Orlando Magic 92, Charlotte Bobcats 77
The Orlando Magic's balanced offensive attack and tight defense keyed them to a 92-77 win over the Charlotte Bobcats in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, giving them a 2-0 series lead. Vince Carter played a calm, balanced game for Orlando, and it paid off: he finished with a team-high 19 points to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He also earned 11 free-throw attempts as he put more pressure on Charlotte's defense than he did on Sunday. Dwight Howard posted 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks when he wasn't steaming on the bench in foul trouble, as he picked up 5 fouls for the second straight game, including one that was so iffy that Magic coach Stan Van Gundy earned a technical foul for protesting it. The teams nearly duplicated their effective field goal shooting from Game 1, but the Magic's win tonight was more decisive because Charlotte committed 21 turnovers in a tremendously slow-paced game--they had 77 possessions in all--meaning that more than one-fourth of their trips down the floor ended with a turnover. Still, the Bobcats trailed by 20 entering the fourth quarter but trimmed Orlando's lead to just 8 with 3:16 to play, which shows how dangerous they can be for some stretches. The issue is that they haven't been able to put together any consistent strong play on both sides of the floor, and as a result, they head home in an 0-2 hole.
| Team | Pace | Efficiency | eFG% | FT Rate | OReb% | TO Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcats | 77 | 95.6 | 48.5% | 19.7 | 30.6 | 26.1 |
| Magic | 79 | 116.3 | 53.1% | 37.5 | 30.6 | 17.7 |
| Green denotes a stat better than the team's regular-season average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's regular-season average. | ||||||
The Bobcats had, I thought, learned their lesson in Game 1: if they attack the basket and draw fouls, they can hang with Orlando. That simply did not happen tonight, as they helped the Magic's cause by looking for long jumpers. That's what it looked like they were doing when they weren't throwing the ball away or dribbling off their knee, anyway. Just a sloppy, sloppy showing on their part, in the first three quarters, and cost them their chance to really challenge the Magic, whose offense wasn't that much better due to their own turnover problems, particularly in the fourth period.
Orlando really got its pick-and-roll game going tonight, but also seemed more intent to feed Howard on the low block than they did in Game 1. It resulted in some silly turnovers, sure, but also buckets. Emphatic ones. Like the one in the third quarter where he posted up on the left block, beat Theo Ratliff with a hard dribble to the middle, drop-stepped to the baseline, and powered home a one-handed dunk for a 50-38 Magic lead. And yes, that's a second-half score. Anyway, the Bobcats' previous possession ended with a shot-clock violation, and Orlando's previous possession also resulted in a Howard dunk, so the crowd was already stirring a bit. After that second dunk on Ratliff? Eruption. Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson, who led all scorers with 27 points and showed no ill-effects from suffering a bone bruise in Game 1, seems to believe the fans at Amway Arena played a role in Orlando's win.
I do think that, going forward, Orlando will need to get more production off its bench. Mickael Pietrus lit it up from the outside once again, draining 3 of his 4 three-pointers, but the rest of the second unit contributed just 12 points on 9 shots. Marcin Gortat, once again forced to take on a larger role due to Howard's foul trouble, played 19 minutes and finished with just 2 points on 1-of-2 shooting (the miss was a wide-open dunk), 2 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot. You expect those numbers from Gortat in, say, 7 or 10 minutes of work, not 19. And he was, once again, not much of a factor on defense. Though he seemed to be more energetic than he was in Game 1, it's clear that he's just not getting into his highest gear, to use an automotive analogy. His failure to box out Boris Diaw on a missed Tyson Chandler free throw led to a three-pointer from D.J. Augustin and a 5-point possession for the Bobcats. Those 5 points, incidentally, represent 6% of their total output. Scoring's at a premium for this team, as it has been for most of the season.
