TrueMagicFan07

MAGIC TEAM REPORT Grades: San Antonio Spurs 98, Orlando Magic 84 Grades at 11:42 p.m. April 3, 2013 By Eddie Rivera | www.magicbasketball.net LINK:__ http://www.magicbasketball.net/

Preview: Orlando Magic @ San Antonio Spurs **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Essentials_________________________________________________Records Teams: Orlando Magic @ San Antonio Spurs______.Magic: 19-56Date: April 3, 2013___________________________Spurs: 55-19 Time: 8:30 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX Probable Starters: (Magic)_________________Probable Starters: (Spurs) [*]Tobias Harris_______________________________.Boris Diaw [*]E'Twuan Moore_____________________________-Stephen Jackson [*]Maurice Harkless____________________________.Tiago Splitter [*]Beno Udrih________________________________--Tony Parker [*]Nikola Vucevic______________________________-Danny Green Injuries: (Magic)___________________________________Injuries: (Spurs) Jameer Nelson PG - April 1: Day-to-Day___________Manu Ginobili - April 1: Day-to-Day Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out____________________-Kawhi Leonard - April 1: Day-to-Day Arron Afflalo SG - Out LINK:____http://www.magicbasketball.net

SPURS NOTES Getting healthy might help San Antonio get back on track. The Spurs played without three of their top four scorers Monday. Manu Ginobili is out for weeks with a strained hamstring, and Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard skipped the trip to Memphis to rest sore knees. Duncan and Leonard could be available Wednesday. Even a veteran team like the San Antonio Spurs can be mentally affected by a string of close games featuring several narrow losses. A visit from the Orlando Magic ought to ease the Spurs' minds. After another late setback, the Spurs look to avoid their first three-game losing streak in two years and strengthen their tenuous hold on first place in the Western Conference as they host the struggling Magic on Wednesday night. Five straight Spurs games have been decided by two points or fewer, with San Antonio (55-19) losing three of them. Prior to that stretch, the Spurs had gone 4-0 in games decided by two points or fewer this season. LINK:__ http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=400278837

MAGIC TEAM REPORT John Denton Tuesday, April 2, 2013 Denton: Vaughn to Face off Against Mentor in Return to San Antonio SAN ANTONIO – The Orlando Magic suffered through a dismal first half on Monday night in Houston, one in which they allowed the Rockets to score on the first 11 possessions of the game and ultimately pile up 65 points in the first 24 minutes. Magic rookie forward Maurice Harkless has been on teams in high school and college where the coach would have come into the locker room upset by the bad first half and started punching dry-erase boards and screaming loud enough to blow the paint off the walls. But much to the amazement of Harkless, Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn stayed back out of the fray, allowing the players to talk among themselves and figure out what was going wrong. Then, at the end of the venting session, Vaughn re-entered with some second-half adjustments and some comforting encouragement. ``That was big for our group. It’s coming from us. We’re the ones playing, so sometimes Coach Vaughn knows it’s best if we’re the ones who figure it out,’’ said Harkless, who helped lead a 60-46 Magic turnaround in the second half that nearly resulted in an improbable come-from-behind victory. ``Some young guys, if you yell at them, it might get them out of their game, but Jacque does a really good job of talking to you. He talks you through mistakes and lets you keep playing. I think he’s done a great job with our young guys instilling confidence in our group.’’ Vaughn’s coaching mentor, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, has led the Spurs to four NBA championships with a no-nonsense, fiery coaching style. Vaughn said on Tuesday as his Magic prepared to face the Spurs on Wednesday night that he owed his job in coaching to Popovich. But unlike the coach whom he learned the game under both as a player and an assistant, Vaughn has gone about this mentoring of players a different way. On a team full of youngsters – the Magic have five rookies and three second-year players – Vaughn has tried to adopt a calm, patient approach. That’s not the way some of the coaches he played for – greats such as Jerry Sloan, Doc Rivers or Popovich – would have handled things, but it’s the way that Vaughn has chosen. That manner, he said, could change in the future as the roster evolves with more veteran players, but for now he feels that keeping his cool is the best approach. ``I believe in not trying to be someone that I’m not,’’ Vaughn said. ``I said that from the first day. I’ve been around some great coaches, but I’m not going to try to be like they are. At the same time, (Magic players) have seen my edge throughout the year at various points. But I have chosen to do it differently. It’s probably a different approach.’’ Vaughn, the NBA’s youngest head coach at 38 years old, has had plenty to test his patience in his first season along the sidelines. He lost two starters – Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu – in the first game of the year to injuries; he lost two more starters – Glen ``Big Baby’’ Davis and Arron Afflalo – to season-ending injuries. And because of various injuries, illnesses, suspensions and two trade-deadline transactions, Vaughn has had to trot out 25 different lineups – the second most in the NBA. LINK:__ http://www.nba.com/magic/news/denton-vaughn-face-against-mentor-return-san-antonio

