Cook Could Miss Rest of Regular Season

Brian Cook got hit by Dwight Howard today in practice, fracturing his shooting hand which will cause him to miss about a week or two. But Otis Smith expects Cook to be ready for the playoffs, come April 20.

Cook will wear a hand cast and be re-evaluated around the end of the season. "I think you have to worry about him missing the regular season, but he should be ready for the playoffs," Smith said.

Goodness Dwight! You should be this physical with opponents instead of your own teammates! That's two teammates knocked out of games in the past two weeks!

Magic in Playoff Guessing Game

It looks as if we won't be knowing who our first round matchup will be against. Were basically "stuck" in the #3 seed and now its just a guessing game to see who we will play. Washington, Philadelphia, and Toronto are all jockeying for position an the final 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds.

The Magic used to be lined up with the Wizards, then the Sixers and now its the Raptors at the #6 seed. So its anybody's guess who will end up there.

"This could go right to the end," said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy. "So at this point, I don't think we can worry about one team." So, instead of preparing for just one team in a playoff matchup, he has his assistants preparing for 3 different teams. All that while still doing the normal preparations for the 8 remaining regular season games.

"We'll go back in a couple weeks and see if the picture is any clearer," Van Gundy said. "But it might still look the same." Van Gundy and staff have a lot to prepare for when the first round playoffs start at Amway Arena on April 20.

Good new is that the Magic have already shown they can beat any of those three teams, finishing 3-1 against the Sixers and 2-1 against the Raptors. We are 2-1 against Washington, playing the Wizards one more time on the last day of the regular season.

The Wizards definitley have the toughest remaining schedule, with 6 of their remaining 10 games against +.500 teams. The Raptors have the easiest of the remaining schedules. Only two of their final 10 games are against teams above .500. The 76ers play four of their remaining nine games against teams with winning records.

"At this point, we just need to focus on ourselves, regardless of who we see in the playoffs," Van Gundy said. "And I know what we need to do to get better."

Magic Go on to Easy Win 103-86

The Magic started well and ended well. Hot shooting and high scoring. Good 'D' on the Bucks kept their scorers at bay. Arroyo played well in the starting role; he looked very poised and comfortable leading with the rock.

In the first quarter the Magic started strong and led by a good margin (by 17 at one point). The Bucks took a timeout and they came back in the game, after we led by 10+. But, Dwight was too much as Ruffin, Voskuhl, and Gadzuric all had at least 2 fouls. By the end of the first quarter dwight had shot 10 free throws and we led by eleven - 34 to 23.

The second quarter was a showcase of more horrible defense on the Bucks side of the ball and it didn't help that they shot 39% after the first two quarters. The Magic only had 4 TOs in the first half and Dwight already had 17 points in his first 18 minutes. Also, in the first half Dwight shot 11-14 free throws, yet he averages 11 shot per game (which leads the league). The Cookie Monster showed up big with 12 points, and Carlos again distributed the rock well with 4 assists and no turnovers. We led 60-43 after the first two quarters.

The third quarter was not home to a Third Quarter Collapse in tonight's game. We continued great defense on the Bucks and Arroyo continued his superb ball handling and distributing. There were lots of easy shots for the Magic as we continued to up our lead to over 20. Arroyo even hit a buzzer-beating 3 pointer to close out the third. We led by 24 after three, 87 to 63.

The fourth brought the end of Dwight Howard's easy routine night with 25 points, 11 boards and 2 blocks. We had a J.J and Gortat sighting for about 3 minutes each. Redick had 6 points on 3-3 shooting and Marcin did just about nothing in his short stint.

The Magic ended up destroying the lowly Bucks 103-86 and securing a new franchise record 24 road victories. The Magic hit over 5 threes for the 74th straight game. Rashard has been rebounding very well the last 10 games, averaging 7 boards, which he also had tonight along with 16 points. Hedo added 12 and didn't shoot particularly well, due to his wrist injury. Arroyo had 13 points and 9 assists; Mo added 10 and 6. The Bucks shot a crazy 102 shots and made 34% for the game while the Magic only shot 79 field goals, making 44%. The Magic were also 10-28 (36%) from the three point line. Normally if a team wins the rebounding statistic, they win the game. That wasn't so tonight as the Bucks had 59 rebounds to our 44, which was because we allowed them to get 25 offensive rebounds.

Your Magic get 3 days off before facing the New Orleans Hornets at home tuesday night. Also, the annual Black Tie and Tennies Gala is being held this Saturday at the JW Marriott-Grande Lakes. This event benefits the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation and the 2007 Gala raised more than $500,000!

Tonight's Game: Magic @ Bucks

Magic (46-27) vs. Bucks (24-46)

Sun Sports
Bradley Center
8:30 PM

Probable Lineups:
Howard C Bogut
Lewis PF Villanueva
Turkoglu SF Mason
Evans SG Redd
Arroyo PG Williams

Even though the Bucks are underachieving, the Magic can't let their guard down again. These two teams faced off in December, and the Bucks blew us out of their building. Michael Redd was only 1 assist shy of a triple-double as he led the Bucks to a huge win against the then 16-6 Magic.

Now with some extra time to get some much needed rest, the Magic will try to win their 24th road game of the season tonight. Orlando (46-27) has dropped 18 of 21 games in Milwaukee since April 14, 1996, with 13 of those losses coming by double digits. The Magic have won only once in their last nine games at the Bradley Center. The Magic are a combination of three wins or Washington losses away from clinching their first division title since 1995-96. Winning tonight's game will give us the team record for most road wins in a season.

Lately, the defense has been solid but Orlando’s offense, which turns out an Eastern Conference-best 104.6 points per game, has been lacking. The Magic have averaged just 96.5 points in losing three of four, including the 107-97 defeat to San Antonio on Tuesday.

The Magic fell to 13-6 since the All-Star break. ... Orlando is five games ahead of Cleveland for third place in the Eastern Conference with nine games left in the regular season.

Hedo Will Play Friday, Jameer Likely WIll Not

This post by Brian Schmitz says that Hedo has participated in light shooting drills in practice, and will give it a go for Friday's game against Milwaukee.

Nelson doubts he will play, as he is still recovering from concussion-like symptoms. He said he was dizzy and felt nauseous. Carlos Arroyo will get the start if Nelson can't go, which seems likely.

Also, Otis Smith is leaning towards keeping Tony Battie from returning at all this season. "It's my decision, not Tony's," Smith said.

Magic Fans Can Breathe Again - Hedo and Jameer Day-to-Day

Brian Schmitz reports that Hedo AND Jameer, both, are day-to-day with thier various injuries. Hedo was diagnosed with only a sprained wrist, which gives much relief to the Magic and their fans who can no breath a sigh of relief. This scare was from a previous report by Brian Schmitz, where he discussed how a severe injury to Hedo's wrist could knock him out of the rest of the season, and playoffs; taking the Magic's season down with him.

