Hollinger: Orlando Magic on a Nearly Unprecedented Roll Heading into Eastern Conference Finals
by Evan Dunlap on May 11, 2010 8:01 AM EDT
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PrintI talked a little bit yesterday about the Orlando Magic's dominance over its 17 games prior to last night's Game 4 against the Atlanta Hawks, which Orlando took by 14 points, thus advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. Today, John Hollinger, in a piece entitled "Nobody is playing better than Orlando," writes more about Orlando's recent play, and widens the scope to include its last 30 games. An excerpt:
See if you can wrap your heads around this one: Orlando has outscored opponents by a whopping 421 points over its past 30 games. To put this in perspective, the Lakers, Suns and Celtics -- who could be the other three teams left standing when the conference finals start next week -- didn't outscore the opposition by 421 points over the entirety of the 82-game regular season, much less in the final 30 games of it.That's an average of 14 points per game, which simply isn't done over long stretches -- nobody else in the NBA had an average margin even half that size during the regular season.
This isn't run-of-the-mill good, people. This is blow-your-doors-off, hide-the-women-and-children level domination. The Magic are so good that Stan Van Gundy is in danger of running out of things to worry about.
But as great as the Magic have been, the true test hasn't really started. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, their potential Conference Finals opponents, will offer far more resistance than the Hawks or Charlotte Bobcats. Brian Schmitz has more on that subject here.
So much for flying under the radar.
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this is by far more dominant than either of those 2 great years with shaq and penny
as a basketball fan…..this has been some of the prettiest offensive basketball that i have witnessed….i grew up watching bird and magic……..and later jordan…………..i have to say that our offense is more impressive to watch than any of the triangle offenses that phil jackson has put together……………..the heroics of bird? no……the flash of magic? no……….the moves of mj or kobe?no…………but i have never seen a team so complete, so balanced, so disciplined…………simple the best “team” i have ever watched on offense……
and lets face it…….dwight is a defensive anomaly………..so dominant in the paint……….better than the premier centers of the 80’s and 90’s on defense……dare i say better than zo?……better than garnett?…….. the dream?…. yes, i do………….. and the perimeter guys just send the opposing team to him like a funnel………..
as a magic fan….i am elated…..as a basketball fan i am thoroughly impressed……
i hope we can continue to roll as we meet the cavaceltics……..lakers are rolling also, which concerns me…….their frontcourt could be one of the best ever……….
time will tell………….
Just one man's opinion...
"mark my words...we will draft 2 corners within the first 4 picks" - 2009
"mark my words...we will draft/sign 4 new linebackers this off-season" - 2010
1-Sergio Kindle, 2-Nate Allen, 3-Torrell Troup, 4-Brandon Spikes
1-Sergio Kindle, 2-Mount Cody, 3-Major Wright, 4-Brandon Spikes
I think Orlando has La this year, if they keep playing like this with the more tougher rounds, it will be pretty close to epic.
by derekk on May 13, 2010 1:24 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
video games don't properly capture the essence of an NBA team.
the issue with the Magic is that you can’t play as WELL as the team in 2K10, you can’t pass quickly enough, you can’t execute the inside-out game as good, and you can’t block and re-direct shots as well as real-life D12.
nobody’s playing better than Orlando. But I reckon we’re due for a test.
Pic
The greatest part of this post is the picture of SVG smiling.. LOVE IT! Almost as good as the one from game 2 where SVG is giving the thumbs up!
Read www.magicbasketballonline.com ! Follow @magicbasketball !
by magicbasketballonline on May 11, 2010 8:34 AM EDT reply actions
I knew I saw him smiling while watching the game!
Guess my mind wasn’t playing tricks.
by pjlawrence81 on May 11, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't believe we're actually getting respect.
Hmmm. I don’t know how I feel about this. I like having the “disrespect card” in our pocket.
I'm a girl too.
Haters gonna hate.
Hollinger has been pretty fair.
This was an excellent article by him.
"I'm not saying this is a blowout, but updated NBA schedule has ' * - if necessary' next to Games 3 and 4." John Hollinger
Thank you Hollinger...
…still, we live and die by the 3…our playoff opponents have been jokes…Dwight whines too much…Cleveland is so much better than us…and KB8 is unstoppable. The buck stops here for the Magic. Right?
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
my point is I’d love to see which media members still don’t take us seriously this morning
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Jon Barry actually gave the Magic credit this morning on Mike & Mike though he still couldn't be factually accurate by spouting out that the Suns have been the best team in the league since February. /facepalm
NBA Championship or bust in '09-10!!!! GO MAGIC!!!!
these guys are rats…the sad thing is as the seasons go by they get worse…what ever happened to peter vescey? there are so many half ass beat writers/former players turned “experts” that the process is just so diluted. i yearn for the days that things go back to being objective and insightful. that comment by barry is a faceplant more than anything.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
There was a poll on ESPN
Asking which team has been the most impressive in the postseason, and the Suns won it pretty handily. Only Florida, Georga and Massachusetts picked the Magic.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
cough* Mike Wilbon cough*
"I just Rashard'ed my pants!!!!"
by Wally Balls 407 on May 11, 2010 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I wouldn't call them jokes...
The Magic just played on a different level than the Hawks and Bobcats.
Next series, will be very different. Suppress LeBron’s game, keep the roleplayers on a leash. If we draw the Celts, rondo won’t be able to pull these numbers because our D is so much different from Clevelands.
by The Stan 'Stache on May 11, 2010 10:37 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
more impressed with the D
1. the S on Swaq’s arm is short for SVG
2.Turk was the weak link
3. i dont miss Turk
4.i feel bad for Turk
5.Vince can play above average D
6. JJ has gained respect of NC fans ( dont believe me? go check ou rufus on fire)- the earth has t-minus 10 seconds till total destruction.
7.Thank you Otis, if you didnt match Gortat we might be watching the cats/hawks series
8. J will is looking like an old man in the post season
9.Matt Barnes will KILL you!
10.CRAZY NUTS
you should know i bleed blue, but I aint a cripp tho.
You forgot Rashard.
Totally agree with being impressed with the D.
Turk was great for the Magic and Magic was even better for him. I agree with KingJafi, he sure is happy right now.
J-Will IS old in basketball years and even if he didn’t put much offense or almost zero offense so far in the playoffs,
I’m still glad he’s here.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
J-Will can keep the ball moving, even if he isn't doing much offensively himself.
He knows how to find the open man, and that’s all the Magic need, really.
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
by North of the South on May 11, 2010 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Aw, man. Don't hate on Turk.
He was good to the Magic last year’s playoffs. He made a choice to go elsewhere for whatever reason (monetary or not). Thing is that Turkoglu is a good player, but Vince Carter is a borderline Hall of Famer. Just like, last year, Alston helped the team during a time of urgency, but having Jameer Nelson in the lineup is much better, hands down.
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
by North of the South on May 11, 2010 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
urgency = emergency. My english sucks from time to time.
Sorry.
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
by North of the South on May 11, 2010 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
The Magic are the most balanced team.
We dismantled the team with #1 defensive efficiency during the regular season, then throttled the #2 Offense in the league. On to play the current best, and they aren’t balling even close to that level currently.
Go Magic/Bucs/Gators/Rays!
I've never seen them this focused...
They need to keep that up. I’ve seen Dwight lost a little bit of that last night when he started turning the ball over and getting a T. He did a great job of keeping calm this series but the next round is going to be a lot tougher.
I hate Pau Gasol!
ESPN....
ESPN means: ESPecially—-Not——The——magic
But i was shocked to see this kind of ass kissing after our team blew the first two teams out of the water……………….THESE IDIOTS ARE HYPOCRITES….Gotta love-em ESPAM..yeah that seems to be what they spout……SPAM
CHECK THIS OUT BELOW:
Want to guess the Magic’s record in their 30 games since March 1?
Would you believe 27-3?
Yes, 27-3. That’s not a typo. That’s their mark in a slate in which 18 of the 30 opponents were playoff teams. And before you dismiss the most recent opposition so easily, remember that the Hawks team they handled so easily won more games than Boston, San Antonio and Portland and as many as Denver and Utah. In fact the Hawks beat all of those teams at least once, as well as the Lakers and Suns, and swept Boston 4-0.
So the Magic have beat a lot of good teams. Actually, that’s an understatement. They aren’t just beating people — they’re killing them. Twenty of the 27 wins have been by double figures, and many were one-sided beatdowns — such as the wins by 43 and 30 over Atlanta in Games 1 and 3. Monday’s win, by a mere 14, barely moved the needle on their average victory margin.
See if you can wrap your heads around this one: Orlando has outscored opponents by a whopping 421 points over its past 30 games. To put this in perspective, the Lakers, Suns and Celtics — who could be the other three teams left standing when the conference finals start next week — didn’t outscore the opposition by 421 points over the entirety of the 82-game regular season, much less in the final 30 games of it.
That’s an average of 14 points per game, which simply isn’t done over long stretches — nobody else in the NBA had an average margin even half that size during the regular season.
This isn’t run-of-the-mill good, people. This is blow-your-doors-off, hide-the-women-and-children level domination. The Magic are so good that Stan Van Gundy is in danger of running out of things to worry about.
YES WE KNOW OUR MAGIC ARE GOOD….JUGGERNAUTS>>>YES …….UNBEATABLE….NO……SCARY AS HELL TO PLAY AGAINST…HELL YEAH…WATCH OUT!
jamesbond
Dude…the Lakers are soooooo good! No one is stopping them. They’re gaining so much momentum. Personally I think all the team should just quit right now because it is ridiculous how good LA is. That Jazz series was a clinic on how to win basketball games. Flawless and effortless.
ESPN is so full so shit.
Their headline last night was something like this: Too much size. Too much skill. Too much Kobe.
This morning…I gotta search for Magic articles like Hollinger’s…but its like the Lakers won the damn title.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
WEIRD SCIENCE
This is why we win games:
DEFENSE
ALTERED SHOTS
INTIMIDATION FACTOR
THREAT OF A THREE POINT MAKE
SHOT BLOCK THREAT. which results in altered shots, because of the intimidation factor because of defense…etc etc etc.
Do you all understand that all these unquantifiable statistics cannot be measured in a normal sense but can be FELT before, during and after games. If we play two identical magic teams with one team missing dwight howard and three point shooters and this other team contains post up players only and an Andrew Bynum type center that can shoot, But plays average defense also. Most likely the team we have now will dominate the former team mentioned because of the unquantifiable stats above.
THIS IS WHY WE WIN FOLKS………Most of the leagues teams have a makeup of the Andrew Bynum led magic team.
jamesbond
MORE MAGIC SCIENCE
One more science subject:
Have you all noticed that playing against this magic team, if this team makes 10 or more three pointers the team wins 80 plus percent of the time??
ITS LIKE GOING INTO A 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs and thinking you can pull it off…..nearly impossible!
This team is capable of beating the Michael Jordan led Bulls of 1995 and the Shaquille O’neal led magic of 1995-1996 because of these factors above and also these below:
Since april, they have a had a +17 point differential win loss ratio vs opponents. 13 game win streak since regular season……note better than a regular season win streak because of the difficulty of the post season. They also have an exceptional tactical coach, (he crunches numbers folks). Excellent team architect GM in Otis Smith (he knew what was missing to build a championship contender). +84 points in the last 8 games vs hawks. Outscored Atlanta by 101 points in the last 4 games!
NOTES: This team has just beaten 1) the best defensive team in the league in the bobcats with their DEFENSE. 2)beaten the top offensive team i the league with their OFFENSE.
So whoever gets the magic in the ECF is going to have their hands full. Whoever said the magic will have all they can handle in the ECF, i disagree, the reality is the CAVS/CELTS will have all they can handle with the MAGIC.
PLUS WE HAVE GIANT KILLER NELSON!
Have a great playoffs folks…………………….congrats to VINCE, he now has gone to the ECF for the first time!
jamesbond
"The one thing about playoff basketball," said Van Gundy, "is you have to get beyond the last series. It has no meaning on the series coming up."
Love that quote. It should help some Magic worried that they will grow over-confident and suffer the same fate the Cavs had in 2009.
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
by North of the South on May 11, 2010 10:33 AM EDT reply actions
One thing that gives me confidence that we won't fall into the same trap the Cavs fell into last year is that we have SVG and not Mike Brown!
NBA Championship or bust in '09-10!!!! GO MAGIC!!!!
We also have Jameer and not Mo.
Mo is a cocky punk, as evident by his flippant denial that there was no chance the Cavs were going to lose to the Magic. Jameer is so much better than Mo it’s embarrassing that he filled in for Jameer on the All-Star team 2 years ago.
I hate Varejao.
Stan's point of view of the Hawks series. Keep shoot 'em jumpshots boy !
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Doc Funk getting some love today.. haha
Read www.magicbasketballonline.com ! Follow @magicbasketball !
by magicbasketballonline on May 11, 2010 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
yes it's all Doc FunK, forgot to give credit
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
That is awesome!
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
I haven't seen Ron Jeremy look that happy since Traci Lords wasn't legal
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Hollinger knows what's up again.
Nelson should be a lock in each of these experts picks. Low and behold…he’s not!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/news/story?page=MVPs-100511
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Even Bill Simmons has seen the light now!
He’s giving us as a fanbase the props we deserve:
THE GEORGE LOPEZ’S LATE NIGHT SHOW FOLLOWING CONAN O’BRIEN’S LATE NIGHT SHOW AWARD FOR "MOST LAUGHABLY UNLIKELY SCENARIO THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY HAPPEN
“The Suns! The Magic! It’s the 2010 NBA Finals on ABC!”
THE SUE ELLEN MISCHKE AWARD FOR “BIGGEST INFERIORITY COMPLEX”
To the Magic fans, who somehow took that last award personally. Whaddya mean it was laughably unlikely? We’re killing everybody! We whupped Cleveland in five games last year! We made the Finals last year! We have one of the best five players in the league! We have the best inside/outside game! We have the deepest team! We have a healthy Jameer, which we didn’t have last year! WHY THE HELL IS THIS SO LAUGHABLY UNLIKELY??
Well, the odds were something like 40-1 for a Suns-Magic Finals heading into the playoffs. That’s one reason. But the Magic fans are right — it shouldn’t have taken an 8-0 romp through the first two rounds to make some people take the Magic seriously. Still, it’s hard for me to imagine them winning the actual championship for the following reasons (not counting Vince Carter and their arena, as mentioned earlier):
1. Their best player, Dwight Howard, cannot push a grocery cart through an aisle or walk a across the street on a crosswalk without bowling over three people.
2. Their key guy for defending Kobe Bryant (Matt Barnes) had a crucial dinner scene in “Basketball Wives” two weekends ago.
3. Before Game 2, the Magic handed out “Karate Kid II”-type noisemakers, which the fans proceeded to bang for three straight hours (and left me feeling like I had a mild brain tumor afterwards).
4. There are enough similarities between the 2002 Kings and 2010 Magic that someone could get a 1,200-word column out of it. Some definite “even though they had the best team on paper, they couldn’t pull off four wins against an inferior big-market team, partly because nobody stepped up when it mattered, and partly because the league didn’t want them to win” potential. I’m just sayin’.
5. Now that Tiger Woods is in seclusion, their No. 1 celebrity fan is this guy.
Finally, some legitimate criticism of Orlando that shows why they cannot possibly win the finals. Been waiting for that.
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
Matt Barnes was on a TV show, so clearly he can't guard Kobe Bryant.
by Evan Dunlap on May 11, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL, but I do have to agree that being on that show is kind of lame.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
As lame as this?
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
by madhjsp on May 11, 2010 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I said "kind of lame", that is way beyond lame. I don't even have the words in english for that.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Fact. He must have been drunk when they talked him into it.
But by Simmons’ logic, “The Lakers’ closer recently did an egregious all-white photoshoot that will haunt him throughout his career and beyond. No way he can lead them to another championship.”
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
LOL. I bet some fans won't forget. (sorry for all the pic post Ben, couldn't help it)
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
rec’d
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
I know
I was joking about Simmons poking fun at our ‘inferiority complex.’
Fans of any other team in the league would act the exact same way if their team was this good yet got this little recognition for it.
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
If Simmons is going to steal my celebrity fan idea..
..He could at least link properly to the blog I wrote for Jack Nelson. I hate the loud guy. What a rip-off.
Read www.magicbasketballonline.com ! Follow @magicbasketball !
by magicbasketballonline on May 11, 2010 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Those aren’t props. See my FanPost.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
I know
I was joking about Simmons poking fun at our ‘inferiority complex.’
Fans of any other team in the league would act the exact same way if their team was this good yet got this little recognition for it.
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
Anybody read the comments for that article? ESPN & Skip Bayless really have people brainwashed.
Twitter.com/Blacktigra
ESPN comment sections are a cesspool of ignorance
Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s just frustrating
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
by madhjsp on May 11, 2010 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Only thing worse is the Sentinel comment sections......
Read www.magicbasketballonline.com ! Follow @magicbasketball !
by magicbasketballonline on May 11, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's called "peaking at the right time"
Now blogging on the OTHER sports in Orlando: http://www.sportcluborlando.com
Great streak
But as great as the Magic have been, the true test hasn’t really started. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, their potential Conference Finals opponents, will offer far more resistance than the Hawks or Charlotte Bobcats
Next round will be the real test, looking forward to it. I think we see more 1/2 P-n-R
FEED THE BEAST!!!
Twitter Account
Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio
Has been a huge supporter of the Magic this year, and today read from Hollinger’s article before once again, proclaiming Magic the team to beat. More specifically:
“Magic would sweep Boston right now. Take Cleveland down in 5 games. Los Angeles is 6. Max. The Magic are going to win it all- and if this team was in NY, Boston or LA, we’d be talking about them as one of the best teams of all time instead of barely mentioning them.”
As much as I want to believe this, it is absolutely over confidence.
Read www.magicbasketballonline.com ! Follow @magicbasketball !
by magicbasketballonline on May 11, 2010 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Stan will not let the Magic be over confident.
Win by 40, he tells you about all the teams that dropped the next game.
Win by 30, spent the next dat going over film to point out all of the defensive mistakes.
Stan will not let this bunch be over confident!
"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 May 11, 2010 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions
He's a commentator, he's allowed to exaggerate because it draws in audiences
It’s just nice to hear one of them take our side for once, even if he does over-hype us a little bit.
Go Titans! Go Magic!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
Besides, if Magic will ever be ESPN's favorite team, I personally would thing somewhere, something went vey wrong.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
I think the last part is accurate – if this team was in one of the major markets, they would be mentioned as a potential GOAT team. The sweep Boston/Cleveland in 5/LA in 6 is exaggeration, but as madhjsp said, exaggeration is the bread-and-butter of a commentator.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Wow, I cannot believe that Cowherd is disrespecting the Magic this much
Cleveland in 5 & L.A. in 6?!?!?! Come on!!!!
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
Let them disrespect
I personally don’t care. I like being the underdog and shutting their stupid ass mouths down. Facts people, facts, not words.
Lol. Considering the love we get, that’s pretty respectful. I’d actually say Cleveland in 6 just cause LBJ will go off one game and get a boatload of calls in another one.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Amazing how someone couldn't understand this is sarcasm.
I hate Varejao.
Yeah the first time I read that I thought he was saying the Cavs win in 5 and the Lakers in 6 against the Magic
But hey, you can pretend I was sarcastic as well. :D
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