Tonight's game ball has to go to Carter for his excellent execution in pick-and-roll sets. He forced the issue on Sunday, which resulted in 15 misses in 19 attempts? Tonight? More focused, more aggressive, and not coincidentally more effective. His running jumper--admittedly not a great shot--at the 2:56 mark of the fourth period answered the Gerald Wallace layup which cut Orlando's lead to just 8 points. The play that most impressed me, though, was the high screen-and-roll he ran with Gortat at the top of the arc late in the third quarter. He drove to his right around Gortat's screen, saw Rashard Lewis open all the way over in the left corner, and fired a one-handed pass across his body, on the move, off the dribble, right to Lewis' shooting pocket. Lewis drained the triple to give Orlando a 17-point lead. Not many players in the league have the court vision to see the open man, the physical strength to deliver him the ball, and the skill to do so quickly and accurately. More important than that one play, though, is that he demonstrated that he can run the one-two pick-and-roll with Nelson effectively because of his ability to back down Bobcats point guard Raymond Felton when Charlotte switches the screen there. That, and he can break down one of the league's best defenses off the bounce. I suspect the Bobcats will try to send another defender at him in Game 3 in order to disrupt his rhythm. It'd be a wise move, because tonight, he looked very comfortable out there.
Something we shouldn't overlook, from a team-wide standpoint, is that the Magic fought the Bobcats to a draw on the glass; each team finished with 36 total rebounds, and 11 offensive. Thanks to Gerald Wallace's incredible 17-rebound effort in Game 1, Charlotte owned the backboards, 41-34. This season, the Magic were just 11-15 when they were outrebounded. So, solid work tonight.
Two games into the series and Orlando has a +24 differential and a 2-0 lead, about which it must be pleased. But Charlotte's been closer in those games than their final scores might indicate, and hasn't given the Magic its very best effort just yet. That should come this Saturday at Time Warner Cable Arena, which will host its a playoff game for the first time.
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I thought it was a great game, overall.
Both defenses were great in the first half (although Charlotte also committed some silly TO’s). Dwight at least got to play the first quarter. Maybe I’m biased (and I am), but I felt like Jameer was possibly the best player for the Magic tonight, even with his shot not exactly on. I mean, he just seemed so in control of everything and held Felton to 4 points and 4 assists in 32 minutes. He played in control (only 1 TO), repeatedly penetrated and handled on-the-ball pressure. He and Vince just killed it with that 1-2 PnR. I don’t know what team remaining in the playoffs that can handle it when it’s run like that.
I’ll chime in even though it’s going to be covered ad nauseum, but the refs are seriously hindering the quality of play. Inconsistency is maddening, even more maddening than the fact that Dwight’s first 4 fouls were all of the “man, that’s a tough call” variety, as stated by Kevin McHale. I mean, it was just a joke. There were some bad calls against the Bobcats, but Dwight’s first 4 fouls along with the Portuguese soccer flop by Thomas trump any possible complaint a Bobcats player or fan could have. If I have to watch one more damn game in these playoffs where one of the 5 most dominant players in the NBA is relegated to role player status, I’m going to find Stu Jackson and give him a severe verbal lashing. And then I will karate chop him for his role in the demise of basketball in Vancouver.
I hate Varejao.
Agree with everything.
Meer looked comfortable, even if he wasn’t scoring much. I was very confident whenever he had the ball and was initiating the offense. Vince and him ran the 1/2 PNR perfectly.
The refs were disgusting. So many bad calls for both teams, and also lots of obvious “make-up” calls.
When the big fella was whistled for his fourth personal foul midway through the third quarter, Stan Van Gundy left Clark Kent alone. And in a phone booth measuring 94 feet across, Dwight Howard used that vote of confidence to transform into his alter ego. - Chris Sheridan
by thermodynamic on Apr 22, 2010 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I think the make up calls, in particular, lead to this downward spiral by the refs
…Once the refs realize they’ve wrong one team, they feel a need to even things out with the other. But the other team becomes upset about the make-up call, and soon the refs are calling fouls on every play for sake of “consistency.”
Dwight receives the brunt of the fouls for the Magic not because he’s actually committing many fouls but because he’s the easiest make-up target for the refs, as a result of his low-post position.
by gift of the magi on Apr 22, 2010 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Also, give Rashard some props.