As BQR mentions, "Keith Bogans and Carlos Arroyo would likely start for Turkoglu and Nelson, respectively, 'if' they are unavailable Friday in Milwaukee."

Magic Lose Nelson and Turkoglu, and The Game As Well 107-97

I was at this game only to realize that all of a sudden Nelson AND Turkoglu were missing. I looked around as many fans were asking what happened. I saw Nelson walk into the locker room earlier in the 1st half but I hadn't seen where Turk dissapeared to. Then I realized they were both injured, what luck. As 3QC reports, Jameer Nelson left the game with a chin contusion and Hedo Turkoglu with a sprained wrist.

One would think that losing Turkoglu and Nelson in the first half, would mean automatic doom. No so tonight. Dooling and Arroyo stepped up off the bench and had us leading 69-61 in the 3rd quarter, but we couldn't pull it off in the end. Too much Ginobili and missing free throws killed us. Dooling and Arroyo played great as they finished with 19 and 17, respectively.

To make matters worse, we let the Spurs shoot just about 60% (actually 58%, but close enough) in the first half and they seemed to never miss. Our defense was dreadful. J.J. entered the game in the first half and the crowd went nuts. But it was all for nothing, as he went en route to a 0-5 night, ending up with 2 points. But as if thats not bad enough, he lost his defensive assignment, and single handedly gave the Spurs countless opportunities to come back.

Then Bogans got fouled on a 3 pointer, and missed all three free throws. That just about did it. After that, the momentum changed to the Spurs favor and we just looked lost.

Duncan killed us with his high-post jump shot and sweet free throw shooting. Dwight needs to be taking notes on his game because adding a nice shot and good FT shooting, like Duncan, will make him unbeatable.

Dwight did post a 20-20 game with 24 points and 21 rebounds. But Howard did miss some critical free throws and ended up 4-8 from the line, for the game.

Here is the boxscore and recap.

Spurs @ Magic

Magic (46-26) vs. Spurs (47-23)

Amway Arena

7 PM

FSN FL (Last game on FSN this season)

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Oberto

Lewis PF Duncan

Turkoglu SF Bowen

Evans SG Finley/Ginobili

Nelson PG Parker

The Magic lost badly to the Spurs early in the season, 128-110, when Tony Parker became the first of many point guards to have a big game against the Magic this season. Parker had 32 on us, over in San Antonio, so now its time to kick them back home with a loss.

Ginobili had 27 off the bench, just adding to the list of guards who have routinely killed us. Lucky for the Magic that those two are great players on a great team so we don't look as bad. Bowen tried to put the clamps on Turk, limiting him to just 9-18 shooting on the night, but Turk still had 26 points.

Dwight needs to play well against Tim Duncan, as he has been held under 20 points for five of the last six games.

This Spurs team is what everybody in the league wants to be like; able to turn it on at any time. Even though the Spurs have slipped up recently, they still are the team to beat in the NBA.

And, check out this post at Third Quarter Collapse, where Ben Q. Rock lays out "Stan's suit-and-turtleneck look [...] squaring off against Andrei Kirilenko's spouse-approved once-a-year extramarital relations". You can vote for Stan (or AK47 if you choose) here.

I'll be at the game with a bunch of family, you guys without FSN should join us... If there is even tickets left.

Check out this blog post by Brian Schmitz, of the Orlando Sentinel, where he voices his thoughts that SVG should showcase J.J.'s talents in the final ten games.

Hawks hand Magic rare road loss 98-90

Dwight grabbed on of his game-high 16 rebounds here, but the Magic still lost.

I missed the game due to work, but I'll recap it the best I can. I guess I'm kinda glad I was working and couldn't see the game because it wouldn't make me too happy.

Well, Dwight needs to be more dominant. 11 points for a SUPERSTAR and franchise cornerstone against his hometown team, won't cut it. Dwight needs to get beat up or slapped or something because he has to bring the intensity and fire to every game. Going 3-5 (!!) from the field won't cut it Dwight!!! Thats horrible. 5-11 from the free throw line is not any better either. Yeah it's nice that he got 16 rebounds, 2 steals, and two blocks, but all that stuff doesn't matter when you lose! This franchise can't beat the bottom teams.. gosh it makes me so mad. How can we expect to win a playoff series, if we keep having games like this?? Other teams go on big winning streaks but we just can't.

Back to the game...Anyways, our team high in assists (4!) was Bogans and Dooling, both off the bench I might add. We shot 56% from the line... horrible. We have alot of work to do. When the shots don't fall, we seem screwed. Dwight's offense is horrible when we can't space the floor and hit shots. He needs to find a way to get more involved and carry this team every night like the rest of the superstars. D12 can rely on Rashard and Hedo to win the game all the time, because as you can see, that doesn't always happen.

Of course Joe Johnson killed us for 34 points, 7 assists and Josh Smith had 19 points and 9 rebounds. I must say, they look to be just a good bench, and maybe a better small forward, away

from really being a great team.

Here is the Recap and here is the Boxscore.

Tonight's Game: Magic @ Hawks

Magic (46-25) vs. Hawks (29-39)

Philips Arena

FSN FL

7 PM

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Horford

Lewis PF Smith

Turkoglu SF Williams

Evans SG Johnson

Nelson PG Bibby

Yea! Tonight we get to play another team that gives us fits.

Horford had 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists on Wednesday against New Jersey.

Atlanta really needs tonight's game as New Jersey is biting on thier heels for the 8th and final playoff spot. The Nets are only 1/2 a game back from the Hawks, for that spot.

Our starters should be well rested since Dwight only played 23 minutes and the rest of the starters all played less than 30 minutes, except Rashard who played 33.

The Magic (46-25) opened the season with a franchise-record seven consecutive road wins, and currently have the league’s second-best road record at 23-12. Orlando, which has won six of its last eight away from Amway Arena, needs one more road victory to set a new club mark. The 1995-96 team went 23-18 away from Orlando - the only time it’s ever finished with a winning road record.

This will be Orlando’s first trip this season to Philips Arena, where it hasn’t won since Nov. 26, 2004. After this game, the Magic have five road games remaining, including another trip to Atlanta on April 15.

This year's team is leading the NBA with 672 3-pointers made which shattered the franchise record of 622 set by the 1995-96 team. They also have attempted 1,753 shots from the arc, besting the previous the club best of 1,662 by the 1996-97 team. The Magic still have 11 games remaining this season.

Dwight Howard had 62 double-doubles last season and currently has the same number right now, still with 11 games left.

Magic Blow Out Sixers 113-95

Orlando Magic Dancer Shana performs during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Amway Arena on March 21, 2008 in Orlando, Florida.


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—The Orlando Magic felt like they had something to prove after a one-point home loss earlier this week.

They responded with one of their best outings of the season Friday night.

Rashard Lewis scored 18 points and Orlando led by as many as 34 in a 113-95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Eight Magic players scored in double figures, and Dwight Howard had 13 points and 12 rebounds in just 23 minutes.

