ESPN Poll Shows that Joe Bagodonuts Not Impressed with the Orlando Magic So Far
by Evan Dunlap on May 6, 2010 2:15 AM EDT
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I stand by what I wrote last week about the Orlando Magic and disrespect: sure, some analysts don't like them, but the ones who are paying attention certainly do. And everyone in the NBA, I believe, recognizes that they're a legitimate championship contender. But I think we're beginning to see the impact of the higher-profile talking heads whose opinion of the Magic isn't too high. Take, for instance, the respondents to this ESPN poll question:
What's more true of the Magic's 43-pont win over the Hawks in Game 1?
The choices are, "Magic were that impressive" and "Hawks were that embarrassing."
The results, to date?
64% say the Hawks were just that awful.
I write this post not to complain, but to merely point out that a majority of NBA fans deny the Magic agency when they win. Yes, the Hawks played poorly. But it's not as though the Magic had nothing to do with that, is there?
This pattern isn't new. When the Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the consensus was that the Cavs blew that series, and not that Orlando took it from them. And, in the previous round, when they rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics, which included a blowout win on the Celtics' home floor? They only managed that because Boston's Kevin Garnett missed the entire series due to injury.
I'm curious as to how that poll would play out if the Cavaliers were the team that dominated by 43 points, instead of the Magic.
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Like I said, the blogosphere respects the Magic.
The mainstream public? Eh … not so much.
I write for Magic Basketball and have a Twitter account.
That's just because you come from a small market
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
Small Market?
I’m not so sure that term carries the weight that people make it out to be. In this age of internet access to virtually anything, the term “small market” seems to become less and less credible. People are seeking to become more informed about their team and thier opponents, especially when the stat-heads at ESPN are throwing statistics around with acronyms like PER and EFF. My point is, I don’t think that we can use the “small market” term to describe why the mainstream media sees a team that went to the Finals last year and are one of the favorites to contend this year. You can’t blame the public for not liking the Magic instead of the LeBrons or the Lakers. If Lebron were on the Bucks, I’m fairly positive that the Milwaukee would be garnering just as much attention. Sure, NY, Boston and LA are obviously bigger markets, but they have always been that way. People like those teams because they have a long history, and thier parents liked them before, and their parents before them, and so on. The Magic have been around for, what, 21 years or so? The other teams have history on their side. Trust me, I moved to Nashville in 2007 after living in Orlando for most of my life, and there is no shortage of love for my Orlando Magic here. I’m just saying that I don’t believe the “small market” term applies to Orlando like it used to.
You like Dags?
Put it this way
If you trade Howard for Lebron, they’ll like you more.
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
keep your blasphemous ways out of here
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
I didn't say you should
Just said Lebron is more marketable. You guys are touchy.
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
It's true.
When I explain to my friends and family why the Magic are succeeding they get it, but the Mainstream/casual fan doesn’t.
People say Orlando doesn’t have a legit star. They argue Orlando swept Charlotte without D12 logging major minutes. In actuality it proves how deep Orlando is, Orlando doesn’t depend one player to carry the team. Can Dwight carry the team? Yes. Does he have to every night for us to win? No.
Before the playoffs started Orlando had a tough road- A gritty, well coached Bobcat team. An ultra athletic, young Hawk’s team (3 seed). Now everyone is saying we have an easy road and will not be tested until the ECF.
Doubter’s only fuel our fire.
FEED THE BEAST!!!
Twitter Account
I believe the term that's being used most commonly nowadays is "haters"
I'm also a dude!
"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, and wear Reebok." - Shaq
Not surprising by a longshot.
For some reason, Dwight Howard isn’t a game changing superstar. Just a tall cuddly teddy bear with big muscles. He also gets butt hurt because the referee’s dont blow fouls that Dwight should know better than to pick up. But I suppose this is besides the point.
if it was somebody important, or somebody that knew basketball, than I’d consider it a slight. But most casual fans know little about basketball, and the general assumption is that the blowout was more about what the Hawks didn’t do. I don’t care what people think, but Orlando blew Atlanta out of the water after the 1st qtr. Orlando has another gear most casual observers miss (especially the observers rooting for a Cleveland-LA Finals that Orlando so badly screwed up for the general fan). Atlanta wasn’t 46 points deficit bad, but Orlando blew them out and it was mostly cuz Orlando is that good.
