“Chris (Duhon) provides depth, leadership and stability to our backcourt,” said Magic General Manager Otis Smith.  “He takes care of the basketball, defends well and can hit the open shot.  We’re very happy to add Chris to our team.”

Duhon (6’1, 190) played in 67 games - making 59 starts - last season with the New York Knicks. He averaged 7.4 points, 5.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game. Duhon led the Knicks in assists and was tied for fifth in the NBA in assists-to-turnover ratio at 378-110 while leading the team in scoring twice and in assists in 38 different games. He scored in double figures 23 times, including a season-high 25 points on Dec. 4 on the road against Atlanta, and also recorded 10-plus assists four times.

Duhon was originally selected in the second round (No. 38 overall) by the Chicago Bulls in the 2004 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 446 career NBA regular season games, averaging 7.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game while shooting .362 (553-1,526) from three-point range and .797 (554-695) from the free throw line.

- Pro Summer League -

Led by Patrick Ewing on the bench, the Orlando Magic finished with just a 1-4 mark last week at the 2010 AirTran Airways Pro Summer League. Oklahoma City led the way with a 4-1 record while Charlotte, Indiana, Utah and New Jersey each ended the week with 3-2 marks.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday paced all scorers with 19.3 points per game and was named to the All-Summer League First Team at the conclusion of the five-day event. The New Jersey Nets had two recipients on the First Team in guard/forward Terrence Williams (18.8 ppg, 5.0 apg) and forward Damion James (18.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), while Boston forward Luke Harangody (16.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Oklahoma City center BJ Mullens (16.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) were also honored.

The All-Summer League Second Team consisted of Indiana Pacers center Magnum Rolle, Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jodie Meeks, Oklahoma City guard James Harden and Bobcats forward Derrick Brown.

Honorable Mention honors went to Indiana’s Lance Stephenson, Josh McRoberts and Paul George, Utah’s Kosta Koufos and Gordon Hayward, Boston’s Jaycee Carroll, Oklahoma City’s Eric Maynor and Kyle Weaver and Orlando’s Joe Crawford, Paul Davis and Patrick Ewing, Jr.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Due to space limitations, the event is not open to the public. But fans can follow along from home, where they can get the action, box scores, game recaps and cumulative statistics at the official Orlando Magic website. Games will begin at 1 p.m. from Monday-Thursday and at 8 a.m. on Friday.

– Orlando Magic’s Pro Summer League Roster –

#5 – Jeff Adrien (PF) – 6-7, 243 – Leche Rio Breogan Lugo (Spain)

#10 – Joe Crawford (G) – 6-5, 210 – Los Angeles D-Fenders (NBADL)

#40 – Paul Davis (C) – 6-11, 270 – Maine Red Claws (NBADL)

#24 – Patrick Ewing Jr. (F) – 6-8, 240 – Reno Big Horns (NBADL)

#23 – Trey Gilder (F) – 6-9, 185 – Albuquerque Thunderbirds (NBADL)

#35 – Yaroslav Korolev (F) – 6-9, 225 – Reno Bighorns (NBADL)

#34 – Ben McCauley (F/C) – 6-9, 237 – Strasbourg IG (France)

#43 – Daniel Orton (C) – 6-10, 255 – Kentucky

#1 – Jerome Randle (G) – 5-10, 172 – California

#25 – Stanley Robinson (F) – 6-9, 210 – Connecticut

#4 – Sean Singletary (G) – 6-0, 185 – Caja Laboral Vitoria (Spain)

#45 – Vladimir Stimac (C) – 6-10, 255 – KK Crvena Zvezda Beograd (Serbia)

#3 – Curtis Stinson (G) – 6-3, 215 – Iowa Energy (NBADL)

#11 – Donell Taylor (G) – 6-5, 215 – Erie Bayhawks (NBADL)

– 2010 AirTran Airways Pro Summer League Schedule –

Monday, July 5, 2010

Game 1            1 p.m.            Charlotte @ Utah

Game 2            3 p.m.            Indiana @ Orlando

Game 3            5 p.m.            Boston @ OKC

Game 4            7 p.m.            NJ @ Philadelphia

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Game 1            1 p.m.            Utah @ Orlando

Game 2            3 p.m.            Charlotte @ OKC

Game 3            5 p.m.            Philadelphia @ Boston

Game 4            7 p.m.            Indiana @ NJ

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Game 1            1 p.m.            Charlotte @ Boston