“We definitely wanted to send a message, especially redeem ourselves after last time in Philadelphia,” said Jameer Nelson, who had 12 points and seven assists.

It wasn’t just the Feb. 27 Philly loss, though. It was also an 87-86 disappointment Wednesday against the division rival Washington Wizards.

“I thought they would be a little bit stronger and a little bit tougher because they knew they had a game they probably should have won the other night,” Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "They thought they let one get away and they probably came out with a little bit more muscle tonight.”

Louis Williams scored 18 for Philadelphia, Andre Iguodala added 14 points and reserve Rodney Carney had 11 points. The 76ers, who at 34-35 are still trying to clinch an Eastern Conference playoff spot, had won four in a row and 10 of 12.

Orlando was a blistering 14-of-23 from 3-point range for the game, compared with 4-for-13 for Philadelphia. “It’s obviously a huge part of the way we play, and a big weapon,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It opens things up.”

“I think every team in the league is trying to figure out how to play them,” Philadelphia guard Andre Miller said of the inside-out combination with Howard. “It’s kind of tough because you have to give them their respect, and their wing players can all shoot the ball.”

Hedo Turkoglu had 16 points and nine assists and Keyon Dooling scored 13 for the Magic. Jameer Nelson had 12 points and seven assists and Maurice Evans scored 12, Keith Bogans added 11 points and Brian Cook scored 10.

• Boxscore

Tonight's Game: Sixers @ Magic

Magic (45-25) vs Sixers (34-34)

Amway Arena

7 PM

Sun Sports

Probable Starters:

Howard C Dalembert

Lewis PF Evans

Turkoglu SF Iguodala

Evans SG Green

Nelson PG Miller

Another possible playoff matchup against another scary team for us. Every team with a good point guard is scary, especially a big PG. Miller tore us up in the last meeting between these two teams.

Philly is finally going to get above .500, if they win this game. The Magic need this win after losing to the Sixers last month, in a terrible game we should have won. In that game, Miller and Green, the Sixers’ starting backcourt, outscored Orlando starting guards, Jameer Nelson and Maurice Evans, 52-2. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy called the Sixers “the best running team in the league.”

“Twenty-plus fast-break points is the way we’re trying to play,” Cheeks said.

They used all that running to their advantage and it helped keep Dwight mostly out of the game. Orlando All-Star Dwight Howard, who managed 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting and 16 rebounds. He also went just 2-for-7 from the free-throw line.

“I was just frustrated. I couldn’t hit a lot of shots. I missed a lot of free throws,” Howard said. “It was just myself. They played great defense, but I was really frustrated on the offensive end.”

And we need this win even more to prove to ourselves, and to the Wizards, that we are better than that terrible showing on Wednesday. Time to show the league what we can do. We have to win this game tonight.

Plus, losing this game would put us in a bad spot at attaining SVG's goal of 55 games. Third Quarter Collapse has the table of the upcoming games and projects the rest of the season here.

What Goes Up Must Come Down..Hard

Time for some humor. I found this video on Youtube.com of Marcin Gortat "attempting" a dunk over some mascots. Enjoy. :D

Wizards 87, Magic 86; Turk Sets Career High in Loss

Life beckons... sorry for no post game this time.

Better yet, check out the recap at Third Quarter Collapse and the game thread at MagicMadness.

But here is the Boxscore and Recap.

No Arenas Tonight

Gilbert Arenas Out for Tonight's Game

The Washington Times - Gilbert Arenas confirmed on Tuesday evening that he
will not return for the Wizards on Wednesday night against the Magic, according
to The Washington Times. "I'll just have to wait to see how it is in Orlando,"
said Arenas. He said that he will probably wait another week before returning to
the floor, and hinted that he wouldn't be so worried if Washington wasn't in the
playoff hunt. "If we weren't in the playoffs, it wouldn't even be a discussion.
But we have a chance of being pretty good in the playoffs, so it's tough,"
Arenas added.

Link

Tonight's Game: Wizards @ Magic

Magic (45-24) vs. Wizards (33-33)

FSN FL

7 PM

Amway Arena

Probable Lineups

Howard C Haywood

Lewis PF Jamison

Turkoglu SF Butler

Evans SG Stevenson

Nelson PG Daniels

We could be playing our first round matchup tonight. It is unclear if Arenas will actually get some meaningful minutes, but he is expected to make his debut tonight after the injury.

Its their "Big 3" versus our "Big 3" in the playoffs. So these teams matchup pretty well. Containing Jamison is the main focus, since Butler has only been back for two games due to injury problems.

We played the Wizards just a few weeks ago, up in D.C. where we whooped them up from the start, and never looked back. Jamison and Stevenson had 19 and 17, respectively, but they just didn't have enough fire power.

The Wizards just lost to the Hawks two nights ago, but still remain in the 6th spot staring up at us at #3. The #6 seed is not set yet, as Toronto, Washington and Philadelphia are all within 1 game of each other; all playing for the same spot.

Happy Birthday Hedo!

Today is Hedo's 29th birthday. He is more than deserving of the best birthday ever as he is the main reason the team is where it is today. He is averaging a career best in points (19.7), rebounds (6.1), assists (4.9), and minutes per game (37.8). He is currently in the running for Most Improved Player with his markedly improved play.

Time to celebrate a spectacular season. Bottoms up!

Magic Win in a Playoff Atmosphere; Beat Cavs 104-90

This game had the feel of a playoff game. These two teams battled it to the end and it seemed like Cleveland had a sizable lead in the 2nd half. But Orlando didn't falter, instead fighting back and eventually winning by 14.

In the first quarter the Magic started 1-10 from the field and had only 2 points until 6:41 left in the quarter. Dwight did have 2 blocks in the first 3 minutes, though. We limited the Cavs to bad shooting, but they did the exact same thing. The Magic trailed 23-20 after one, and the Cavaliers finished the quarter on a 9-3 run. Ironically on St. Patrick's Day, Pat Garrity, the native Irishman, was one of the first guys off the bench for your Magic. Pat played the most minutes off the bench in the first half. That first half showcased our high scoring forward duo in a bad shooting performance. Hedo and Rashard collectively went 1-9 for 2 points after the first two quarters.

We trailed 45-40 after two quarters, with Lebron putting up 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Cavs. In the second half it was another story. Instead of the shutout Rashard had in the first half, he blew up for 21 points in the second half to lead the Magic to victory. Hedo also stepped it up and had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the game.

Dwight led the way, as usual, with 23 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. After going 0-5 from the free throw line against Indiana, he came out and shot 11-15 (73%) tonight. Dwight had his 60th double-double tonight, which leads the NBA. Superman has had 212 double-doubles out of the 315 career games he has played. Which is 67% of his total games were double-doubles. WOW.

Boxscore.

Recap.

Game Pics.

