Official Game Thread: Magic vs. Leprechauns ECF GM1 5/16

[Netrunner2k2 0]

quote:

Originally posted by KillingInTheNameOf

 

I think the calls for JJ in the starting lineup are a premature overreaction. JJ defends Allen well, but he's a huge liability when Boston forces switches. The Magic can't defend Boston being undersized at 4 positions! I think this sentiment also overlooks the fact JJ was awful in the 1st half and excelled while the Magic were freerolling down huge. I like what JJ gives the Magic...but this is PANIC talk.

 

 

I don't think so. I think if Barnes' back was healthy there wouldn't be a discussion because he would have played more and likely better.

[clarkn1237 0]

I'm giving the C's little to no credit after this win. They came out with a lot of emotion which was what I was expecting after there win over LeBron. But we flat out missed shots, they weren't all over us with a hand in our face the whole game, we just flat out played sloppy for 3 qtrs.

 

Everyone was so high on Rondo before the game, we shut him down, Nelson outplayed him. KG didn't do squat. This was the first time seeing both Allen and Pierce put together solid games together. Carter played better than expected.

 

We came out flat it seemed not a lot of energy in the first half. It stincks we lost homecourt right away after game 1, but Boston is a lousy home team so I'm sure we can get it back.

 

Yes I'm a little disapointed like most Magic fans after this game, but I'm not overly concerned. I'm confident that we'll be back at full strength for game 2.

 

LETS GO MAGIC WE'VE COME TOO FAR TO LET THIS THING SLIP AWAY!!!! LETS BRING IT HOME IN 5!!

[dreamingincolors 0]

I'm so proud of my Magic men.

They played their absolute worst in the first half, only shooting 22% starting the first and second quarter, 3 pointers not falling and they only lose by 4.....YEAH BUDDY!!! I can't wait to see their response in game 2, GO MAGIC!!!

[Natmayo 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Netrunner2k2:

quote:

Originally posted by KillingInTheNameOf

 

I think the calls for JJ in the starting lineup are a premature overreaction. JJ defends Allen well, but he's a huge liability when Boston forces switches. The Magic can't defend Boston being undersized at 4 positions! I think this sentiment also overlooks the fact JJ was awful in the 1st half and excelled while the Magic were freerolling down huge. I like what JJ gives the Magic...but this is PANIC talk.

 

 

I don't think so. I think if Barnes' back was healthy there wouldn't be a discussion because he would have played more and likely better.

 

JJ moving to the starting lineup isn't an adjustment, its a premature lineup change that isn't necessary after a loss.

 

JJ played well, was a great spark off the bench but you just don't change everything you do because of a loss.

 

Stick with the lineup that got us where we are.

 

I was disappointed in this game but give credit where its due. The Celts played better defense in spurts than I saw in either of their other series.

 

We will make adjustments and return the favor. But no need for a significant lineup change quite yet

[Netrunner2k2 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Natmayo:

quote:

Originally posted by Netrunner2k2:

quote:

Originally posted by KillingInTheNameOf

 

I think the calls for JJ in the starting lineup are a premature overreaction. JJ defends Allen well, but he's a huge liability when Boston forces switches. The Magic can't defend Boston being undersized at 4 positions! I think this sentiment also overlooks the fact JJ was awful in the 1st half and excelled while the Magic were freerolling down huge. I like what JJ gives the Magic...but this is PANIC talk.

 

 

I don't think so. I think if Barnes' back was healthy there wouldn't be a discussion because he would have played more and likely better.

 

JJ moving to the starting lineup isn't an adjustment, its a premature lineup change that isn't necessary after a loss.

 

JJ played well, was a great spark off the bench but you just don't change everything you do because of a loss.

 

Stick with the lineup that got us where we are.

 

I was disappointed in this game but give credit where its due. The Celts played better defense in spurts than I saw in either of their other series.

 

We will make adjustments and return the favor. But no need for a significant lineup change quite yet

 

I'm not saying that because of a loss, I'm saying that because Barnes' back isn't good and that hindered him. The healthy lineup got this team where it is today. Like I said, if Barnes' back was OK, then it is a different story. If Barnes played like crap but was healthy, this wouldn't be a discussion. It is so it is.

[Sir Raven 12]

no change in the lineup? Barnes isnt 100% ._.

[AcuWill 45]

IMO two things were the biggest issue. Howard. He needs to not lay an egg.

