Eastern Conference Semifinals: Pistons vs. Magic, Game Two
by Ben Q Rock on May 5, 2008 5:30 AM EDT
in 2007/2008 Previews
259 comments
Orlando Magic at Detroit Pistons, May 5, 2008 7:00 PM EDT
| Eastern Conference Semifinals | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
@ |  |
| Pistons Lead Series, 1-0 | ||
| The Palace of Auburn Hills | ||
| 7:00 PM | ||
| TNT | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Jameer Nelson | PG | Chauncey Billups |
| Maurice Evans | SG | Richard Hamilton |
| Hedo Turkoglu | SF | Tayshaun Prince |
| Rashard Lewis | PF | Jason Maxiell |
| Dwight Howard | C | Rasheed Wallace |
| Series Central | ||
If a playoff series doesn't really start until a home team loses a game, then I hope this Eastern Conference Semifinals series gets rolling tonight. The Magic got their hats handed to them in Game One, shooting 33% from the field in the second half en route to a 19-point defeat.
After the game, Matt Watson (and other members of the media) saw Rasheed Wallace and Dwight Howard engage in what he called "one of those handshake/man-hug/chest-bump thing that guys do." Wallace later explained to reporters that he gave Dwight some advice. Whatever it was, Dwight needed it: we stand no chance of winning this series if he continues to go for 12 points and 8 boards, as he did in Game One. Like I told Ryan in a HoopsAddict podcast (give it a listen), Dwight is our X-Factor in this series. He has to make the Pistons pay for single-covering him.
The game tonight is nationally televised on TNT, but it's still a 7:00 PM start. Post your pre-, in-, and post-game comments here.
Go Magic.
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Wow. Either none of the Magic fans here believe in our guys or we’ve got Pistons fans who’ve decided to spam the poll. I really hope it’s the latter.
Wow
Detroit has gotten in the fan’s heads as well it seems. I say Magic win a close one, a la a Turk bucket!
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
by Eyriq the Red on May 5, 2008 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
The 1st game really was a fluke. You can’t put Maxiell alone on Dwight and not get punished. They are going to shoot better then 50% from the charity stripe. Thy are not going to run out of bounds on 2 consecutive plays again. This will be a different team.
The second half of that game was the worst I’ve seen them play all season. Tonight they are going to push the tempo and make their open 3’s. Magic win by single digits.
Tonight's game
I believe the Magic will play a much better game than on Saturday… they can’t do any worse, can they? That being said, the Pistons are on a roll, having won four games in a row, each by a decisive margin. It will take almost a perfect game by the Magic to win in Auburn Hills tonight.
I voted for the Pistons in a close game… I hope the Magic can prove me wrong!
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 3:01 PM EDT reply actions
Heeeeeeeey! Now I remember...
...why I can’t stand the Pistons!
’’There’s no sense in guys coming to my rescue,’’ Ratliff said Sunday. ’’I mean, that was Rashard Lewis . He’s a 3 man.’’What Ratliff said was relayed to Lewis and the small forward fired back.
’’You can have a lot of energy in five minutes a game,’’ Lewis said. ’’What’s he played? 15 games? Tell him to come out and guard me.’’
ROFL
‘He’s has a very strong upper body,’’ Maxiell said. ’’But if you get down low and take his legs out, he’s not that powerful.’‘Howard bristled at the suggestion that his lower body is weak.
’’That’s not true,’’ Howard said. ’’Trust me.’‘
Men. You’re all the same ;D
Like Howard, Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson took exception with Ratliff’s assessment. ’’Who? Who?’’ Nelson asked mockingly when Ratliff’s comments were repeated by reporters. ’’I’m getting sick and tired of people calling us soft.’‘
HAHAHA. Please kick their asses, guys. PLEASE.
At the end of one quarter
We look pretty good so far, with 29 points on 17 shot attempts. If only we hadn’t committed those 5 turnovers. The Pistons haven’t committed any, and that’s the reason we aren’t winning.
That's odd:
The only two Magic players to get DNP-CDs in Game One (Foyle and Arroyo) are in to start the second quarter. Hmmmmm.
