michelle7

I would love it if he got traded to a good team. Probably won't happen though. I was really hoping B-Hill would be gone after this craptacular season and he'd have a chance, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. With B-Hill around next season, I anticipate another mediocre year. If JJ gets Dienerized its going to suck seeing him waste away on the bench.

I was happy for Darko. He always seemed a little intimidated playing Detroit. I'm glad he showed them something tonight.

quote: Originally posted by Hutchence: quote: Originally posted by michelle7:I admit it only in as far as he digs the hole that puts them 3 feet under in the first place. So that when he actually does do anything decent, it only gets us barely above ground again. Nothing to pat him on the back about. I'm sick of it. My husband and I were talking about this on the way home. He is bad so much that when he does something that is expected of him everyone thinks he is doing well. In all actuality he is doing the bare minimum of what is expected of him. Exactly! ps. Your "location" made me laugh out loud. Hehe. ;-)

The Pistons are a better team in every possible way than the Magic could ever dream to be this season. The only reason the game was even close, was because the Pistons got complacent and probably a little bit bored. The Magic and Brian Hill are smoking crack if they really think they have a ghost's shot in hell of winning even one game. Even Otis said that the top priority right now was getting his young core guys -- Dwight, Jameer, Darko, Trevor and JJ -- some playoff experience. So with that said, I don't get why Trevor got hardly any PT and JJ got NONE. To me, it just illustrates what has been happening all season. Brian Hill wants to ride his same old starter mules until the bitter end regardless of the consequences. The fact that Otis & Co. have given Brian Hill their vote of confidence next season tells me that they don't care about winning. Maybe that's why Dwight doesn't seem to really care either. Who can blame him? He gets paid either way. Pathetic. All of it.

quote: Originally posted by sgorly:you guys have to admit he help the magic get back in the game I admit it only in as far as he digs the hole that puts them 3 feet under in the first place. So that when he actually does do anything decent, it only gets us barely above ground again. Nothing to pat him on the back about. I'm sick of it.

I'm usually negative, but in the Playoffs thread, I will be positive and say, GO MAGIC! Crank it up a notch and a half and WIN WIN WIN!

quote: Originally posted by emory889: quote: Originally posted by michelle7:We better hang on to our a$$es and PLAY OUR HEARTS OUT because its the only chance we have. and pray to God that Darko can somehow get back for the series. Bo coming off the bench to relieve Battie is not going to cut it against Mcdyess. Amen brother, amen!

quote: Originally posted by mgcullen: quote: Originally posted by michelle7:They're barely using JJ. Someone who I think could *don't mind my obvious homerism* BLOW THE DOORS OFF someday soon. So the fact that they are clearly overlooking Travis "future Magic Killer* and Augie... is no surprise. At all. They should have given Aug a chance tonight since Darko is out, his size could help but I guess for that to happen they should have taken the many oportunities they have had through the season. I agree. We have a 20+ lead. Why wouldn't you put him in? It just makes me think that BHill has an agenda that he refuses to stray from. Which royally bites the big one for the players trying to get a chance. I was shocked when he gave JJ a chance in the 4th and he was a lottery pick. I can't imagine what it must be like for Diener and Augie fans. Obviously they've given up on Travis, but I'd think that they give James a chance here and there. If not, why aren't they at least letting him get some more D-League experience?

They're barely using JJ. Someone who I think could *don't mind my obvious homerism* BLOW THE DOORS OFF someday soon. So the fact that they are clearly overlooking Travis "future Magic Killer* and Augie... is no surprise. At all.

I agree with both the negative and positive forces here. If I was the Pistons, I'd be stoked. The Magic haven't shown them anything this year. However, the Magic go into this with nothing to lose. At all. And they've shown that when they WANT TO, they can kick anyone's butt. Did they not beat an extremely good Spurs team this year? Yes, yes they did. They also lost a lot of games that they should've won. So, its up to the Magic. Who are they going to be? Some little weak a$$ team that barely shows up? Or a team that we've seen before -- periodically -- who've shown they can beat anyone? Its up to them. It really is.

I love Darko. I love his height. I love his age. I love what he has to offer anybody in the future. My current problem with Darko, is his shot selection. Every time I see Darko, he is shooting some sort of lazy hook shot. 9 times out of 10 it bounces out. 8 times out of 10, no Magic player is ANYWHERE in sight for the rebound. So, what is that? I don't know. Again, I love Darko. To me, he only has upsides. I just don't know that he's in the right system for him. I hope he is. But, for me, that remains to be seen. I really want him to excel somewhere. If its with the Magic, great. If its with someone else, ok. I just really want to see the kid succeed somewhere... soon! He deserves it.

I agree that its bonus time, but the guys can't go into it with that attitude and I hope that they don't. The fact of the matter is that the Pistons are thinking that this series will be cake and the Magic have to somehow make them realize it isn't. How will they do that? By playing hard on every play. This season, the Magic play has been woefully mediocre. I just hope that in the playoffs they really put their pride on the line and find a way to win. It wouldn't be the craziest thing in the world if they managed to beat the Pistons and move on. They have the talent. The bottom line is, will they use it?

We have a chance. Mainly because we have NOTHING to lose and the Pistons assume they'll win easily. Lets prove them wrong and stuff it back in their face.

YAY Fred! Thanks for the recap. There is nothing better than an in-person account.

We better hang on to our a$$es and PLAY OUR HEARTS OUT because its the only chance we have.

