Atlanta Hawks 88, Orlando Magic 84
by Evan Dunlap on Apr 23, 2011 2:40 AM EDT
in 2010/2011 Recaps
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PrintThe Orlando Magic battled back from an early 14-point deficit against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, but couldn't stop Atlanta down the stretch, losing Game Three of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series, 88-84, and falling into a 2-1 hole against the lower-seeded Hawks. Jamal Crawford scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, including the clinching basket with 5.7 seconds remaining: a deep, straightaway three-pointer, off-the-dribble, over a hard contest by Jameer Nelson.
He banked it in.
Though Magic players not named Dwight Howard showed some life offensively for the first time in this series, they had no answer for Crawford or Joe Johnson defensively. To be fair, there's nothing more Nelson could have done against Crawford on the winning basket, and we can fairly classify virtually all his field-goal attempts as "poor," but Crawford's made a career out of making difficult shots like that one.
| Team | Pace | Efficiency | eFG% | FT Rate | OReb% | TO Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic | 82 | 102.4 | 47.9% | 19.2 | 26.3 | 11.4 |
| Hawks | 82 | 107.3 | 45.7% | 17.3 | 24.5 | 9.8 |
| 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 Hawks built a 14-point lead in the second period, mostly with Howard on the bench, and the Magic never really recovered. An outstanding defensive third period bought them to within four points, and a top-of-the-circle jumper from Brandon Bass gave them a one-point lead with a minute remaining. On Atlanta's next possession, the Hawks leveraged the Magic's defense against itself. Stationing Al Horford on the weak side, the Hawks fed Johnson the ball in the right short-corner, anticipating the help-defense attention he'd draw. The ball swung to Horford just inside the arc, and he drilled the shot--with no Orlando player anywhere near him, due to the over-rotating--to give Atlanta the lead for good.
With 46 seconds remaining, the Magic had possession, trailed by one, and had a decent chance to get a good shot up in a two-for-one situation. They failed to execute. Hedo Turkoglu ran a high screen-and-roll with Dwight Howard, the Magic's go-to play when they absolutely need to score. Turkoglu drove to his right toward the baseline, tiptoed along it, and continued dribbling toward the corner; he completely missed Howard, who dove to the rim and could have had a dunk.
The Magic's possession ended when, confronted with Horford's chest-to-chest defense and after using his dribble, Turkoglu uncorked a wild three-pointer with eight seconds remaining on the shot clock.
The first question coach Stan Van Gundy faced in his postgame press conference concerned that shot. Before OrlandoMagic.com's John Denton could finish, Van Gundy cut him off. "Horrible shot," he said. The coach is absolutely right.
Despite more fluke shooting from Crawford, the Hawks played good-to-great offensively in every quarter except the third. Johnson jacked his fair share of long twos after going one-on-one, sure, but he also made a more concerted effort to drive the ball into Orlando's defense. I "into Orlando's defense" instead of "to the basket" because he tossed in at least four floaters, and not any layups that I can remember, thus mitigating Howard's shot-blocking presence.
Further, the team had great energy, particularly in the first half. They were quicker to loose balls and seemed to have a step or two on Orlando.
Finally, the Hawks managed to guard Howard competently even with defensive specialist Jason Collins on the bench. Indeed, former Magic center Zaza Pachulia gave Howard almost all he could handle in the low post, forcing Howard to work exceptionally hard for each field goal attempt. And he managed to do it without sending Howard to the foul line too often.
And Pachuia may have swung the balance of the series more during an altercation with Richardson in the fourth period. Pachulia took an elbow from Howard--I couldn't tell if it was intentional or not, but it's worth noting Howard was not facing Pachulia when it happened--after fouling him hard under the basket. Pachulia shouted in frustration, Richardson apparently took exception to what was said, and the two shoved each other before their teammates stepped in. Richardson used his left hand to shove Pachulia in the face, which is sure to result in at least a one-game suspension. You may recall Quentin Richardson received a two-game suspension for a similar exchange with Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson late in the regular season.
Jason Richardson and Pachulia are guaranteed to miss Game 4 on Sunday, though the league has yet to announce an official punishment. Howard's status is less clear. He earned a one-game suspension during the 2009 Playoffs for throwing an elbow at Samuel Dalembert, though in that instance he clearly intended to harm the Philadelphia 76ers center.
So the Magic pay the price for Richardson's outburst in the short term, but the long-term effects off this loss, and this series, are far more serious. It isn't hard to envision the team undergoing drastic change over the summer if it fails to advance past Atlanta.
Without homecourt advantage, can the Magic take three out of four games from this Hawks team which has proven it can defend them better than most teams? Can they at least tie the series without their starting shooting guard? What happens if they don't?