Van Gundy must be experimenting. I don’t know if this is the time. I guess he wants more shooting options out there? I dunno…
Also, I think Detroit has had one turnover. But still. Five.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Not a great move. Pistons start the quarter on a 9-2 run. Carlos Arroyo cannot stay in front of Rodney Stuckey, and Adonal Foyle is simply too much of an offensive liability. It’s not even that he has stone hands (which he does) but moreso that he doesn’t know when he’s open. Turk got him the ball and all he had to do was hook it in. But he wasn’t ready for it, fumbled it, recovered it, and missed the shot. Badly.
Maybe Stan should have stuck with Marcin Gortat.
Yeah, he called a time-out pretty quickly, but not fast enough. I don’t know if I could watch this whole game without my head exploding.
Oh sweet lord, when did their lead balloon like that?! Oh Godddddddddddddddd D:
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 7:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Yet another timeout
A Tayshaun Prince dunk and an Arron Afflalo jumper gives the Pistons a game-high 11-point lead and causes Stan to call timeout less than a minute after he called this last one.
You’d think we’d know how to bust a zone defense by now.
Magic assist/turnover ratio...
is awful! 4 assists to 7 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Pistons have a superior 11/2 assist/turnover ratio
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 7:45 PM EDT reply actions
This is awful
5 minutes into the second quarter, and we have 2 points. 0-of-4 shooting, 4 turnovers. That’s it.
It’s shades of what happened during the 3rd quarter last game.
Now I know how my dad felt every time he watched a Dolphin game this year.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Maxiell gets his second personal
Good for him to leave the game. He leads the Pistons in individual plus/minus for this game.
Also
Rashard is 1 of 7 from the field.
AWESOME.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
Dwight’s don’t surprise me. His hand hurts and he’s having trouble hanging onto the ball. It’s Lewis who’s killing us. That’s a ton of turnovers for anyone, but especially for him. He’s throwing awful entry passes.
I hate to say it, but I agree. He’s having an awful night and is not helping at all. I get the feeling his +/- is gonna be about – 1 trillion.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Pistons shooting...
They’re shooting nearly 62% for the game so far.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 7:54 PM EDT reply actions
Wallace and Prince...
are killing us with the 24 combined points.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 7:56 PM EDT reply actions
Any ideas how to slow them in the second half?
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 7:58 PM EDT reply actions
I'm no optimist
But look at it this way: we all went into the second half of game 1 optimistic b/c we were holding our own against them, our 3 point shooting was nonexistent, and yet we were only down by 1 point. Then our hopes and dreams were brutally crushed in the 3rd quarter when we proceeded to curl up in a ball and die.
Whereas now we’re going into halftime depressed and demoralized. NOW’S THE TIME TO STEP IT UP, MAGIC. Go with HP’s advice and slowing take over the lead. Creep up on them. The Pistons are old, they won’t hear you coming. The BAM! Strike when the time is right and take the game!
Please?
Dang it, Rashard
Lewis is 1-of-7 (or is it 8?) now, but his shots haven’t missed by much. His threes just rattle in and out. What will it take to get them to stick??!
Superglue
He’s 1 of 10 if you included 3 pointers. 1 of 7 from the field.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions
We all know that the Magic aren’t too good in coming back from second half deficits; the guys are gonna have to really step it up to have a chance.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:05 PM EDT reply actions
Hedo
Has THREE personal fouls. WTF. Interesting how he was making some great offensive moves there in the first and then suddenly the refs start calling him for everything. Funny how that happens. /bitter
I noticed that
I think at one point he also lost a rebound because he and Dwight were fighting to get a defensive one.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Correction
Sorry, he ALMOST lost a rebound, but he didn’t. It slipped out of his hands and headed towards the bench before he gained control.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions
An awful second quarter...
Magic were outscored by the Pistons 21-11, and shot a horrific 2 of 12 from the field.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:08 PM EDT reply actions
Detroit plays good defense
Magic, second quarter tonight: 55.0 offensive rating (11 points on 20 possessions)
Magic, regular season: 111.3 offensive rating
I kid because I love
I hate the Pistons with a passion of a thousand fiery suns.
Also, Rashard?
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 8:13 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Ouch
He had better come out banging because this can not stand.
