Dwight Howard (Photo by Scott McCall)

He has also recently been named the starting center on the East squad in the NBA All-Star Game in Dallas set for Sunday, Feb. 14.

Howard is currently averaging 17.4 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game even as the hometown team has had its share of ups and downs as of late.

The second conference player-of-the-week award for Howard this season (the ninth of his career) came after the six-year pro averaged 17 points, 17.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots during home wins against Indiana, Toronto and Portland and a loss at Miami last month.

The effort improved the Magic’s overall record to 20-7 through the end of that star-studded week.

Since then though, he’s either scored 17 points or grabbed 13 rebounds in a game just nine times over his past 18 tries while blocking three or more shots 10 times during that stretch.

Fans have experienced both sides of the 2009-10 version of Dwight Howard since then as the Magic (29-16 overall, 19-9 Eastern Conference) have compiled a 9-9 mark over its past 18 games and currently sit a game behind Atlanta (29-14) in the Southeast Division.

Dwight Howard (Photo by Scott McCall)

There have been trivial single-digit scoring efforts turned in by Howard during that recent .500 span against the likes of Boston (5 points), Minnesota (9), Chicago (9) and Denver (8) which resulted in just one win for Orlando. Then there have been such huge scoring nights as were had against Washington (23), Sacramento (30), Los Angeles Lakers (24), Indiana (32) and Memphis (27) to little avail as the Magic could only muster a 2-3 record in those last five 23-point games from its marquee player.

It’s a long season, though. There will be plenty of finger pointing and praise to come. Stay tuned as the postseason is right around the corner, where the stage lights up and any reason for concern will be warranted – if even needed – as a weak Eastern Conference deserves barely a yawn of our collective sighs just yet.

Upcoming for Orlando are home games against Boston (29-13) on Thursday and Atlanta on Saturday, before flying out to Detroit (15-28) for a meeting with the Pistons on Sunday.

The Magic return to town to host Milwaukee (18-24) on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and Washington (14-30) on Friday, Feb. 5, then will be off to Boston for another meeting with the Celtics on Sunday, Feb. 7.

As the NBA heads into all-star weekend, the Magic will host New Orleans (Feb. 8), and be on the road at Chicago (Feb. 10) and Cleveland (Feb. 11) before the festivities begin.

– More Orlando Magic Coverage –

Team page at SB Nation

Team page at Front Office

Team page at FanHouse

Team page at HoopsWorld

Team page at YardBarker

Andrew Melnick at Howard the Dunk

Philip Rossman-Reich at Orlando Magic Daily

Since losing to the Miami Heat at home on Nov. 25 – when the last second miracle miss by Dwyane Wade found the paws of Michael Beasley for the game winner – the Magic went on to win six straight before dropping their last two (at Utah and Phoenix) during a four-game road trip out west.

The Magic (18-6) came out in the first quarter against the Pacers (8-14) on Monday night looking like they had just touched down at Orlando International Airport only a few hours earlier.

Vince Carter and Dwight Howard on the defensive end. (Photo by Scott Mcall)

It was a lethargic and uninspiring effort to begin with, that is aside from the work Vince Carter put in despite being banged up and feeling a bit under the weather in the 106-98 come-from-behind win.

Carter scored 14 in the opening frame on 5-of-10 shooting as he attacked the basket and connected on two three-pointers and two free throw attempts when not hoisting crowd-rousing circus shots.

While the rest of the home team was caught sleepwalking through the opening 12 minutes (shooting just 26-percent as a group), Indiana assassins Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy were helping the Pacers open up a 30-17 advantage after one quarter while leading a 58-percent shooting charge.

Yet somehow there was a feeling throughout Amway Arena that Orlando was in no way out of the game.

They fought back from the poor start and committed just seven turnovers in all after posting double-digit infractions in each of their previous four games on the road.

“We got off to a terrible start,” said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy. “We took quick, bad shots and we were a step late on everything defensively.”