Rashard’s play has been an important steadying force for the team thus far in the playoffs. Despite getting zero low-post calls (perhaps with good reason), he’s knocked down threes, driven the ball to the basket, and rebounded pretty well.
by gift of the magi on Apr 22, 2010 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I love Rashard.
He always sticks with it, and just keeps doing his job. I think the lack of post-ups are because Charlotte has defenders who can actually cover him in the post. Either Diaw or Thomas are going to be more susceptible to him driving after a pump-fake or a jab-step three.
I hate Varejao.
It seems that his intensity picks up in the playoffs
I’ve always noticed that during the regular season, he will just kinda float around. Not to say he doesn’t play hard, he just seems fine cruising with the team.
But he is battling for boards and seems to be trying to contribute in different areas. Such an asset for us and will be key for us in returning to the Finals.
"It's all part of the plan." Jeff Moorad and The Joker in the Dark Knight.
"Just because you went to the Finals last year, you can’t go out on the floor and expect teams to lay down. We got no heart. You can only make so many excuses. Everybody has to come and play hard, not just one or two guys."-Matt Barnes
You missed Dwight's dominance in the 3rd.
I can tell you that. That was as good a stretch I can remember Dwight playing truthfully.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985......
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Couldn't agree more.
The refs have been horrible. I have a feeling that they will start making better calls in game 3 after how blatantly bad that Tyrus Thomas flop foul was in slo-mo. I mean, what.. did MJ use his “powers of persuasive” to get the refs to throw a couple calls their way?
by INTOTHEMEATGRINDER on Apr 22, 2010 12:41 AM EDT reply actions
Also, I'm really distraught that we have to go to Vince Carter to get points in the clutch.
I mean, what a terrible turn of events.
I hate Varejao.
You're missing Hedo that much?
"There are two ways to argue with a woman, and neither of them work."; Carlos Boozer
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
The only way to stop LeBron is Smith and Wesson, but even that's a double team.
by NC Magic Fan on Apr 22, 2010 6:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Interesting game
Throughout the entitre game the Magic played decent for moments specatacular and other thimes dreadful. It was a solid team effort where no one really stood out. The Magic may want to try something a little different when Dwight is out i am not sure whether will be successful but currently when he is out they are getting minimal offensive production. I suggest possibly playing bass for a few minute stretch if Dwight gets in foul trouble early again. Even if his offense is not working it will allow him to bully the tall lanky guys of the Bobcats wearing them down for Dwights return.
The refs through the series have been detestable. I hear people claiming its hard to officiate post players really its not. Because in most instance people post with their backs to the basket as rules depict placing two hand on the back is a foul. A person has the right the his vertical space whether he is in the air or on his knees. If a man is in the simi circle it is not an automatic foul on the defensive player it just means the offensive player can not be called for a foul unless he initiates the play from within 15 feet of the basket. All player whether point gaurds or centers are subject the same rules as the rules state unless they have added a mysterious section that i have yet to see. The game is simple and that is why it is so enjoyable. Now that marketing is the primary goal the game has lost some of its spunk, when you have the special players to get the special calls. Just call the game the way the rules read the players are good enough that they dont need special calls. Thanks for you time. GO MAGIC!!
Another thing
Just an idea of how to clean up the game and get rid of the flopping is to create a euro soccer type rule where if it is a blatant flop you recieve a technical or personal foul and after the game the league can look back and assess fines suitible to the actors in the game. It may seem an extreme idea but it has worked wonders in soccer where it was plagued with actors. just a thought think about it and give me your ideas
Or maybe introduce a tennis "CHALLANGE"?
each coach has 3 “foul challanges” when he can challange the initial decision by the referees and they have to make a video review of the play – this one goes for all types of foul calls :)
I imagine the calls would be much more consistant :)
but its never gonna happen…
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on Apr 22, 2010 8:06 AM EDT up reply actions
You know, this may be the worst we see.
I mean, not in terms of offense. In terms of offense, this may be the worst we see.
But in terms of defense, the Magic are facing the league leaders in defensive efficiency. (Well, tied with… the Magic.) And they’re pulling out all the stops — hooking, flopping, doing everything they can to keep the Magic from building up a momentum.
