Are the Magic Championship contenders ???

[DanA_TBDP 12]

Also JJ Redick needs to start.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/38447/lineups-that-are-killing-it-in-the-east

I agree with this and tell it to anyone who will listen. Richardson is a black hole who can't create his own offense anymore. Redick is a better shooter, better shooter on set plays, and can run the PNR as a creator much better than JRICH. Heck, he runs is better than anyone not named Jameer. I can't remember the last time JRICH had a game nearly as efficient as that 9 assist, 0 turnover game JJ had the other night. Against the Heat also, Wade has said he hates covering Redick because JJ runs him around all game.

[ball junkie 277]

This small segment from a John Hollinger article was written about a month or so ago when the Magic's PG play was very poor......the main subject was the East Playoff race:

 

Leading the way is our host from this past weekend, Orlando. The Magic currently sit in third in the conference but are facing a big decision point in the next three weeks; as you may have heard, Dwight Howard can opt out of his contract and become a free agent after the season, and he appears to have eyes for Brooklyn or Dallas.

 

Nonetheless, I'm hearing there's a good chance that Orlando keeps him through the trade deadline and calls his bluff on leaving money on the table with a free-agent departure. (The oft-mooted $30 million figure isn't exactly accurate since Howard will almost certainly get paid somehow five years from now, whether it's by the Magic or somebody else, but a move would still cost him several million dollars, especially if he went to a state with income tax).

 

In fact, it's possible that Orlando goes the opposite direction and doubles down on its bet -- trading, say, low-level prospects like Justin Harper and/or Daniel Orton for a point guard who can successfully advance the ball past half court. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy, but one that has to freak out Chicago and Miami at least a little bit -- neither has a big man who can handle Howard physically, and if you go back and look at Howard's history he has never lost a playoff series in that situation.

 

The last sentence being one of extreme noteworthiness to all Magic fans...........

[Magicians 0]

We're contenders if we avoid the Hawks/Celtics ;)

[God Hates Otis Smith 153]

Man we shoulda picked up Sessions, Duhons going to kill us in the playoffs

[30Assists 342]

It's all about matchups. We don't play well against the Hawks because they have big guards who are good perimeter defenders, and they have enough big guys they can throw at Dwight that they can keep him in check and wear him down.

 

The Bulls and Heat don't really have that, so we have at least an even chance at beating them. OKC has long, quick players who are also good perimeter defenders and while they don't have a good answer for Dwight (few teams do), their 3s and 4s are big enough, and get enough rebounds, that they can limit Dwight's effectiveness.

 

Last season was just a bad matchup for us. I still say that if we had gotten any team other than Atlanta, we had a good chance of going deep in the playoffs last year. I'd say the same is true this year.

[Optimist Prime 197]

In other news, if the Celtics surpass Philly in the W-L column, they would jump up to the 4 seed, and drop the Sixers down to 6-7 seed. Great news for the Magic if that happens.

[VCplusD12 91]

In other news, if the Celtics surpass Philly in the W-L column, they would jump up to the 4 seed, and drop the Sixers down to 6-7 seed. Great news for the Magic if that happens.

Not a chance in hell

[Beast From The East 663]

Not a chance in hell