Monday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. EST - Houston, TX Toyota Center TV: Fox Sports Florida ___VS___ *******GAME PREVIEW******* **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Records Magic: 19-55Rockets: 40-33 Probable Starters: (Magic)_________________Probable Starters: (Rockets) [*]PF - Tobias Harris_______________________-James Anderson [*]SF - Maurice Harkless____________________-Greg Smith [*]PG - Beno Udrih_________________________Omer Asik [*]SG - E'Twuan Moore_____________________-Jeremy Lin [*]Center - Nikola Vucevic___________________.Chandler Parsons Injuries: (Magic)___________________________________Injuries: (Rockets) [*]Jameer Nelson PG - March 30: Day-to-Day_____Chandler Parsons SF - April 1: Day-to-Day [*]Arron Afflalo SG - March 23: Out____________-James Harden SG - March 30: Day-to-Day [*]Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out LINK:____http://www.magicbasketball.net

Preview: Orlando Magic Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Essentials Teams: Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Date: February 23, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: Amway Center Records Magic: 15-40 Cavs: 17-37 Probable starters Magic: Andrew Nicholson Aaron Afflalo Maurice Harkless E'Twuan Moore Nikola Vucevic Cleveland: Kyrie Irving Dion Waiters Alonzo Gee Tristan Thompson Tyler Zeller Injuries Magic: Hedo Turkoglu Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out Al Harrington PF - Feb 22: Out Jameer Nelson PG - Feb 22: Day-To-Day Cavaliers: Daniel Gibson G - Feb 23: Day-To-Day Anderson Varejao C - Jan. 22: Out LINK: http://www.magicbasketball.net/

Thanks, ?4thewin. . .just trying to do my part to help keep the game threads afloat and at the same time look respectable while the team does its thing. . .You know what I mean. ;) Sometimes I feel like I am logged into the "Qbids" website. :)

ROCKETS - MAGIC PREVIEW ESPN go.com Monday, April 1, 2013 The Houston Rockets just won their first game of the season without James Harden. If they can get another balanced effort Monday night at home, they might be fine even if their best player doesn't return to face the lowly Orlando Magic. Coming off back-to-back losses, Houston (40-33) didn't have Harden -- the team leader with 26.0 points per game -- in uniform Saturday against the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers due to a sore right foot. His absence proved not to matter as five Rockets scored in double figures and the team regrouped from two sub-par defensive efforts to hold the Clippers to 31 second-half points. Houston had gone winless in two previous games with Harden unavailable due to injuries. The Magic (19-55) will be trying to snap a seven-game road losing streak as they continue a five-game trip that started with a 97-88 defeat to Atlanta on Saturday. Two days earlier, Orlando ended an eight-game skid with a 97-92 victory over Washington. "We're putting together quarters, we're putting together halves," said coach Jacque Vaughn, whose team hasn't won two straight since a season-best four-game run Dec. 14-19. "That will eventually add up to putting together games and consecutive games." Despite losing 42 of 49, the injury-plagued Magic have some reason for optimism. Forward Tobias Harris has been surprisingly good since being acquired from Milwaukee in the J.J. Redick deal in February, averaging a team-best 16.3 points with 8.0 rebounds for Orlando. He had a then-career-best 27 points with 10 rebounds March 1. Center Nikola Vucevic more than held his own against Houston's Omer Asik in that game with 18 points and 10 boards, and the Magic could use that type of effort again after he scored 17 and grabbed 15 boards Saturday following a five-game absence due to a concussion. Beno Udrih could be the Magic's starting point guard for a second consecutive game if Jameer Nelson (sprained ankle) can't go. Nelson missed the previous matchup with Houston with a left patella tendon contusion.