And it’s not quite working, because a) they can’t put anything together on the offensive end, and b) they can’t make a physical scuffle out of perimeter D. So the Magic can still get efficient shots out on the perimeter, which opens guys up to drive the lane. They’re stopping Dwight, but not a lot of other guys.
Meanwhile, while the refereeing remains… questionable, the refs are gradually getting out of the makeup call mentality. I feel like a lot of games are refereed on the premise that if the refs call an equal number of fouls on both teams, that’s fair. But in this case, the Bobcats are clearly the more physical team, the team which is risking more fouls, so it’s NOT fair. And after the first game, we saw a gap in the fouls called tonight. Refs are catching on… slowly, but catching on.
Bass is a kind of fish.
But... but... they had 7 more fouls than us!
Something must be wrong!!! Nothing like style of play and execution could possibly play a part in something like that! No sir, impossible, sir.
I hate Varejao.
And what about the effect on the subsequent series?
I feel like the hooking on Dwight is the biggest story from this series… it’s been effective. I am a little worried that, assuming the Magic move on, their opponents will try to replicate it. But can the teams the Magic are in line to face (assuming no upsets) use it?
Atlanta? Maybe. They have an active PF in Josh Smith and a pair of wiry big men in Horford and Pachulia. But Smith is too important to them to get into foul trouble, and tangling players up under the basket doesn’t strike me as Horford’s game. And they don’t have huge numbers of bench big men. Still, the Hawks have struggled with Dwight, so maybe they’re desperate?
Cleveland? I don’t see it. Ilgauskas and O’Neal are too big and immobile to harass Dwight like this… this more of a quick wiry sneaky guy’s tactic. In other words, exactly the kind of thing Varejao does. But if you put Varejao on Dwight, you either have to put one of those giant centers on Lewis (Lewis wants you to do this), or you have to play a small lineup. (And put… JJ Hickson on Lewis? Lewis is cool with that as well.)
(Boston… well, if the Magic do see Boston, they have their own tricks under the basket.)
Bass is a kind of fish.
But really, this may help the Magic in the long run.
The Bobcats are burning a lot of the anti-Dwight tricks some of the other teams may have intended to use. By the end of the series, the refs will be wise to them, having seen them repeatedly. (And maybe Dwight will get a little more used to countering them…)
Bass is a kind of fish.
Hopefully the Magic a making a video for the league office.
If Charlotte’s three amigos continue hooking the league either has to tell the referees to call a foul on the hook or make the three of them wear short skirts and too much lipstick.
"There are two ways to argue with a woman, and neither of them work."; Carlos Boozer
I'll tell ya about the Magic It'll free your soul but it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll
The only way to stop LeBron is Smith and Wesson, but even that's a double team.
by NC Magic Fan on Apr 22, 2010 6:48 AM EDT up reply actions
A tale of two halves again for the Magic offensively
Unlike Sunday, the Magic had a much better second half than first half offensively.
First half: 41 points on 12 of 33 FGs (36.4%), 4 of 15 3 PT FGs (26.7%), 42.4% eFG%
Second half: 51 points on 17 of 31 FGs (54.8%), 6 of 12 3 PT FGs (50%), 62.5% eFG%
"2010 Orlando Magic Playoff Basketball... Enjoy the Ride."
"Chicago Blackhawks... One Goal... the Stanley Cup"
by Mike from Illinois on Apr 22, 2010 4:46 AM EDT reply actions
Disagree a little on Gortat...
though it wasn’t a great game from him.
he played very well on offense – off-ball I mean. His picks led to easy baskets 5 times. He missed the dunk, but it looked like he took off faaaar away from the basket and then lost balance after mid-ait contact with one of the Cats…
I am sad to witness that he is becoming more and more limited player with the magic. In fact, he is used to hearing “set the pick, pass the ball, work on defense, all you gotta do” that he started passing out of the point when he could easily get an easy basket. He used to have a decent mid-range jumper and he has a range of nice and slick post moves… never gonna show under SVG tactics… but hey, we are winning anyway.
and as much as you say that he is a non-factor on D – he caught the cats on to offensive fouls, a block, three deflections, one leading to a 24 second violation and a steal (that was somehow credited to someone else".