Game 2            3 p.m.            OKC @ Philadelphia

Game 3            5 p.m.            NJ @ Orlando

Game 4            7 p.m.            Indiana @ Utah

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Game 1            1 p.m.            OKC @ Orlando

Game 2            3 p.m.            Indiana @ Boston

Game 3            5 p.m.            Utah @ NJ

Game 4            7 p.m.            Philadelphia @ Charlotte

Friday, July 9, 2010

Game 1            8 a.m.            OKC @ Indiana

Game 2            10 a.m.          Philadelphia @ Utah

Game 3            12 p.m.          NJ @ Boston

Game 4            2 p.m.            Charlotte @ Orlando

(10-minute intermission between games)

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Spectators at Amway Arena were treated to a double-dose of heartache as the NBA game was shown on the jumbotron while the AFL action on the field was taking place.

The Magic were eliminated from the playoffs with a 96-84 loss in Game 6 on the road against the Boston Celtics. The Predators dropped to last place in the division with a 62-50 loss to the Tampa Bay Storm in the season’s first installment of the War on I-4.

– Orlando Magic –

The Magic trailed 30-19 after the first quarter of play Friday night and never found footing the rest of the way. After trailing by 13 points at the break, the Magic went on to get outscored 27-19 in the third quarter, setting the stage for the end of the season with a 4-2 loss in the best-of-seven series.

Dwight Howard shot 11-for-17 from the field to score 28 points in the setback. He also finished with 12 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Vince Carter scored 17 points (6-for-15) and had seven rebounds and three assists.

On the flipside, Jameer Nelson scored 11 points on 5-for-14 shooting and finished with a team-high five turnovers, four assists and one rebound. Matt Barnes made only one free throw on the night and Rashard Lewis shot just 3-for-11 from the floor for seven points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Orlando shot 27-percent from long-range (6-for-22) as only Mickael Pietrus made more than one 3-point basket. The Magic also struggled at the line, making just 59-percent of those shots. They were outrebounded 45-35.

– Orlando Predators –

The Predators trailed 35-17 at halftime and 55-29 early in the fourth quarter Friday night before clawing their way back, but eventually falling short in the end.

The rally started when quarterback Nick Hill connected with Kissimmee native Bobby Sippio in the end zone for a 19-yard score. Following an onside kick, Hill and Sippio hooked up again, this time for a 28-yard score with 4:45 left to play. Yet another onside kick followed, as did another Sippio touchdown to help chip into the Tampa lead, this time on a short run on a play set up by a long reception to T.T. Toliver.

With just 2:16 remaining, the Preds trailed 55-50 and could get no closer once Tampa drove the length of the field and punched the ball in one more time for a touchdown. The Storm then intercepted Hill in the end zone with under a minute to play to close things out. (Watch Highlights)

The Predators (3-4) are on the road Saturday, June 5 at 8 p.m. against the Tulsa Talons before returning home on Saturday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. against the Spokane Shock. The Preds then host the Jacksonville Sharks in a division game on Friday, June 18 at 8 p.m.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Kendrick Perkins was tossed from the game after picking up two technical fouls. Glen Davis and Marquis Daniels each were ushered off the court with concussions. And lastly, Rasheed Wallace fouled out with less than five minutes to go.

The Celtics hold a 3-2 series lead, which picks back up Friday night in Boston at 8:30 p.m.

In Orlando, there’s a renewed feeling that the momentum has shifted back in favor of the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference.

“I don’t know if you can say you have momentum when you’re down 3-2 going into their place,” said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy. “That’s hard to say. I still look at it like we’re climbing a huge mountain right here.”

At least they’ve made it look easier over the past two games than they had in the opening three games of the series. The difference for the Magic as of late has been the way they’ve dictated the pace of the game while moving the ball around the floor.

“We’ve played at a much, much higher energy level,” said Van Gundy “And clearly we’ve had a lot more guys play well.”

Along with team-leaders Jameer Nelson (24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Dwight Howard (21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks), there were two others that turned in double-digit scoring efforts on Wednesday.

All of a sudden they look a lot like the near-flawless Orlando Magic team from late in the regular season and during the first two rounds of the postseason. Have they found a way to reemerge from the ashes?

“We’ve always outworked and outhustled teams,” said Matt Barnes, who finished with nine points on three 3-pointers and seven rebounds. “When we play with energy and effort we’re a hard team to beat.”

Maybe all that was needed was for them to be reminded of that.

There was clearly a renewed enthusiasm in Game 5 that came by way of winning on the road in Game 4. And the fact that the Magic rebounded the basketball so well Wednesday night helped their cause this time around.

“The biggest thing in the game for us – bigger than anything else tonight – we were great on the boards,” said Van Gundy. “Everybody will look at the three-point shooting and all of that, but probably the biggest thing is that we dominated the glass.”

The Magic shot 52-percent (13-for-25) from long-range, 52-percent from the field (36-for-69) and outrebounded the Celtics 43-26 in the win.

Rashard Lewis, who revealed this week that he’s been fighting an illness throughout the series, finished with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting and seven rebounds. J.J. Redick, the clear-cut crowd favorite, has earned quality time on the court and seemed to add even more fuel to the Magic’s burning desire to pull out another do-or-die game. He finished with 14 points on just 3-for-6 shooting from the field.

“J.J.’s just a guy I have great trust in because I know how hard he’s going to go at it, I know how hard he’s worked, and I know he’s never going to be afraid of anything,” said Van Gundy.

That attitude has clearly made its way around the locker room over the past few days.

What we were reminded of as Orlando controlled the pace of this game was that when the ball is passed around, the open shots are going down, and the boards are being crashed, that the Magic are a dangerous team to mess with.

“They stole the game in Boston and tonight they just played better than us,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers afterwards. “The team that’s been the most physical has won the games.”

Which means if the Magic can find a way to play with the same heart and intensity they have for much of the season, then they like their chances to return home for an elimination game on Sunday night.

“The pressures all on them,” said Barnes. “We know we’re going to be in a war on Friday against Boston and we’ll be ready. They’re in trouble if they let us come back here for Game 7.”

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

The Celtics lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. It’s down to one game at a time for the Magic.

In a tightly contested game on Monday night it was Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson that led the way. Howard finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots while Nelson scored 23 points, dished nine assists and grabbed five rebounds.

Five Magic players scored in double figures, including Rashard Lewis (13 points), J.J. Redick (12) and Matt Barnes (10).

Orlando improved dramatically on its poor performance in Game 3 to shoot 45-percent from the floor and 36-percent from long-range. But they turned over the ball 19 times and were outrebounded 47-43.

Orlando was soundly defeated 94-71 in Game 3, the first game of the series in Boston, on Sunday.

Nelson and Vince Carter led the team with 15 points each but combined to shoot just 10-for-26 from the field. Mickael Pietrus chipped in 12 points while Howard finished with seven points (3-for-10), seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Lewis was kept quiet again after turning in two silent games at home, going for four points (2-for-8), four rebounds, four turnovers and two blocks in the loss.

Orlando shot 37-percent from the floor, 27-percent from long-range, turned the ball over 17 times to Boston’s eight, and were outrebounded 43-36. Six Celtics scored in double figures.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Remember those daggers he dished out in last year’s postseason run to the NBA Finals? It appeared then that the money was well spent.

With the flick of a wrist the sharp-shooting power forward can make the dollars-and-cents of such a deal seem irrelevant, no matter how ineffective or quiet a game he’s having up to that point.

Rashard Lewis (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Such was the case in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics at Amway Arena.

Only Lewis never had the chance to make up for his bland performance – in each of the opening two games of the series – while just three-and-a-half seconds remained on the clock Tuesday night.

“Rashard got open,” said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy afterwards. “But because we’re inbounding in the backcourt, (Michael) Finley is back in the passing lane and we could not make the pass to him.”

Instead, Jameer Nelson’s desperation heave from 35-feet out with no time left brushed the outside of the net and put the Magic down 2-0 in the series with a 95-92 loss.

Nelson’s prayer came on the heels of two missed free throws from Vince Carter with 31 seconds to go and a few wasted seconds near the end when, following a rebound with 6.9 seconds left, J.J. Redick neglected to call for a timeout after Kevin Garnett’s jumper to beat the shot clock bounced from the rim.

Orlando now faces must-win situations on the road in Game 3 on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and Game 4 on Monday at 8:30 p.m.

Lewis finished another intense and physical matchup between these two titans with just five points on 2-for-6 shooting and four rebounds and four assists in Game 2. And in case you missed it, that followed a lackluster showing in Game 1 on Sunday as he went 2-for-10 from the field for six points in a 92-88 loss.

Compare those numbers to what he did in the first eight games of the 2010 playoffs and give credit where credit is due – to the Boston Celtics. While the Celtics have chosen to play Dwight Howard one-on-one there has been little room for Lewis, and his teammates for that matter, to operate on the perimeter.