 

The second was our initial line-up with Barnes at the 3 and Carter at the 2. Nobody could guard Ray Allen and it was destroying our entire defensive side of the ball

 

As soon as SVG went to JJ at the 2 and Carter at the 3, we were playing much, much better. JJ will again be the key in the series for us and our next games will be much better as SVG has found that line-up adjustment already.

[~O~ 565]

quote:

Originally posted by GhostAnime:

quote:

they would have lost if Rashard didn't get stuck in traffic

That's called defense I thought unless you're being sarcastic.

 

The positives? Well, despite how good defensively boston actually played, they were still in the game; although i said the same thing several times in the cleveland series.

 

only really outstanding games were by pierce and allen, but at the very least i wouldn't be confident in winning the series out right (I don't think I ever was until a few days ago).

 

Rashard got every shot that he actually made against great defense. He was off all night. I don't care what kind of defense you play on Rashard because he almost always makes his dagger threes against anyone.

[Natmayo 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Netrunner2k2:

quote:

Originally posted by Natmayo:

quote:

Originally posted by Netrunner2k2:

quote:

Originally posted by KillingInTheNameOf

 

I think the calls for JJ in the starting lineup are a premature overreaction. JJ defends Allen well, but he's a huge liability when Boston forces switches. The Magic can't defend Boston being undersized at 4 positions! I think this sentiment also overlooks the fact JJ was awful in the 1st half and excelled while the Magic were freerolling down huge. I like what JJ gives the Magic...but this is PANIC talk.

 

 

I don't think so. I think if Barnes' back was healthy there wouldn't be a discussion because he would have played more and likely better.

 

JJ moving to the starting lineup isn't an adjustment, its a premature lineup change that isn't necessary after a loss.

 

JJ played well, was a great spark off the bench but you just don't change everything you do because of a loss.

 

Stick with the lineup that got us where we are.

 

I was disappointed in this game but give credit where its due. The Celts played better defense in spurts than I saw in either of their other series.

 

We will make adjustments and return the favor. But no need for a significant lineup change quite yet

 

I'm not saying that because of a loss, I'm saying that because Barnes' back isn't good and that hindered him. The healthy lineup got this team where it is today. Like I said, if Barnes' back was OK, then it is a different story. If Barnes played like crap but was healthy, this wouldn't be a discussion. It is so it is.

 

If he can't go, then you bring Pietrus in and let him guard Pierce. Vince can not guard Pierce and would probably do a better job on Allen.

 

But JJ is fine where he is, working well with JWill and bringing that energy off the bench.

 

But we are up 1-0 if Dwight makes a couple of shots and we aren't having this discussion

[XaviInThe407 2]

I feel good about The Magic being able to come back strong.

[sharp/7/shooter 23]

Here is my player-by-player analysis of Game 1 in our series against Boston. Read if you would like, comment and discuss if you want.

 

Dwight Howard

Dwight needs to one, grow up, and two, use his strengths. Arguing and pouting down the court doesn't show your heart or determination, actually to be quite frank, it pisses me off. Act like a leader, you call yourself Superman....

This is the playoffs ladies and gents, not a time to try and use skills that you haven't locked down. When your struggling in the post, SLAM that puppy in the basket, forget about a twisting lefty one handed hook with multiple defenders around you. 30% from the field and I watched as he kept bricking lefty hooks from 2 feet away. Defensively, Dwight was solid. He contested and changed shots but he did lack in effort when he was upset. He did make 7 free throws which eases the pain at least a little. Learn from this Dwight, come back stronger next game, please.

 

Rashard Lewis

With a 20% FG percentage and shooting 0-6 from behind the arc, one could say it was a dismal outing for Rashard. I know there is faith, but when we draw up multiple set plays out of timeout, you NEED to execute...Rashard did not do that today. This could be a coach's decision or what have you, but when you are called upon and have multiple chances to do so, you have to make it count. Defensively he wasn't as passive which is good, but we all know Lewis isn't a DPOY.

 

Matt Barnes

This outing could be culprit to the questionable back. His play was very forced and unaware. In retrospect we were better off without him in the game, but we needed to test if we could benefit from his defensive energy.

 

Vince Carter

VC was basically our offense in the first half. We ran our offensive sets through him as well as a big pile of pick and rolls. As I have said before, Vince is best when he diversifies his game. When he drives and attacks the basket, he is a much better player. He got in a groove and started putting up fade-away, off-balance jump shots over bigs...not smart IMO especially when you are down. However, there was not much negative to his game apart from his sporadic poor shot selection. His defense was feasible but he stepped up big on the offensive end.