Tonight's Game: Cavaliers @ Magic

Magic (44-24) vs. Cavaliers (38-29)

Sun Sports

Amway Arena

7 PM

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Ilgauskas

Lewis PF Wallace

Turkoglu SF James

Evans SG Pavlovic

Nelson PG West

Now this should be a game. I have a bad feeling about this one. Well, first off we have the two old buddies from St. Joes, going head-to-head tonight at the point guard position. My question is who will Ben Wallace guard? Lewis? I dont think he can keep up with him. That should be a matchup in our favor, especially because Lewis won't have to do much on defense with Wallace.

Sunday night Big Z had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks in his first game back from a 7 game absence due to injury. Ben Wallace played only 27 minutes, yet he had 15 rebounds. Lebron had his usual MVP type game. The Magic better watch out or there will be some serious butt whoopings going on in Orlando.

Our last matchup was the all too familiar Hughes-with-40-points game. Lebron had 29 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Cavaliers outscored us in every quarter except the first. In that game we missed 10 free throws, shot 39% from 3 point land, and let the Cavs shoot 54% from the field. Were gonna have to do better than that if we wanna come out victorious.

And from the O-Sent: Confetti fell from the Amway Arena rafters Saturday night. The public address announcer alerted the sell-out crowd that the Orlando Magic had clinched a playoff berth with 14 games left after dispatching the Indiana Pacers 122-111.Fans let out a throaty roar.Inside the Magic's dressing room, players were ecstatic. . . over the fact there would be no practice today. Oh, the clinching? Ho and hum."It's business as usual -- and that's a good thing," point guard Jameer Nelson said. "It's just one less thing to worry about."

Playoffs Here We Come! Magic Clinch Playoff Berth With 122-111 Win Over Pacers

Mr. 4th Quarter took over once again! Hedo Turkoglu scored 9 of his game high 27 points, in the fourth quarter to lead the Magic to victory. He also added 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and shot a spectacular 13-23 (57%) from the floor.

Collectively as a team, the Magic shot 64% on field goals for the game and 60% on 12-20 three pointers. Maurice Evans had one of his best games of the season with 19 points. He only missed one shot, a three pointer. Evans scored 17 points in the third to give Orlando a 91-80 lead heading into the 4th quarter. Dwight fouled out in the end but not before putting up 18 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks.

We held the Pacers to 8-21 (38%) on threes, but they did shoot 50% from the floor. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and a block. Mike Dunleavy had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Although the Magic led by as many as 18 points at one time, the Pacers chipped away and drew to within 104-100 midway through the fourth period on former Magic point guard Travis Diener's 3-point jumper.

Our old bench warmer Travis Diener ended up coming off the bench with 5 points and 5 assists. MagicMadness even had a little change-up, for tonight's game, to recognize the Basketball God that is Travis Diener.

With this impressive win tonight we have clinched a postseason berth for the second consecutive season. Now with that team goal out of the way... next in line is to secure the highest possible seeding and win as many games as possible.

The Magic's X-Factor and downfall? Turnovers. We looked like the Magic of old out there tonight, turning the ball over 22 times and only forcing 13. Dwight had 7 of them, Nelson 5, and Turk 4. We have to keep better control over the ball or we WILL NOT last long in the playoffs.

Check out these cool game photos. Also here is the boxscore and recap.

Tonight's Game: Pacers @ Magic

Magic (43-24) vs Pacers (24-40)

7 PM

Amway Arena

FSN FL

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Foster

Lewis PF Murphy

Turkoglu SF Dunleavy

Evans SG Granger

Nelson PG Diener

Danny Granger has averaged 20ppg in the month of March and 18.4ppg on the season. He is a matchup problem waiting to happen at around 6'8". Next to him is Mike Dunleavy, who has averaged very similar stats: 20.5ppg this month and 18.2ppg this season.

This is the first return of former Magic benchwarmer (and basketball God to some), Travis Diener. We lost to the Pacers earlier this season, but it was in Indiana. Diener is only averaging 7 points and 3 assists, but has had some nice games this season.

The Pacers routinely score about 103ppg and we average giving up 100.1ppg a night. So they score more than we normally give up. We better watch out because they have the potential to score a lot, just like us. And after last night's scare, they better be on their toes.

For more info here is the Yahoo game preview for tonight's game.

Magic Pull Away Late to Grab a 103-94 Victory

Just like Hedo looks in this pic, the Magic must have been thinking: "What the heck happened out there?"

The Magic held of a surging Heat squad - but just barely. It was neck-and-neck all the way until the end. Jason Williams scored the 2nd most points in his career - 34. He looked like an All-Star, and kept his team in the game, without much outside help. Not only did Williams have 34 points, but also 6 rebounds and 7 assists. His biggest help was Daequan Cook, who scored 15 points before fouling out. Those two players carrying the load and keeping them in the game? Now that's a scary thought. It's worse when you find out that is exactly what happened tonight. All this was done... without Shawn Marion! Wow, that just makes this win feel even worse.


Either way, we got the win, and have swept the Heat two years in a row. This game was very scary and a lot closer than we all imagined and hoped for. But I think it's just because of the rivalry intensity; just like the Lakers and Clippers games. No matter their record, every game between those two teams is like a playoff game. I'm assuming that is how it is for these in-state rivals.


A big portion of the close game can be contributed to Dwight. He was on the foul line numerous times. He shot 16 free throws, making only a measly 6. Thats 38%, ouch! Dwight did have 18 points, and 16 rebounds, but he had 4 turnovers also. He had just gone through a stretch of 4 games where he shot 75%. What happened out there?


The team game ball must be given to Jameer Nelson who played a very efficient and effective game tonight. 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds don't tell the whole story. Jameer shot 6-7 field goals, 3-4 three pointers, and 6-6 from the free throw line. Best of all? He had NO turnovers! N-I-C-E!


As usual, here is the game boxscore, recap, and photos.

Tonight's Game: Magic @ Heat

Magic (42-24) @ Heat (11-52)

FSN FL

7:30 PM

American Airlines Arena

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Blount

Lewis PF Marion

Turkoglu SF Davis

Evans SG Cook

Nelson PG Williams

The Magic have a 29.5 game lead on the Heat. That just about says it all right there. They have Marion and Davis, but that is not nearly enough to win. Their role players are all scrubs that seem to have been plucked from the D-League. That being said, if we lose to them... I'll pull my hair out.

The previous meeting between the two teams was January 30th of this year, where the Magic pulled away at the end. We were up for a while but they inched back and scared our team into the possiblity of losing to the worst team in the NBA. The Magic ended up pulling through but we can't have the same mindset this time or we might actually lose.

The Magic have locked up their first winning season in five years, with the win against the Clippers on Wednesday. “It feels good to have a winning season, but we’re not satisfied,” Howard said. “We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on for the playoffs. We want to be great so you’ve got to push to get better.”

Gotta cut it short, but for more... check out Ben Q. Rock's preview.

Magic Defeat Clippers 110-88

With this win we are now 18 games over .500 and the Magic have a record of 42-24. That is already 2 games better than last season; yet we still have 16 games left. We have now won 10 of our last 13 games.