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
by Eyriq the Red on May 5, 2008 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions
First half stats...
Magic shot just 13 of 29 from the field (44.8%) and 3 of 10 on threes. Pistons shot 21 of 40 (52.5%), 0 for 4 on threes. Pistons had a 13/5 AST/TO ratio while the Magic were a pitiful 5/11. Pistons also outrebounded the Magic 19 to 15. Magic are 11 of 15 shooting free throws, and the Pistons are 8 of 9.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:14 PM EDT reply actions
Well
That was depressing. How do we turn it over so much and still only be down by 10? Good defense I think. Maybe they can make a game of this yet…
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
Maybe the Magic’s game plan in the first half was to give the Pistons a false sense of security, so now the Magic will be ready to pounce in the second half (gotta have some hope).
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:17 PM EDT reply actions
Dwight has 4 shot attempts
And he’s made 3 of them. Now, they’ve tried to get him the ball, which is what they should do, but he keeps bobbling the ball away (and Lewis/Nelson keep throwing crappy entry passes.)
Maybe Hedo can get his driving game going, but it won’t be easy against the Pistons’ zone. We are in a tight spot, indeed
I always try to find a silver lining in a dark cloud Ben LOL
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:20 PM EDT reply actions
Hedo only has 2 first half assists… I’d like to see him pass the ball more.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:27 PM EDT reply actions
This is the best segment I've ever seen
Mike Fratello doing his Dwight Howard impression as Maxiell defends. If only Marv Albert were calling this game.
Jameer’a our leading scorer now with 14 with that three… maybe that’s a good sign.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:31 PM EDT reply actions
THIS is more like it
Taking what the defense gives us. Not forcing the issue (except for that dumb Dwight turnover, which Lewis’ good transition defense negated).
*facepalm*
There’s something wrong with my brain. I just said about 20 comments ago that Hedo had 3 fouls.
This series is gonna be the death of me.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Pistons have been called for 13 fouls, and the Magic 8 fouls.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:33 PM EDT reply actions
That’s the way to hustle… great offensive rebound by Evans.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:36 PM EDT reply actions
Great defense by Dwight, and a good no-call by the refs.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:40 PM EDT reply actions
So far in the playoffs…. as Nelson goes, so go the Magic!
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:41 PM EDT reply actions
Geez,,, Arroyo comes in the game, and already a turnover.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:44 PM EDT reply actions
Okay, that sucked
Turk has to wake up. There’s no excuse for dropping that pass, even though Arroyo fired it a bit behind him.
True, that wasn’t entirely Arroyo’s fault.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:46 PM EDT reply actions
Keyon...
only played 4 minutes in the first half
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:47 PM EDT reply actions
Yeah. Keyon, though, played against Toronto in that 8 man rotation that was being used. I’m just curious why Stan decided to go with Carlos primarily in this game.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Wait, you're kidding
That gentleman with the gray hair, gray beard, and red Pistons shirt is Bob Seger??!
Yeah, wow
Arroyo with a 2-pointer, looked like a three, but it rimmed in, out, bounced up off the backboard, and stuck back in.
It’s been that kind of 3rd for us. And yes, I’m as befuddled as you are.
I think SVG just wanted to go with a different look with Arroyo.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:51 PM EDT reply actions
Bad call on Dwight
Yeah, he hit him on the arm, but that’s a no-call in the playoffs. I don’t think I agree with that one.
Sheed misses the first fee throw. Ball don’t lie.
That’s because all refs are idiots. It’s true, I read it on the internet.
The officiating throughout the playoffs have left me scratching my head. Jason Kidd not getting suspended for nearly decapitating poor Jennaro Page; the Boston bench and Kevin Garnett also not getting suspended for stepping onto the floor during a fight and assaulting a ref, respectively; suspending Songaila for sorta punching LeBron, but not Kidd? It’s been just ridiculous.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Is this game at Philips Arena?
The Pistons take three or four dribbles, make three passes… and 0.3 tenths goes off. They better wave that basket off.
This is horrible
They aren’t allowed to review the basket on replay because the clock isn’t at 0:00, but the only reason the clock isn’t at 0:00 because the clock operators screwed up in the first place.
