geaves

The magic might be a lot better this year, if they can stay healthy. Remember that last year, Pietrus was injured much of the year and never really got into a groove, the same with Carter. Lewis got off to a bad start with the suspension, and never really got into a groove. If all the players that didn't play well last year, or were injured last year, play up to their potential next season, the Magic could be really good. Plus they have another year of experience with the Magic under their belts for more continuity. We had almost a completely new team last year with all the off-season changes last year. I like to accentuate the positive. Go Magic!!

Actually, Magic Johnson said his heart said the Celtics would win, but his head said the Magic, so in the end, he said he thought the Magic would win the series. I do too.

Carter is looking better. I never thought he was the main problem. I'm more worried about Nelson. Will he ever regain his former effectiveness? I have doubts. Otis needs to give up his mancrush on Nelson, and find a better pointguard. I like Jason Williams, but he's too old to play many minutes.

Sorry to disagree with everyone, but I think Jason Williams is out back-up, which may not be such a bad thing. It's just a matter of him getting back in game shape. I think it's a perfect fit. I used to enjoy watching him a few years ago. He isn't that old, just needs to get in shape.

All these NBA "experts" that think the Magic won't be as good without Hedo are the same guys that criticized him during the regular season as being inconsistent, soft on defense, and error-prone. Now they think he is the MVP. Give me a break. They are just Magic-haters. I'm going to love watching Orlando prove everybody wrong this season. They will be better than Cleveland or Boston, I think.

I totally agree. Nelson shouldn't be playing that many minutes. We might not have won anyway, but he just didn't look right. Why screw up the chemistry and rhythm we had going?

Ha, ha. Great post. Are you a writer? You have some talent. That mystique is partly created by sports writers who don't know their *** from a hole in the ground.

I know this has been covered before, but I can't restrain myself. Wow, the sports media is full of BS!! Everyone has made the Magic's win all about the Celtics! They only lost because Garnet was missing. No credit given to the Magic. Even Barkeley said the Magic would undoubtedly have lost if Garnett had played. BS. Nobody has said much about the Magic's injuries. We played without Nelson, easily as important as Garnett to our team. Pietrus was injured all season and is just now coming back. Lewis and Turk were injured at the beginning of the postseason. No talk about our adversity. The coverage of Game 7 with the Celtics was all about how bad the Celtics were, not how good the Magic were. I just hope the "underdog" status of Orlando spurs them to play that much harder and show these idiot sports commentators how stupid they are.

I know this has been covered before, but I can't restrain myself. Wow, the sports media is full of BS!! Everyone has made the Magic's win all about the Celtics! They only lost because Garnet was missing. No credit given to the Magic. Even Barkeley said the Magic would undoubtedly have lost if Garnett had played. BS. Nobody has said much about the Magic's injuries. We played without Nelson, easily as important as Garnett to our team. Pietrus was injured all season and is just now coming back. Lewis and Turk were injured at the beginning of the postseason. No talk about our adversity. The coverage of Game 7 with the Celtics was all about how bad the Celtics were, not how good the Magic were. I just hope the "underdog" status of Orlando spurs them to play that much harder and show these idiot sports commentators how stupid they are.

Yeah, Pietrus was great. I can't believe that none of the sports commentators have noticed.

I agree with all posts. Howard didn't look good last night, and it wasn't because he didn't get the ball. I don't think Howard is ready to be the "go-to" guy. His offensive moves are too predictable. Perkins had his number last night. He needs to focus on defense and stop whining like a kid. The game loss wasn't all his fault, of course, but his play and attitude sets the tone for other players.

I agree with the other posts. JJ is doing ok. Played pretty good defense. Howard was off-base complaining about not getting the ball. The team looked better with Gortat playing than with Dwight. Howard needs to focus on defense and not worry about offense so much. Anyway, our loss wasn't JJ's fault.

I agree JJ isn't shooting well, but neither is anyone else. He is a great ball-passer and mover, and is good on defense. I don't care if JJ starts as long as he gets as many minutes as Lee. We don't have much choice in changing the pg situation. Alston and AJ were equally bad in the last game. Go with the hot hand. If AJ is having a great game, I hope SVG will keep him in. I don't think rearranging our "whole backcourt" is the answer.

As far as the playoff games, I blame Van Gundy for keeping Turk in the games. He shouldn't even be playing. He's injured and just doesn't have the willpower to play injured like some players. Anybody Van Gundy replaced him with couldn't have been any worse. As far as next year, I never thought I'd say this, because I'm a big Turk fan, but I'm ready to let him go to another team.

Nobody in this thread said anything about Lewis and Turkoglu being injured. That's why they had such a bad game today. I don't understand why Van Gundy even played them. Give them a chance to get better first. I think their attempt at playing while injured messed with the chemistry and psychology of the team. Let's hope our guys look better Wednesday.