Lol, I live in New England and am somewhat of a Celtics fan (except when they're playing the Magic). Tommy Heinsohm is the biggest HOMER ever. When you're rooting for the Celtics, its totally endearing... but when you're rooting for the other team its the most annoying homerism ever. I heard the stuff about Dwight/Al and honestly, I think the proof is in the putting. I'm waiting for Dwight to prove people wrong. He needs to STEP UP next season in order to really prove that he's worth all this "man-child" talk. Al Jefferson puts in the hard work every day and every night and get very little credit or notice for it. Whereas Dwight gets kudos all over the place that he sometimes earns and sometimes doesn't. I really (and I can't emphasize this enough) WANT to love the Magic. But, I think they need to prove themselves. They can do it in the playoffs or they can wait until next year. But, until they bring "it" every night against every opponent, they'll always be an afterthought and pretty much every hometown homer will have a right to compare our superstar with theirs.

My assessment at this point is that JJ doesn't factor into Hill's game plan. He has his starting 5 and he has his few backup people. As in, Battie or Howard get 2 fouls, in comes Darko and sometimes Ariza... Jameer or Grant Hill play crappy or get a foul or two, in comes Dooling, Arroyo and sometimes Ariza. Its frustrating to be a JJ Redick fan right now. But, I think that slowly but surely, he is showing what he can do and proving himself to the League. The bright side is that the League is always watching. If Hill doesn't want to play JJ next year, someone will be watching and will be willing to play him. So, I'm keeping my hopes up and so should you. I think he'll have a great summer where he'll continue to prove himself. I've never seen anyone as adept as JJ at learning the system and taking off with it... Someone will want to take advantage of that someday.

Yeah, I suppose you're right. My problem with Jameer at the moment, is that his mouth is cashing checks that his performance isn't cashing... But, I'd rather that, than he was someone who had a losers mentality. So in that regard, I get what you're saying and I agree. I have my fingers crossed for the playoffs, but I really hope that they make some improvements in the off-season. Whatever they may be.

quote: Originally posted by Drunk on Mystery: quote: Originally posted by michelle7:Holy crap on toast. Did I fall down and crack my head open or did Jameer (in the post-game interview) just compare himself and Dwight to D-Wade and Shaq? Are you kidding me? That's a testament to how delusional his is. I'm stunned. What was the quote specifically? I didn't memorize it or record it since I watched it on League Pass Broadband. I believe it was something to the effect of what he and Dwight are "trying to be" -- so in that regard, maybe its more of an aspiration than a comparison. I think what bothered me the most about it was the intimation that he and Dwight will continue to play together. I don't think they're a good duo. And I don't think for a second that they have anything on Dwade/Shaq or ever will. Separately, they both have a lot to offer. More than they've shown yet. But, together, I don't think they're a future dynamic duo. Not, by a long shot. No one has to agree with me and that's fine. But, that's how I feel.

Holy crap on toast. Did I fall down and crack my head open or did Jameer (in the post-game interview) just compare himself and Dwight to D-Wade and Shaq? Are you kidding me? That's a testament to how delusional his is. I'm stunned.

Grant Hill's offense is a major reason we're even in the playoffs. He has a right to his opinion. The younger so-called stars of this team - Dwight and Jameer - should stand back and look a Grant as a role model. Grant does nothing but bust his butt every night for this team. He doesn't laugh on the bench during 20 point blowouts, turn the ball over every other possession, or throw bricks every free throw. As for the number of years he's served, he can't help the injuries that he had. I'm sure if he could've helped it, he'd have played every minute they were paying him for, but he couldn't. Maybe some of you guys are the whiners who should shut up.

I can't believe he didn't pull Jameer during that timeout.

quote: Originally posted by hessman22:some of you people are such idiots. Jameer basically brought us back into the game at the end. He was the only one playing hard. He was not letting Billups back him down, the coach takes him out for one play, Dooling plays soft fighting threw a screen AT THE END OF THE GAME and Billups nails it of course. Jameer is by far the best defensive guard we have. Strong PG's can't back him down. He did a crappy job passing at the end. However, he is the only one who showed any heart and played good at crunch time. The Magic have a bunch of soft players. Best defensive guard we have? Don't think so. Not even close. Billups backed him down all day and all night like he was his little nephew or something. I also don't agree about the heart and hustle. Grant played with more of both than anyone else out there.

I watched the game and I thought that Grant and Keyon had the best overall games and were the best scorers. Ariza had a couple of nice sequences also. Darko and Hedo both seemed to be non-factors for whatever reason. Their shots just weren't falling for the most part. Dwight - free throw coach needed, stat JJ hit a 3 and then a 2 and then it seemed like his teammates stopped looking for him. Then he got pulled and never came back in. I don't mind him hitting the bench for Grant. Grant is better. But, I don't like Keyon and Jameer on the floor at the same time. It doesn't work. I'd rather have Keyon & JJ or Jameer & Grant, but not Jameer & Keyon. Jameer had an uneven game. To say the least. He got owned by Chauncey all game, but did have a really nice series of plays where he cut their lead considerably. The problem was that it was all his own shot. And thankfully, they fell. If he had adjusted after we were tied and passed more, I think it would've been better. But, who knows if whoever he passed to would've made their shot. The whole team is inconsistent. So I'm not going to say that it was Jameer's fault we didn't win. It's everybody's. Overall though, I was expecting a blowout. I'm happy that the Magic made it a game.

Grant really looked like he was trying his heart out tonight. At this point, he's the only one on the team that I really trust 100% with the ball. I'll miss him if he retires, but I don't blame him for seriously considering it. It has to be both a mental and physical grind.