Dwight had 22 points, 13 boards, 3 blocks, and 7 turnovers. Last night's double-double gave him 57 on the year; 11 more than the 2nd place competitor: Al Jefferson. He has 11 double-doubles in a row and is nearing the record held by Shaq for most in a row (18).

Evans has made 30 consecutive starts and has been one of the most consistent starters on the team. Against the Clippers he put up 13 points, 4 rebounds, and hit 2 big 3 pointers.

This game did not start like it ended - instead, our first three possessions were all turnovers. We started trailing 7-1, yet at the end of the 1st quarter we led by 13 - Magic 32, Clippers 19. At the end of the first Dwight just about had a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds. He had NO rebounds in the 2nd quarter and finished the first half with 16 points and 9 rebounds. At the end of the first half the Magic were up 15 - Magic 63, Clippers 48.

Arroyo ran the offense well in this game. You probably haven't heard that comment from me often, huh?

In the last 4 games, Dwight has significantly improved his free throw shooting. He has gone 30-40 (75%), in those games; but his free throw percentage for the season is still 59.9%.

We are now 24-0 when the opponent doesn't score 95 points or more, so thats an incentive to the team to always play tough defense.

From the Yahoo game recap: "The Orlando Magic have a list of late-season goals written on the blackboard in their locker room. They were able to erase the one at the top Wednesday night.
Dwight Howard had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help the Magic beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-86, securing their first winning season since the 2002-03 season. 'We’ve got some guys in our locker room who have never had a winning season and I think you’ve got to appreciate some of the things you accomplish during a season,' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. 'The next goal is to wrap up a playoff spot and then win our division and secure home-court for the playoffs.'"

In other news... Garrity played his 500th game here against the Clippers scoring 2 points on 1-1 shooting.

Dwight got injured in the second half and did not return. His injury is reported as not very serious: a bone bruise. He is day-to-day and his status for Friday's matchup with the Heat, in Miami, is unknown. The Magic should hold him out if he is not 100%. Even if we some how lose, it is not worth him injuring himself worse.

Check out the boxscore, recap, game photos, and the recap at Third Quarter Collapse.

Tonights Game: L.A. Clippers @ Magic

Magic (41-24) vs Clippers (21-41)

Sun Sports

Amway Arena

7 PM

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Powell

Lewis PF Thornton

Turkoglu SF Maggette

Evans SG Ross

Nelson PG Knight

Cuttino Mobley will make another return to the team he played for 23 games in the 04-05 season. Last meeting between these two teams, in January, he scored 16 points on 6-13 shooting. In that same game, Dwight scored 17 points, added 17 rebounds and four steals as the Magic took a 113-106 victory out of L.A.

Chris Kaman is most likely out for tonights game, due to a lingering left shin contusion injury, that kept him out of Monday's matchup with Miami. In that game against Miami, Mobley came off the bench for 29 points; Maggette and Thornton added 22 each. We can't sleep on this team, even without their two top big men. They still have a wealth of scorers like Mobley, Maggette, and the rookie Al Thornton.

Corey Maggette will frequently drive to the rim and look to get the foul. He is #5 in the NBA at free throws attempted per game.

Look for a huge game from Dwight Howard as the Clippers are already in trouble without Brand, and now most likely Kaman, also. Dwight should have is way with the Clippers, down low, so Van Gundy will make sure the guys get Dwight the ball often.

Hedo is coming off of his 2nd triple-double in 16 games, as he continues to shine as the point-forward, feeding off Dwight's ability to force double teams.

Magic Shoot Down Hawks 123-112

"Me and Jameer really had to get our team going." - Post-game comments by Dwight Howard

Just like the quote above, that's exactly what they did. Dwight and Jameer came out firing and accounted 23 points out of the Magic's first 54 points. Dwight ended the first quarter with 12 points and 5 rebounds to lead the Magic to a 36 point first quarter. He finished with a all-too common, super-human statline: 26 points, 16 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal. But best of all, Dwight finished the game shooting 10-15 from the free-throw line.

The Magic were up 21 after the first half 53 to 74. That 74-point effort matched the Magic's highest scoring half in team history. It tied the game when December 30, 1990 when Scott Skiles had 30 assists. The Hawks effective field goal percentage was a 57% which is amazing but they still trailed by a large margin. This was because of the Magic's blistering defense and high eFG% (71% in the first half). If Atlanta's defense was to pick up and our shots stop falling, then we would have been in big trouble. But just like Dwight said, he "had to get his team going". He did just that and kept it going throughout the game. Even when they made a run, the Magic fought back. Van Gundy kept most of the starters in until just about the end of the game.

Hedo was the star that shined the brightest. He had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists... in the first half! He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists in the game. That marks the second time in which Hedo had a triple-double. The previous occasion this season, was in a losing effort last month, against the Dallas Mavericks.

Rashard had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Hedo and Rashard combined for 17-33 in field goals and 7-13 in 3 pointers. Lewis had 1 3-pointer in all but 2 games so far this season. Hedo brought the ball up more than, or just as much as, the point guards.

Joe Johnson had 20 in the 1st half; 27 points and 11 assists. Salim Stoudemire averages 5.3 a game and came off the bench for 4 3-pointers.

Here is the boxscore, recap, and photos of the game tonight. Here is a great recap over at Third Quarter Collapse.

The Magic's next opponent is the L.A. Clippers at the Amway Arena on Wednesday, March 12.

Tonight's Game: Hawks @ Magic

Magic (40-24) vs Hawks (26-36)

Sun Sports HD

7 PM

Amway Arena

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Horford

Lewis PF Smith

Turkoglu SF Williams

Evans SG Johnson

Nelson PG Bibby

After getting two wins in one night, and jumping the Nets for the 8th seed, the Hawks have some momentum heading into the playoffs.

We last played the Hawks in the beginning of the season on December 10th. This was just after our 16-4 start and they helped take us out. They sent us home with a two-game losing streak and a blow to the team's confidence. We then went something like 17-17 coming up to around last week. In other words, they were a catalyst for our free-fall earlier this season, but we regained our ground. Now its time to regain our pride and knock off this Magic killer team.

Josh Smith destroyed us for 25 points ,16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals, 5 assists. Dwight did have 18 rebounds but the Hawks held him to 14 points, 5 turnovers and 5 fouls. Our PG's were all non-factor and provided no help in slowing Anthony Johnson or Joe Johnson manning the point. Now with Bibby at point guard for the Atlanta, it should be an easier task than sticking Joe Johnson. Should be.

Forcing turnovers is their middle name and they will look to do just that against our turnover prone team. We doubled them up in the turnover column, giving them almost ten more shots in the span of the whole game.

Look for Mike Woodson to go with Josh Smith, and Man-to-Man coverage, on Dwight for extended periods of time.

I saw the link on Third Quarter Collapse that Jameer Nelson is a game-time decision to play in tonights game.