On the other hand, though, I don’t think having healthy competition is going to hurt the Magic heading into whomever they face in the ECF either.
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.....
Dwight Howard is not a game changing superstar?
Really? Dwight Howard is the reason our defense works and that we had the best point-differential in the league! We have one of the best defensive units in this league because of Dwight Howard. Ben and Eddy have both wrote about this extensively multiple times. He may not be the force Duncan or Shaq was on offense, but I’ll be damned if he isn’t better than either on defense. He cleans up so many mistakes by altering so many shots. There is not a superstar in this league that does what he does. I looked at the All-Defense team this year and it’s ridiculous. Allow me a short rant: Dwayne Wade didn’t make the 1st team, but Lebron did. Yet, Dwayne Wade had more total blocks (82) and steals (142) than Lebron (B-77, S-125). Also, take into account that Lebron played more minutes (2,965) vs. D-Wade (2,792). Kobe made the 1st team, but he averaged less than either. Lebron defense consists of chasing down blocks, he’s got good footwork and is a good help defender, but he’s not a great 1-on-1, a la Battier. My point is this: Lebron and Wade are certified game-changing superstars, right? But, they absolutely cannot do what Dwight does on the defensive end. The reason I chose wing players to compare is because there isn’t a superstar big that compares to Dwight right now. Nobody in this league, with the exception of maybe Andrew Bogut to a lesser degree after the All-Star break and before his injury, does what Dwight does, and he STILL can average 18-20 points per game. Dwight is an undeniable game changing superstar no matter how anyone tries to spin it.
You like Dags?
by Derrty on May 6, 2010 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think pookeyguru was joking
For some reason, Dwight Howard isn’t a game changing superstar. Just a tall cuddly teddy bear with big muscles.
…right?
I'm also a dude!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nun5FZTZqis
Yes it was a joke.
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.....
I wouldnt make much of that poll however...
In fairness, the Hawks really are that awful. To lose by 43 says more about your team. Because the Hawks were one of the top teams in the East yet both years they struggled in the first round and have internal issues.
The Magic took advantage, which is what great elite teams do. But I think that poll is fair, you can push it slightly to the Hawks being terrible.
"To my Hustlers, heres some motivation: He who has begun is half done, why you waiting?"-NaS
Certified Kristin Kreuk obsessive.
The thing is, the Hawks were the third-best team in the East. If they’re that bad, everybody else below them is worse – including Boston (who, uh, beat the Cavs by 18 last time they played). It takes some sort of extreme mental jiujitsu to come up with a way of saying Atlanta’s bad that doesn’t logically lead to everybody else in the East except Orlando also being bad.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
This is just a slap in the face.
I hate people. They have no respect. The Hawks aren’t that embarrassing, they’re the #3 seed for goodness sakes! All I’m gonna say is that they’re reading ESPN, enough said.
I'm a girl too.
Haters gonna hate.
ATL isn't as good as Boston
But they are NOT 43 points worse than Boston.
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
Let them call the magic a fluke team..
.. that won 3 championships in a row. :P
I see the disrespect, but I don't mind that poll
When you see a team get down that early, you always expect them to make a run. I do anyway, and the Hawks just laid down. I think the opinion of the Hawks is in the trash now, because of their last series. So no matter how madly we beat them it going to be, “Well, let’s see what they can do against a REAL team.”
Yeah, everybody is like
“Hey, if the Hawks struggled against the Bucks, they kinda suck don’t they?”
You guys might be the best team in the league
True, the Bucks were underrated, but still ATL is really not that good. You should sweep them. But then again Cleveland shouldn’t have lost game 1 to Boston… That’s sports for ya.
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
Smith's just kowtowing to Jameer
Honor is no substitute for victory.
as well he should!!!!!!
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on May 6, 2010 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Who cares what Joe Bagodonuts thinks anyway.