If we lose this game by 2 points, I’m going to be furious.
The refs can also control the clocks.
I’m telling you, conspiracy!! I’m sure the commentators don’t care, either.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions
wave it off
I agree, that was definitely more than 4.8 to get the ball up, take a dribble, pass it back to Billups, and then shoot. I’m not surprised they let it go, Steve Javie is worthless.
Maxiell right?
I thought Maxiell was just trying to get in Dwight’s head with his comments about Dwight having no lower body strength. But Dwight looks strangely weak against Maxiell today. He lowers his shoulders and gives a halfhearted bang and Maxiell hardly moves. Same with Ratliff, that’s how Ratliff was able to swat that away. It’s actually mind-boggling for a guy with that kind of body. I feel bad for him, it’s like a woman being exposed for having fake boobs on national TV.
On the plus side (for next season) Dwight now knows what to work on. Functional game strength is much more important than looking pretty.
To be honest, I thought it was probably good.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 8:58 PM EDT reply actions
Howard...
is doing better than Saturday. He has 14 points, 9 rebounds, but 5 turnovers. He may get 20/10.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:00 PM EDT reply actions
Er...
If he suddenly goes Nova in the final quarter. Otherwise, I don’t see that happening.
Prove me wrong, Dwight!
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Great Magic shooting in the third...
36 points on 13 of 20 shooting, including 7 of 7 on threes. Don’t remind how bad the Magic record is when they trail after three quarters, though.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:02 PM EDT reply actions
Forcing it too much
Bogans challenges Prince on the break and gets his shot swatted. Earlier, Turk took a shot too early in the clock. Earlier, Turk charged right into__ for his 4th foul.
Relax, guys.
Our bench...
only has 4 points this game… all by Arroyo. Detroit’s bench has 13 pts. Bogans has to do something when he’s in there.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:10 PM EDT reply actions
Give it to Rashard
I think Rashard should be our go-to guy here in the 4th. Dwight’s being rendered ineffective by Detroit’s big bodies, Hedo’s being bothered by Tayshaun’s length. Rashard has a clear quickness advantage on Sheed, I’d like to see isos for Rashard at the top of the key. Clear space for him and keep Dwight on the weakside in case the bigs rotate, and let Rashard take Sheed off the dribble.
javie IS worthless
They just proved that basket shouldn’t have counted. Take that Steve Javie.
I was wrong...
that shot at the end of the third shouldn’t have counted.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:11 PM EDT reply actions
Rashard
Yes! That’s what I’m talking about. He’s the only Magic player with a clear advantage at his position, they need to take advantage. This game will be won or lost on Rashard’s aggressiveness.
I told you all the Magic would be ready to pounce in the second half!
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:14 PM EDT reply actions
Zohan
They need Zohan commercials on TNT. Those are great.
yup
Yeah, I’m not even a big Sandler fan, but that trailer looks hilarious. His commerical with Baron Davis is even better, Youtube it if you haven’t seen it.
Ugh
The less we see of Adam Sandler, the better. I saw the trailer for that film with Iron Man (go see that one NOW, by the way) and it was excruciatingly bad.
Kind of waiting until Iron Man dies down a bit before I see it
I watched “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” yesterday…Harold and Kumar will be next.
It pays to be optimistic… now if only the Magic can hang on to this lead.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:15 PM EDT reply actions
Random, but...
when is Brian Cook expected to be able to come back? I thought he’d be able to play in at least a few playoff games.
Middle of this round?
I’m pretty sure Denton said Cook could come back this round, but his shot is really off right now because his shooting hand has been in a cast for the last month and he doesn’t have the strength.
Thanks
I hadn’t read anything lately about him, so that’s good to know. If his shooting continues to be off, then I doubt we’ll see much of him during the playoffs, if at all.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Cook...
won’t be back until at least Game 6 or Game 7. His hand is still pretty sore.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:17 PM EDT reply actions
And McDyess too!
Maxiell has 4. Looks like they’re getting a little more desperate.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Er, ignore the header. I have no brain on Mondays, apparently :-/
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:22 PM EDT up reply actions
lmao
They showed a clip of Stan yelling out plays and a Piston fan sitting courtside started making fun of Van Gundy for talking too much. Sit on his head, Stan.