Nobody knows, but it's hard to feel completely optimistic about their chances.
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I might get flamed for this but,
Hedo is pure garbage.and you guys down Arenas. Man i think Arenas can go out and do better then Hedo. At least put him at SG and get into rhythm. The was not all to great by hedo. when he was on the bench i kept hoping stan wouldn’t put him in. Q was doing better then him. hedo sucks now and we have him for another 2 yrs(i believe). he is no longer the guy we thought he was. sure his play-making skills are there but his shooting not so much. no he basically cost us the game with that poor excuse for a shot . i can’t denie that lucky 3 by Crawford. but our shooting is sucking. are we really better the team we had 1 and 2 yrs ago. no i would have rather kept air france then get hedo back. he is a shell of his former self from 2009. he isn’t the same person.anymore. what i don’t get is anderson, j.j,j-rich, hedo, are all shooting poorly and u guys are defending them. but arenas and clark are black holes on the court. lol. look like i said before that if the magic don’t getting their shooting rhythm this game it was gonna pose a problem for us. and look what happen. we lost. doesn’t matter what u guys say a lost is a lost. next game will tell if we going on or going home and maybe the tale of howard leaving or staying. with this roster i don’t think so. and i’m getting very worried about the next game. what will we do. 3rd best Defense in the league huh. doesn’t seem like it.
Arenas isn't a SG
He can’t defend anyone and he can’t score and he needs the ball in his hands to be comfortable.
He’s basically the exact opposite guy of the guy you think he is.
Both Hedo and Arenas are contracted to Orlando for another three years.
And the defense isn’t the problem. Only in game 1 have Atlanta played well offensively and even then they were just hot, they weren’t getting especially good looks.
by eltharion_doa on Apr 23, 2011 7:13 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Defense isn't the problem??
You kidding me? Defense has always been our problem aside from DH!
by REP96st on Apr 23, 2011 11:04 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
3rd in defensive efficiency this year...
In each of the three games, ATL has made ridiculous shots from the perimeter. THESE ARE SHOTS YOU WANT GUYS TO TAKE. Let me repeat that for you: THESE ARE SHOTS YOU WANT GUYS TO TAKE. If Jamal Crawford is going to hit 30-foot bank shots or get 4-point plays, or if Josh Smith is going to bury 22 footers, or if Joe Johnson is going to hit fadeaway jumpers with a hand in his face… Well, you did your job in forcing them to take low-percentage shots.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
by slickw143 on Apr 23, 2011 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
No, they haven't
They’ve shot poorly apart from game 1. Orlando is just shooting worse.
by eltharion_doa on Apr 24, 2011 2:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Let me give you an example
If you take 100 shots and one of them bounces off the rim 5 times, hits the top of the backboard and then falls in, you are not “shooting well”. You are shooting astonishingly badly and got lucky once.
The Atlanta Hawks are doing that, only they’re slightly better than you are in this example. They are shooting 43% for the series, and that includes their 51% explosion in game one.
We are watching the same games. You’re remembering the 1 fluke shot they got out of every 20. I’m remembering the 13 times they missed.
by eltharion_doa on Apr 24, 2011 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Turk is shooting like he always has.
Look up the 09 playoffs. He shot horrendously on most nights. Infact, He has made more fg’s the first 3 games of this series then he did in the first 3 of the 09 philly series. I will say he did find a way to get to the FT line a bit more though. He’s the same old Turk, shoots us out of the game, but so far just no 4th qtr heroics.
He had 4th quarter heroics in game 2
Not a big 3 or anything, but assist to JRich and key (impossible) layup.
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
I guess ATL is the expeption that proves the rule on long Js.
Seems like every game is the one that is going to “wake the team up” but they keep missing the call. At least we only had 9 TOs. The stats of the two teams are quite balanced exept for the three ball. What the hell was J-Rich thinking ? That Dwight reaIly needed someone to defend him ? It was actually funny how Dwight was pushing him off. I hope E.D. will put up a hotline for psychological help if we do lose this series.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
No, Atlanta are proving the rule
Apart from game 1 they’re shooting poorly. Orlando are simply shooting worse.
by eltharion_doa on Apr 23, 2011 7:14 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
yes but they keep hitting every freaking bad shot.
I bet that even Hedo would score well if he was playing for them.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
If you take 10 bad shots
The law of NBA averages dictates you will hit 4.
The problem is that the Magic are only hitting 3.
by eltharion_doa on Apr 23, 2011 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Another low blow...
Nothing to say about the final shot… Nelson did what he could.
Atlanta finally figured how to contain Howard. He’s human after all.
