Orlando Magic

I really like the direction this team is going but I'm not so sure they can really be a contender in the East this year.  The East has gotten a lot stronger over the last few years and while I think they can make the playoffs I don't really see any chance that they can really beat The Magic, the Heat, the Celtics, of the Bulls.  And I'm skeptical they can even beat teams like the 76ers or the Hawks.

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Kevin Garnett had 22 points, starting out the game with 5 of 5 shooting. Garnett made poor old Shaq look poor and old every time a shot arced over the Big Aristotle's head. Does anyone else love the fact that the Celtics were supposed to be the aging team? If Paul Pierce is old at 31, what does that make Shaq at 38?

Continue reading "Celtics in 6"

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote and published my first blog in this here forum of journalistic excellence and opinionated sports debate. I recounted the pitfalls of a thoroughly disappointing Lakers-Celtics Finals, one that should have been steeped in drama, history and haymakers but was instead hampered by flops, bricks, and poor decision-making. I find it fitting to sit here on this most unceremonious of anniversaries (does anyone still read this? if you’re out there, send money) and begrudgingly opine on yet another, equally disappointing Finals. 

Continue reading "Another Disappointing Finals"

NBA FINALS; Orlando Magic give LA a Battle of a Game, but Lakers Take It in Overtime!!!!
  Orlando came out of the gate a little sloppy, but so did the Lakers. Last night LA did not control the paint. This game was was a real fight and a really good game.  After the 1st period it was 15-15, an even game. The Magic really shut down Kobe in the first half, and played really great defense all around. D. Howard was getting his rebounds, 16 a game high and made some nice moves to help out the Magic's offense, scoring 17-points and 4 assists, a lot better than last game, and at half it was a 5 point LA lead.

Continue reading "Lakers in Overtime"

NBA FINALS GAME 1; Kobe and the LA Lakers Show the Orlando Magic their on a Mission!!
I thought that this was going to be a close game and a battle, even Vegas had the spread at 6 thinking it would be close, but it ended up being a blowout!!

Continue reading "LA Blows Out The Magic"

as thinking Cleveland was going to kill them in this 5 minutes overtime, but I was completly wrong. Orlando Magic showed everyone that they deserve to be in the Finals by getting a lead in the

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Or is it dilemmi? Either way.

As the entire NBA world eagerly awaits the potential match-up of Kobe and LeBron in this year's finals, they also can't help observe it's getting increasingly difficult for them to get there. The Magic and Nuggets are hitting their strides at the right time, with bench players stepping up at crucial moments, Van Panic and Karl making good coaching moves, and both team's point guards acting as the leaders they can be. Even if the current and future MJ's of our time average 50 a game for the rest of the playoffs, it won't matter. That's not how you reach the Golden Summit (Yes, I just used "Golden Summit" as an analogy for the Finals. Deal with it. I like it.).

Continue reading "Kobe and LeBron facing similar dilemmas"

When Mark Cuban told Lydia Moore that her son, the Nuggets' Kenyon Martin, was a "thug" after Game 3 of the Nuggets-Mavs series, he crossed a line. I thought I'd point out the Top 10 Things he MEANT TO SAY to Ms. Moore:

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The Celtics came out last night against Orlando looking tired and defeated. I was reminded immediately of how they looked in game 1 and even though I hoped they'd pull magic out of their bag of tricks, the outcome was exactly the same as game 1 -- a blowout.In the 1st quarter, neither team could hit a jump shot; every point scored by both teams was in the paint. This led to D. Howard having a big game and all the Celtics getting in foul trouble early (which they cannot afford). Next thing you know it's half time, and the Orlando is up by 12 and Ray Ray can't hit a shot. Pierce and Rondo look extremely tired -- not good for the Celtics. This bad news and bad start would continue as the Magic would have a 20 point lead in the 3rd quarter and this time they keep it, ending up with an ugly final score of 117-96!  As the Professor always says, if Rondo is on, we win; if not we lose!!! And last night the Professor said, "I believe Rondo is off tonight [which he was] and it looks like Pierce is hurt."  So once again, the Professor is right. By the 4th quarter, Pierce was limping. I don't believe he is hurt, but he does look beyond-tired. All the starters looked so tired and Ray, with only 8 points (2-12), and Rondo, who's off his game, it's almost always going to be impossible to get the win. Even though Eddie House was on once again (the only one who was), without our starters, count us out.  So I think with all of the sitting at the end of this game, all the starters will have their legs back under them for an important game 4. C-Nation knows we can beat Orlando and we proved that in game 2 and that's what we need to see in game 4 -- that same fire and determination we all know that's there. It just needs to come out again, and I believe it will. MIT said, "I think the Cs have the next game for sure and they will win by 8-10 points on Sunday!!"  I personally think it will be another blow-out, but by who, we will have to wait to see what Celtic team shows up for this one!! I hope MIT is right, but I think as does Dato, G, KC, Jon, Rach, Ro, Bedlam(Showoff Marketing), and even Murray, this is going to 7, so stay tuned. I believe in the magic for Boston.