Warriors Run All Over Magic: 104-95

Dooling played only 10 minutes and proved ineffective in the 104-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors. It was his first game back and many hoped he could at least slow Baron Davis. No such luck. Baron Went off for 33 points, 9 assists, along with, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 13-27 from the floor.

The Magic (.45%) did shoot better from the floor than the Warriors (.40). Once again Golden State threw up a three point barrage, hitting only 6 out of 24 attempts (.25%) and the Magic hit 10-21 (.48%).

Where the Magic's problems lay, was in the 'turnover' and 'steal' columns. GS forced 20 turnovers, and 19 were from the starters ! Only 1 turnover (Foyle) was from the bench players. And the worst part about it is that we onlyThe Warriors did a stellar job on Turkoglu and Jackson's defense helped force 7 turnovers by Hedo. Now, while Turk did have 23 points and 5 rebounds, the bad overshadowed the good. Every turnover given up to an amazing offensive team like this, leads them to baskets going the other way. The Warriors did just that and amassed 27 fastbreak points, and only allowed 7 to your Magic.

Dwight did have a great game with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks and amazingly shot 10-14 from the free throw line. Rashard added 21 with 8 rebounds and 3 three-pointers, but all that scoring just wasn't enough.

Our bench only scored 10 points and compare that to the Warrior's 22 bench points. We can count on a strong showing by the big three, but we need more consistency from the guards if we don't want a repeat of last season in the playoffs.

The Magic hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter to extend their NBA record streak to 67 games with five or more 3s.

Here is the Boxscore, Recap, and Photos from the game.

Forshadowing: Free Agency Questions

Here is some questions, reguarding the free agency this summer, I will examine. I got the idea from the 'open thread' over here at Third Quarter Collapse. A bunch of guys there were debating about some free agency questions (including me), so I decided to have my own.

Will Otis lock up Dooling? Can we finally rid ourselves of Arroyo (and his contract)? Is this J.J.'s final season on the Magic? Will we use his trade value to upgrade?

Dooling better stay. A lot of people don't realize his importance to this team. I would let go of Bogans and JJ before Dooling. I'm not saying he needs to start or anything, hes exactly what we need off the bench - not just an offensive spark, but a great defensive spark too. Keyon is very valuable to this team, and one of my favorite players on this team, by the way.

I don't think Arroyo will be back next year because resigning him would take up too much room for the other guys like Dooling and Evans. That means that Nelson will still start and Dooling will be the backup PG off the bench, with Hedo to help out sometimes at the 1. Considering that, and if Arroyo doesnt resign, maybe Otis will get another cheap option at PG. I just can't see Otis resigning Arroyo and not Dooling.

Also... J.J. does have two years left on his contract after this one so maybe he might actually be stuck on the bench. We might have to hear his whining for a few more seasons if Otis still thinks he is too valuable to let go. I think Otis will trade him after these past Marbury type whinings because he knows we dont need guys like that. Plus, sharpshooters are a hot commodity, and J.J. is pretty unproven at the NBA level. So saying that, I think we can get some good value in return. Im hoping teams will over-value him so we can either trade him (or package him), for an upgrade at the 1 or 2 spots.

Upgrading the point guard and shooting guard spots are the main problem, in the offseason, for Otis. Power forward should be fine with Battie coming back, as he can spell Dwight with rebounds and the occasional outside shot. A lot of people on message boards across the internet, clammored for Otis to trade for a starting power forward before the recent trade deadline. But people forget that once Battie returns this season or next, we will have a more-than-solid option there at the 4. The voids at the point and shooting guard are more gaping and need to be adressed first.

Two things need to be figured out about the point and shooting guard spots this offseason. Is Evans our long term answer at shooting guard? We have already locked up Nelson for five more years... Is he staying the starter at point guard and then will we just look for an upgrade at the two instead?

I don't think anyone can complain if Evans stays our starter at shooting guard. He is a great option, and just what we need to complement the other starters. Nelson is the big question. Will he finally break out and be the point guard he needs to be with that big contract? Do we upgrad the point guard and keep Nelson on the bench? If we do that then we are wasting all that money Otis gave to him. We have Nelson for five more years so, it seems were in a bind. Or does Otis try to trade Nelson and get a better point guard that way? I honestly don't think that will happen because he has stuck by Nelson after giving him the 5-year contract. Trading him will only make Otis look bad for giving it to him then trading him away - basically telling everyone he failed at the endeavor. Nelson isn't in an All-Star form, but he has been more than solid, and has had a better season than many give him credit for. Not nearly worth that contract though.

There are many questions reguarding the Magic's backcourt, but the point guard is the biggest question. The problem is we might not be able to upgrade there. Due to Nelson's contract and Otis not wanting to 'give up' on his signing and make himself look bad - we might be stuck. That leaves the shooting guard. We could possibly trade or sign another shooting guard; even the draft should be a good place to get a young option. But if all that fails, and were stuck back with Evans, I sure won't be complaining.

Gametime Baby!: Magic vs Warriors

Magic (40-23) vs. Warriors (38-23)

Amway Arena

7 PM

Sun Sports

Probable lineups:

Howard C Harrington

Lewis PF Wright

Turkoglu SF Jackson

Evans SG Ellis

Nelson PG Davis

Even though this makes it a back-to-back game for the Warriors, there is no such thing as taking them lightly. They put up 134 last night on Miami, with 6 players in double figures, while they shot 54% as a team.

In the December 3rd meeting between these two teams lead to a 123-117 overtime thriller, and the highest scoring Magic game this season. In that game, the "small-ball" lineup of the Warriors, wreaked havoc on Dwight Howard. He finished with 18 points, 23 rebounds, 7 blocks, but also 9 turnovers. Two and three players swarmed Superman, every chance he got the ball. He put up some impressive numbers, but also gave up many turnovers.

The Warriors are mainly a "up and down team", so giving them extra possessions just allows them to rush down the court and score more buckets. We were super lucky last game that we didn't collapse in overtime, so we have to control the ball to win this game. The Warriors forced the Magic into 19 turnovers leading to many fast break points. The Magic had a 14 point lead, at one point, but the lead was squandered, and the Warriors came back to force it into overtime.

If the Magic get a big lead like the last meeting, its important to clamp down. Controlling Baron Davis will, of course, be the big story of this game. Who will guard him? Mo Evans? Then that leaves Nelson on Ellis... Both are tough matchups, but we will need Keyon Dooling more than anything in this game. Dooling is possible for this game, but I haven't found any official word on his status for the Golden State game yet.

While your waiting for tonight's game to start head on over to 3QC for Ben's preview with an interesting Q & A session with a Warriors fan. Since were playing Golden State, be sure to check out this lengthy but good article on Adonal Foyle.