Hamilton is only 4 of 17 shooting from the floor.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:21 PM EDT reply actions
He hasn’t really been bringing it during the playoffs as a whole. I can’t imagine why. He’s had playoff experience before, hasn’t he?
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Thank goodness Dwight got the offensive rebound on another bad Turk shot.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:23 PM EDT reply actions
Tayshaun's length
Prince’s long arms are enough to bother Kobe, so I can’t really fault Turk.
Pretty much. That really wasn’t a bad foul. I will once again reference poor Jennaro Page and the near beheading incident. THAT was a foul.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
need more passing
Our problem is a lack of ball movement. Nelson is great at penetrating but is so small when 2 or 3 Pistons follow him, he can’t see the open man. We need to make them pay for helping on the drives, and if we can’t find the 3-point shooters, we’re sunk.
good point. I wonder how the league will handle this. Oh wait, Stern’s still the commissioner, so….they won’t do anything.
I'm still pissed that Stern didn't suspend Perkins for doing what Amare did last year
For “leaving” the bench against the Spurs
I absolutely cannot wrap my head around the whole “oh they can’t look at a replay because it’s against the rules” thing. Seriously? More reasons to hate David Stern yay!
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, that would be a shame if the game was decided by that.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:28 PM EDT reply actions
protest?
Can we file an official league protest the way Riley did to replay the Heat game? I don’t like whining my way to a win, but hey, this is the playoffs.
Magic are shooting only 4 of 15 so far in the fourth!
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:29 PM EDT reply actions
4 of 17 FGs from the Magic now in the fourth!
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:31 PM EDT reply actions
0 for 5 on threes… boy how quickly things change
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:32 PM EDT reply actions
desperate times?
Maybe we should have our guys pull out the patented Reggie Evans “hands-on” play. We can have all 5 of our guys do it at the same time. Stan can pull it on Flip too. If that doesn’t rattle the Pistons, I don’t know what will.
I fail at life
...and basketball references. Explain the patented Reggie Evans "hands-on" play?
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it's about how Evans grabbed Kaman's nuts
He reached inside his shorts, too…I guess getting them from the outside isn’t enough
HAHAH I remember now!
Great idea, let’s do it. :D
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Marie! You ruined the surprise! lol jk
Btw, the Charles Barkley commentary in that Youtube clip is the best part
Any Charles Barkley commentary is the best part.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions
lol
You guys don’t rmr the play that made Reggie Evans famous? Here, you’ll have fun with this:
what will SVG draw up?
I’d say go to Rashard. Turk has been off, and Tayshaun has been bothering him.
It was Rashard who hit the final shot in the last game we played against Detroit in the regular season.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions
A three would give us the lead here on this possession.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:39 PM EDT reply actions
noooooooooo
Turk, what happeend? Horrible shot selection. Did not need a 3.
Excellent idea
They won’t be expecting that.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly… what a bad shot by Turk… talk about a shot being forced.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:40 PM EDT reply actions
Here's what they need
Run a 4-clear out. Rashard at the top of the key, 3 shooters at the perimeter, Dwight on the weakside. Space the floor and Rashard should get a clear path to the hoop. If they collapse, kick it out. Turk and Dwight crash the boards.
A pick and roll is worthless because Dwight can’t pop, and the Pistons know that and collapse on him. Run an iso Stan, we need it.
The refs usually won’t make a call in that situation.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:43 PM EDT reply actions
They should
A foul is a foul, regardless of the situation
Pistons have scored 14 of the last 21 points.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:45 PM EDT reply actions
We didn't get to the line enough
Dick Stockton said that the Pistons have scored the last nine (?) points at the free throw line
6 of 22 field goal shooting by the Magic in the fourth quarter didn’t help either.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:47 PM EDT reply actions
Actually with those free throws by Billups, the Pistons have scored 13 points in a row from the FT line.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:48 PM EDT reply actions
I’m a little disappointed in SVG. I was seriously impressed by coaching in Miami. The spacing was horrible in this game. We have a big man they’re collapsing on, and deadly 3-point shooters….a perfect recipe for offense. SVG should be able to take advantage.
