The Dream Is Dead

On the cusp of entering the national spotlight at his first NBA All-Star game , Jameer Nelson dislocated his shoulder in last night's loss against the Dallas Mavericks. After tests this morning, Nelson was found to have a torn labrum. If he opts for surgery, then he's out for the season. Considering his play-style initiates a lot of contact and punishment, I think the wisest move would be to go for surgery. Regardless, it's looking incredibly likely that he's done for the year.

The dream season for the Orlando Magic is over. It was a good run.

RealGM confirms our infallible prescience

According to RealGM, Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week today, with the Hornets' Chris Paul grabbing the same distinction out west. Meanwhile, we remain awesome.



Photo: AP

20-Second Time Out: Did anybody see that?

The Orlando Magic have officially swept both the San Antonio Spurs and the LA Lakers in each of their respective regular season series. They pummeled SA, but the bouts with the Lakers were hard-fought nail-biters. If you're not keeping track, the Magic have the second-best record in the entire league. The team has played better basketball over the past month than it has played in a very long time. Other highlights over this period included the Christmas Day smackdown against NOLA, back-to-back wins against the Atlanta Hawks, and a record-breaking 23 three-pointers against the Kings earlier this week.

Up next on the hit list: the Denver Nuggets (whose roster now includes veteran PG Chauncey Billups - a monster against the Magic in the last playoffs), the Boston Celtics (who the Magic split their series with last year) and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors Game 4 (Part 2)

YES!!!!

So we go home with three wins under our belt. It was a close game, painful to watch, but we did it. Two clutch threes at the end of the fourth had their intended effect. In spite of a huge showing from Bosh (39 points and 15 boards!), the raptors choked and we took advantage in a big way. Dwight gave another epic performance with 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots. Also rockin' was Sweet Lew. He hit his threes late to give us hope and sap the last of Toronto's energy. 27 points, 12 grabs off the glass, and 5 assists. Hedo played admirably, if short on heroics. Nelson was player of the night, soldiering on and nabbing 10 of his 18 in the 4th while combatting back spasms and soaring above and beyond expectations.

The Raptors went foul crazy in the last minutes of the 4th, hoping to achieve God knows what. They'll get slaughtered at the Amway Arena next week, so we'll tolerate their childishness for now.

Also:

Suck it, Calderon!!