Anthony Johnson sets up the Magic offense. (Photo by Scott McCall)

That quickly changed once the bench unloaded to start the second quarter and contributors such as Anthony Johnson and J.J. Redick helped lift the energy level on both ends of the court.

“Our second unit guys did a real good job,” Van Gundy said. “They saved us in the first half and got us back in the game.”

From there Dwight Howard emerged. He began piecing together a 21-point, 23 rebound outing, with four blocked shots, despite a minor scuffle with Murphy following a hard foul. The defensive revival by the Magic helped them enter the break facing just a one-point deficit, 54-53. Howard finished 13-of-22 from the free throw line while shooting 4-for-9 from the field. Johnson and Redick each chipped in 13 points and combined for 12 assists.

“That second unit in the second quarter really blew things open and really got us back into it,” said Carter. “They did the work. They deserve the credit for really getting us back in the game.”

J.J. Redick makes his way through the Indiana defense. (Photo by Scott McCall)

While marquee guys like Howard and Carter, who finished with a game-high 28 points, seven rebounds and three assists, did what is expected of them on Monday, the efforts of the supporting cast clearly dug this team from the depths of despair.

“When given the opportunity everybody steps up to the challenge because they’ve been there before and they know how to carry the load or how to contribute when given the opportunity,” said Johnson.

He should know, having found himself in and out of the lineup the past two seasons depending on the health of teammate Jameer Nelson.

What topped it all off for Orlando was the arrival a late defensive effort (rebounds included) which picked up in the fourth quarter, notably over the final three minutes. That led to Carter draining a couple free throws and Rashard Lewis and Redick hitting from beyond the arc to put the game out of reach down the stretch.

“Our defense was not good in the first half and we were fixing to get blown out of the game,” said Redick afterwards. “The guys coming off of the bench knew we had to give us some energy to get us back in it, and we all separately did good things.”

If only the Magic could make that style of play a permanent part of their repertoire instead of fumbling their way around early on most nights as they have for much of the season.

“I’d like to see that kind of focus and intensity for much longer periods of time instead of just doing it when we think we need to do it,” said Van Gundy.

– More Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers –

– Dick Scanion and Box Score at NBA.com

– Tim Povtak at Fanhouse

– Andrew Melnick at Howard the Dunk

– Team page at HoopsWorld

– SB Nation’s Third Quarter Collapse

Wade, who was held to 6-of-22 shooting on the night, dribbled to the right and crossed to the left near the free thrown line before letting go of a 15-foot fade away that would fall short. But Beasley would soar in to grab the rebound and dunk it through. Beasley ended up with 15 points and 12 rebounds but it was the last 2 points that he scored that would come with some controversy. Magic center Dwight Howard and his teammates pleaded to officials for an offensive goaltending call, to no avail.

“You don’t expect an air ball from D-Wade,” Howard said. “Matt (Barnes) had good position, he just out jumped him. We thought it was (offensive) goaltending. We can’t do anything about it now.”

Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy attributed the loss to not blocking out on that last play.

“We got a miss from Wade and nobody rebounds the ball, no block out, no real focus,” said Van Gundy.  “One rebound right there ends the game.”

Barnes had the responsibility of blocking out Beasley on that final play and showed his frustration at the end of the game as he tossed the basketball into the stands.

Asked afterwards in locker room if he thought he might have committed offensive goaltending, Beasley replied, “I was actually thinking it and kept looking directly at the ref, but he was running back down court.

“When it reached my hands I was just thinking ‘dunk it’ because I was so close to the basket,” he said.

Wade joked afterwards in the locker room about the missed shot being a planned pass to Beasley all along, but acknowledges it was a short shot and a great play by his teammate.

“I am going to stop lying, that was a great play by Mike. Very athletic play” said Wade, who scored 16 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

The Magic looked like they were going to extend their winning streak to six games after Vince Carter hit a three pointer over Wade with 14 seconds left to give the Magic a 98-95 lead. But the Heat cut that lead to 98-97 with 10.6 seconds left as Heat forward Udonis Haslem tipped in a missed three-point attempt from Wade. Once again, no box out from Orlando. Then Jason Williams, who had a big night against the team that he won an NBA title with in 2006 and finished with 25 points and 8 assists, missed two free throws with 8.6 seconds to go which set up the dramatic finish. The Magic as a team missed 13 free throws in the contest.

The game had playoff intensity in the stands as well as on the court as things got testy in the second quarter when Heat center Jermaine O’Neal and Howard got tangled up. A technical was called on O’Neal after shouting a few words and walking towards Howard. The officials got between the two of them and Van Gundy walked onto the court to make sure things didn’t escalate even more.

The win was the first for the Heat in Orlando since 2006 and could ignite some new bad blood and excitement that’s been lacking between the two in-state division rivals and their respective fan bases. With that intensity during a pre-Thanksgiving game, imagine what it would be like if they met later in the year with a division title on the line, or even in the playoffs.

–– More Orlando Magic Coverage ––

– Tim Povtak at Fanhouse

– Andrew Melnick at Howard the Dunk

– Team page at HoopsWorld

– SB Nation’s Third Quarter Collapse

Monday night’s 97-91 win over the Charlotte Bobcats marked the return of forward Rashard Lewis from his 10-game suspension. But as it turns out, point guard Jameer Nelson was injured in that same game as he tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee which needed surgery to repair it. It came as a surprise considering Nelson doesn’t know how or when he hurt it, except that it happened at some point during that game against the Bobcats. Nelson is expected to be out for up to 4-6 weeks.

Jason Williams got the start in Nelson’s place on Wednesday night against Oklahoma City and the Magic responded by blowing out the Thunder 108-94. Six Magic players finished in double figures including Lewis, who was one assist away from his first career triple-double. Afterwards head coach Stan Van Gundy said he was pleased with Lewis’ play and that when his team plays like they did in that game they are very tough to beat.

The Magic then posted their most impressive win of the season on Friday night by beating the Boston Celtics, 83-78, in the first meeting between the two teams since Orlando won Game 7 of their second-round playoff series in Boston last season. Lewis declared the game a “statement game” and the Magic made their statement against one of the teams they figure to have to go through to get back to NBA Finals.

Vince Carter led the way with 26 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and helped hold the Celtics to 34-percent shooting from the floor. “This was a big game for us, a confidence booster,” Lewis said. “We rode Vince a lot tonight.”

The Magic left Boston for Toronto and won their fifth in a row as Carter scored 24 points in his first game against the Raptors, his original club, as a member of the Magic.

As the Magic prepare to take on the Miami Heat (8-5) on Wednesday at Amway Arena, questions remain. Can Williams  run the team for a long period of time with Anthony Johnson as a backup, or will the Magic eventually need to make a move for a point guard?

Only time will tell. But despite injuries, and even questions about the defensive toughness of the Magic, Orlando finds themselves tied for the league’s best record at 11-3 overall.

–– More Orlando Magic Coverage ––

– Zach McCann at Orlando Magic Daily

– Tim Povtak at Fanhouse

– Andrew Melnick at Howard the Dunk

– Don VanDemark at Magical Hoops

– Team page at HoopsWorld

– SB Nation’s Third Quarter Collapse

The home team led by as many as 14 in the first quarter. The Magic then overcame a technical on Dwight Howard and a little face-to-face time under the basket between Brandon Bass and Amar’e Stoudemire in the second period to hang on to a 58-52 halftime lead. Orlando poured it on from there. They opened the second half with a dominating third period and finished the game out by leading by as much as 28 at one point.

And they did this without the services of suspended Rashard Lewis and injured Vince Carter in what Stan Van Gundy called “a very good bounce-back” after the previous night’s horrendous showing on the road against the Pistons.

“This is the first time in these five game where I thought we played well at both ends of the floor,” said Van Gundy.

Ryan Anderson was a big part of that play too. And it’s evident he’s quickly becoming a fan-favorite in the process as he’s hitting the long ball, hustling back on defense and pulling in the big rebounds.

“It’s great to play in front of a crowd that has a ton of passion for the team,” said Anderson.

– How we got here –

The Magic (4-1) opened the season with a convincing win over the Philadelphia 76ers before going on the road and taking care of New Jersey (95-85) and Toronto (125-116). Orlando then lost its first game of the season on Tuesday in Detroit, 85-80.

Team leaders through the first four games have been Howard (73 points, 53 rebounds, 10 blocks), Jameer Nelson (22 assists, 6 steals), Jason Williams (21 assists), Matt Barnes (6 steals), Anderson (12 three pointers) and J.J. Redick (11 three pointers).

– Pick a number, any number –

Van Gundy wondered how Ryan Anderson would respond to his worst night with the Magic against Detroit. One day later Anderson hit 8 of 14 shots (3-for-3 from beyond the arc) for 20 points and 10 rebounds, 7 of which came on the offensive end.

“I think his response was pretty damn good for a 21-year old guy coming off of missing 10 three’s last night,” said Van Gundy.

Nelson dished out 10 assists and Howard led all scorers with 25 points while Barnes had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Orlando entered the game just 12-27 all-time against the Suns, having won only 7 of 19 on their own home court.

– The other side of the stat sheet –

The Magic had trouble slowing down the pick and roll as Stoudemire, the former Cypress Creek star, put up 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Other than that, Orlando may have played their best game defensively considering how solid a team the Suns are on offense.

One person in particular who had a tough night was Grant Hill as he was routinely booed in his return to town and went 0-for-5 shooting on the night.

– That’s what Van Gundy said –

Regarding the “problem” that could be created once Lewis returns from the suspension now that Anderson has been playing so well – “I’ve coached for a long time in a lot of different levels and I’ve complained about a lot of things,” said Van Gundy. “I never recall myself being upset or complaining that I had too many good players. They’re the one’s it’ll be tough on, not me.”

– On deck for Orlando –

Next up is a rematch with the Pistons (2-3), who have won 20 of the past 25 regular season meetings between the teams, on Friday night at Amway Arena at 7 p.m. The Magic then hit the road to take on Oklahoma City (2-2) on Sunday and Charlotte (2-2) on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

When the Magic return to town on Wednesday, Nov. 11 Amway Arena is expected to be rocking at 8 p.m. with the return of LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-3) during a nationally televised game on ESPN.

–– More Orlando Magic Coverage ––

– Zach McCann at Orlando Magic Daily

– Tim Povtak at Fanhouse

– Andrew Melnick at Howard the Dunk

– Don VanDemark at Magical Hoops

– Team page at HoopsWorld

]]> http://orlandosportscentral.com/2009/11/magic-dominate-suns-in-return-home-to-amway/feed/ 0 http://orlandosportscentral.com/2009/10/magic-begin-defense-of-eastern-conference-crown/ http://orlandosportscentral.com/2009/10/magic-begin-defense-of-eastern-conference-crown/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:30 +0000 J.C. CARNAHAN http://orlandosportscentral.com/?p=1084 A sellout crowd returned to Amway Arena to welcome back the Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The only person missing was forward Rashard Lewis due to suspension. The good news for the home team though was that Lewis wasn’t really missed all that much in a 120-106 thumping of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The last time these two teams faced off the opening round of the playoffs were underway a season ago, which Orlando went on to win in six games. This time around the Magic showed off their depth by building a 70-47 led by halftime thanks in large part to the new additions they made in the offseason.

But if on the surface this victory looked like a grand opening to a new season, don’t tell that to head coach Stan Van Gundy. Despite running the 76ers into the ground, he was not overly impressed with the defensive effort turned in during the first and final quarters from his team.