He also had the second best +/- on the whole team of +13.
One thing that is surely true – he is not rebounding like he used to. It probably has something to do with the coaches telling him to block out first – when he’s done, somebody else like Barnes or Lewis already has secured the rebound. On the other hand – the Cats are a really great rebounding team with Chandler and Wallace…
I don’t know, in my opinion it was a major improvement on the first game form the Hammer. Looking forward to Game 3 already…
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on Apr 22, 2010 5:34 AM EDT reply actions
Well, he needs to rebound.
With the team’s struggles on the boards, Gortat needs to step in there and do something about that.
I was also impressed by his defense, though — he was doing a lot of crucial stuff to keep the Bobcats from gaining momentum and taking easy shots (one flukey five-point play aside).
Bass is a kind of fish.
to=two, point=paint... shit my keyboard is killing me... :(
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on Apr 22, 2010 5:37 AM EDT reply actions
I thought VC played
very good defense on G. Wallace throughout the game.
On another note, I find the media coverage of this series very interesting so far. The takeaway for the commentators last night (and after game 1) seemed to be that ‘Hey, the Bobcats should feel good about the series!" and the AP story was “Howard-Carter combo plays less-than stellar, but just well-enough to win”…The national media isn’t sure what to think about the Magic in this series…either they are cast as a great team that is underperforming against a weak opponent, or they are an overrated team, at real risk of (or deserving of) being upset by a very good Charlotte team.
they can say whatever they want
we still have a +24 differential in two games, which is the highest of any series so far. We have not played well for any consistent amount of time. Charlotte just doesn’t score the ball very much, and we don’t allow many opportunities for easy shots. They shot 6-14 from 3 last night which is 43% – a whole 10% higher than their season average. Don’t count on them doing that very often. We seem to have adopted the Lebron James defense. Let one guy get his points (Jackson) and then limit the rest of their players. He had 27 points, yet they only had 77 total for the evening.
Vince played with a swagger again in the 4th quarter
You can just see it’s all mental… when he plays with a swagger he plays infinitely much better. He has to think he’s the best on the floor and he can score on anyone. I’ve seen that on his face in the 4th quarter. I haven’t seen the same thing in the rest of the quarters when he wants to "fit in and be “one of the guys”" which is extremely detrimental on his game and the Orlando Magic’s success.
It’s such an important and underrated thing I can’t say enough about it. You could see in the first 3 quarters he was tentative… as he was in the largest part of the season with some exceptions (see the 48 point game where you could see his swagger and mental dominance all the game – he was moving so well, dribbling so well etc).
When he doesn’t have that swagger you can see it in his dribbles – they get “clumsy”. You can see it in his passing – he wants to pass, doesn’t pass, fakes a shot, wants to pass again, doesn’t pass, then passes… you can see how much he struggles doing the right thing. He just looks “clumsy”, and I have never ever seen him being clumsy in his career. So it has to be all mental, I’m 100% sure of it.
The other negative is his loss of strength (overall) – and I have a feeling his shots are short because he doesn’t have the same lift – lower body strength on his jumpshots. It’s all messed up.
Again, if he could get a bit stronger in the future and be more into it mentally in the present then Vince should be great with the Magic. The question is – is he?
Shame, but VC will be getting only worse... the Magic as a team, on the other hand...
VC has the same problem any high flyer has… knees.
Look at a certain ageing laker that is settling for jumpers more and more and more…
That late in one’s career you don’t get any stronger, only slower and weaker year after year.
I still think that VC is the best that could happen to us. He still has 2-3 good years left in him and he definitely wants a championship real bad.
Overall, I imagine that Magic have even better chances for a championship next season if somehow they lose this year. The Lakers are ageing with Bryant and Artest past their prime, the cavs won’t have a center (shaq and big zero will be even slower), boston probably will start rebouilding if they don’t beat cavs in the semis…
and the Magic? Anderson and Redick are developing rapidly, Lewis in his physical prime, Nelson, Gortat even Howard… all are still getting better!
