Orlando Magic 120, Philadelphia 76ers 106: The Morning After

Behind the Box Score, where Denver has a good one
Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie chimes in on the Orlando Magic's victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on opening night.

The spacing was so, so pure for Orlando tonight, and that was against a 76ers team that can often frustrate with its length (not necessarily changing shots, but making you think twice about that skip pass). 28 assists for Orlando, who managed a balanced effort that made everyone look good. Everyone.

Box-Score Watching
Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus takes a look at the final stat lines and offers his insight from every NBA game. Here's what he said about Orlando:

That headline probably didn't lead you directly to Ryan Anderson and Marreese Speights, but both players had big nights in the opener. The Magic scarcely missed Rashard Lewis in rolling up 70 points by halftime and taking a 31-point advantage to the final period. Anderson was a big reason why, scoring 16 points and knocking down four three-pointers in 25 minutes. As a team, Orlando scorched the nets with 16 triples in 29 attempts. Speights helped lead a short-lived Sixers comeback by scoring nine points in the first five and a half minutes of the fourth quarter, but his production was hardly all in garbage time. Speights finished with 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting, showing why he topped our list of top 10 "NBA prospects."

Williams Proves Worth in Magic Win
Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse talks about Jason Williams and his worth to the Magic.

When the Orlando Magic signed out-of-work Jason Williams this summer to a one-year, minimum wage contract, they made it sound like he was coming merely to be an insurance policy, giving them a past-his-prime, third point guard in case the bottom fell out on the other two.

He's obviously going to be more, a lot more for a real good team.

Orlando Magic: The Orlando Magic opened its regular season schedule with a 120-106 win over the Philadelphia 76ers
Brian Schmitz recaps Orlando's victory last night.

The official report will read that the Orlando Magic opened the season by trouncing the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

The Magic actually won this particular game this summer.

General Manager Otis Smith didn't break a sweat in the Magic's 120-106 victory at Amway Arena, but the moves he made this offseason showed up in the franchise's first meaningful game since they trudged off the floor as NBA Finals runner-ups.

This NBA season is about unfinished business for the Orlando Magic
Mike Bianchi states how the excitement has fully returned to the city.

Seriously, how exciting is this Magic season when even a 7-year-old little girl can't wait for the opening tip? Or when the Am is jam-packed with the most season-ticket holders in franchise history? Or when sports radio shows are talking more about the NBA than the World Series or Tim Tebow's red-zone problems?

Can you believe this town is actually revved up about basketball — in October?

"It's usually not until after the Super Bowl when people start getting into basketball," Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy observed.

Jason Williams plays well in the Orlando Magic victory over the Philadelphia 76ers
Josh Robbins also examines J-Will's play, yesterday.

Orlando Magic would love to win title for owner Rich DeVos
George Diaz comments on owner Rich DeVos and reveals how the Orlando Magic organization is trying to win a championship for him.

"As an owner he's done everything he's supposed to do, including opening up his pocketbook," Smith said. "Year after year after year he's done what you want your owner to do: Give you the resources to your business and then step out of the way and allow you to do it. Yes, there's been challenging times but he's been phenomenal.

"And now that he's 83-years-old, I just want him to experience being on top of the profession."

Daily Dime: Defending East champs shine
UPDATE: Tim Legler of ESPN offers his opinions on the Magic's win.

Carter eager to quiet naysayers, help Magic go distance
UPDATE 2: Ken Berger of CBSSports.com shares excellent insight on Vince Carter's impact for Orlando and how he's fitting in with the team. A must-read.

But the stakes have never been higher in Carter's career than they are now. The funny thing is, the situation might just fit his mild personality perfectly. He is not going to be the dominant personality; Howard had better do that, because that's his job. What Carter can do is pass better than people think and score better than any teammate Howard's had thus far in his career. But at this point -- at the ripe old age of 32 -- Carter doesn't need numbers or accolades. He just needs to fit in.