Live or Die Magic 383 Report post Posted June 26, 2013 The '09 Finals are probably remembered amongst most NBA fans as rather one-sided, but let's not forget that games 2 & 4 were classics (both went to OT). With a couple bounces of the ball it could've been the Magic up 3-1 and on the brink of a title. Calling the 2009 run a fluke is pretty strong, in my opinion. That team played together, shared the ball, and had a great defensive scheme. Agreed. The only fluke was beating Boston without KG. But we were going to smoke Cleveland no matter what. That was not a fluke. That same team had winning records against most of the other contenders that season and we should have rolled right back into the Finals the next year but alas, KG was healthy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Shrute 10 Report post Posted June 26, 2013 Why take it with a grain of salt? That 2009 Magic team was really good. The Lakers happened to be better. I thought we matched up much better against the Lakers then we did against the Celts. Boston w/o KG did help drastically......no one can deny that. It appeared that we were not prepared for the Lakers as, yes, Hedo did great defending Kobe, but it appeared we had no answer for defending Gasol. That dude torched us. We knew Kobe would chuck all game long, but damn, you would think with D12, we could have played better D on Gasol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Hi-Top 791 Report post Posted June 26, 2013 Agreed. The only fluke was beating Boston without KG. But we were going to smoke Cleveland no matter what. That was not a fluke. That same team had winning records against most of the other contenders that season and we should have rolled right back into the Finals the next year but alas, KG was healthy. The thing that hurt the most was the way a healthy Jameer absolutely lit the Lakers up both meetings in the regular season. So, if it was a fluke that we beat Boston because KG was out, it was a fluke the Lakers beat us with Jameer's situation as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Berto 338 Report post Posted June 26, 2013 The thing that hurt the most was the way a healthy Jameer absolutely lit the Lakers up both meetings in the regular season. So, if it was a fluke that we beat Boston because KG was out, it was a fluke the Lakers beat us with Jameer's situation as well. Also, assuming Jameer was healthy and playing like he was before the injury, does he cancel out KG? Probably not, but it's interesting to think about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Live or Die Magic 383 Report post Posted June 26, 2013 The thing that hurt the most was the way a healthy Jameer absolutely lit the Lakers up both meetings in the regular season. So, if it was a fluke that we beat Boston because KG was out, it was a fluke the Lakers beat us with Jameer's situation as well. I like your style. People outside Orlando, and even some Magic fans, forget that aspect of it because Skip actually played like a starting NBA point guard for a few months and kept us on a roll. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ML6 520 Report post Posted June 26, 2013 That regular season game in LA that season is one of my favorite Magic games in recent memory. Both teams entered it sitting at something ridiculous like 33-8 and it was our showcase to the league that we had arrived. Tirico's call gets me every time: "Turkoglu to the right, Lewis up top, Nelson for 3.... HE GOT IT AGAIN!" as Jameer drained the clincher in Pau's face. Amazing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Franchise408 116 Report post Posted June 28, 2013 2009 Finals - Shard's stats Game 1 - 8 pts - 20% Game 2 - 34 pts - 57% Game 3 - 21 pts - 57% Game 4 - 6 pts - 20% Game 5 - 18 pts - 32% When we needed Shard the most.........this is what we got. Two games that he earned his check, but three where he completely **** the bed. Max contract-wise.......HORRIBLE signing. The '09 Finals are probably remembered amongst most NBA fans as rather one-sided, but let's not forget that games 2 & 4 were classics (both went to OT). With a couple bounces of the ball it could've been the Magic up 3-1 and on the brink of a title. Calling the 2009 run a fluke is pretty strong, in my opinion. That team played together, shared the ball, and had a great defensive scheme. Pretty much what ML6 said. Despite losing that series in 5 games, that game was about 3 shots away from Orlando winning it in 5. If Courtney Lee makes that layup in Game 2, all of a sudden, the series is tied 1-1 going back to Orlando, with us winning Game 3, we're up 2-1 instead of down 2-1 and it's an entirely different series. The thing that hurt the most was the way a healthy Jameer absolutely lit the Lakers up both meetings in the regular season. So, if it was a fluke that we beat Boston because KG was out, it was a fluke the Lakers beat us with Jameer's situation as well. This too. Everyone always talks about how the Celtics were without KG, but forget that we were without Jameer. While Jameer is no Kevin Garnett, his importance to the Magic was about what Garnett's importance was to Boston. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Magic 1,251 Report post Posted June 28, 2013 IF WITH HAD JAMEER WE WOULD OF WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP THAT SEASON!! I HAVE NO DOUBT! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