Larry Hughes Is a Self Centered (Fill In The Blank)

I found this link in John Denton's Forum at Florida Today. The article not exactly Magic related per se, but it does make me happy that Larry Hughes is far away from Orlando. Check out this quote and tell me if your not shocked at what he said. I could expect it from a selfish guy like him but its tough to believe in this "team first" kind of NBA we live in.

Hughes said before Sunday's game the Cavaliers' offensive system "wasn't my style. They wanted me to sacrifice things so we could win. In this system, there is more movement and draw and kicks."

Even that success didn't seem to satisfy Hughes.

"It was a good run," he said. "We had 50-plus wins, made the finals and I learned from it. I was unhappy, though, and wasn't myself. I'd rather enjoy the game than all that."

"I don't blame anyone for it," said Hughes, who was booed again in Sunday's pregame introductions. "I'm moving on and I am trying to get better."

What's wrong with the players today? So many of them are all about them. All I hear, here, is "Me! Me! Me!" " I! I! I!". What's wrong with you Larry? You must forget about the other players on your team who work hard, play hard, and train hard. You must have forgotten about one of your old teammates, who was immensely better than you. Lebron never complained about his role or wanting more. He worried about the team first, and you, because wins are more important to him. Thats obviously not #1 in your book. Or 2 or 3.

Even Larry's new Bulls fans booed him again in Sunday's game. Your such a selfish prick.

Redick: I Will Drop the Playing Time Issue

In yesterday's blog post at redicklive.com, J.J.'s blog, he puts to rest all talks about playing time. He states how he is giving up on the persisting questions about him getting minutes. He finally realizes that it must be about the team, and not just him. Thats a big 'grow up' moment for him because before he had an arrogant attitude and called out his coach's philosophy.

Good job J.J.; just shut up and do what Stan Van Gundy tells you to do. Your on a successful team with high playoff hopes. Your a youngster in this league. You will get your shot. There is no need to put yourself before the team.

I’m honestly tired of any playing time questions and playing time articles. From now on I’m going to solely focus any blogs for the remainder of this season on our team. Yes, I don’t play a lot. Yes, I am not in the rotation. Those are facts. But it’s also a fact that I’m on a playoff team with the caliber to contend for the Eastern Conference championship. I’m going to drop the whole playing time issue, I hope everyone else will for the rest of this season.

Redick Talks About Magic Future: There Isn't One

This video here shows how downright arrogant J.J. Redick is. He challenges his coach and gives the impression that he only cares about himself. Oh wait, I already knew that. J.J. states, I quote, ""We've talked and he's made it clear that I'm not going to be in the rotation. There's nothing I can do. Right now I'm just thinking about my future and I'm working for that more so than trying to get in the rotation. I don't think I'll be here a long time. I think Stan is going to be here a long time and his philosophy and my phillosophy don't really go together," Redick told Hirozawa." He is putting himself before the team and talking about "his philosophy". No. You do what the coach tells you because thats what they pay you millions to do! That angers me.

Props to Third Quarter Collapse for the link to the article and vid.

Magic Cast Spell on Wizards; Win by 30

Wow! Just wow. I was expecting a win, but not this kind of win. The Magic dominated, with great ball movement, in a second half throw-out by the Wizards en route to a 30 point walloping, 122-92.

Rashard Lewis had three 3 pointers in the first quarter to set the tone for the rest of the game. The Magic had a 34-20 lead after the first quarter had ended. From about halftime on, the Wizards seemed to give up and play lackluster ball. In my eyes, it looked like the local AAU team came to play us. The Magic didn't need to play tough defense, the Wizards just sucked.

After his super hot shooting streak against us, Antawn Jamison finally had a bad shooting night. The Wizards had not played since beating the Hornets at home on Saturday night. The Magic were on the second night of a back-to-back.

We gave up only 2 fastbreak points all game to the Wizards! That one bucket was scored in the fourth quarter. They didn't have one fastbreak point in all the first 3 quarters, in this possible playoff preview.

This win gave us 40 on the season matching last season's win total. BUT, we still have 19 games left! 7 on the road, 12 at home. 5 against teams with over .500 record, and 14 against teams with less than a .500 record.

If you wonder about this great second half (or so) of the season, we look no further than Mo Evans. Ever since he was inserted into the starting lineup 27 games ago, we have gone 18-9. Mogans, as some call him, fell in love with that left corner three tonight. He buries a few consecutive from that same spot. David Steele said, "What a wierd contrast-with Stevenson's long beard, and Evan's without a hair on his head." When talking about the Stevenson-Evans matchup.

One great thing I heard following a timeout was either David or Matty talking about SVG's comments in the huddle. He said something about the Magic not letting up during games like these. He talked about how he wanted the Magic to run the teams out of the building and get an identity that they will not back down. SVG wants this type of attitude come playoff time, so teams wont take us lightely. I love this because that is someting that this Magic team has not had in a long time. We are normally on the other end of the stick so its great to have a coach with that mindset.

The Magic have a few nights off as their next upcoming game is at home against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. Tip off is at 7 PM on Sun Sports HD. Dooling is available for this game but is watching how he feels. He is day-to-day.

Boxscore, Recap, Pics, 3QC's Game Recap.

Game Time: Magic vs Wizards

Magic (39-23) vs Wizards (29-30)

Verizon Center

7 PM

Sun Sports

Probable Lineups:

Howard C Haywood

Lewis PF Jamison

Turkoglu SF Songaila

Evans SG Stevenson

Nelson PG Daniels

Good news for the Wizards, Arenas has been cleared to return to practice. But, he sure won't be back anytime soon.

Last time we play the Wizards was the beginning of this season as Arenas re-injured his surgically repaired knee and left the game; which we won pretty easily.

This Wizards team is hardly a challenge compared to last years offensive nightmare. Butler, Jamison, and Arenas combined for one of the (if not the) league's scariest one-two-three punch. Now, they are hardly a fight, and barely are clinging on to a playoff spot. Like Ben Q. Rock said, losing to this team is inexcusable. Thier defense is pretty terrible; the Wiz give up big nights to opposing teams regularly. This could mean another dominating performance by Dwight.

I forsee Dwight having a big game, not only for the previous reason, but because he had a past of being worked hard by Haywood. Dwight will probably want to show him that those days are over.

Since we are on a back-to-back night, we have to come out firing on both ends, unlike we did against the Raptors. This team still can score and ex-magician DeShawn Stevenson will likely get his.

The Wizards are still without Arenas and Butler, and my fantasy team hates those two. I dropped from first down to third where I'm currently sitting. I hate it. Well I'll just have to pull a Golden State and make a playoff run when those two Wizards return.

Magic News Reel

A little news...

Battie is continuously working hard to be able to return come the playoffs. He has refrained from participating in all contact drills, per doctors orders.

Tuesday, the Magic brought back Bo Outlaw to the organization as a community ambassador. So he still is part of the Magic even though he was not resigned. Life's always good with a little Bo.

Brian Schmitz made his case for the league MVP this season and the ballot includes Dwight Howard. In order his choices are: Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Lebron James. He decides on Howard's rival Kevin Garnett as the NBA Most Valuable Player for the 07-08 season. Check it out and cast your vote.