Spacing and side-to-side ball movement will be the biggest adjustments we need to make for Game 3.
No :(
I haven’t gone to Publix in a while. I’m just eating a Chik-fil-A milkshake.
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions
The bad calls notwithstanding, the Magic shot just 6 of 24 in the fourth, including 1 for 9 from three point range. We just couldn’t sustain the great shooting from the third quarter that we had.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:52 PM EDT reply actions
I think we could have gotten to the line more
It seems like Dwight is hitting them tonight…turned on the game late, so I’m not sure how everyone’s free throw stats are
Dwight: 6-8
Hedo: never got to the line. Funny how that happens.
Rashard: 6-6
Bogans: 0-2 FAIL
Carlos: 2-2
Evans: 1-2
Jameer: 3-3
Shot 18-23—78.3%
by TheGiantSquid on May 5, 2008 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions
But see, that’s the inherent problem with a jumpshooting team—at some point, they will cool off. We need someone to get us easy baskets when the J fails. Dwight isn’t the answer with his spindly legs (I kid…kind of) and Hedo isn’t reliable enough to be a Kobe or Ginobli type perimeter scorer.
Unfortunately, jump-shooting teams just can’t sustain success too often. The exception are teams with incredible PGs like Phx, but we clearly don’t have that.
Tough loss
Down 2-0, needing to win 4 games out of 5 to advance, it sure doesn’t look good. But we played well tonight, so there’s still hope.
Recap late tonight or sometime tomorrow afternoon.
Make my ice cream cookie dough with hot fudge on top… wish it could have been a victory celebration though… oh well… get ‘em in Orlando!
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:54 PM EDT reply actions
Magic were 23 of 28 from the FT line… Pistons were 24 of 28.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:56 PM EDT reply actions
Okay, thanks
So both teams had the same number of attempts…big difference was that Detroit got to the line during crunch time
Pistons were only 4 of 17 from the floor in the fourth, but 13 of 15 from the line. If only we could have shot the ball in the fourth just a little better than 6 of 24…
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 9:59 PM EDT reply actions
Surprisingly...
Chauncey at the press table first…unless I missed both coaches. I’m interested in what SVG has to say.
My bad...
Magic were actually 18 of 23 from the FT line for the game.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 10:00 PM EDT reply actions
Magic were called for 23 fouls, the Pistons 22… but the Pistons attempted 5 more free throws.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 10:04 PM EDT reply actions
Hedo needs to make his presence known in this series
Other than contributing by making turnovers (he did have seven assists, however). He’s such a great player, it’s a shame to see him not be himself.
On the good side
I think this is a new record for your site Ben!
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
Poor shooting night for Rashard
Lewis, despite scoring 20 points, shot just 6 of 21 from the field and had 6 turnovers.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 10:10 PM EDT reply actions
I’d like to blame the bad call at the end of the third quarter and the questionable calls in the fourth as the reason as to why the Magic lost, but there were so many other things the Magic did not do well that need to be corrected and improved.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 10:12 PM EDT reply actions
Van Gundy now at the podium
First question is about the phantom three…and he’s not ranting and raving about it; he sounds quite rational. He said Javie was frustrated that they didn’t have the technology to properly review the shot
I think someone asked him about Hedo's brick
Stan said that he didn’t really understand what he was trying to do…”not a good play at that point.”
19 turnovers by the Magic… only 8 for the Pistons… the Pistons are just so good fundamentally and won’t kill themselves with turnovers.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 10:16 PM EDT reply actions
Every Magic fan is wondering what the heck Hedo had in mind there!
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 10:16 PM EDT reply actions
More game stats...
Magic outrebounded the Pistons 40 to 35, including 15 to 8 offensively, so it was good seeing them so aggressive on the boards; but oh, that ugly assist/turnover ratio…16/19 for the Magic compared to 23/8 for the Pistons. Pistons also outshot us 47.4% to 43.6% even though the Magic had the big edge on threes with 11 of 26 compared to 4 of 12 for the Pistons.
by Mike from Illinois on May 5, 2008 10:33 PM EDT reply actions
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