“I would like to see us play 48 minutes rather than 36 and I would like to see us make a consistent defensive effort,” said Van Gundy afterwards.

It’s easy to shrug such a comment off as a typical response from a guy that is always looking for something to coach, but the message is that on nights where the ball doesn’t find the net as easily as it did against Philadelphia the Magic must rely on their defensive toughness if they expect to get back to the NBA Finals.

For the game, the 76ers shot 50 percent from the field, went to the foul line 30 times and forced Orlando into 17 turnovers.

“I just know that if we don’t shoot the ball as well as we did (tonight) we’ll struggle to win,” said Van Gundy.

– Pick a number, any number –

Dwight Howard hit half of his free throw attempts and led the Magic with 21 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists, but it was Jason Williams who turned in the most impressive stat line on Opening Night.

After a year away from the game Williams made 4 of 5 shots from the field (3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line) while dishing out 5 assists and scoring 15 points in 23 minutes of work. On the downside, he turned the ball over a team-high three times, much to Van Gundy’s chagrin.

“When the games are close and he’s in big situations he plays real solid basketball,” said Van Gundy of Williams following the game. “With a lead, he tends to get careless with the ball.”

But he also provided a nice jolt to the offense. The Magic shot just under 56 percent from the three-point line (16 of 29) as second-year forward Ryan Anderson drained four on seven attempts. Orlando also made 14 of 17 attempts from the free throw line in the win while Jameer Nelson dished out 6 assists, scored 7 points and recorded 2 steals.

– The other side of the stat sheet –

The one guy wearing the Philadelphia jersey that could not be stopped or slowed down by the Magic was post player Marreesse Speights, who scored a career-high 26 points on 10-for-11 shooting and pulled down 5 rebounds.

“We just couldn’t guard him,” said Van Gundy matter-of-factly. “Everybody else, until the fourth quarter, I thought we did a decent job (with). But not on him.”

– That’s what Van Gundy said –

About the mediocre fourth-quarter effort from the Magic as they held a big lead down the stretch: “Human nature is you’re up 31 points and it’s easier to just sort of cruise through it than to really put in an effort,” he said. “But human nature’s one of the things in any endeavor that you’re trying to overcome to be great. (Human nature) is to be mediocre, it’s to get by, get a “C”, to do just enough. We want to build better habits than that.”

– Taking road trips –

Next up for the Magic is a reunion with members of last season’s NBA Finals team. Orlando will meet up with Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie in New Jersey on Friday before running into Hedo Turkoglu in Toronto on Sunday.

“Nothing but great respect and appreciation on my part. Those guys did a lot for our team, our organization and obviously for me as a coach,” said Van Gundy of those former players. “It’ll be different seeing them on the other side, especially this early in the year.”

Those two stops will be a homecoming of sorts for Vince Carter, who spent over six seasons with the Raptors (where he is the leading scorer in franchise history) and over four seasons with the Nets. Anderson was drafted by New jersey a year ago and guard Anthony Johnson played on the back-to-back Eastern Conference title teams with the Nets when they advanced to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. The Magic will round out their first road trip of the season on Tuesday at Detroit.

– Upcoming at Amway –

On Wednesday, Nov. 4 Orlando returns to town to take on former Cypress Creek High School standout Amar’e Stoudemire, former Magic player Grant Hill, all-star Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns at 7 p.m. A new-look Pistons squad will then be in town on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.

–– More Orlando Magic Coverage ––

– Fran Blinebury at NBA.com

– Zach McCann at Orlando Magic Daily

– Tim Povtak at Fanhouse

– Andrew Melnick at Howard the Dunk

– Don VanDemark at Magical Hoops

– Team page at HoopsWorld

– Local newspaper links at Third Quarter Collapse

– Video and recap at Bright House Sports Network