Video: Kevin Arnovitz and David Thorpe Break Down Dwight Howard's Game 1 Struggles
by Evan Dunlap on May 17, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
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PrintOrlando Magic center Dwight Howard had an afternoon to forget yesterday in a Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics, at least on the offensive end. He managed just 13 points on 15 shooting possessions, and had 7 turnovers to boot. Editor supreme Kevin Arnovitz put together a... well, "highlight" isn't quite the right word... reel of Howard's day and then got David Thorpe on the horn to discuss it. Check it out; you'll learn something.
For me, the biggest point Thorpe makes is that Howard is too deliberate with his moves against Boston's Kendrick Perkins. The video shows that moving slowly against Perkins gives him time to establish a low base and knock Howard away from where he wants to be. It also lets Perkins get away with more physical activity. But when Howard's on the move, and Perkins is giving him the business? Much more obvious for the officials. So the advantages of moving faster are twofold: Howard will score easier and, at least in theory, draw more fouls.
Howard spoke a lot before this series about using his athletic advantage on Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, and Glen Davis rather than trying to drive straight through them. He didn't take his own advice in Game 1. Arnovitz's video underscores the importance of Howard exploiting his athletic gifts against Boston.
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Wojnarowski wrote a "love letter" about Dwight too.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
What upsets me the most about last night...
…is not the loss as much as the fact the Magic played right into the media’s storylines. They came out flat in the first and then played behind the 8 ball the rest of the night. Not only have they lost home court and are now down 1-0, they also have the rats in the national media roasting them and telling everyone “I told you so.” It starts with guys like Wojnarowski too, these guys have been waiting all playoffs to rip Orlando and they have their chance today.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
by KingJafi on May 17, 2010 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It was just Game 1 jitters against a foe that i think they actually want to play for once, coupled with a 5 day lay off. All those factors contributed into a negative for us, and we still lost by only 4. Boston winning game one scares me very little.
Orlando will be just fine in this series, and home court is basically still ours given Boston’s almost comical play at their home this year.
I think that the nicest thing about game 1 is once the Magic started playing (4th) the game looked very much like a Magic game.
Go Magic/Bucs/Gators/Rays!
Orlando played the worst ball of the season ans still only lost by 4.
I felt like we needed to get a loss out of the way.
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
At least one guy in the media still believes...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/05/16/magic.sidebar/index.html?eref=sihp
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
"journalists" like Wojn change side faster than that autoreverse thing in those old tape decks
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
lol…good analogy. one thing is for certain with wojn…he loves kobe…he never changes that side. and after last week it appears he passionately hates lebron.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Kobe is LA territory. For some people out there, there is a "can't touch this" about that.
Besides, it’s more worship than love for him when it comes to KB.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
is wojn a west coast/la based writer? cause he does worship KB8…
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
I believe he's more of a NYC guy
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Nah.
C’s could’ve easily had even better game.
It’s not like they were stellar and we lost only by 4.
Stay classy.
so you saying we should consider ourselves lucky the Cs didn’t play well?
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Well, they did ok.
But, and you know it, they are better than last night.
(as we are, sure, we’ll bounce off HUGE)
I still expect us to win series.
Stay classy.
Believe me, I'm not happy with the loss but the charge back frrom 20 down was impressive.
This will wake the Magic up. Magic by 12 in Game 2.
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
Hate to soound negative, but I kinda missed the 'charge'...
C’s had non score period, and that’s what saved us to a point.
Our D was solid, but charge was nowhere to be seen.
Last night, I saw some of the Carter, Some Nelson, and little JJ.
No others to be seeen
Stay classy.
OK, I'll give you that. "Charge" is a bit much.
Whether it is a charge or a struggle, coming back fron 20 down was nice to see.
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
Absolutely, It'd be nasty if we lost by 20.
On the bright side, it can’t get much worse.
If offensive Dwight, Lewis, and Barnes appear, we are in Finals again.
And this time, LaL can be beaten. They are weaker than Boston atm, and my money is on Magic winning it all if they pass C’s.
Unfortunately, C’s matchup so well with us.
If only LBJ had passed…
Stay classy.
man, chill out a bit, we all saw what happened yesterday
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
no worries, it was sure those guys would go at it after this game.
I was thinking about it a bit during the game, imagining the headlines. It’s still Magic’s job to prove them wrong.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Rec'd.
I am the only Magic fan around here. Last night, it happened to be European time.
I was building hype about Magic greatness all the time, and last nite, my friends got to watch the Magic for the first time….
(I watch it online in late hours)
Disaster.
That is what I hate most in this loss, just like you.