Magic Outlast Bosh-Less Raptors; Win 102-87

Being without Bosh didn't make this game any easier. We couldn't find the basket in the first half. This is an average team at best, without Bosh, but it took 4 quarters to get the win.

Howard was in foul trouble for most of the game, sitting out just about the whole third quarter. He only had 3 points on 1-3 shooting, heading into the final stanza. But, Dwight got rid of the Kryptonite in the fourth, and put on his cape. He scored six straight in a 1:10 stretch that expanded Orlando’s lead to 89-79 with six minutes remaining. TJ Ford was the reason the Raptors stayed in the game, scoring 13.

This win cemented the Magic as the higher seed, if these two teams were to tie. What a critcal win against a team who beat us with the same circumstances last season.

Against the previous reports, J.J. didn't get a single minute. Bogans ended up playing and the lineup was no different from previous games.

Calderon wasn't in the All-Star form that many saw him as; he was hampered by the loss of Bosh.

Turkoglu lead the Magic with 24 points and 8 assists, showing he can be an effective point-forward. Lewis hit some big shots and ended up with 22. Dwight was +25 and added 19 points along with 14 rebounds, a steal, and a block. But, our bench only scored a total of 22 points, compared to the Raptors' 40.

Check out the Boxscore, Recap, and Photos.

Gametime: Raptors @ Magic

Magic (38-23) vs Raptors (32-26)

Amway Arena

FSN FL

7 PM

Probable Starters:

Howard C Nesterovic

Lewis PF Bargnani

Turkoglu SF Moon

Evans SG Parker

Arroyo PG Calderon

Tonight the playoff seeding and matchups are on the line. The Magic and Raptors are tied up at 1-1 for the season series between the two teams. Nelson feels well enough to play but Dooling is still out with his troubling left foot injury. And because Dooling, the backup shooting guard, is out, that opens up the door to... the one, the only, J.J. Redick. This if from this morning's report from the Orlando Sentinel by Tim Povtak. And as 3QC reported today, this could be the make it or break it time for J.J. and how well he plays tonight just might determine what happens from here on out. Time to shine J.J. You have cried and complained for those minutes. Now it's time to go out and grab them. Redick did score 10 points in 16 minutes against the Sixers on Wednesday, but they were garbage buckets.

The Magic are 15 games over .500 and our 8-5 (.62%) record in February helped bump us up there. According to MagicMadness, our "Magic Number" is 15. Any combination of wins for the Magic and losses by the Wizards will lead us to our first Southeast Division Title in a while.

Coach Stan Van Gundy calls Calderon and Ford "two of the quickest guys in the league, two of the best pick-and-roll guys. It does make it difficult." This is scary especially because we will have Arroyo (not a great defender), Nelson (not a great defender and is just coming back from the flu), and Turkoglu (a possible tall option at the point with Nelson just coming back) guarding them.

In previous years, having the star out for the other team would prove disastrous. Just as Ben Q. Rock pointed out, that still holds true because so many players have had their carrer highs (or close to it) against us this season. Bosh dropped 40 against us in a game last month, but he is currently nursing a bad ankle.

There is no such thing as taking them lightly which we did last season when they beat us without Bosh. But there's a catch; we were without Turkoglu.

Hedo at the Point? Reminds Me of Magic

Stan Van Gundy talked today about the possibility of Hedo Turkoglu playing more of a tall point guard role, a la Magic Johnson, in the upcoming games and the playoffs. It adds an extra "element", as Van Gundy pointed out. Even from the beginning of this season, Turkoglu has had the ball in his hands every game. He frequently would handle the ball and take it up the court.

Van Gundy, though, won't be changing the offense or the lineup any time soon. He will though put him at the point in certain situations. The problem is that Hedo can't match up well defensively with quicker point guards. Although Brian Schmitz does want to see Turk match up with Jose Calderon to try to slow him. Van Gundy (and you can probably include Otis) wont bench Nelson anytime soon in favor of the 6'10" Hedo Turkoglu.

Bosh is definitley out for Tuesday's rivalry game with the Raptors. The Magic are smiling at this because Bosh torched us for 40 points last month. Rasho Nesterovic is replacing Bosh in the starting lineup.

The Magic have an 8 game lead on the Southeast Division. The Magic have only 8 road games left.

Some Magic Updates/Info

We are 1-3 without Keyon this season. The one win was Saturday night against the Knicks. Even in that win, Jamal Crawford hit us for 23 points. Dooling missed the game in when Larry Hughes was still with the Cavs, and torched us for 40 points. Andre Miller, another player Dooling would have guarded, whooped up Nelson for 26 against the Sixers on Wednesday night. Dooling is making his defensive presence felt and increasing his Free Agent value, so we need to re-sign him ASAP.

To Stan Van Gundy, the playoffs start now even though we have roughly 7 weeks left. Locking up a top seed and home-court advantage is the goal now; losing to 'weak' teams won't get us there.

"Staying in the third seed likely would allow the Magic to open the playoffs against either New Jersey, Washington or Philadelphia, and make them heavy favorites." Dropping to the fourth seed would give the Magic nightmares with facing teams like Toronto or Cleveland in the first round. Those teams have the potential to clobber this young and inexperienced team. Now is the time to really focus with the much easier schedule than the beginning of the season. On the flip side, we can't just be content with the third spot. "We're the third-best team in the East, so we need to be trying to catch up to Boston and Detroit. Then, in the playoffs, we know we'll have to go through those teams to get to the ultimate goal of winning a championship. So now has to be about working to improve."

Of the 21 remaining games, 13 are at home. The Magic play just five teams (Toronto, Golden State, Cleveland, San Antonio and New Orleans) the rest of the way that have winning records. And no road trip is longer than two games or crosses the Mississippi River the rest of the way.

Van Gundy wants the team to make sure not to relax while going down the stretch. Just like we witnessed with the terrible loss to the Sixers, "the Magic have yet to fully embrace the so-called dog days of the NBA's marathon schedule as a time to surge rather than coast." We have no room to coast. We haven't won anything yet.

Tony Battie was ruled out for this season when reading numerous reports. Despite that, the team is still watching his rehab closely and he is till hoping for a return for the playoffs. Van Gundy said he would definitely include Battie in the playoff roster, if his shoulder is healed enough to play. Van Gundy, though, doesn't anticipate that happening. "Could Tony give us a few more minutes at center? Sure, but our first concern is his health. We’d never risk him for the short term."

The Magic have lost 91 player games this season due to illness or injury, but 61 of them have been by Battie. Of the other 30 missed games, 17 have come from the three point guards. Said Van Gundy: "Other than Tony (Battie), we’ve been pretty lucky with injuries. But the injuries we’ve had have all come at one position with Jameer, Keyon and Carlos."

The Sonics officially have the coolest site in the NBA and ironically one of the worst teams. Check it out.