But… here’s the thing: Our teamates let them. And Otis let him down… asuming he could do it all by himself! They let them with their half-hearted efforts and poor, poor attitude. And I’m talking about Arenas, Hedo and J. Rich, who told the press “I don’t think I’m going to have a good series offensively”. He had the audacity to say this OUT LOUD! Even Stan took issue with it! There are things that you just keep to yourself… IF/WHEN you “feel” this way…
Yes… I too join the chorus: The Magic are indeed “missing the wake-up call”. If we don’t win the next TWO… season’s OVER. That is the only way the Magic can repeat the 2009 come-from-behind series victory against Philadelphia; IF we are THAT good.
As for the future of this Team… I’ll reserve my evaluation ’till the End.
who told the press they were going to have a bad series offensively?
by jadedeed2327 on Apr 23, 2011 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
please provide the source on that one
"Evan!
Unban me from the OPP!"...........David Polega
by AB's triple double on Apr 23, 2011 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Great second half defensively by the Magic
…holding the Hawks to 37 points on 11 of 39 shooting from the field (28.2%), including 2 of 7 on three pointers, but the Hawks did well at the FT line, shooting 13 of 15 there in the second half, while the Magic were just 4 of 6 from the FT line during that time.
For the series now, the Hawks are outshooting the Magic 44.1% to 40.7% from the field, including a stunning 39.6% to 26% from the three point line; compare that to the regular season averages of 46.2% from the field and 36.7% on three pointers by the Magic and 35.2% on three pointers by the Hawks.
Magic players not named Dwight Howard are shooting a combined 59 of 177 from the field (33.3%), with such key players as Jason Richardson shooting 9 of 30 (30%), Hedo Turkoglu 9 of 36 (25%), Jameer Nelson 19 of 50 (38%), Brandon Bass 7 of 18 (38.9%), Ryan Anderson 3 of 11 (27.3%) and J.J. Redick 6 of 20 (30%).
One encouraging sign in Game 4 was Quentin Richardson’s 9 points on 3 of 3 three point shooting in 15 minutes off the bench. He could become a key factor, especially if J-Rich is suspended for a game.
Chicago Bears... 2010 NFC Conference runners-up
Chicago Blackhawks... 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions
Orlando Magic... 2009 Eastern Conference Champions
by Mike from Illinois on Apr 23, 2011 4:54 AM EDT reply actions
The shooting numbers over 3 games are just staggering for this team
Saw in Hollinger’s piece that overall teams are shooting the 3 better than they did in the regular season. Considering how bad the Magic are from downtown everyone else must be KILLING it.
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
Only 9 turnovers thats true
But there were key turnovers when we secured the rebound and then threw a bad pass to Jameer which in turn led to Crawford’s 4 point play was critical…couldve gone up 4-5 instead down 2 and then eventually 8 before they came back….they have to avoid turnovers at points like these and start the game better…its so hard to keep playing from behind the whole game takes so much effort to get back vs a good defense…I dont know….despite knowing it was possible I didnt expect us to be in this position…Now hopefully JJ will fill in for J-rich and Howard will have a biger advantage with Zaza out and Collins semi-fit
by rahido on Apr 23, 2011 5:00 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Not to mention the lousy shot selection near the end of the game.
I’m telling you, they are getting away from Howard on purpose.
by REP96st on Apr 23, 2011 11:07 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That turnover
not only led to the four point play but resulted to Jameer hoisting a bad three on the next possession. I suspect it was his intent to ‘make up’ for the previous failed possession
Orlando has a chance to win game 4
If Howard isn’t suspended. But they’ll have to play a great game of basketball and Howard will need help from the guys who haven’t stepped up so far this series. JJ and Anderson especially need to find their shots.
by eltharion_doa on Apr 23, 2011 7:16 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
the shooting is just terrible, most of the shots aren’t even close, just brick after brick.The offense was garbage before the trade it was garbage after the trade and its even worse in the post season, they look like five guys who have never played togather before every time they step on the floor. the energy level is high but ATL’s is higher. I just think its weird that the WHOLE team has shot this bad for so long.
oh man Vareajo is bleeding! SO WHAT! BLOOD CLENSES THE SOUL-JVG
Exactly
The shots aren’t just missing, they are BRICKS that clang off the side of the rim and stuff. It’s like a bunch of YMCA chuckers after not having played for a few years going out and throwing up shots. They can at least hit the rim, but man, not good.
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
i have no idea what happened to ryno
its rediculous, how do you go from ending the season playing the best basketball of your life at the end of the season to absolutely sucking, we should play earl clark, his defense is atleast better than andersons. game 4 is a MUST WIN. if we can win game 4 er eill br in good shape. also with horford guarding howard the last two possesions, how did he not get the ball??? absolutely rediculous.
