Game Thread: Magic vs Knicks 4-10-09 8 PM

[TrueMagicFan07 675]

Many of you have complained that Dwight doesn't get enough touches. But I don't see it. When he turns the ball over as much as he did tonight, he doesn't need to get a lot of touches.

 

As Magicfanagain and PEC said, Dwight has gone back to his old habits of not throwing the ball out of a double or triple team. He had started to improve in that area, but now he has gone back to his old habits (getting stripped of the ball).

 

I don't think Dwight is above being benched when he is making these kinds of turnovers.

 

Edit: Stan just mentioned the same thing I said about Boston comes to play every night.

[Bauncey Chillups 288]

It's amusing in retrospect how many predicted Boston was in greater risk of losing the 2 seed because they have to play more .500+ teams. Haha, so much for that.

 

This team is not serious enough to get it done.

[Guardian 6]

This team is playing awful at the wrong time. It just shows that if shots aren't falling we are pretty bad. Well it's only one game. Let's see if we make it past the second round this year. Personally I don't think we are ready.

[TrueMagicFan07 675]

I'm sorry, but we kept the game close when Gortat was at center. He may not score a lot of points, but he knows how to defend the paint and slap the ball back out to his teammates.

[Bauncey Chillups 288]

quote:

Originally posted by Guardian:

This team is playing awful at the wrong time. It just shows that if shots aren't falling we are pretty bad. Well it's only one game. Let's see if we make it past the second round this year. Personally I don't think we are ready.

 

The team as a whole hasn't played good basketball since the Cleveland game. Granted, the team was awesome in that one. But every single game afterward has had a serious lack of effort by a good chunk of the roster. Past three games though Dwight has been pretty lackadaisical. He's resembling how he was before SVG called him out and benched him last year.

[MagicDOLPHIN 0]

quote:

Originally posted by TrueMagicFan07:

Many of you have complained that Dwight doesn't get enough touches. But I don't see it. When he turns the ball over as much as he did tonight, he doesn't need to get a lot of touches.

 

As Magicfanagain and PEC said, Dwight has gone back to his old habits of not throwing the ball out of a double or triple team. He had started to improve in that area, but now he has gone back to his old habits (getting stripped of the ball).

 

I don't think Dwight is above being benched when he is making these kinds of turnovers.

 

Edit: Stan just mentioned the same thing I said about Boston comes to play every night.

 

dwight shouldn't touch the ball in the 4th quarter of a close playoff game he cant hit foul shots and he fumbles the ball away to much, does anyone know if he has small hands or just a lack of concentration

[gporter 5]

quote:

Originally posted by TrueMagicFan07:

I'm sorry, but we kept the game close when Gortat was at center. He may not score a lot of points, but he knows how to defend the paint and slap the ball back out to his teammates.

 

So Dwight doesn't defend the paint?

[love#12 0]

Looks like there sleepwalking through games finally caught up with them.

 

 

GO MAGIC!!!!

[TrueMagicFan07 675]

quote:

Originally posted by gporter:

 

quote:

Originally posted by TrueMagicFan07:

 

I'm sorry, but we kept the game close when Gortat was at center. He may not score a lot of points, but he knows how to defend the paint and slap the ball back out to his teammates.

 

So Dwight doesn't defend the paint?

 

Okay, gporter, let me clarify what I was trying to say. . .

 

Yes, Dwight does defend the paint well, depending on the team and matchups...

 

But in some instances, when Dwight's head is not in the game, he will go up to grab an offensive rebound with 3 or more on the opposing team right there under the basket trying to grab the rebound. In this instance, Dwight loses the ball. On the other hand, Gortat, in the same situation, slaps the ball back out to his teammates.

[Skywise316 211]

4 pages. Wow.

 

I think I'll put about as much effort into this as Magic Nation (players/coaches/fans/popcorn guy) put into this game. Which is below the minimum, really. No shooting percentages, no checking the last game thread, I'm going off the top of my head. Disagree with me? There's a decent chance I'm wrong this time, feel free to. I'm just trying to do a SU/SD for every game this season. Until the Magic players and fans start caring again, then I don't think quality's really that important. *shrug*

 

Stock Up:

 

Oops, there are Stock Ups. I guess Kberto isn't gonna read these anymore. Is that a tear in my eye? Wait.. no, just some allergies. I guess I'll get over it *sniff*.

 

Anthony Johnson. (He's the reason the Magic even had a chance in the fourth quarter.

 

6 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 turnovers. A steal.)

 

Hedo Turkoglu. (He's the reason the Magic even stayed in it in the first 3 quarters.

 

24 points on good shooting across the board, 9 rebounds, 5 assists against 2 turnovers, and a block.)

 

Three Point Defense. (Not that it mattered much, but the Knicks were only 8 of 22 for 36.4 percent. Not terrible for them, but below average.)

