v CELTICS Game 3 (Post-Game)

"yeeuh boi"

Easy come, easy go. Eyewitness accounts from those who were in attendance of the game mentioned a noble figure yelling "RONDO SUCKS" during the national anthem and a raucous atmosphere throughout the contest. The Magicians were in firm control for almost the entire game even with Alston being scolded for his Uncle Phil slap on Eddie House. Courtney Lee, inspite of not playing for about 10 days, didn't miss a step. And Ray Allen still could not get anything going, is JJ Redick actually playing defense? The C's had a brief window of opportunity towards the end of the 3rd quarter when Jackie Moon flopped D12 into his 4th foul and sending him to the bench. However, this was squashed by Rashedo Turkoglewis, who had a total of 52 points. Anthony Johnson also took his geritol and Centrum 50 before the game because he turned into Baron Davis out there. In a fit of rage, Kendrick Perkins attempted to give pretty boy Redick a Glasgow smile, as shown below:


Bad move slick. In addition to checking Pietrus in the throat, Perk may have to sit out Game 4 with the NBA being so trigger happy with suspensions these days. Big Baby as the only real meaningful big guy up front for Boston would spell doom for them.

Playoffs Round 1: MAGIC v SIXERS Game 4 (Post-Game)

Turk: "It's a new series now."

Game 4 transpired as another defensively-oriented maul and crawl, one which saw the Magic dangerously grazing the edge of OT before one Hedo Turkgolu (SF) rushed into a nearby phone booth with mere seconds left on the clock. Fans across the world were heard to take oaths and launch intricately profane invectives at the recently shorthanded third-seed squad. Exactly how many of these blue-blazered avengers aspired to Supermanhood, anyway?

Then, of a sudden, who should emerge from behind sliding glass doors but the near-forgotten Mr. Fourth Quarter! He danced left, then swayed for a time, languidly. The mouth beneath one flattened, hideous nose was seen to utter a strange string of unknown syllables. Methinks I spied a flight lambent, cascading doves as Señor Quatro pulled up beyond the arc. Rainbow three.

Swish.

The crowd in Philly goes dead.

What a game.

And in the immortal words of Joe Strummer, "What a relief!"


BOX SCORE at ESPN

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors Game 3 (Part 1)

Maybe it was inevitable, but that doesn't make it any less painful to see the Magic down 40-61 to the Raps at the half. Dwight's playing well, with 15 points and 7 boards, but overall we're not making plays. The Magic seem to have picked up the dangerous habit of relying too heavily on outside shooting. Three's and outside jumpers are only worthwhile if they go in, and if they're not and there's no back up plan, you're screwed. I was really hoping we wouldn't have to deal with a situation like this.

A 21-point deficit is no laughing matter, but I've seen the Magic come back from bleak scoring droughts before. In fact, in the early part of the season, it seemed to be a recurrent trend. In the second half we've got to step up our intensity, make smarter passes and stay out of foul trouble. Jameer in particular has to lock in to his game and both Hedo and Rashard need to start causing problems for T.J. Ford and Jamario Moon defensively.

If Turkoglu, especially, can find his stride and once again prove that he's worthy of being called "Mr. Fourth Quarter" (he hasn't shown nearly as much late-period flair recently), there's a strong chance that we can chalk this one up as a victory.

Fingers crossed.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors, Game 2

Above: Magic point guard Jameer Nelson. In Game 2 he played just over 30 minutes, with 12 of his 18 points coming from downtown.

It was a nail-biter by the end but the Magic came out on top Tuesday night. 104-103. Dwight with another awesome game (29 points, 20 rebounds, 3 blocks) and the team still keeping up a high standard of play. Having 2 games up on the Raptors is a big advantage that shouldn't be downplayed (in NBA Playoff history teams that lead a series 2-0 are 191-13).

Game 3 will take place in Toronto tonight, and it'll be tough, but with the Magic's great road record this season (2nd best in the Conference behind the Boston Celtics) they've got a very good opportunity to nab that third straight victory. Continuing success in this series will surely be based on maintaining a vigorous defense (especially in guarding All-Star Chris Bosh), mercilessly snatching rebounds, and keeping cool, level heads.

As for my own personal doubts, I'm a little anxious about the team's self-confidence and endurance, being that Dwight Howard's Magic hasn't yet won an NBA playoff series. D12 has had two fantastic games, but I'd like to see even more contribution from the rest of the squad. On Tuesday, Rashard Lewis came away with 18 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists. Hedo Turkoglu's stat sheet read 12-9-5. These aren't bad numbers, at all, and they don't even tell the whole story. It's difficult for me to appraise the situation, not being able to watch the games, but it seems as though everyone's making a strong effort. Obviously, it'll take more than that to win this series and even more still if we're going to have a good shot against our opponent in round 2 (probably playoff vets Detroit). We're lucky in that we've got a good number of long-range shooters (Hedo and Rashard, "Mogans") who, when allowed to find openings, can wreak serious havoc from three-point land, but it's not something we can rely upon to win games.

Sleepless night. Not really sure how much more of this living situation I can handle. Guess I'm just going to have to deal with it. Here's hoping that the Magic will keep this up and running so I'll have something to distract myself from this ultramodern dung heap.

"Waiting for a Superman" - Orlando Magic / NBA Playoffs '08

This past Sunday marked the beginning of the Orlando Magic’s Conference quarterfinal series in the NBA Playoffs. In their first post-season victory since the mid-90s—and their first playoff win with the colossal presence that is Dwight Howard—the Magic routed the Toronto Raptors 114-100. Of course, it’s hardly a monumental achievement, but at least the opening gambit has come off the way we all hoped it would.

What the 2007-2008 season has proved to many uncertain fans (as the increasing electricity in the air at Amway Arena will attest) is that the Magic is getting closer and closer to assembling the kind of team that’s capable of becoming a serious title-contender in the near future. We need to trim the fat (there will surely be casualties in the coming off-season) and work out the kinks, but there’s definitely a sense that this thing is moving forward in the direction we want it to. How big it will eventually turn out to be is, of course, completely speculative at this point.

At any rate, Game 2 goes down in Orlando tomorrow, and I’m extremely anxious to find out if there’s more to this initial strong showing than just dumb luck. In all honesty, it’s unlikely that we’ll go through to the NBA Finals this time around, but nothing’s impossible. It’s a young team, but it doesn’t lack experienced players (Hedo Turkgolu, Keyon Dooling, Maurice Evans). Anyways, I’m looking forward to a good, long playoff run this year—and yes, I’m extremely upset and disappointed that I won’t be able to see any of the games this year. Anyone want to buy me about a dozen international roundtrip flights?

P.S. I still can't get over this: