= WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2011

– National Basketball Association – Hawks 85, Magic 82

In a preview of what may turn out to be an opening-round matchup in the playoffs, the Orlando Magic could not hang on down the scratch against the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks finished the regular season with three of four wins over the Magic. Jameer Nelson scored 20 points and had five assists. Dwight Howard (13 rebounds) and Hedo Turkoglu (8 rebounds, 5 assists) each scored 17 points.

= TUESDAY, March 29, 2011

– Women’s College Tennis – No. 9 Rollins 6, No. 11 Florida Southern 3

The Tars improved to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in the Sunshine State Conference. No. 29 Roshni Luthra defeated No. 31 Agnese Rozite 6-4, 6-4 in the top singles match and also teamed up with Allie Steele to win convisincingly in doubles competition. No. 17 Margeret Junker was upset in the second singles match by No. 32 Sabine Goge 6-3, 6-4.

= MONDAY, March 28, 2011

– National Basketball Association – Knicks 113, Magic 106

The Magic played the final moments of overtime without Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu after both fouled out in the extra period. Howard finished with a team-high 29 points and 18 rebounds despite turning the ball over five times. Turkoglu finished with 18 points, four assists and three turnovers. The Magic, who was without Jameer Nelson (sprained left knee), J.J. Redick (strained lower abdomen) and Quentin Richardson (lower back), turned the ball over 21 times overall in the loss.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for his efforts between March 21-27. It marks the sixth time this season that Howard has won the award, the 17th player of the week accolade of his career.

Howard led the Magic to a 3-0 record last week to push the team to its fifth consecutive victory. Orlando entered Monday on a five-game winning streak, the team’s third longest winning streak of the season.

Howard averaged 27.3 points (third in the East), an NBA-high 14.3 rebounds per game and shot .717 (27-of-38) from the field, which was also tops in the league. He also ranked first in the East in blocks (3.3 per game) and second in steals per contest (2.3). Howard tallied double-doubles in each of the Magic’s three contests, extending his franchise record double-double streak to 30 games (which started Jan. 21) and led the team in scoring and rebounding in all three games.

On March 21 at Cleveland, Howard recorded 28 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks, four assists and four steals. According to ESPN, he became the first player since Hakeem Olajuwon over 21 years ago to record those numbers in a single game (Olajuwon tallied 29 points, 18 rebounds, 11 blocks, 10 assists and five steals on March 3, 1990 in a victory over Golden State).

Howard’s sixth player of the week award is the most in the league for one player this season in the, ahead of LeBron James (5), Russell Westbrook (4) and Dwyane Wade (4).

A recap of the week for Howard:

– Mar. 21 @ Cleveland: Posted 28 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks, four assists and four steals in a 97-86 win.

– Mar. 23 @ New York: Poured in 33 points to go along with 11 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in a 111-99 win.

– Mar. 25 vs. New Jersey: Tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in a 95-85 victory.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

– Men’s College Lacrosse – Lenoir-Rhyne 13, Rollins 12

Despite a program record six goals in one game by junior Austin Ricci the Rollins Tars dropped to 2-8 overall and 0-6 in the Deep South Conference on Sunday. It’s the first-ever conference win for Lenoir-Rhyne, who broke an 11-all tie with under eight minutes to play to take the lead for good.

– College Softball – UAB 5, UCF 3

The Knights allowed five runs in the third inning and never recovered as they dropped to 12-22 overall and 3-6 in Conference USA. The Blazers (24-9, 8-1 C-USA) took two of three games after splitting with UCF on Saturday.

= SATURDAY, March 26, 2011

– Arena Football League – Predators 68, Blaze 53

Orlando Predators quarterback Nick Hill went 24-of-36 for 331 yards and eight touchdowns while Rayshaun Kizer intercepted three passes and ran one back for a score Saturday night. The Predators (2-0) downed the Utah Blaze (1-1) in its first game at the new Amway Center in front of 12,186 fans.

– Women’s College Track & Field – UCF Invitational

Freshman Dominique Booker set two new school records on Saturday during the second day of competition at the UCF Invitational. Booker set a new mark in the 200-meter run with a time of 23.70, good for fourth place and enough to surpass the previous mark set by Sonnisha Williams (23.79) just last week. Booker also joined Aurieyall Scott, Sheila Paul and Tyler Smith in the 4×400-meter relay, where the group took first place with a time of 43.73 (previous mark was 45.05).

– United Soccer Leagues – Lions 2, USF 0

The Orlando City Lions wrapped up its preseason schedule Saturday in Tampa, where they got goals from Yordany Alvarez (30th minute) and Jamie Watson (60th) on assists from Devorn Jorsling in the win. The Lions finished the preseason schdule 6-2 with wins over Philadelphia Union (1-0) and Toronto FC (1-0) of Major League Soccer as well as Rollins (3-1), UCF (5-1) and Stetson (5-3). Orlando City lost to FC Dallas (1-0) and BK Hacken (3-2). The reguler season begins this weekend on the road against Richmond.