Against the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks, Lewis shot a combined 54-percent from the field (47-for-87), nailed 46-percent from long range (24-for-52) and was second on the team in both rebounds (44) and assists (21) while averaging 16.4 points per game.

In the conference semifinals he’s barely been a factor, scoring 11 points in two combined games after averaging 14.1 points per game in the regular season.

“Maybe I have to do something different to get involved into the offense,” said Lewis. “Because right now they’ve pretty much taken me out of the game.“

Quite a shock to the system coming off the kind of games he had to open the postseason.

“The first two series against Charlotte and Atlanta… two good teams, but not better defensive teams than the Boston Celtics,” said Lewis. “They have big bodies on the inside. They’re long, they’re active, they play the pick-and-roll well and they’re well-coached.”

All the more reason why Van Gundy was just as frustrated following Tuesday’s game as he was with the loss two days earlier.

The coach wants more passes and better shot selections. And for his team to stop forcing the issue so much on the offensive end since it’s apparent their initial impulses with the basketball have not helped their cause.

Van Gundy also mentioned something about getting Lewis more active in the offensive game plan moving forward.

“I don’t think Rashard has played badly,” said Van Gundy. “I just think they’re staying home on him and it’s incumbent on me to find a way to get him involved.”

He followed that up by pointing to Lewis’ defensive effort thus far in the series against Garnett, who scored 10 points on 5-for-16 shooting in Game 2 and just eight points following a 4-for-14 effort in Game 1.

“Both guys scored in their last series and both of them are struggling to score right now, so it’s going both ways,” said Van Gundy.

It’ll be interesting to see which one can get their all-around games pieced back together first. Not that the Celtics need Garnett in the same way the Magic need Lewis, who is well aware of what’s at stake at this point.

“When you get to the point in the playoffs when you’re in the Eastern Conference Finals and (NBA) Finals, everything counts, you’re not playing against teams that can only get so far (in the playoffs),” said Lewis. “You’re playing against the best teams in the NBA and you’ve got to play your best to win.”

Even if that means biding your time and emerging when it matters most.

As bad as things got for the Orlando Magic in Sunday’s opener of the Eastern Conference Finals, such as trailing by 20 points and never holding a lead, the home team nearly pulled out the comeback before falling to the Boston Celtics 92-88.

The close margin is of little consolation, though.

“There’s no moral victories around here,” said point guard Jameer Nelson. “If we don’t win the game, we’re not happy. We can’t be happy about coming back and almost winning.”

This clash between two defensive-minded teams produced 18 turnovers by the Magic and 16 from Boston. But it was Orlando’s lack of energy and focus that bothered coach Stan Van Gundy most.

“We got outplayed today. That’s it,” said Van Gundy. “We’ve got to find better ways offensively to attack their defense. We’ve got to quit turning the ball over and we’ve got to make some defensive adjustments.”

That’s what championship teams do. Respond to challenges, much the same way they did Sunday even as the game seemed so far out of reach.

“We definitely have to go play harder than we did today,” said Nelson.

And it shouldn’t take much to get them motivated to do so.

What Orlando has going for them is the way they’ve responded to losses throughout the season. They lost two-straight just once in early December before suffering losing streaks of four and three games during a dismal January. The Magic then went on to follow up their remaining eight losses throughout the rest of the schedule with wins the very next time out.

No wonder Boston Coach Doc Rivers expects a much improved Magic team come Game 2.

“They’ll be better Tuesday, we know that for sure,” said Rivers.

On Sunday the Magic shot just 23-percent from long distance but grabbed 15 rebounds on the offensive end to help keep them in the game.

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at Amway Arena.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Next up is the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers – Boston Celtics series this weekend.

– More Orlando Magic Coverage –

Magical Hoops

Magic Basketball

Howard The Dunk

SI.com’s Britt Robson

ESPN.com’s John Hollinger

NBA Fanhouse’s Tim Povtak

Bleacher Report’s Quentin Haynes

Orlando Pinstriped Post’s Ben Q Rock

Orlando Magic Daily’s Philip Rossman-Reich

– At Orlando Sports Central –

Looking too good to be taken down

All-Star celebration comes to Orlando

A drinking season for all to enjoy

Off to Charlotte with 2-0 advantage

Master regular season, eye deep playoff run

The Charlotte Bobcats couldn’t stand in their way as they lost four-straight in the first round. And now the Atlanta Hawks are down 2-0 in a best-of-seven series scheduled to resume in Atlanta on Saturday at 5 p.m. and Monday at 8 p.m.