Stay classy.
You shouldn't care what the media says
All the Magic have to do is win the NBA championship and they’ll get all the respect they deserve.
Instead of “I told you so” you’ll get “I knew they would do it.”
A Center who struggles against physical frontcourts taking on the most physical frontcourt out there...
Which includes a couple of people who have been in his head for years.
It wasn’t a surprise tbh.
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
What's up with Bass?
I’d like to see him out there helping out in the frontcourt.
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
That would be experiment,
not needed at this point.
Also, whats up with twintowers?
Personally, I so hate to see them together…
Stay classy.
I think Gortat looked like the starter yesterday
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
he was great but that's mainly because Cs didn't respect him as much as they hould.
He was given more space than Dwight. He was great though again.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
the fact he was so assertive around the hoop , compared to D12, shows you just how hard they were going at D12 and how much they didnt respect the Hammer.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
also...
the Respect Issue was key!
Celtics defenders would rather step back away from the guard if it was Howard setting the pick and rolling back. Noone respects Gortat until he scores 3-4 times.
So there is no argument “what if Dwight played like Gortat did”. SVG simply needs to play more Gortat paired with Howard. IMO – Gortat needs 10-12 minutes as a sub for Dwight and another 10-12 in twin tower setup.
I believe that might be the case in games 3-4 in boston if we win game 2.
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on May 18, 2010 8:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Gortat seems more mobile and alert than Dwight
Plus that he plays in the flow of the game and never (rarely) calls the ball for a post-up preffering to go off the pick and roll and wreak havoc in a not-so-mobile Celtics frontline. Maybe Dwight should think about this a bit.
Gortat calling for the ball in the post is...
…an SVG taboo!
It’s a no-no! Never gonna happen in the Magic offense…
Shame really, as Gortat has some pretty sweet post moves (as witnessed in Euro Championships last year).
That is the only reason I would like to see him play for anotherr team. He has an unfulfilled potential as an offensive weapon in the post.
Anyways – I don’t think Dwight can emulate Howard. Especially that he is much worse in setting multiple pick and rolls. Most of the time a PnR with Howard would just attract another defender so there wouldn’t be many open lanes to the hoop…
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on May 18, 2010 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions
I was getting frustrated with the missed "and 1" opportunities.
I quit counting, but we could not get a 3 point attempt to fall.
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
I can't wait until Tuesday.
If we play like the MAGIC, this is all a moot point. I think we need the 3’s to set up Howard. Light it up Tuesday!!!!!!!!!!
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
how do you think the loss of homecourt factors in all of this? we still lost it regardless if we win or lose tomorrow.
"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 you didn't ask me...
But I don’t think homecourt matters much. We’re a very good road team, and Boston hasn’t been good at home this year.
This.
It doesn’t matter to an elite team where the game is because they are all winnable. Boston proved it yesterday, and Orlando will prove it in games 3 & 4. Heck, Magic proved it last year against Boston and Cleveland when they didn’t have home court in either series.
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
by funny80sguy on May 17, 2010 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
imo Magic can win anywhere…it just a shame that you go 27-3…go on an 8 game playoff winning streak…and then have the home court you worked so hard for vanish like that. losing Gm1 as opposed to Gm 2 is a lot worse too. but they didn’t quit yesterday so i doubt the loss will linger around at the start of the next game.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
did you know that game 1 matters just as much as game 2?
they count for just one game each. imagine that.
Losing game 1 at home is only worse than losing game 2 at home
because it makes the second game a must-win game.
I know we travel well.
We just have to get 1 in Boston and that is very possible. We just had a bad game. I was waiting for the breakdown. Did anyone think that we were going to win 12 more in a row? A loss was coming, now it is time to pick it up. Celts scored 92. We can play defense, just need those 3’s to fall.
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
losing homecourt n' Matt's health are the things that bug me a bit
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Yes, Barnes' back is an issue.
I think Anderson may have to go instead of Barnes.
2009 was like picking up a fat chick, You had a little fun, but you don't necessarily want to see it again.
Also, I am a huge fan of Adrian Zmed! Dance Fever and TJ Hooker rock!
Home court is a non factor
Especially against Boston. Crowds don’t matter to either team. Boston is terrible at home.
Vince on the low block...
Vince should play a little more on the low block. Especially after getting a switch on the 1/2 pick and roll.
In the 4th qtr, that got us good looks and drew double teams, and coincidentally got the defense rotating, and the Magic offense started to look more like it has all season. They’re not going to double Dwight unless Big Baby is guarding him, so we have to find a matchup that consistently draws a double team.