Preview: Washington Wizards @ Orlando Magic **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Essentials Teams: Washington Wizards @ Orlando Magic Date: March 29, 2013Time: 7:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: Amway Center - Orlando, FL Records Magic: 18-54Wizards: 26-45 Probable starters Magic: [*]Tobias Harris [*]DeQuan Jones [*]Maurice Harkless [*]Jameer Nelson [*]Kyle O'Quinn Wizards: Trevor Booker Chris Singleton Emeka Okafor John Wall Garrett Temple Injuries Magic: Andrew Nicholson PF - March 27: Day-to-Day Nikola Vucevic C - March 22: Day-to-Day Arron Afflalo SG - March 23: Out Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out Wizards: Jason Collins C - March 29: Day-to-Day Nene C - March 29: Day-to-Day Trevor Ariza SF - March 29: Day-to-Day Martell Webster SF - March 29: Out A.J. Price C - March 29: Out Bradley Beal SG - March 29: Out LINK: http://www.magicbasketball.net/

Saturday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m. EST - Atlanta, GA Philips Arena TV: Fox Sports Florida ___VS___ *******GAME PREVIEW******* **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Records Magic: 19-54Hawks: 40-33 Probable Starters: (Magic)_________________Probable Starters: (Hawks) [*]PF - Tobias Harris_______________________-Ivan Johnson [*]SF - Maurice Harkless____________________-Josh Smith [*]PG - Jameer Nelson______________________Johan Petro [*]SG - DeQuan Jones______________________Jeff Teague [*]Center - Kyle O'Quinn___________________--.DeShawn Stevenson Injuries: (Magic)___________________________________Injuries: (Hawks) [*]Nikola Vucevic C - March 22: Day-to-Day______D. Harris PG - March 30: Day-to-Day [*]Arron Afflalo SG - March 23: Out____________-A. Holford C - March 30: Day-to-Day [*]Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out________________-J. Jenkins SG - March 30: Day-to-Day ______________________________________Z. Petulia C - March 30: Out LINK:____http://www.magicbasketball.net

Preview: Orlando Magic @ Charlotte Bobcats **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Essentials Teams: Orlando Magic @ Charlotte Bobcats Date: March 27, 2013Time: 7:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: Time-Warner Cable Arena - Charlotte, NC Records Magic: 18-53Charlotte: 16-54 Probable starters Magic: [*]Tobias Harris [*]DeQuan Jones [*]Maurice Harkless [*]Jameer Nelson [*]Kyle O'Quinn Charlotte: Kimba Walker Gerald Henderson Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Byron Mullens Bismack Biyombo Injuries Magic: Andrew Nicholson PF - March 27: Day-to-Day Nikola Vucevic C - March 22: Day-to-Day Arron Afflalo SG - March 23: Out Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out Bobcats: Brendan Haywood C - March 21: Out LINK: http://www.magicbasketball.net/

Like a former Magic player, Mike Miller, who is now with the Heat? No Thanks.

No thanks. Don't get me wrong, there were many nights I enjoyed watching JJ when the 3 point shots were going in the basket, but JJ turned the ball over too much. . .mainly when he was trapped and had nowhere to go with the ball. He and Jameer are/were notorious for doing this. And like Jameer, there were as many nights when the two could not buy a basket. . . throwing up brick after brick. I see a lot of potential in the young players we have. And, oh. . .I'm so sick and tired of Jameer. When you are building on the future, you don't look back

MAGIC TEAM REPORT ESPN.go March 29, 2013 If there's a reason to watch Friday night's matchup between the Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic, it may be to see John Wall. These teams have numerous players unavailable as Wall tries to help the visiting Wizards end a six-game road losing streak against a Magic team that has dropped eight straight. Washington (26-45) had only eight players available in its last contest while Orlando (18-54) started three rookies among the eight it used in its latest game. While established veterans such as the Magic's Jameer Nelson and the Wizards' Emeka Okafor will play Friday, Wall figures to be the player to watch. This will mark his first start against the Magic this season as he came off the bench once after missing the first two meetings due to his knee injury. The Magic are probably lacking in sympathy as they are without leading scorer Arron Afflalo (strained right hamstring), rookie Andrew Nicholson (sprained right ankle) and Nikola Vucevic (concussion) with Glen Davis (broken foot) already out. Second-year forward Tobias Harris joined Nelson and the trio of rookies in the starting lineup in Wednesday's 114-108 defeat at Charlotte. Harris scored a career-high 29 points as Orlando led by 19 points after one quarter before faltering. Vaughn has said he is OK using eight players even though Al Harrington is available. Veteran Hedo Turkoglu did not play Wednesday although he was eligible to return from his 20-game suspension for testing positive for steroids. The Wizards have won two of three matchups this season, with the home team winning each time. LINK:__ http://espn.go.com/nba/preview?id=400278794

Monday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. EST - Orlando, FL Amway Center TV: ESPN and Fox Sports Florida

MAGIC TEAM REPORT Hedo Turkoglu wants to return next season despite signs from Magic Brian Schmitz Magic Insider | Orlando Sentinel 12:52 p.m. EDT, March 27, 2013 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Small forward Hedo Turkoglu said he wants to remain with the Magic next season even though the club already has effectively removed him from their future plans. “I would like to keep playing here,” Turkoglu said after the Magic’s shootaround on Wednesday. “I was here more years than anywhere in my career.” Turkoglu is eligible to return for the Magic’s game tonight in Charlotte after serving a 20-game suspension for testing positive for steroids. But coach Jacque Vaughn said he is “comfortable” using just eight players, leaving Turkoglu and another veteran, Al Harrington, lending only moral support even though they will be in uniform. Center Nik Vucevic (concussion) and power forward Andrew Nicholson (ankle) did not make the trip. The Magic have publicly stated that Harrington will not play the rest of the season, giving time to younger players. Turkoglu, of course, would love to stay in Orlando and play next season for financial reasons. If he plays, the Magic would owe him the entire $12 million in the final year of his contract. Because his contract is not guaranteed, the Magic can pay just $6 million and let him go. LINK:__ http://www.orlandosentinel.com/mobile/sports/os-mbb-hedo-turkoglu-wants-to-stay-with-magic-20130327,0,5243778.post

**UPDATE** Dwyane Wade rests sore knee By Michael Wallace | ESPN.com] Updated: March 24, 2013, 6:40 PM ET MIAMI -- Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade missed Sunday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats to rest his sore right knee, the team announced before tipoff. Wade has been treated the past few days for soreness in the knee, but has played throughout the Heat's historic winning streak, which stood at 25 consecutive games entering Sunday. They are within eight of tying the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest streak in NBA history. "He got hit in the knee a couple of games back, and it's just sore and bruised," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said of Wade. "We are going to be proactive, and hopefully he will get some treatment and feel better tomorrow." Spoelstra has previously given veteran rotation players a couple of games off toward the end of the season as part of what he considers a "maintenance" program to help rest them before the playoffs. It's likely that Wade is sitting out as more of a precaution, although Spoelstra has recently scoffed at the notion that he might start resting players with about three weeks remaining in the regular season. LINK: http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/9092771/dwyane-wade-knee-miami-heat-charlotte-bobcats ;) Edit: Not that it matters, but let's keep an eye on this. Does anyone else remember the act Queen James put on tonight in the game against the Bobcats (worthy of an Academy Award)? He was brushed across the head by one of the Bobcats, and you would have thought he had a concussion the way he acted, but he stayed in the game. . .smh

Miami Heat @ Orlando Magic **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Records Magic: 18-52Heat: 55-14 Probable Starters: (Magic)_________________Probable Starters: (Heat) [*]PF - Tobias Harris_______________________-Udonis Haslem [*]SF - Maurice Harkless____________________-LeBron James [*]PG - Jameer Nelson______________________Mario Chalmers [*]SG - To Be Announced___________________-Dwayne Wade [*]Center - To Be Announced_______________--.Chris Bosh Injuries: (Magic)___________________________________Injuries: (Heat) [*]Nikola Vucevic C - March 22: Day-to-Day______*No injuries reported [*]Arron Afflalo SG - March 23: Out [*]Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out [*]Hedo Turkoglu LINK:____http://www.magicbasketball.net

MAGIC TEAM REPORT Arron Afflalo will miss the rest of the Orlando Magic's season Afflalo has been diagnosed with a strained hamstring Josh Robbins | Orlando Sentinel 11:17 a.m. EDT, March 23, 2013 Arron Afflalo, the Orlando Magic's leading scorer, will miss the team's final 12 games this regular season after he injured his right hamstring Friday night, team officials said. Afflalo has been diagnosed with a strained hamstring, and team officials plan to treat the injury with rest and physical therapy. Afflalo's absence will force coach Jacque Vaughn to give additional time to backup guard Beno Udrih and also to youngsters E'Twaun Moore, DeQuan Jones and Doron Lamb. Maurice Harkless, already the team's starting small forward, will take on a more significant role in the team's offense. Afflalo is averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game and a team-high 14.1 shot attempts per game. Vaughn already had experimented with playing starting point guard Jameer Nelson alongside Udrih, a natural point guard. Now, it seems likely that Nelson and Udrih will play increased minutes together. LINK:__ http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/blogs/magic-basketblog/os-mbb-arrron-afflalo-injury-20130323,0,5786520.post

Go ahead and do it OrlandoFeds. . . No problem.

Preview: Orlando Magic @ Milwaukee Bucks **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Essentials Teams: Orlando Magic @ Milwaukee Bucks Date: March 17, 2013Time: 1:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center - Milwaukee, WI Records Magic: 18-48Milwaukee: 32-32 Probable starters Magic: [*]Tobias Harris [*]Aaron Afflalo [*]Maurice Harkless [*]Nelson [*]Vucevic Milwaukee: Marquis Daniels Ilyasova Larry Sanders Ellis Brandon Jennings Injuries Magic: Turkoglu Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out Milwaukee: L. Mbah a Moute PF - March 16: Day-to-Day LINK: http://www.magicbasketball.net/

I haven't seen any new wallpapers for this season, so I thought I would play around with this one. You are welcome to use it. Just click on the link below for the full size to fit your monitor. The screen size that I used is (1600 x 1194). If you need to have it adjusted to fit your computer's screen size, let me know. Link: http://imageshack.us/a/img689/4126/orlandowallpaperrisings.jpg

The reason I put Drew next to Toby is due to the fact that he is holding a blue ball. I wanted the two end balls to be the same color :)

Preview: Orlando Magic @ Oklahoma Thunder **Visit: www.magicbasketball.net (Eddie Rivera) for an update** Essentials Teams: Orlando Magic @ Oklahoma Thunder Date: March 15, 2013 Time: 8:00 p.m. Television: Fox Sports Florida Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK Records Magic: 18-47 Thunder: 48-17 Probable starters Magic: Tobias Harris Aaron Afflalo Maurice Harkless Jameer Nelson Nikola Vucevic Oklahoma: Serge Ibaka Kevin Durant Kendrick Perkins Russell Westbrook Thabo Sefolosha Injuries Magic: Hedo Turkoglu Glen Davis PF - Feb 1: Out Oklahoma: *No significant injuries LINK: http://www.magicbasketball.net/

MAGIC-THUNDER PREVIEW Replicating the OKC model by Noam Schiller at 12:02 pm Tonight’s game between the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder is very likely to end a certain way. The Thunder are one of the league’s best teams, perhaps the only reasonable candidate, aside from the San Antonio Spurs, to topple the Heat from their throne. The Magic are starting rookies and sophomores while working under the 20-win threshold. There’s room for variance in sports, but we’re unlikely to find it here. However, as the Magic take the court in Oklahoma City, they will be facing off against more than just an overwhelming opponent. For the Magic, the Thunder are the goal line, the final realization of a plan that will hopefully lead the franchise back to better days. When Rob Hennigan was hired as the Magic’s general manager this summer, it was a fairly clear declaration of intent. Hennigan had grown under Sam Presti’s supervision in the OKC greenhouse, where the optimal model for rebuilding an NBA franchise from the ground was re-established: hoard draft picks and young prospects who will hopefully pan out, keep maximum financial flexibility, avoid the questionable temptation of signing average veterans to long-term deals, and put your resources into player development. Oh, yeah, and luck into a superstar or two (or three, and trade the third away). It’s that last part that is the most crucial piece of the puzzle. Fittingly, it’s also the hardest to emulate. It is perhaps somewhat unfair that Hennigan’s execution will ultimately be judged on his ability to stand idly by while ping pong balls are sorted out in the correct way in the correct year, but such is the nature of the business. LINK: http://www.magicbasketball.net/