Magic played great basketball compared to zero mouvement by the Hawks and it’s clear that they have to go all the way to earn some respect. I’m sure that if this game was the other way around everyone would praise the Hawk’s young talent and athletism. Just like Pookey, I really hope they’ll make this series a little more competitive cause Magic don’t want the games to be less intense than practice this time of year.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
I doubt that the poll is truly indicative of what most people are thinking anyway
It’s not as black and white as “Either the Magic are great or the Hawks suck,” as the poll questions would have you believe. In reality, it’s a combination of the two: yeah, we played really well, but the Hawks also played really poorly. If we had played at the same level and the Hawks hadn’t been so bad, that would only have been a 15- or 20-point win.
It’s the fault of ESPN for not including a third option that reflects this combination. I have no doubt that this would be the most popular choice.
So I don’t read into this too much as “people disrespect the Magic.” They just had to pick one team or the other that played more ‘out of character’ and they rightfully chose the Hawks… I probably would have picked that same option to be perfectly honest.
I'm also a dude!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nun5FZTZqis
by madhjsp on May 6, 2010 7:49 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Yeah they sucked on both ends of the floor
Defensively, the Magic did a great job, but offensively the Hawks made life though on themselves as well, choosing iso plays again and again.
Yeah, totally
It was even painful to watch at times… just bad decision upon bad decision. My middle school team played with more discipline
I'm also a dude!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nun5FZTZqis
I bet these guys are a bit more disciplined
Did I just say “guys”? I meant… nah… nevermind :D
by Raptorel on May 6, 2010 8:36 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
hahahahhahahahah
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
by ben_gleicher on May 6, 2010 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't care what the public thinks...
I just hope the Magic can prove them all wrong.
Go Magic/Bucs/Gators/Rays!
Respect WILL be earned...
It might even take more than one Championship; but IT WILL BE WON!
These polls are sooo biased; made to get a specific result, and it shows. There is NO LEEWAY for nuance here; it’s all black and white. The TRUTH is that… yes, Atlanta was awful, but the Magic ARE 20+ points BETTER on ANY given night.
Let THEM say what they will… the TRUTH will win out!
By the way… I want to say how PROUD I am of this blog, and the QUALITY of discourse it contains…
A lot has to do with Ben and Eddy (when he was here…). They had ZERO tolerance for the type of nasty, vulgar and personal attacks seen in Yahoo and other more “popular” blogs.
NOTHIN’ but positive, respectful, objective analysis here; truly HIGH CLASS!
Congrats!!!
Really has little to do with respect
You are from a small market, with no flashy (Lebron, Kobe like) superstars. You’ll always get overshadowed because of this. Doesn’t mean you won’t win a Championship.
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
Orlando is the 19th largest market in the US. Among NBA teams, the ones from smaller markets include:
Sacramento
Portland
Charlotte
Indianapolis
Salt Lake City
Milwaukee
San Antonio
Oklahoma City
Memphis
New Orleans
Of those above us, Denver’s #18, Cleveland’s #17, and the Twin Cities are #16. If we’re a small market, than so is 90% of the rest of the NBA.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
There's only 30 teams, that's 60%
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
i think...
the magic have to “sweep” all the way to the ’ship trophy to get some respect LOL
Q: Jj redick, what does it mean that u lead the team in scoring in the 4th quarter? JJ's answer: "we blow out a lot of teams"
43 points... Are you serious?
I’ll give you guys some respect now… You are the team to beat bar none! Cleveland’s your best competition and they’re struggling with just the first 2 rounds. You could very likely win 8+ straight playoff games. That’s impressive!
I’d like to think the Bobcats sling shot you into this round. Meaning, you got use to banging against potentially the best defense in the league. Now all the sudden scoring is that much easier… hence the 114 friggin pts. Now let’s see if you can keep it up.
I think you will. Good luck!
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
we just took it easy on you guys since you were playoff virgins.
"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 6, 2010 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Ha! Well that explains Howard spending so much time chilling on the bench ;)
Great minds talk about ideas, small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt
touche :P
but i think you’re right about the 1st round. right now charlotte is looking pretty darn good in comparison with the hawks. they definitely had a much better game plan, for that i credit the coach.
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i'd like to see poll results from people who watched the game.
i challenge anyone to watch the 2nd & 3rd quarter and tell me the magic weren’t that good.
No way
The HAwks were that bad. The Magic played great basketball, but the offense is much easier when you are in transition after almost every shot the opponent takes cause they are missing them all. The Hawks hung up their sneaks in the third quarter, the Magic played fantastic, but the Hawks laid down and took it. They had no intention of fighting to the basket to get a foul and get the lid off the basket, as they had already given up. The Magic deserve credit for making it difficult, but in no way should anyone get all blown up about destroying the Hawks. Might I remind you all that we had a tough road to the ECF’s last year while the Cavs took this sort of joyride and then when we met them we took it to them as we were tougher down the stretch. Let’s not get the cart ahead of the horse, we have another tough series ahead of this one and there are still plenty of kinks to work out. Carter didn’t shoot well until after the Hawks gave up, meaning when we still actually needed him to score, he shot horribly. He needs to fine tune his game along with Barnes so that we have the total package “if” we make it to the next two rounds.
First of all...ESPN...
Why is that my subject to every Magic get no respect thread? I don’t know, cause its ESPN.
Anyways, I’ve asked friends of mine that are knowledgeable basketball fans who dont believe in the Magic: why are the Cavs so good then? None of them can give me a legit answer beyond LeBron. Its funny, they all have some bs about why the Cavs are good and the Magic just can’t cut it. I guess that’s the cards we drew with the fans across the nation. The only way we can somewhat limit the disrespect is by winning the damn thing. And I’m pretty sure the players on the Magic are 100% aware of that.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
It's really not that big a deal
I don’t recall the Spurs getting much play during their championship years either. In fact, most of the time we just heard about how boring their team is.
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
We’re actually more attractive and marketable as a team. We have a lot of popular players and fans generally tend to like us. They like our coach, they like our style of play, we’re in a somewhat attractive market (Florida)… The media just harps on Cleveland and LA all day long so we don’t hear about the fact people like us. The Spurs were a very boring and unmarketable dynasty…we are far from that. My grip is if the NBA and media (in particular ESPN) actually marketed us a little more you’d see we’d become a very popular team. Back in the Shaq and Penny days you could go to France and find only Magic, Lakers, and Bulls memorabilia. So if we can win a few, we’ll definitely become a fan favorite….the media just needs to get over Cavs vs. Lakers cause it ain’t going to happen.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
I understand the intent of this post and all
But honestly, when a team loses by 43 points in the playoffs, I believe that has a lot more to do with that team’s failings then it does with the team they were facing. It’s not disrespect to the Magic, it’s acknowledging the fact that they had a terrible terrible TERRIBLE game, and even if the Magic were partially responsible for it it was an amazing display of embarrassing basketball.
I have no problem with the poll, even as a Magic fan.
Yeah, in an either-or situation, I would've made the same choice.
Not that the Magic didn’t have a great game, but they didn’t have such a great game that they forced the Hawks to lose by 43. The Hawks were WAY off their game on Tuesday. I think the Magic are a better team than the Hawks, I think they match up well against the Hawks, and I wasn’t expecting this series to be close. But 43 points is just implausible… there’s no way the Magic could do that against a team that was running properly.
Jameer Nelson is Jimmy Olsen.
Yeah, I'm not sure why some people are getting up in a lather over this
This isn’t even a ‘Magic are disrespected’ scenario. I’m just worrying that when there is an article that says something to the effect ‘Lebron is better than Dwight,’ people are going to be in an uproar about how the Dwight is being “disrespected.”
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
this is crazy
Not only last we beat the Celtics, not just any Celtics the World Champions. So they didn’t have KG, but we didn’t have Jameer Nelson, it works both ways, and then we beat the Cavs, in six games. We are gonna win this year. 2010 NBA Champions.
Orlando Magic NBA Champions 2010
Bah, frankly the disrespect line is getting annoying from some of my fellow Magic fans
being underrated is overrated. I don’t have the exact photo with me, but let me just say: Haters Gonna Hate
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