We have to execute the Pick and Roll better. Dwight’s best shot at being effective this series is by playing off the ball, and working the offensive glass.
To those worried about loss of Homecourt advantage.
Say, when the Magic make it to the Finals against Lakers (presumably)… you think L.A. wont win 1 in Orlando? Yeah, riiiiight. Homecourt advantage is good, but in the later rounds of the playoffs teams are so good that they can win in Orlando, and Orlando is so good that they can win in Boston, or L.A.
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
by North of the South on May 17, 2010 11:39 AM EDT reply actions
To stir up the pot some more...
I’ll just say if LeBron had a game like this, he’d be roasted unlike anything that’s ever been seen before.
Dwight totally laid an egg in this game offensively. He played well defensively, but the whole team sucked in the 3rd. Bottom line is, Dwight needs to play smarter, above all else.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
LeBron was roasted, twice!
"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 17, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Jesus Christ, shut up about LeBron James
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on May 17, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
In their defense, Magic played well to start the 3rd they just got hosed by some questionable calls (such as the Pierce 3 FTs) that ultimately led to a 14-0? run by the Cs.
Btw, the officiating was crap for both teams…it was one of those back and forth waves of calls for one team then swing back to calls for the other team. I hate NBA refs.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
what does that have to do with my comment
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on May 17, 2010 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
this has nothing to do either but
check this out
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
NOOOOOOO
Modern Family, WHHHYYYYYY
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on May 17, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions
That horrible Pierce call was mind-blowing.
And yeah, it ended up being a 22-5 run after Jameer cut it to 3. The defense was just bad for the rest of the quarter. Overall though, I didn’t mind the officiating, honestly. The only memorable blown calls I can think of was Rashard’s foul on Rondo on the fast break, the Pierce “Yes, he was dribbling towards the Magic bench to attempt a running, fading three while on a fast break with just Jameer Nelson back” miscall and Rasheed’s bear-hugging of Dwight late in the game. I’ll take the physical play and say “may the best team win” every time.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
I just want them to be consistent in their calls. Look at Game 1 out West today. JRich actually shot a 3, was fouled with time running out and they call on it on the floor. Oh yeah, he’s playing the Lakers. See what I’m saying. That Pierce call was bunk…oh yeah, Pierce is playing the Magic. The NBA really sucks for that shit and it wont stop until Stern is gone. If someone like Roger Goodell was running this league the officiating wouldnt be so inconsistent and swayed for results to big market teams.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Bull!!! The Pierce call was right.
It was absolutely the same as the Nelson 4 point play in game 3 of ATL series.
He was in the first step when he got fouled – doesn’t matter if Pierce decided to shoot after the contact or before – continuation rule lets him do that.
Sorry guys, but good call for the refs.
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on May 18, 2010 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions
No, that's not the same call.
There was no time left on the clock. Jameer was obviously going up for a shot since, y’know, the buzzer was about to go off. Pierce was NOT going to go up for a shot in the middle of a quarter while on the run towards the sideline with only a guy almost a foot shorter than him in front of him on transition. The only reason he was able to make that play was Jameer fouled him when the ball was close to his hands, so he could pick it up and make the refs look like fools. There was no intent on Pierce’s side to shoot the ball until after Jameer fouled him.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
...and there didn't have to be!
Continuation lets him do that if he gets fouled on the first step going forward. I actually like the call – hate those intentional fouls in the open court. Shame this time it went against our team, but that just shows you how smart a player Pierce really is – that was a split second decision…
and if the refs didn’t call a foul he would make an a** of himself…
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on May 18, 2010 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
He had not gathered the ball prior to the foul. It should not have been a shooting foul.
Look at it this way: had that shot gone in, should it have counted? No, because he attempted it well after the initial contact was made (and whistled).
by Evan Dunlap on May 18, 2010 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
What Ben said.
There was a foul, but Jameer intentionally fouled him well away from the rim to avoid having a shooting foul. It was a smart play on his part. But it was a bogus play on Pierce’s part. He had absolutely no intention of shooting the ball until AFTER he was fouled. Shooting fouls are supposed to occur when a player has already gathered the ball with the intention of shooting, then get fouled.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
There is no continuation rule
Find it in the rulebook for me, please. I’ll even help you out by giving you the link to the rulebook. The relevant section here is Rule 12.B.I, Penalty 4:
two/three free throw attempts if the personal foul is on the defender and the offensive player is in the act of shooting an unsuccessful field goal.
Pierce was not in the act of shooting; therefore it was not a shooting foul.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Huh? Then I'd shoot to the basket at every single foul and expect to shoot free throws
This pathetic theatre of flopping has to stop somewhere, because it appears that people try to encourage it.
