Magic Win Nail Biter; Up 2-0

The Orlando Magic should be heading to Toronto with a swagger after a 104-103 nailbiter at Amway Arena last night. The question was whether Orlando could legitimately win if their three pointers were not falling and win the Magic did.

If you would have told me that Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis would combine for an 0-13 behind the arc night, I would have called you crazy. These two have shot the 3 ball well all season and last night was completely the opposite. The Magic persevered however dominating the paint in the first quarter, racing to a 20 point lead in the meantime.

Dwight Howard once again showed his power and went for 29 points and 20 rebounds, his second 20-20 night in two games. Four men can claim to the same feat in the past 30 years and what company they are. Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, and Charles Barkley. Dwight is already a superstar in my book but he is just showing the nation that he truly is. Imagine this guy with a jump shot...Who could stop him? Well I guess that's just something he'll have to learn to play without considering his age. Oh wait, the kid is 22 years old! Had he played college ball, this would be his senior season and I think a lot of Dwight's critics forget this fact. This KID is going to be phenomenal and the critics just need to accept that. Move over Toronto, the Magic are coming to Canada and I predict a sweep.

Notable Performances:
Dwight Howard - 29 Points; 20 Rebounds; 3 Blocks;
Jameer Nelson - 18 Points; 66% Shooting Beyond the Arc;

Magic Take Decisive Game One

The Magic came out today and answered every question facing them in the playoffs except one; Can they hold onto a lead?

The 3 ball was there, the defense was there, the inside game was there. Even though they won the game 114-100, the Magic had an unbelievable first half with an NBA record 11 three pointers which can be credited as a major factor in the win. Orlando letting a 24 point lead creep down to 5 in the 4th quarter may be a little worrisome. Even though they won the game 114-100, the Magic had an unbelievable first half with an NBA record 11 three pointers which can be credited as a major factor in the win. To the Magic's credit, they closed out the 4th quarter scare with a 10-0 run to put the game in the books which goes to show how much this team has matured this year. Early in the season I would have put my money on the Magic losing today's game by three points once the lead got down to 5, but along with a team maturation it seems Dwight Howard has stepped into the spotlight and accepted his responsibility. At one point he was 8-8 from the free-throw line which is an amazing accomplishment for Dwight. If he can continue his solid three-throw shooting, the Magic might have a "magical" run in them. How can the Superman Nay-Sayers argue with 25 points, 22 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 81% at the line compared to his regular season 59%.

An unsung hero of the game was Jameer Nelson whom in pre-game interviews told the media he was ready to step up and prove he can shut down the excellent point-guard duo of T.J Ford and Jose Calderon. Jameer backed his words up today as Ford and Calderon shot an uncharacteristic combined 4-20 from the field. Jameers defense or bad day by the two? I'll take Jameer stepping up and getting the job done.

The series is by no means dictated by this first game but you have to love the way the Magic got up early and responded to a charge by the Raptors. In the NBA, teams are going to make runs and today the Magic showed they can handle it as well as the best teams in the league.

Notable Performances:

Dwight Howard - 25 Points; 22 Rebounds; 5 Blocks
Jameer Nelson - 24 Points; 7 Assists
Hedo Turkoglu - 21 Points; 6 Rebounds; 6 Assists
Maurice Evans - 14 Points; 66% from 3 Point Line

Magic will face Raptors in Playoffs

Despite my pleas (that somehow went unheard), the Orlando Magic will not face the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. They will, however, need to get their passports out and get ready to go through customs because they will be Toronto bound.

The Magic will kick off the 2008 postseason at home against the one team that I didn't want them to face. Simply put, the Raptors present match-up problems for the Magic. Their point guards (Ford and Calderon) are ridiculously quick and their pick-and-roll gave the Magic fits during the regular season. Inside, they have Bosh and Nesterovic. Howard has had trouble guarding Bosh in the past, as Bosh has been able to pull Howard away from the rim and shoot his mid-range jumper. Nesterovic's recent upturn will force Howard to guard him, while Rashard Lewis will then have to step out on Bosh. Again, this favors the Raptors.

Things aren't all bad for the Magic though. They did win 2 out of the 3 games they played against the Dinosaurs, and will present some match-up problems of their own. The first question, is who is going to guard Howard? Bosh is too small, and Nesterovic isn't quick enough. Look for a steady rotation of Bargnani/Humphries/Brezec to give up their bodies for the good of the team. After Howard, the Raptors will still have to deal with Hedo Turkoglu and the aforementioned Lewis. Bosh has the ability to guard Lewis away from the basket, but Turkoglu should be able to take advantage of rookie Jamario Moon.

If the Magic role players (Mo Evans, Keith Bogans, Keyon Dooling, Adonal Foyle) play well the Magic have the edge. Their ability to shoot the three, combined with the dominating prescence of Howard inside should be the difference in this series. I think this is going to be pretty competitive (6 games), but in the end the Magic should be able to punch their ticket to the second round and a probable match-up with the dreaded Pistons.

Magic Rested or Weary?

Fifty wins for the Magic would be a big stepping stone to reclaiming the glory of the 90's. When a casual fan thinks of the Orlando Magic, usually Shaq and Penny come to mind, but this years Magic team is out to set a new image. One currently on everyones mind would be Dwight Howard soaring through the air with a superman costume on, but if this current team does not win, the image of Shaq and Penny will always remain.

The Magic are currently the Southeast division champions which is no huge accomplishment this year, however, it marks the first title since 1996 and are sitting a game away from the franchises first 50 win season since 96 when the Magic won 60. You would think 10 games ago when the Magic were sitting at 45-25 with an easy home stretch they would have reached this number by now. Watching the team drop 6 out of their last 10 I have noticed a drastic drop in passion to win. The team is just going through the routines and this could have a serious psychological affect on the team come playoffs next week. The last thing you want is a lower seed team thinking they can come back from a double-digit lead at your arena, which is exactly what the Magic showed last night. Losing 102-101 to a 20 win club is not going to put the fear needed into more than likely first round opponent Philadelphia, especially after being up the entire game at times by 15.

However, the opposite could be true for this late season slump: The Magic could be fully rested come playoffs. Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis have seen a decrease in minutes after the team locked the 3rd seed in the East and if you couple that with mentally resting while on the court, this team could become a monster come next week.

As Magic fans, we are all praying for the second possible result from this lack of effort and passion shown by Orlando the last 10 games. Time will tell what happens to this new look Magic team.