– Men’s College Tennis – UCF 4, NO. 53 DePaul 3

Facing their seventh nationally-ranked opponent in a row, the Knights clinched the win over DePaul when freshman Mitch Thams won the final two sets of a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 match against Filip Dzanko at No. 5 singles.

= FRIDAY, March 25, 2011

– College Baseball – UCF 7, No. 23 Rice 2

Despite a school-record eight walks, freshman Ben Lively improved to 5-0 on the season while D.J. Hicks went 3-for-4 at the plate and pitched a scoreless inning in UCF’s Conference USA opener at Rice (15-10, 0-1 C-USA). Lively is the first pitcher at UCF to start the season perfect in five games since Ray Rodriguez and Darren Newlin did so in 2005. Joe Rogers picked up the save. The Knights trailed 2-0 after four innings before scoring three times in the top of the fifth. UCF turned a season-high four double plays in the win and improved to 17-5 overall and 1-0 in C-USA.

– Women’s College Track & Field – UCF Invitational

Sophomore Sonnisha Williams broke her own school record in the long jump by five-and-a-half inches to take first place in the event during the opening day of the UCF Invitational. Williams went 20-11.75/6.39m at the UCF Track and Field Complex to best the previous mark of 20-6.25/6.25m set last May at the NCAA East Regional. Competition picks back up on Saturday with Florida, Miami, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Tennessee and Rhode Island taking part.

– National Basketball Association – Magic 95, Nets 85

The Magic won its fifth game in a row after pulling away from New Jersey with just over eight minutes to play in the fouth quarter. Hedo Turkoglu went 8-for-11 from the field for 20 points, 13 assists and no turnovers in the win while Dwight Howard finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Already playing without J.J. Redick, Orlando (47-26) lost Jameer Nelson to a knee injury in the first half.

– College Softball – Rollins 10, Lynn 0

The Tars improved to 30-1 overall and 7-0 in the Sunshine State Conference in the opening game of its series against Lynn (6-26, 1-6 SSC). Rollins scored eight runs in the second inning as Krista Rodden, Lake Mary alum Hope Bitzer, Winter Springs alum Christine Roser and Hilary Brown drove in runs. Kristen Frame, the reigning confernce player of the week, struck out six in five innings.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Five players scored in double figures for Orlando, led by 16 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks, four steals and three assists from Dwight Howard. Nelson finished with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

The win improves Orlando’s record to 44-26 as they hit the road to face Cleveland (Sunday) and New York (Wednesday).

Just 12 regular season games remain, including five more contests in Orlando.

The Magic host New Jersey (March 25), Charlotte (April 1), Milwaukee (April 5), Chicago (April 10) and Indiana (April 13) down the stretch and are on the road against New York (March 28), Atlanta (March 30), Toronto (April 3), Charlotte (April 6) and Philadelphia (April 11).

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Howard was forced to sit out of Monday’s 89-85 loss at home to the Portland Trail Blazers after being called for his 16th technical foul a few days earlier against the Chicago Bulls.

While a starting lineup in Orlando without the all-star center only amplifies his overall worth, the day off for Howard afforded him a little extra rest before diving into the final 18 games of the regular season.

What the suspension actually did, though, was neglect basketball fans the chance to see a showdown between Howard and Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the NBA’s conference players of the month for February.

Howard was recently named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the sixth time in his career and second time this season. He earned it by leading the East in rebounds (14.8 per game) and field goal percentage (.667), and coming in second in points at 26.6 per game. Howard also went for 2 blocks, 1.36 steals and 1.2 assists per game while leading the Magic in scoring and rebounding in 10 of 11 games, in which Orlando went 7-4.

But on Monday the Magic looked more like the Cleveland Cavaliers than they did conference contenders. Just another NBA team trailing for most of the way, then running out of breath down the stretch without an elite player to step up and put fear into the opponent.

“It was a little different,” Brandon Bass said at halftime as Orlando trailed 47-43. “It feels a lot better, and is a lot easier, playing with the Big Fella.”

Against a Trail Blazers’ team that entered the game No. 7 in the Western Conference with a 35-27 record, the Magic did plenty to come away with the win but could not find a way to pull it out in the end.

The most telling numbers are hardly a surprise. Well, aside from the five blocked shots racked up between Earl Clark and Ryan Anderson.

The Magic turned the ball over 19 times compared to nine times by Portland, with Jameer Nelson and Gilbert Arenas accounting for a combined 11 turnovers for Orlando. And although the Magic finished with a 39-36 advantage in rebounds, the Trail Blazers outscored them 36-22 in the paint.