 

Jameer Nelson

Jameer came out strong to start the second half. He sparked our team and made smart shots. He had a HUGE put back layup off of Vince Carter's FT miss in the 4th quarter (he was the shortest man on the floor). He showed a lot of heart where there was very little. Defensively he was a weak point and his court vision was sub-par. In the end though, his toughness and offensive spark definitely overpowered the bad spots in his game.

 

Mickael Pietrus

Rough game for Air France. Hitting only 1 out of 5 from the floor. He seemed out of the offense on almost every possession. His playing time was for his defense. MP manned up on his assignment and made him take tough shots. All in all, I'd have to say this was a poor game for him, he needs to bounce back to have an impact on this series.

 

Jason Williams

JWill was 100% from the field. Even if it was only two shots, he was efficient. We need this guy in the game to push the ball, up the tempo, and distribute on the break. Sadly, we weren't on the break all that much this game. Boston's defense created a half court situation for us almost every time down the floor. JWill thrives on the break and when you take that away, his upside falls hard. Also, his defense was suspect throughout the game which turned SVG to giving Jameer a lot more minutes.

 

J.J. Redick

In hindsight, I wish he was given a handful of Barnes' minutes and a few of MP's. When he is in the game, our offense runs smoother. He didn't force his shots and made sound plays offensively. He stood up and played defense very well. He got beat a few times but he funneled his man to the middle where there is a DPOY waiting. He took charges against some of the fattest players in the league and was a key part to our comeback in the fourth.

 

Marcin Gortat

In the first half, Gortat was a force. When he was put in the game alongside Dwight, he brought energy and great effort to the game. He was doing all the little things, battling in the trenches until the second half came. He lost his intensity and looked a bit lost out there. Ultimately, he was a great energy booster in the 1st.

 

Other Notes:

- I have come to notice that down the stretch, when we are trying to get some points on the board, we tend to stray away from our usual offensive sets and run isolation plays. Usually we give the rock to our best distributor on the floor, run some pick and rolls, weighing out our options, surveying the floor. If Redick is on the floor, we give him the ball and let him either feed it to Dwight or run a set play. In the 4th, we tend to give the ball to Carter or to Dwight and let them do their thing. My question is why? Why all of a sudden change the offense when we have come back by using smart passing and good shot selection? Which leads to...

 

- Assists, we had 10 all game. We need to bring our fast paced, free flowing and ball distributing offense back. Ball movement people, it opens up kinks in the Celtic armor and will make it easier to score easy baskets.

[Netrunner2k2 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Natmayo:

quote:

Originally posted by Netrunner2k2:

quote:

Originally posted by Natmayo:

quote:

Originally posted by Netrunner2k2:

quote:

Originally posted by KillingInTheNameOf

 

I think the calls for JJ in the starting lineup are a premature overreaction. JJ defends Allen well, but he's a huge liability when Boston forces switches. The Magic can't defend Boston being undersized at 4 positions! I think this sentiment also overlooks the fact JJ was awful in the 1st half and excelled while the Magic were freerolling down huge. I like what JJ gives the Magic...but this is PANIC talk.

 

 

I don't think so. I think if Barnes' back was healthy there wouldn't be a discussion because he would have played more and likely better.

 

JJ moving to the starting lineup isn't an adjustment, its a premature lineup change that isn't necessary after a loss.

 

JJ played well, was a great spark off the bench but you just don't change everything you do because of a loss.

 

Stick with the lineup that got us where we are.

 

I was disappointed in this game but give credit where its due. The Celts played better defense in spurts than I saw in either of their other series.

 

We will make adjustments and return the favor. But no need for a significant lineup change quite yet

 

I'm not saying that because of a loss, I'm saying that because Barnes' back isn't good and that hindered him. The healthy lineup got this team where it is today. Like I said, if Barnes' back was OK, then it is a different story. If Barnes played like crap but was healthy, this wouldn't be a discussion. It is so it is.

 

If he can't go, then you bring Pietrus in and let him guard Pierce. Vince can not guard Pierce and would probably do a better job on Allen.

 

But JJ is fine where he is, working well with JWill and bringing that energy off the bench.

 

But we are up 1-0 if Dwight makes a couple of shots and we aren't having this discussion

 

Hey, you could be right and he is what we need to spark the team. It is true that if Dwight wasn't asleep this isn't a discussion.

 

However, I also know that JJ got the start and was on Allen last year and Allen didn't have a great series offensively for the most part. Neither did JJ for that matter (though I think JJ is better this year than last) and the Magic ended with the series win.