Let's face it -
we will never win the big one without a point guard who can facilitate offence rather than just score himself – and when he doesn’t even produce the latter then we’re really toast!
Let's face it, When REP96st agrees with you- you are most definitely wrong
Aye, business is business and money is money i never said we were friends.
by 4QB on Apr 23, 2011 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Funny you say that...
After he has 10 assists to only 2 TO’s. He missed a lot of open shots he usually would make.
Jameer was our 2nd best player for the 3rd straight game. He can’t help it if people are missing open shots, or if the Hawks are going nuts with the luckiest shots they can take.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
by slickw143 on Apr 23, 2011 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
" There's nothing more Nelson could have done against Crawford on the winning basket"
And still, if you see the picture there is no hand in front of the ball, he didn’t have to change his shot trajectory. Nelson did his best, and still it was almost an uncontested shot. I wonder, when we need a stop like that, shouldn’t we play a taller defender who can at least have a chance to alter or block a shot?
I would give him that shot without even being close every time.
That was a lucky shot. As a defense, you typically can only force the other team into taking difficult shots. We did that, and they converted. The Hawks did that to us, and we did not convert. It’s that simple.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
by slickw143 on Apr 23, 2011 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was speaking generally, not just this game. It makes no sense to keep Jameer on court when you need to block a shot.
Like in that Lakers game…
Trying to block a Jamal Crawford jumper is more likely to get him on the FT line.
Case in point: All-time leader in four-point plays. Jameer is our best PG defender, and he did his job. That’s why he was on the floor.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
by slickw143 on Apr 23, 2011 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, and his 4 point play last night shows you why he leads that category
Like the other night, not even touched, but he has perfected flopping on the 3 point shot. It’s uncanny, really.
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
This is getting annoying.
The Magic get themselves mostly great shots and can’t sink any of them with some of the best shooters in the NBA. Meanwhile the Hawks catch these ridiculous breaks on terrible shots. At least they have been regressing in the past two games to shooting badly again unlike game 1.
I think Turk got on my nerves the most in this game. So many bad decisions and empty possessions that I think were the difference in the game.
And as for the fight, we could’ve come out ahead on that if J-Rich had kept his cool. The Pachulia headbutt would’ve gotten him suspended for a game and we would’ve been in good shape for game 4 by limiting the Hawks center rotation. Then again, if somebody headbutted me I probably would retaliate in the same way. He still shouldn’t have been in there jawing with him in the first place. And the Dwight elbow is such a love tap when a guy is coming down and doesn’t have full control of his body. If he gets suspended for that I have officially lost all hope for the NBA. Plus, look at Dwight’s face and demeanor when he gets to the floor. He’s totally calm and walking away. He’s not trying to start anything. Compare that to the malicious hard fouls Dwight incurs on a nightly basis with a sore shoulder. Guys are practically clothslining him and we have pictures to prove it.
Overall, this has been an extremely frustrating series. But we are a 43% – 45% shooting night away from blowing them out. So game 4 is pretty much the series and the season. Go Magic!
The intensity has to go up, up! Not down...UP! -Stan Van Gundy
He never tries to "start" anything or even make eye contact with any aggressor
That’s why J-Rich stepped in. Howard’s the biggest, strongest sissy in the league and all opposing players know it. That’s why non of them are scared of Dwight. And as for the Howard elbow, completely intentional. Dwight does that all the time. He gets hacked and throws his arms wildly with ever intent to connect on a retaliatory hit. Look, we love Dwight and defend him to a fault, but if you were an opposing center, you’d want to fight him because of how often his fist and elbow was in your face. But then if you tried to voice your displeasure with him like a man, he’d turn around and pretend to talk to a teammate just to avoid having to man up. If he had any guts, he’d at least silently give his aggressor a death stare that let him know to back off or get smashed. But instead of toughness all we get is a big ol’ dumb grin and an opposing center with no fear in his heart. Hell, even Kyle Korver out death stared a timid Dwight a few months back. Lessons from Alonzo Mourning are needed ASAP. Toughness classes.
WARNING: The highly debatable opinions of Matt B do not reflect the opinions of this website or (apparently) 99.9% of it's readers. Reading discretion is advised.
by Matty B on Apr 24, 2011 6:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The team needs to shave their beards
It’s like like their “good mojo” is being blocked out by the excessive facial hair.
I shaved my playoff beard today
didnt feel right to keep it with the way this team has been playing
Magic Fan since '92
by TittyBrewsky on Apr 23, 2011 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I've still got mine, but I hate it
I’ll shave it when there are no more games left – which may be sooner than I’d hoped. :/
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
I shaved my beard 2 days ago and it's removal worked magic for me.
Maybe if they had actually committed to it, it would have worked. But our superstar bailed on it right away and half the team has been trimming them. Lesson learned. Basketball players are sissy boys with weak face follicles.
WARNING: The highly debatable opinions of Matt B do not reflect the opinions of this website or (apparently) 99.9% of it's readers. Reading discretion is advised.
by Matty B on Apr 24, 2011 6:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
With the way the Magic offense is right now, the Pacers would be up 1-2 on us.
Seriously, offensively this series feels like the series of Brian Hill’s last year when we were swept by Detroit in the first round.
Guys just can’t buy a bucket, and ATL is getting EVERYTHING.
"the Magic also are a lot different than they were a year ago ... almost entirely for the worse." - John Hollinger
If Zaza and Richardson are out for game 4...
…then I’d say it wouldn’t it be a decent trade off. JJ has always stepped up when moved into the starting lineup, and it’s not like J-Rich has been “on fire” so far this post season. As Evan noted, Zaza played some pretty hard nosed defense against Howard. Take him out and you see Collins having to play more time at C if they don’t want Hortford getting destroyed inside. The Magic defense will only be helped by every second Collins is in the game.
Also…has anyone seen a retroactive tech given out like that in a game before, especially when they were watching the replay for a separate call? I can’t think of any, ever, much less in a close playoff game. I’d be really curious to see if that has EVER happen before, and if so what the situation was.
J-Rich should definitely miss a game for the face-push. Zaza should definitely miss a game for the two headbutts. Howard doesn’t deserve a suspension for the elbow, as he wasn’t facing Zaza nor had he even hit the ground. Flailing around a bit while coming down after a hard foul can’t possibly be considered intentional.
That said…I bet J-Rich gets suspended for two games, Howard gets suspended for one, and Zaza gets a fine without a suspension. That…and there will be big smiles all around Stern’s boardroom in the league offices.
by The BBQ Chicken Madness on Apr 23, 2011 11:11 AM EDT reply actions
i noticed the impost facto tech too.
my understanding of the replay rule is that if you check the replay under a certain precedent, then that is the only thing you can make a call on. in this case they went to the replay to see what happened between j rich and zaza. and they ruled double ejections. but then on top of that they made another ruling which didn’t seem to be the precedent under which they went to the replay and decided to give dwight a tech.
i remember an instance where they went to replay on a three point shot to see if the player’s toe was on the line. in the replay it was clear that he also had a foot out of bounds when he caught it (this maked me think it was pietrus that they were reviewing). because they went to the replay to check if it was a two or three, they weren’t allowed to make an out of bounds call to negate the shot.
so yeah… i dunno. to me it seems like dwight’s tech should be rescinded due to the fact that they didn’t go to replay to check if dwight fouled zaza, they were checking the j rich/zaza scuffle.
i wish this league was still cool
Nah' mean, nah'm sayin
Same thought on the tech
Utterly ridiculous and outside of what you are allowed to even use replays on. But of course, it is Dwight Howard, so the rules for techs are special for him.
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
It was arenas vs lakers, and not to mention zaza can throw his arms and argue about every call but if dwight did half of that he’d be suspended already, refs are f’n jokes
by tonyy on Apr 23, 2011 8:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Dwight is more notorious for the whining and arm waving...
… because he does it after every play. Even when he draws a foul he still whines for a couple seconds until it slowly sinks in that he got the call. It’s not Dwight’s actions themselves that draw techs, it’s the fact that those actions never stop. Chronic whining complex. I know that would annoy me if I was a ref. It’s all on Dwight.
WARNING: The highly debatable opinions of Matt B do not reflect the opinions of this website or (apparently) 99.9% of it's readers. Reading discretion is advised.
by Matty B on Apr 24, 2011 6:24 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It's funny how some here thought the Hawks will cool down, and the Magic would improve.
“HA.”
Let’s face it, our shooters suck. We Make stupid choices on shot selection. Passing sucks and even when they’re wide open they can’t hit.
We have the most dominant center in the game and surround him with knuckleheads. I tired of Nelsons gameplay, BEEN tired of Turk, Arenas is not healthy, so his blame falls on Otis’s hand. I know the series I’d far from
Over, but I can’t take another year of this offense, the coach, the GM, some of the players and the frustration, knowing we could be better than this.
by REP96st on Apr 23, 2011 11:17 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Does everything suck for you? Is it really hard to find optimism? Man, it seems like the world is ending.
Aye, business is business and money is money i never said we were friends.
Well we just need you to step in and handle all of the work.
Then we will definitely be better.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
by slickw143 on Apr 23, 2011 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It's one thing to be negative. I'm negative.
It’s quite another to be negative and so astoundingly wrong so astoundingly often.
by Evan Dunlap on Apr 23, 2011 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
rec
"...sometimes your eyes lie to you..." ~SVG | I'm on Twitter
by magicfaninTN on Apr 24, 2011 3:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Some really encouraging things....
Like getting very efficient production from JJ and Q-Rich off the bench, Stan opting to go with the big lineup with Hedo at the point, leaving Arenas on the bench the whole game (which, knowing arenas, we can now expect 0 effort if he ever does get into a game, after sitting out an entire playoff loss), still, the lineups were mostly good last night and after Atlanta beat them up in the 2nd quarter, the Magic really clamped down and started controlling the pace and continuing to force bad shots that didn’t fall.
This game boiled down to simply more bad shooting from the Magic, but the free throw disparity was a bit ridiculous. Some of the fouls called on Dwight against Zaza were truly insane, the offensive foul for gingerly moving into position around the foul line, for instance. I can barely recall an instance where Josh Smith got called for a foul on the aggressive help D while Zaza and the other ATL goons beat up on Dwight with limited calls last night. Yet J-Rich seemingly got one every time he popped in and jarred the ball loose, the way he did plenty of times without a foul in Game 2. The retroactive tech was mind-blowing, especially considering Dwight’s role in the altercation. A suspension would exhaust, as someone else said, the last ounce of good faith I’d have in the NBA.
All throughout the 4th I couldn’t help but hear, as Hedo got smacked on a breakaway while somehow finishing the basket without a call, “I see somebody whose team isn’t performing,” as jameer fell to the floor, lucky to finish a layup after being shoved, “who seems to be fraying,”…the words of David Stern echoing ominously over the game, gleaming off of Dick Bavetta’s bald head.
The Magic had plenty of chances to win this game, but the Donaghy cooking was stirred up all night. I still think Ryno has a good game or two in him, and that the Magic can win three of four, as they’re the superior team, but Hedo has to start shooting the 3 ball better…Dwight will have a better game in Game 4, count on that.
by gagne west on Apr 23, 2011 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I'm mostly referring to...
The stretch where Atlanta shot 13-of-15 over a period where Orlando was 4-of-6…someone posted that from the 2nd half or whatever it was, had to be late in the game. How about Zaza not getting a tech for all that chicken-wing complaining he did right to Dickie’s face? How many times has Dwight gotten a tech for as much as an eyebrow raise or a smile? And then when Zaza finally does get reprimanded for something, it’s not without another low blow to the Magic by assigning a retroactive technical to who else, Dwight. J-Rich losing his cool was dumb, really dumb, but I am not too mad about Q-Rich and JJ getting plenty of run in Game 4, and I’m glad to not have to see that punk Zaza for a night. I like JJ chasing Joe Johnson around and Q seems dialed in right now, giving us some good veteran shooting when we desperately need it.
by gagne west on Apr 23, 2011 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agree...
Was at the game and I couldn’t believe Zaza didn’t get a tech then… Howard would have received one for sure. :(
Still no idea on that one.
Heinrich had a couple that would have been called on Dwight, too.
The plural of "anecdote" isn't "data."
I kept coming back to this as well
“Turkoglu drove to his right toward the baseline, tiptoed along it, and continued dribbling toward the corner; he completely missed Howard, who dove to the rim and could have had a dunk.”
not could have, WOULD have. all hedo had to do was throw it up there, there’s no one in front of Dwight, in fact, there’s no one around dwight. it was automatic. in fact dwight would have had a dunk in the previous offensive possession also, luckily hedo found a wide open Bass, so that’s twice hedo missed dwight.
dammit.
Something is wrong with management...
when you have to play your C over 40 mins a game because there is no backup C. And when you have to play your forward as point guard while you have 24M per year invested in two PGs who are warming the bench. Not to mention when your shooting guards can’t shoot or guard.
by Leandro. on Apr 23, 2011 12:18 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
No backup center and Gil is a bust so far. Check. Anything new to report?
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love. - www.hitthepost.ca
water is wet
"Evan!
Unban me from the OPP!"...........David Polega
by AB's triple double on Apr 23, 2011 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Well.
Aside from Dwight ripping Ric Bucher a new one and q.rich waking up and our starting shooting guard having more than 2 assists I’m angry.
Don’t know what im more angry about. That we could have won the whole game or we had 20million sitting on the bench the whole game.
fireotis.com
What did D12 say to Bucher?
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love. - www.hitthepost.ca
"So where am I going?"
That’s the only quote I heard.
i read the second part of the quote was Dwight saying the largest market is anywhere outside the US and that these days it doesn’t matter where you play because you get the endorsements regardless. That last part is part is positive for Magic fans, he clearly understands that his marketing is not being hindered by playing in Orlando.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love. - www.hitthepost.ca
Hell of a way to lose a game.
Hedo, after playing so well in Game 2 (despite the poor shooting), reverted back to stupid in Game 3. At least he was still aggressive. If we win Game 4, then we’re still fine. But we really need to win the next game.
Dwight better not be suspended. If he’s suspended for that, after KG was not suspended for intentionally hitting a dude in the nuts… I don’t know what I’ll do.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
Should we have fouled in that situation?
I mean the Hawks only were up 1 point and we were only going to have 5 secs or less if we had gotten the rebound. Should we have fouled and tried for the last shot?
Another thing is for defensive purposes, Nelson should’ve maybe been benched. I’d rather have Q on Crawford for size. Should SVG have substituted a defensive lineup at the end?
All I know is we are better than what we’ve shown in games 1 and 3. Our energy and effort needs to be sky high in game 4. SVG has got to work out something to counter Crawford. Stop him, stop the Hawks. We seem to do ok with Hortford and Johnson.
Our perimeter players need to take the extra time and shoot jumpshot after jumpshot after practice and find a rhythm. I’m seriously wondering are they working on that? All in all don’t panic just yet. That’s why its a 7 game series. Have to adjust for the next game.
Live, Laugh, Love
I actually think they should've fouled as soon as they missed the shot.
Even if Crawford’s shot was off, we’d have to A.) secure the rebound and b.) run a play to score with less than 5 seconds left. Neither of those are guaranteed. Honestly, all ATL would have needed to do was tap the ball around a few times to make sure no one secured it, and it would have been game over.
"We just want to chill" - Chris Bosh.
Proud Jameer and Rashard apologist since '07
With a good defense
Stopped the clean shot is always a better idea. You can’t help the miraculous fluke.
by eltharion_doa on Apr 23, 2011 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Still I do believe we can take this series.
The Hawks suck. They have been lucky and we have been plain awful, and still they win by a lucky shot.
by Leandro. on Apr 23, 2011 1:43 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
turk isnt going to get u anywhere in playoffs, the guy is a shell of himself
by jadedeed2327 on Apr 23, 2011 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
We can still win.
We won a game with Howard playing great with little contribution from the others. Yesterday Howard was “just” good, and the others were still below average and we almost won. So if Howard continues dominating and the rest of the team play average basketball I think we will be fine. We just need players no name Dwight to shoot 45% from the floor and over 35% from 3s, and we win the next 3 games. Any game where we score 90 points against this Hawks will be likely a win.
you call that below playing below average?
Ryno who was playing some great B-ball before the last 4 games of the regular season is playing scary. bass hasn’t been that good. hedo outright sucks.j.j coming off a injury. j-rich can’t make a shoot, howard and meer are the only two who have realize the playoffs have started.
Zaza and JRich officially suspended for GM 4.
Bigger loss for the Hawks, imo. Thats 6 less fouls to use against Dwight.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love. - www.hitthepost.ca
It's truly sad that the consensus best asset from the trades is suspended, and no one even cares.
The Magic are truly playing a special kind of awful.
I’m not going to do a Tradewatch, because I’m just too sad about this team right now. And you all saw the game and saw where the bodies are buried. All the optimism is being wrung out of my body like a dish towel.
Otis Smith, what you've just done is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard of. At no point in your rambling, incoherent trades were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this blog is now dumber for having witnessed it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
by MoveThoseChains on Apr 23, 2011 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Don’t get me wrong, I seriously think JRich is a huge loss for the Magic. I just take huge issue to the goon ball the Hawks want to play against Dwight. They’re clearly obvious about it and STILL not one flagrant called against those guys. If NOLA was that open about a goon ball strategy against the Lakers and hacked Gasol and Bynum every time they touched the ball, I’m sure we’d be seeing a bunch of flagrants and tech being thrown around. Unfortunately for the Magic, the players have to take matters in their own hands. I’m glad JRich stepped up cause Zaza was in full goon mode last night.
"Where do you go from here, Dion?" "I go to Toronto."
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love. - www.hitthepost.ca
Honestly, if J-Rich was going to do something as dumb as...
Reach out and touch him, I wish he would’ve touched him with some knuckles.
