ESPN: NBA Power Rankings Oct. 25

[Nyce_1 311]

Great points by BMP.

 

And to add to the list of reason as to why we got better, let me add:

 

1) Shard playing more SF to give us a bigger lineup

2) Bass getting more minutes and actually being better used than last year

3) a defensive backup PG; Duhon isn't the greatest defender, but he's better than JWill trying to defend Rondo or Nate Robinson

4) Q > Barnes; Teams won't sag off our SF position cause Q will burn them from deep & he's a better team defender than barnes. Q knows his role and will be great at it.

5) new wrinkles in our system (more post ups for key players and more cuts on offense & more zone and trapping on defense). Teams won't expect that and we lose that predictability.

 

Even though we have the same core of players, we plugged a few key holes (Duhon & Q), added a few wrinkles (Shard at SF; Bass/Gortat PF; new plays and defensive schemes) , and riding the back of our franchise player who is evolving.

 

If you think this team is the same or worse than last year, you need to stop watching ESPN.

[~O~ 565]

Does anyone remember when Stan Van Gundy tried to utilize the high pick and roll with Vince Carter and Dwight Howard last year? There won't be any of that this season so you could say that the playbook has been upgraded. Stan Van Gundy will utilize match-ups more this season than last.

 

I think the New Events Center has boosted the teams moral in a way. They come to a beautiful new building now work for these players have become more of a luxury seeing they have the convenience of everything including their training gym in the same area. There will be less trips down the I-4 to the RVD.

 

The media is also off our backs once again and the Miami Heat are now the Cleveland Cavaliers 3.0. Its great being the underdogs once more.

 

 

[Nyce_1 311]

I agree with Dub, being the underdog is great for us. I don't give a damn about ESPN hype or lack of respect. We'll surprise everyone in the end.

[Optimist Prime 197]

I agree with Dub, being the underdog is great for us. I don't give a damn about ESPN hype or lack of respect. We'll surprise everyone in the end.

 

I'd much rather have something to prove than expectations to meet.

[IronMaiden 43]

I don't really care what the experts say. We have plenty of talent, the dominant big man with an improved offensive game, and we have a lot of team chemistry and unity. I think that makes both the Magic and Celtics the best teams in the east, at least for this season. I wouldn't be surprised to see Orlando vs Boston in the east, and Los Angeles vs Oklahoma City in the west.

[Skywise316 211]

Media-wise we're in a perfect position. We have just about as good a team with talent + chemistry as anyone in the league, but viewed half a notch below in the media. While everyone gives us credit for being ONE of the elite teams in the league, finally, no one outside of Central Florida thinks we can go all the way through and win a Championship. Between the disappointment of losing to Boston in the ECF (not to mention the Lakers the year before), and SVG being able to play the disrespect card all season long, it's a pretty easy bet that the 2010 Magic will be just as motivated as the 2008 Magic that went to the Finals, if not even more so.

[30Assists 342]

The Heat did the same thing over again in their second season with Shad and they won a championship. your point?

 

 

 

Duhon > JWill off the bench

Q Rich > Matt Barnes

 

So although they weren't major upgrades the Magic did get better. And by the way the east isn't a heck of a lot stronger. The Celtics replaced their injured stud of a center with two aging injury prone centers, and also had their big 3 get even further over 35. We essentially replaced the Cavliers with the Heat, who have injury problems already and have no depth in the frontcourt. The only two teams to me that really upgraded are the Bucks and the Bulls, and neither of them were close to the caliber of the Magic anyway.

 

This.

 

I'd still feel better with, say, Carmelo Anthony, but hey - you can't have everything. I think this team is pretty good and the #3 spot is just about right until we displace the Celtics and Lakers and win the championship.

[Franchero MVP 391]

Heard it all last year my friends.

 

Im obviously cheering for us, but I am holding my breath until Wince is gone.

[GhostAnime 50]

If there's anything different you're searching for, I think Dwight showing signs of improving offensively is one of them. If that's going to carry over from pre-season, yeah, that's a game changer in itself.

[Ryan the Magic Fan 253]

Heard it all last year my friends.

 

Im obviously cheering for us, but I am holding my breath until Wince is gone.

 

In other words, you don't care how logical an argument completely tears apart your own, your still going to cling to your own shoddy negative points. "I'll take my ball and go home!"

[Berto 338]

The people who complain about not doing enough in the offseason really have no idea how to build a team. The nucleus is set in Orlando, so it's really all about making the minor tweaks and moves to make us better at the small things, and just a better team all around. You don't need major moves when you're a back-to-back 59 win team, that could have a ring if some things went differently.

 

On paper, Duhon and QRich don't look like much, but when you dig into what it means, we upgraded at back-up PG (a huge position for this team) with a starting caliber player, and we replaced Barnes with a guy the other team can't sag off of anymore. Again, not major, but for this team, those are very important additions.

 

In addition to those two players, this team has a season's worth of chemistry now. Vince should know his role better. Rashard should be more involved switching back from 3 and 4. Bass and Anderson should both be better with a season under their belt. Jameer looks as healthy as he's been since pre-injury in 08-09. JJ Redick is hot...etc

 

All those things are cool, but they're not even the most important aspects of this team's improvement. The most important thing is Dwight's new and improved beast mode. I believe this is the year (yuck) he puts it all together and smashes people on both sides of the floor. This is the most serious we've ever seen this man, and I think the fact that he's out shined and overlooked in his own state now, he wants to win even more. Let's just be honest, if his game fully comes together, there's no answer for him. The heat might have the big three, but they don't have a big anything that can stop a prime Dwight Howard.

 

This smells like a title team to me. You can call me a homer, but I've picked us to lose the last two seasons, so I don't just blindly go about this. I've always said we go as Dwight goes, which isn't always fair because he sometimes gets abandoned on offense, but this seems like the year they figure it out.

[Franchero MVP 391]

In other words, you don't care how logical an argument completely tears apart your own, your still going to cling to your own shoddy negative points. "I'll take my ball and go home!"

 

LOL although BMP did make some decent points, it hardly tore apart my argument. While his argument is based on solid PRESUMPTIONS, they are still presumptions and nothing more. Let's see how the regular season and playoffs pan out first before we start talking about how much better we are and how we're gonna win championships this year.

 

So quit kissing his ass already. I know you want to be part of the "in" crowd around here, but there are better ways to do it.