It wasn't a flop... and you should try doing that! :)
It’s just a split second when you have the actual continuation – so you would have to start your 1-2 step every time someone fouled you.
It is probably the same with pump-fakes and weird ball-tosses-toward-basket-that-never-stood-a-chance-of-going-in. The defender needs to be smarter than that.
what infuriates me much more is another call the refs have a tendecy to like – they give freethrows on continuation when the guy was actually in the air but going for a pass not a shot. He wasn’t even looking towards the basket (Kobe is a great example of that one)…
Feed the cutter!!!
by Piotr Szczesniak on May 18, 2010 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
We can do a sign-and-trade with Cleveland, Dwight for LeBron.
Then everyone will be happy.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
You can go away with Dwight when he gets traded for LeBron.
Otis wouldn’t think twice.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Blasphemy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, you do a great bulls (or whatever you king decides) fan next year.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Oh yeah, that was me, the biggest Cavs fan on the block all year.
I’m still so depressed that the Cavs lost to Boston so LeBron couldn’t average a 45-13-15 against the Magic. I was just salivating at the thought of LeBron torching my favorite sports team that doesn’t include Basketball Allah.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Watch out when you put Allah in a phrase, you might piss the wrong people off.
And they take blasphemy more seriously than me.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
I should've just said Moses then.
Or maybe Aqua Man. I dunno.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
blasphemer
You’d sell your soul for a penny. Get the f(*(( out of here and rent a trailer in Ohio. Schmuck.
Yours is the most disgusting, eye-gouging post I have ever read on a Magic-related blog.
I’m gonna be sick…
Hilarious.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Agreed with Ben
that Dwight needs to be on the move. Perk really leans on Dwight when he picks up his dribble and it forces him out of his comfort zone. We may not have the advantage on offense with Dwight in this series, but he has to make his mark on defense. Boston kept him off the boards too much and they scored WAY too many pts in the paint. And I know he had 5 blocks, but I felt like he could alter a lot more.
But the 4th qtr is something the Magic can take to the next game. Tough loss, but this will be a long series.
"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
This just in: Rasheed Wallace is a Hall of Famer. (according to celticsblog)
Eh?
Interesting to see that folks here don’t think Rasheed Wallace will get into the Hall of Fame..Let’s See:
One Championship ring with Detroit in 2004-05 —knocking off the Lakers.
Numerous trips to the Conference Finals as a Piston – like 6 years in a Row?
One of the best defensive (And Offensive) PFs over the last 10 years? Can play Center as well?
IMO, Rasheed Wallace will Ice a Hall of Fame Induction – If he can help bring the Celtics to the Promised Land of Banner 18 this Year.
That will make Two Rings for him.
The Techs matter – but do they really? He is really Not a bad guy – he has a soft spot for youth, and has already participated in sveral events for youth since he has been in Boston.
Sheed’s only issue IMO is that he just hasn’t endeared himself to some fans over the years. But his teammates loved him.
Do I wish that he put out more in the regular season for us? Sure. I can say that he was big in a few games for us – The Christmas Game…the Spurs game in San Antonio…and he absolutely torched Chris Bosh for like 29 pts in the win in Toronto.
In a Nutshell – Danny did a smart thing in getting him. We are now starting to finally reap the benefits of it.
Get us a Ring this year, Sheed – and HOF for sure, IMO.
GameTime!
This now means that they now have FIVE future hall of famers (also according to celticsblog). Rondo and now Wallace. WE’RE DOOMED!!!!
I can't wait to hear his speach ! It's gonna be a classic !!
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
“Both teams played hard.”
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
Hahaha Win
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
Orlando will beat Boston
And I’m sick at the posters who called for Howard to be traded for LeBron. I wouldn’t even want LeBron WITH Howard. Let the ego go to NYC. That’s where egos belong, there and Hollywood, like Shaq. This team, this city is all about Howard. He’s not a runaway ego, he’s a legitimate center in a league where few exist. We have something special here.
I would rather lose every year with Howard than win a single year with Lebron James.
(However, if we do sign James in the off-season, I reserve the right to change my mind and become a complete hypocrite*) :D
There was only one poster, and that was me.
Also, sarcasm, he’s a good friend of mine. I will arrange an introduction for the two of you.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
honestly, i would win a title with anyone if it meant the magic winning a title…that includes you vujabitch,
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
The Internet...
Where people overreacting wildly and comically to things taken completely out of context happens.
I love LeBron. No really, I love Jameer.
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