It’s the kind of game that’ll make basketball fans, writers and voters around the league make alterations to MVP ballots.

Howard’s MVP credentials is quite a topic in Orlando, in between complaints about the treatment he receives from refs or worrying about whether he’ll skip town or stay put once his contract expires.

Getting Howard some extra attention in the MVP race is of great debate, as it should be. It’s likely to heat up even more, now that the team is reunited once again for its upcoming road swing out west, which starts in Sacramento on Wednesday.

But why all the fuss about the most valuable player award, anyway? When’s the last time the league MVP won a title in the same season? (If you guessed Tim Duncan in 2002-03, you guessed right.)

Over the past 20 years, only one player has been named MVP from a team that finished outside the top three spots in the league standings, which was the case with Steve Nash in 2005-06.

So at this point, it’s probably best that the focus remains on the goals of the team moving forward.

For a team that entered the season with high expectations and has since had to weather the chaos of disgruntled players and trades, sitting at No. 4 in the East and eighth overall at 40-24 doesn’t look all that bad on the surface.

Yet come playoff time it’ll be more about what’s remaining underneath all that potential that will help shape how we remember this current version of Magic basketball for years to come.

Without a player such as Howard, those memories would be about as forgettable as Monday night was. Kind of like what’s been taking place up in Cleveland.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

For those that normally don’t get the opportunity to watch Dwight Howard on a regular basis, the 2011 All-Star Game was another inimitable showcase for NBA enthusiasts across the world.

As part of NBA Cares Day of Service, Howard joins other all-stars to build a playground at Frederick Douglas Elementary School in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE/Getty Images)

While it’s customary for the participants of All-Star Games to dazzle fans with a variety of spectacular acts and creative plays, Howard has a tendency to find a way to stand out amongst the other elite competitors in the NBA. Not just because of stature and size, but also because of his innate talent and freakish athleticism to inspire a crowd with just about anything he attempts to do on the court.

Just like he has done this entire season with the Orlando Magic, D12 enjoyed the opportunity to showcase these abilities in front of a national audience. Although the East had no answer for MVP Kobe Bryant, who erupted for 37 points and 14 rebounds, Howard shared the spotlight with the rest of the NBA’s elite to share in a memorable night.

Howard, in spite of not getting too many shot attempts, flabbergasted those in attendance at STAPLES Center with a couple of thunderous slam-dunks, including a breathtaking two-handed flush in the first quarter off an alley-oop pass from Amar’e Stoudemire.

The five-time All-Star even teamed up with familiar foes such as the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, who notched a triple-double, and Dwyane Wade to accomplish some of the game’s most electrifying plays.

Dwight finished with five points, seven rebounds and one assist. Big men generally do not post big stats in All-Star Games largely because the ball is mostly in the hands of the wing players.

Perhaps the most bizarre stretch of action was when Howard was on the floor alongside four members of the detested Boston Celtics in the first quarter, including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

On Friday, Howard kicks off All-Star Weekend visiting with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. (Photo courtesy of The Tonight Show)

The most hilarious moment from the night had to be right before tip-off when James was joined by the rest of the East’s starting lineup, Howard, Stoudemire, Wade and Derrick Rose, in doing the notorious pregame powder toss.

While the outcome may not have much significance, it’s very apparent that all of the competitors from both conferences want to prove they belong in the small, but privileged, class of NBA elite. Especially with the MVP race so competitive this season, it’s games like this that can help fans fall in love with certain players.

Every time Howard touched the ball – either off a rebound, in the open floor or when he was underneath the basket ready to slam one home – fans in Los Angeles definitely seemed to recognize what he is capable of. One fan in particular – a major celebrity in his own right – also seemed to enjoy watching Howard up close. Pop music sensation Justin Bieber, who was sitting along the sideline, gave D12 a high-five during the action.

It was definitely an eventful few days for the franchise center. After arriving on Thursday, Howard made several grand appearances, including being a special guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In addition, Superman helped build a playground as part of the NBA in the Community initiative at All-Star Weekend.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

It’s hard to argue otherwise.

“Right now, Boston and Miami have separated themselves. Then Chicago still has a pretty significant advantage on us and Atlanta, and New York is a little behind that,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Thursday, following a 104-100 loss at the Amway Center to the Heat.

“There is some separation. I’m just being honest on it,” he said. “I think we can get there in 10 weeks, but you can’t say right now that we’re there with those teams. The one thing I’ve always believed in this league is you are what your record says you are.”

And at this point the Magic stand at 31-19 overall heading into Friday’s road game against the Washington Wizards (13-35). Orlando then travels to Boston (37-11) on Sunday before returning to Florida to host the Los Angeles Clippers (19-29) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Since making two separate trades that brought in Gilbert Arenas, Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark in December, the Magic have gone an average 15-9. Orlando is now winners of just six of its last 13 games since winning nine in a row from Dec. 23–Jan. 8, which marked the last time they defeated a team with a winning record.