Jameer Nelson (Photo by Scott McCall)

But with the Magic on a 12-game winning steak that reaches back to April 3 – and in the mist of 26 wins over their last 29 games, in which one of those losses came at Atlanta – how will anyone knock Orlando from its perch?

“We need to put four solid quarters together to beat this team,” said Hawks Coach Mike Woodson.

To clarify, he means four solid quarters in the same game.

On Thursday in Game 2, Atlanta gave the Magic all they could handle through nearly three quarters of play before falling flat the rest of the way. They posted 27, 30 and 26 points in the opening periods before a buzzer-beating bank shot from beyond the arc by Jameer Nelson altered the remaining 12 minutes of play.

That was just seconds after Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford buried a 25-footer in Nelson’s face at the other end of the court.

“When I shot it I knew it had a chance,” said Nelson, who matched Crawford’s effort as the defender’s hand hung in the balance. “I just wanted to get it up there.”

That gave Orlando an 84-83 lead after three and led to a 28-15 fourth quarter advantage for the home team in a 112-98 win. On Tuesday in Game 1, the Hawks posted 23 in the first quarter before combining for a measly 21 points over the second and third quarters combined and staggering along in a 114-71 Magic win.

“We have to be able to finish out games,” said Atlanta’s Josh Smith. “The fourth quarter turned up to another level and we stayed at where we were at.”

Dwight Howard (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

On Tuesday, four players scored in double figures for Orlando as the Magic were led by Dwight Howard with 21 points, Vince Carter with 20, Nelson with 19 and J.J. Redick with 10. On Thursday, four players scored at least 20 points with Howard going for 29, Carter for 24 and both Nelson and Rashard Lewis dropping 20.

The last time an NBA team had four players go for at least 20 points in the same playoff game was in 2007 when Baron Davis, Al Harrington, Jason Richardson and Matt Barnes each did so for the Golden State Warriors against the Utah Jazz.

“I thought our ball movement was pretty good and we got good shots,” said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy. “It’s not easy to do against a good, long, athletic defensive team like they are.”

What’s been easy for Orlando this series is seemingly the efforts of Howard, who is a combined 16-of-19 from the field with 29 rebounds and six blocked shots in the opening two games.

Nelson has dished out 11 assists and drained five 3-pointer’s through games one and two and looks to be as healthy and energized as he’s ever been in his NBA career.

“I’m just taking advantage of the opportunity I have right now to try and lead this team to a championship,” said Nelson.

Not that he has to try and do it all by himself.

“This year we have a veteran team and we know how to win,” said Nelson. “We showed that toughness that we have and that winning attitude we have in the second half.”

And at this point that momentum seems to keep building with each game they play.

The most magical week in sports is returning to Orlando for the second time, as the city has been selected to host NBA All-Star 2012 at the new Amway Center. Orlando Magic President Bob Vander Weide, Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer joined NBA Commissioner David Stern downtown on Tuesday to make the official announcement.

David Stern (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Orlando also hosted the 1992 All-Star Game.

The 61st NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 26 following a weekend of events featuring the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 24 and NBA All-Star Saturday Night which consists of Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest. The NBA All-Star Jam Session and interactive basketball celebration will be held at the Orange County Convention Center, where fans will have the chance to meet and collect free autographs from NBA players and legends.

The 2011-12 season will mark the 28th year that Turner Sports will provide NBA All-Star coverage, and the 10th consecutive year the All-Star Game will be televised in primetime on TNT.  The All-Star Game will be seen by a worldwide television audience in more than 200 countries and territories and in more than 40 languages.

During NBA All-Star 2012, the NBA will continue to celebrate its tradition and commitment to social responsibility with a schedule of NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government, and local nonprofit organizations in Orlando and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

– Remember When? –

Few All-Star Games have rivaled the one Orlando hosted in 1992 in which the West defeated the East, 153-113, at Orlando Arena. The game is best remembered for the return of Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who had retired in November 1991 after contracting HIV.

By the time the final buzzer sounded on that game, Johnson had gone one-on-one with both Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan, and turned in a vintage performance by recording game highs of 25 points and nine assists to win his second All-Star MVP award. Golden State guard Tim Hardaway, who had allowed Johnson to replace him in the starting lineup, contributed 14 points and seven assists.