They've been playing awful...
but still managed to be within striking distance last night, despite not executing a thing offensively. Atlanta wasn’t very efficient themselves, but they continued to thrive on the jump shooting and deep 3-point shooting heroics, hardly a trademark win for them but a win nonetheless. The bleak part is that Orlando will need to slug it out, now likely in seven games if they’re to win, while every other East team gets to sit at home after likely sweeps. With the egregious amount of rest between games, that might not be such a bad thing, as it’s not like the NCAA conference tournaments where it could be 5 games in 5 nights. It’s spread out well, so a focused approach could get the team mentally there while Chicago sits on its hands for a week waiting. Adversity can have positive effects, and I expect Dwight to go all-out in Game 4. Game 3 is a roadbump memory of a successful road trip if the Magic steal Game 4, winning one and stealing back control is the goal. For as bad as Orlando played and shot last night, to be within a point in the final minute showed a lot of positives.
"and I expect Dwight to go all-out in Game 4"
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Dwight has been going “all-out” in every single game. He’s not the problem. Everyone else is.
Otis Smith, what you've just done is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard of. At no point in your rambling, incoherent trades were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this blog is now dumber for having witnessed it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
by MoveThoseChains on Apr 23, 2011 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Right, but for him, the way this series has gone, 21 points is a low output
I expect him to have at least a double-digit amount more. What I meant to infer was that we’d establish him early and not go away from him the entire night. That has to happen, and I think it will happen, especially without Zaza in the game. I understand he’s “not the problem” but he still carries the team on his shoulders and should have had many more touches in Game 3.
The point remains, win Game 4 and the whole trip is a success, and Dwight dominating to the tune of 35+ points is a good place to start.
Agree. JRich wasn't doing much anyway. JJ/Q can't shoot or defend much worse than him in this series.
And even if they did, scoring 4 from 10 or 3 from 10, who cares? Is not that a big difference, and we are screwed either ways… lol. If the Hawks run out of big bodies, they are in deep deeep trouble. We can replace Jrich better than they can replace Pachulia.
This was by far
One of the most frustrating games I’ve ever seen. Definitely going to 7 games unless something drastic happens. Dwight and the magic are too good to get eliminated in the first round. :(
Are people really blaming Jameer for last night's L?
The way Jamal Crawford has been shooting, completely unconscious, he could have Penny Hardaway (in his prime) guarding him, instead of Jameer, and those shots would’ve gone in. Sometimes a guy gets hot, and no one can stop him, no matter if you are 6’00" or 6’08"
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
Caracas, Venezuela.
by North of the South on Apr 23, 2011 5:11 PM EDT reply actions
Haters gonna hate.
Arenas got a well-deserved DNP-CD, so we can’t blame him. J-Rich showed some “heart” or some BS like that by getting suspended, so he’s not going to get blamed. It’s already taken for granted that Turkoglu is going to be awful half the time, so it’d be too boring to blame him. So, Jameer’s next on the blame list.
Otis Smith, what you've just done is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard of. At no point in your rambling, incoherent trades were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this blog is now dumber for having witnessed it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
by MoveThoseChains on Apr 23, 2011 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Turk is bad half the time, or 75% of the time?
Orlando Magic. Oregon Ducks. Seattle Mariners. Jacksonville Jaguars.
You can't blame him for the Crawford shot.
At least I don’t think so. You have to tip your cap to that shot what can you do? His 5 for 17 shooting sticks out like a sore thumb in the box score though. As a few others have already said, he didn’t make the shots he usually makes.
Whatta bout them?
I never said he was solely the cause of the loss I just think his poor shooting was a big part of it. Turk shot like crap too but I just thought Nelson had the biggest effect on the outcome because he took the most shots of any player.
sad times
disappointing game, without a doubt. It’s gotta be incredibly disheartening for the Magic to watch awful shot after awful shot continuously go in. I’d be questioning the universe at that point.
We were down 1-2 to Philadelphia in ’09. We went all the way to the Finals that year.
The Hawks have pushed way better teams to all 7 games over the past couple of years. I still think we’ve got this. I really do. We ARE the better team and that will prove itself over the next few games. I’m sure of it.
*bites nails * I hope.
I'm a girl.
by TheGiantSquid on Apr 23, 2011 6:06 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
I hate to side with all the negativity
But I’m just sad watching this unfold. The team so obviously lacks any promise. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be rooting for at this point besides Dwight.
by CaliFlorida on Apr 23, 2011 7:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
i take some comfort in knowing that the spurs are also down 1-2 to a "worser" team
so.. game 4 lets prove something
I'm a guy
Not really anything to do with this game
But man it was nice to Brandon Roy bringing it back last night.
Yes. I only sawr the last four minutesbut that was a great ending. His teammates were also great.
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
I know man it was great
he was very emotional as i hope anyone would be. you could see he was overwhelmed with the opportunnity to play ball again and more than anything just wants to be on the court. GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
it wasnt only the game
it was after the game that was special
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