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Adonal Foyle and the NBA Players' Association get their rallying cry
Rob Mahoney of ProBasketballTalk, NBC's brand spanking new basketball blog, states that Adonal Foyle won't make an impact on the court this year but he will off it.Adonal Foyle has not played a single minute of NBA action all season, but he may very well be one of the most important players in the league. Not only is Foyle something of a Renaissance man, but he's also the first vice president of the NBA Players' Association (NBAPA). On a day-to-day, game-to-game basis, that may not mean all that much. But considering the collision course between the league and the NBAPA that is likely to delay the 2011 season with a lockout, Foyle is in a peculiarly powerful position.
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NBA Basketball Power Rankings
Marc Stein of ESPN.com chimes in on the Orlando Magic's recent stretch of games.For all the doubt about how the parts fit post-Hedo, there's no way this team was as so-so as its 9-8 January suggests. The Celts, by comparison, are just 2-7 against the East's top four after another Magic win in Boston.
- Via the Orlando Magic:
The Orlando Magic are now taking deposits, while supplies last, for season tickets and partial plan packages in the new Amway Center. Full season tickets require a $200 deposit, while partial plans require a $100 deposit. Seat locations will be selected in March based on the order of deposit. Deposits will also guarantee tickets for the 2010 Playoffs which begin in late April.
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Superbowl Sunday, McDonalds and Going back to South Africa
Dwight Howard posts on his official blog today and comments on yesterday's win against the Boston Celtics.Afterward everybody was asking me if that was a statement game for us because it was on national TV and it was the Celtics and it was in Boston and yad yada yada. But I think it was a statement to ourselves about how good we can be when we play together, talk on defense and share the ball like we did. When the ball is going in and out, that’s where we’re getting open shots and clean looks on the post. Hopefully, it was a learning game for us.
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Cavaliers hold top spot, Utah Jazz continue climb Power Rankings
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated points out J.J. Redick's strong play.Remember when J.J. Redick's NBA career was supposed to last as long as Trajon Langdon's? Redick's steadily improving play (he averaged a season-high 11.1 points in January and grabbed nearly twice as many boards than in December) is a big reason why the Magic has overcome the struggles of Vince Carter (8.7 points in January).
More after the jump.
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Inside The Run – Orlando’s Third Quarter Explosion
UPDATE: Sebastian Pruiti of NBA Playbook breaks down, using video, the Magic's performance on offense in the third quarter against the Celtics. A must-read. -
Orlando: Video Highlights and Lowlights
UPDATE 2: Zach Lowe of Celtics Hub takes a look at different plays Boston ran against Orlando on the offensive side of the ball which had varying degrees of success. Why?Credit Howard: He unleashed himself on this game in the 3rd quarter after playing just eight minutes in the first half. He dominated the interior defensively. His intimidation factor is unparalleled, and you can see it right here in this video and this screen shot.
Anyone who tells you that another player (Andy Varejao, LeBron, Josh Smith, Thabo Sefolosha, whoever else becomes the candidate de jour) deserves Defensive Player of the Year is crazy. -
Basketball Chats
UPDATE 3: News on Brandon Bass.I spoke with Brandon's agent over the weekend and he assured me that Bass is not getting traded. Both sides still want to make the situation in Orlando work and believe that a split at this point would be premature. Bass isn't moving before the deadline.
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The Magic's third-quarter run against the Celtics
UPDATE 4: John Krolik of ProBasketballTalk provides another take on the Magic's third quarter against the Celtics.