Continue reading "The Boston Celtics: Is the Magic Gone?"

GAME, YEAH CELTS! C-Nation loves you!! But there's no time to sleep though; now the Cs wait for The Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard for a Monday night 8:00 pm showdown where the question i

Continue reading "Celtics to Bulls: You're Outta Our House"

and to have the ending we did, CRAZY!  The Celts not only had to battle Dwight Howard and his Orlando Magic (who are fighting against us for the 2 seed), but last night the Cs had to battle the referees as well. 

Continue reading "Celts vs Orlando Magic vs. the Refs 3/26/09"

Mavs are surging having won their last four, including victories over formidable opponents like the Orlando Magic, to name one. Dallas appears to be putting it together under underrated head coach Rick Carlisle, and Josh Howard and Brandon Bass are back in the swing of things offensively.

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James, Cleveland Cavaliers

F – Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

C – Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

With the aforementioned guidelines adhered to, here are my selections...

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The Celtics have formidable competition in the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic, and the Lakers have to worry about the aforementioned Spurs, the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, and wild card Phoenix Suns.

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With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

Continue reading "The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs"

Did you miss me?  Sorry for the extended hiatus once again, but I was busy being cooped up in a metal box for days on end, plus I had to go ahead and lose all of my money to various undeserving casinos and their patrons, so I've had no time to reflect on the world of sports.  Many of you are probably expecting to read (or at least skim) some bitter, semi incoherent rambling post about Tom Brady's left knee and the dirty Chiefs and the especially classless fans of the NFL who actually had the gall to celebrate and commemorate a horrific injury to the league's best player, but I've gotta leave something for Simmons to do, so that will not be a part of my post today.  Instead, I'm going to hide from my problems inside the twisted world of the NBA, where my beloved Boston Celtics are still champions, and my mistresses, the Portland Trailblazers are looking better than ever and are brimming with talent and potential.

Continue reading "Little Wing?"

Ugh, last night's loss left a bitter taste in my mouth to say the least.  I'm trying to fin the proper words to describe it, but it's proving more difficult than I had anticipated.  I could say that this loss was deflating and/or disheartening, but I'm not sure that it was all bad and completely demoralizing.  In fact, despite the loss, there were a few things that went well for the Celtics that I could see them using to recapture the edge in this series.

Continue reading "Silver Lining?"

 The Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic in game 4 of their series in Orlando courtesy of an amazing Tayshaun Prince runner in the closing seconds of regulation that went unanswered by the Magic as time expired and gave Detroit a 3-1 series lead.  The shot was incredible, plain and simple.  The Pistons stole the game without Chauncey Billups and have a commanding lead in the series heading back to Detroit for game 5 tonight.

Continue reading "No Place Like Home"

ther see the Boston Celtics match up  against Cleveland than the other likely alternative, the Orlando Magic.  Orlando has already beaten the Celtics twice this season (by a combined 5 points), whereas the Celtics split their season series with Cleveland, 2-2.  Orlando also presents some tough match-ups for the Celtics, with Dwight Howard in the middle and Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu on the perimeter.  While none of the Orlando players present as difficult a cover as LeBron James (Howard is close, but his game is not as diverse as LeBron's, nor does he have the same combination of speed and strength that makes James almost impossible to contain), the Magic have three legitimate scoring options that are capable of sinking any opponent on any night.

Continue reading "I Swear I'm Not Crazy..."

We have been waiting for this moment for months.  No, I’m not talking about the Jason Kidd trade to go through (which it did today).  I am talking to about the second half of the NBA season to begin.  The first three and a half months can be such a drag, and usually are but in the second half, everything picks up.  It is a two-month stretch run to the playoffs.  This is the time when teams like San Antonio and Detroit flip their switch on and look to be playing their best when the playoffs begin.  The flurry of trades that have gone on in the last two or three weeks has just made the second half that much more interesting.  The NBA season is about 20 games too long and it kills ratings but now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.  These next couple months of the regular season and the playoffs are going to be some of the best basketball since the ‘80’s.  The NBA, where exciting happens.

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