Yet beneath the surface, Thursday’s loss to Miami (35-14) does not appear to be all that bad. Not when looking past the trouble the team had at the free throw line (12-of-33), or as Van Gundy mentioned, the early foul trouble and poor effort rebounding on the defensive end.

How they correct those issues from here on out will be the telling part.

The Magic are currently without power forward Brandon Bass (ankle sprain) and watched as his replacement, Ryan Anderson, picked up two quick fouls in the opening two minutes.

They never held a lead and trailed by 23 points in the second half before going on to cap a 37-25 fourth-quarter rally, nearly completing a miraculous comeback in what’s become a budding rivalry.

“It was a great comeback,” Van Gundy acknowledged afterwards. “It wasn’t one of those phony comebacks to go from 23-down to lose by eight. We had a shot to tie. And considering we did not have a timeout at that point… we got a pretty damn good look to tie the game.”

Anderson’s shot with seven seconds left was not enough to force the extra period. He finished with just 9 points (3-of-10 shooting) and 6 rebounds in less than 17 minutes of work.

Jameer Nelson overcame a quiet first half to lead the team with 22 points and 6 assists while Richardson added 18 points after connecting on 4-of-9 shots from beyond the arc.

Dwight Howard scored 16 of his 17 points in the first half. He played every minute of the game and grabbed 16 rebounds, finished only 3-of-13 at the free throw line.

Orlando and Miami split the first two games in the series this season before the Magic unloaded Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter and Mickael Pietrus. The final meeting before the postseason starts takes place in Miami on March 3. Mark your calendars.

“They’re very explosive and they showed that in the last six minutes,” Heat forward LeBron James said. “You can’t ever relax. Dwight is always the catalyst and they put some guys around him that can not only shoot the ball but also attack off the dribble.”

Not that it made any difference to Big-Game James, err, The King, if you will.

James singlehandedly carried the Heat with a spectacular shooting display, finishing with an NBA season-high 51 points along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists for good measure. He made 17-of-25 shots from the field, mostly on jumpers, and 14-of-17 attempts at the line in the win.

And the Heat needed every bit of what James offered up. Chris Bosh was nearly non-existent as he finished with 13 points (3-of-12), 6 rebounds and 4 assists on the very night he learned he was voted to the NBA All-Star Game as a reserve by the league’s coaches.

Guard Dwyane Wade missed most of the third quarter after being put on his back following a foul from Howard as he drove the baseline and went up for a shot at the 9:43 mark. He returned for the start of the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points and 4 rebounds.

He was not as impressed with Orlando’s new-look lineup as James was afterwards.

“The way they played at the end was just desperation basketball and they got some shots to go to make it a pretty close game,” Wade said of the Magic.

The good news for Orlando is that it’s early February and the team is all but assured a spot in the playoffs while going back-and-forth with the Hawks for the No. 4 and 5 spots in the East. There is still plenty more to play for, of course. The bad news, though, is there doesn’t seem to be a formula in place for which to package that late-game act of desperation into a full 48 minutes.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Dwight Howard poses with his All-Star uniform on January 24 at the Amway Center. Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was named the starting center for the NBA All-Star Game on Thursday. The game will be played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 20.

Howard led the Eastern Conference in fan votes and is starting in the game for the fourth straight year. He is making his fifth appearance in all and will start alongside Dwyane Wade and LeBron James of the Miami Heat, Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant led all players in votes and will start alongside New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets and injured center Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets.

Howard is averaging 22 points per game this season along with 13.4 rebounds and 2.23 blocked shots. He is shooting 56.9-percent from the field and has recorded 34 double-doubles on the year.

In four previous trips to the all-star game, Howard is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Last season in Dallas he scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Howard finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss. Ryan Anderson led all scorers with 21 points. Three Detroit players finished with 20 points apiece, including former Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady.

The Magic won nine in a row between Dec. 23-Jan. 8, but then went on to drop three of the next four games from Jan. 12-17.

It was that last loss on Jan. 17 to the Boston Celtics that began a monstrous week for Howard. He scored 33 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and finished with two assists and a steal in the 109-106 loss. He then recorded 18 points with seven rebounds and two blocks in a 99-98 win over Philadelphia, before helping Orlando dispose of Toronto and Houston on back-to-back nights.

Howard finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds in a 112-72 win over the Raptors and 22 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a 118-104 win over the Rockets.

The player of the week honor is the third this season for Howard and the 14th of his NBA career.

– What’s Next –

The Magic go on the road to play Indiana on Wednesday, then Chicago on Friday before returning to town to host Cleveland on Sunday at 6 p.m. After visiting Memphis on Monday, Jan. 31, the Miami Heat returns to Orlando on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –