Playoffs Round 1: MAGIC v SIXERS Game 6 (Post-Game)

Yeah, baby.


Oh, and SVG mentioned Seminole High School in his post-game press conference. Just throwin' it out there.





BOX SCORE

Playoffs Round 1: MAGIC v SIXERS Game 5 (Post-Game)

Another key Magic victory last night came at the cost of spark-plug shooting guard Courtney Lee, who took an accidental hit to the head from Dwight Howard as the high-riding center descended from a block attempt. The Magic reported today that he has a fractured sinus and will not play during Game 6 tomorrow night in Philadelphia.

Bummer.

And if that wasn't enough to cloud the win, NBA officials announced today that Dwight will be suspended for one game as punishment for a flagrant foul he committed against Sixers' center Samuel Dalembert.

You can watch a clip of the foul in question over at Yahoo Sports!

Watch closely, though, at the very beginning of the clip, and you'll notice that Dalembert grapples with Howard before actually shoving him from behind as Rashard's three-pointer hits. It seems like this was a classic playoffs frustration foul.

My analysis? No question, Howard threw an illegal elbow and ought to be punished according to NBA rules. With that said, I'd like to point out that Philadelphia's defense has been illegally hounding Dwight throughout the series. They're picking up fouls for it, but they're also getting away with a lot. Fact is, the Sixers have no answer for Howard's low-post dominance and they have, quite typically, resorted to familiar against-the-ropes Hack-a-Shaqtics.

Bottom line, the Sixers have been provoking Superman for four games now and it came to a head last night. Regardless, Dwight shouldn't have let his temper get the better of him. Deliberate illegal contact constitutes a flagrant, and quite honestly, I'd rather see our star player sit out a game and maintain the legitimacy of a series win than have to listen to Philly fans grouse about homecookin.'

Dwight had 24 points, 24 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in Tuesday's game. He shot 57% from the field.

Rashard Lewis seems to have found his groove again, and added his own 24 beans. He hit 56% from the field and made 60% of his three-point attempts.

No predictions for tomorrow night. Considering the disadvantage of having both Howard and Lee out of action, the Magic will have to rely on strong performances from its starting forwards and bench. We'll just have to wait and see.


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White Men in the Palais

Two vids we think you oughta see. The first is the Clash doing "Clampdown" live in 1980, before they all hated each other and before Mick Jones prematurely contracted Keith Richards Syndrome.



This next one is some early Tom Waits, live on Danish TV in 1976. "A torch song ... written primarily for piano and fire extinguisher."

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

Playoffs Round 1: MAGIC v SIXERS Game 3 (Post-Game)

I don't know about the rest of you, but seeing the remainder of the Orlando Magic completely waste what was probably the best game of Dwight Howard's career is the saddest thing I've done all week.