 

Stock In The Middle:

 

Turnovers. (Not good, not bad. 13 turnovers for the Magic.)

 

Rafer Alston. (14 points. 5 assists against 2 turnovers. 3 boards. Okay shooting. Same ol' same ol, with some up and down defense. Average Skip wasn't good enough on a night where everyone else sucked.)

 

Tony Battie. (6 points, good shooting, 2 boards, he was aight.)

 

Stock Down:

 

J.J. Redick. (Okay, in this case I need to get specific on the shooting. 0 for 7 shooting and 0 for 5 from downtown. Pretty sickening! 5 boards and an assist, but who cares when you do nothing defensively whatsoever? He sure wasn't alone in that, but he's no less guilty for it.)

 

Rashard "Sharmin" Lewis. (Sharmin's back from vacation! Isn't he so soft and plushy??

 

13 points on decent shooting overall, but not so much from deep. 5 boards, an assist, 2 steals, and a block. Whoever he defended against just muscled him around and out-toughed him. Out-toughed probably isn't a word, and I couldn't care less! Hey, apathy is pretty cool! works for Sharmin and he gets very well paid, so why not for the rest of us?)

 

Three Point Shooting. (7 makes. 28 attempts. 25 percent. Pretty sickening, isn't it?)

 

Dwight Howard. (Defense? What defense?

 

16 points on close to 50 percent from both the floor... and the line... 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, and uh.. 6 turnovers. Yeah. Everything was pretty decent until the turnover part, huh? And that defensive thing. Or in this case, the lack thereof.)

 

Team Assists. (15. Pathetic. Moving on.)

 

Courtney Lee. (Again.. "For the love of God, where's the defense?" Just abused all night long.

 

12 points on decent shooting, 3 boards, an assist, a steal, and a turnover.)

 

Stan Van Gundy. (WHERE is Mickael Pietrus against a fast team? WHERE is Marcin Gortat if Dwight actaully needs to be benched? WHERE is the big coaching move when your team obviously needs it? WHERE are the in-game adjustments offensively if something is obviously not working, both with Xs and Os and rotation decisions? When players fail, blame the players. When the team collectively fails? It's time to raise an eyebrow at the coach.

 

You said it yourself. You didn't do a good job tonight. I whole-heartedly agree.)

 

Free Throw Shooting. (18 for 26, back under 70 percent.)

 

Team Rebounding. (49-44 Knicks. 13 offensive boards for the Knickerbockers too.)

 

Is that it? I think that's it. If I forgot something, then I don't really care anyways. 79 of these down, 3 to go. Yippie.

 

Your Southeast Division Champion Orlando Magic are 58-21, and need to finish 2 out of 3 to tie the franchise record of 60 Magic wins in a season, and need to finish 3-0 to set a new record with 61. The race for the 2nd seed is all but over, Boston would have to finish 0-3 (including losing to the Wiz) to give us a shot at the 2 seed since Boston has the Conference Record tiebreaker. That's what happens when you lose to New York, and Toronto not once but twice. Looks like all that's to be determined is the Magic's first round opponent. It can still be the Sixers, Bulls, Heat, or Pistons.

 

Until tomorrow night in Tony Soprano's territory....

 

Good night and good luck.

[Nike 2]

Umm, yeah, where is everyone tonight? As gone as the energy at the game? The players looked so lethargic out there, and I loved how the announcers just started ripping our team in the fourth quarter. We deserved that this game, though - hopefully this will provide a spark and we can start playing with some intensity and fire. Think of it this way: I'd much rather lose a game like this and reinvigorate the players than for the whole team to look sluggish, with no energy at all, in the playoffs.

 

And 4 pages?! I've never seen so little.

[Guardian 6]

quote:

Originally posted by MagicDOLPHIN:

quote:

Originally posted by TrueMagicFan07:

Many of you have complained that Dwight doesn't get enough touches. But I don't see it. When he turns the ball over as much as he did tonight, he doesn't need to get a lot of touches.

 

As Magicfanagain and PEC said, Dwight has gone back to his old habits of not throwing the ball out of a double or triple team. He had started to improve in that area, but now he has gone back to his old habits (getting stripped of the ball).

 

I don't think Dwight is above being benched when he is making these kinds of turnovers.

 

Edit: Stan just mentioned the same thing I said about Boston comes to play every night.

 

dwight shouldn't touch the ball in the 4th quarter of a close playoff game he cant hit foul shots and he fumbles the ball away to much, does anyone know if he has small hands or just a lack of concentration

 

The small hands thing came up last year in the Detroit series. I don't ever remember seeing the ball slapped away from such a supposed strong player as much as I have seen with Dwight. His habits are just so bad. He really needs to work on some offense this year away from the basket and on his passing. As good as Dwight is he cannot lead this team to a championship, at least not his year.