If they get to the finals this year – I imagine luxury tax won’t be an issue :)
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on Apr 22, 2010 8:22 AM EDT reply actions
I don't think Vince wants a championship really really bad
He is just saying the right things. He doesn’t REALLY care about all this stuff. And I’m saying this as a big Vince fan.
But then again, if he has solid contributions (not superstar level but at least above-average) the Magic should be fine.
nah he wants to win. even with a higher perspective in life, and a quiet peaceful demeanor offcourt, HE WANTS TO WIN. His level of wanting to win may not match the all consuming fire of a jordan, but it doesn’t have to. relative to himself, and to the average player, vince wants it more. there are some in the league that want it more, if somehow we could objectively dilute the desire into a fluid and compare levels, but those can probably be counted and your and my hands and toes (less than 40 imo) and some of them are not even in the playoffs this year.
by thomaswhigham on Apr 22, 2010 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I think this could have been like the Philly series last year.
But there’s one key difference: toughness. This year’s Magic team is visibly much tougher than last year’s team to my eyes. That is why they have been consistent in coming out of slugfests with Boston and Charlotte with wins.
That being said, I do expect a really tough game for us in Charlotte on Saturday. The techs are gonna fly, too. Mark my words.
The intensity has to go up, up! Not down...UP! -Stan Van Gundy
we haven't allowed a very good lower-seed to upset us.
but I like the defensive challenge Charlotte are bringing.
With Bogut out, Charlotte is the best of the lower seeds in the East.
They finished strong, have two difference makers (one on each side of the ball), and have possibly the best team defense in the league. None of the other teams have a resume like that. How Charlotte ended up as the 7th seed? Well, that’s a combo of not having Jack the whole year and these offensive droughts that we’ve seen here already. Our defense makes a bad offense look even worse.
I hate Varejao.
Ugly game
but a beautiful outcome. There were moments in the 3rd were it seemed to be picking up, but for the most part the refs made this game very 90s Knicks-like.
The team’s energy was great and I’m glad Vince had a good game. He didn’t dominate but was a key contributor to the win.
Let’s wrap this baby up in Charlotte!
"It's all part of the plan." Jeff Moorad and The Joker in the Dark Knight.
"Just because you went to the Finals last year, you can’t go out on the floor and expect teams to lay down. We got no heart. You can only make so many excuses. Everybody has to come and play hard, not just one or two guys."-Matt Barnes
On the topic of national media
I just read on TrueHoop an article spouting the same old tired stuff about Vince when I came upon something interesting in this sentence, quoted verbatim from the peice:
“He finished Game 1 having made four of his 19 shots, to go with six turnovers. He missed all five of his 3-pointers.”
Hmmm…I thought, I don’t remember Vince having a bunch of TOs. I check the box, and sure enough, he had none. Zero. Not one. Can anyone explain how someone who supposedly watches these games so closely, with such expert eyes, and then is paid by ESPN to write about it, could possibly confuse six turnovers with zero? Really, this is such an embarrassing error, I was tempted to sign up with ESPN just to lambaste Abbott. This is proof, if you ask me, that not only did Abbott not watch the game, but he has real difficulty interpreting NBA box scores.
check it out:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/15240/the-two-faces-of-vince-carter
Really, man, don't overreact. Abbott's one of the best in the business. He made a mistake. I do it too, and far more often. He respects the Magic, for sure.
It’s not an instance of ESPN, like, bashing the Magic, or whatever.
Really Ben??
It clearly wasn’t a typo. It was also in the caption under the photo of Vince hanging his head: “Carter kicked of the postseason with 15 missed shots and six turnovers”. This is a pretty egregious error, if you ask me. I’m not suggesting Abbott doesn’t respect the Magic. I’m suggesting that he doesn’t respect Vince Carter enough to check a box score before writing an article about him in which he points to a stat that he pulled directly out of his…
It wasn't egregious.
Everything Skip Bayless says is egregious. This was a mistake.
I hate Varejao.
Definitely a mistake.
Henry Abbott is good people. He picked the Magic to come out of the East if I remember correctly.
The intensity has to go up, up! Not down...UP! -Stan Van Gundy

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