Why the Orlando Magic lost

On paper, this team has what it takes to beat everyone. Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis. You have J.J. Reddick, Gortat, Pietrus off an incredibly deep bench. Most other teams are just 6 or 7 players deep. Boston is deeper than most and that probably negated the Magic's advantage there.

But the biggest failure was the Magic's desire and heart. Although there was plenty to be found in Howard and Nelson, the rest just didn't have it. In particular Lewis and Carter shot the ball terribly, didn't play hustle defense, and just weren't aggressive and show that desire to win at all cost. These two guys are singled out because they are slashers who can get to the foul line, they have talent and skills, and they have huge contracts.

I don't know if these guys can change their attitude, they haven't in the many years they've been in the league. Orlando needs to bring in someone with that desire to win. I wonder if we can make any moves this off-season with the huge free agents in the market. Perhaps a sign and trade to bring in Dwayne Wade?

Another Unmagical Night

Could it be that this year isn't Orlando's year? Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson had a superb game. Vince Carter missed a couple of crucial free throws, and hasn't been able to dominate the game like we need him to. But its Rashard Lewis' magic disappearance act that has put the Magic on the brink. Usually he's unguardable with Dwight inside and Shard outside, but Boston has been able to defend Superman one-on-one and that means the Magic shooters don't get the open looks they are used to.

Give Boston credit, they are playing championship ball and look ready to take on the Lakers. I wouldn't mind such a finals rematch, the Magic don't deserve to make the finals the way they have been playing and thats just too bad. We need the whole team to step up, but its on Howard to lead and really dominate more than his usual dominate self. He needs to play so well (40pt 30rb 10bs) that the Cs have no choice but to tripple team him, and then... the shooters will be free to work their Magic. Otherwise, see you in November.

LeBron almost has a Quadruple Double, the Celtics Cavaliers series that wasn't, and Magic Predictions

LeBron's numbers; 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and 9 turnovers, in what could be his last ever game in Cleveland. What is sad about this whole thing isn't just that Mike Brown was a terrible coach - even though thats why they lost, but rather because James quit on this team, and is all but gone this free agency.

Boston won the series 4-2 but it wasn't really that close. After the first 4 games, the series tied 2-2, but the Celtics had played better 3 games to 1. The last 2 games when James had quit, the Cavs really had no chance. The Cavs coach couldn't get their rotations right, their defense was poor, and the bench really sucked.

But give the Celtics credit, they are experienced and they really fight to the last breadth. Plus Rondo is playing the ball of his life. Looking forward to the next series when the Magic face off against the Celtics. Last year, the Magic won in 7 games including a game 7 away win in the Garden. But Garnett was out that year and so was Nelson. The Magic played better in the series and probably could have won in 6. This year, we'll see if Howard can still dominate inside with Garnett added in the line up, and see if Rondo's emergence is affected by Nelson's return. The Magic bench will be a deciding factor as well, with so many players capable of putting up numbers and holding their own with the starters resting.

Magic in 6

Orlando is back in the Eastern Conference Finals

Whats impressive about the Magic's 4 game sweep of the Hawks is not so much the sweep, but the fact that all 4 games were blow out wins by an average of 20 something points. The final game was much closer, with the Magic unable to blow them out completely, but "only" winning winning by 14 points decided with 2 minutes to play.

Bring on the winner of the Cavs Celtics series. I want Orlando to play the best, and then we can say we beat the best. I'm predicting the Celtics in 7, with the bottom line being the coaching. The Cavs have a lot of great talent as shown when they are playing great. But their wild inconsistency must be a result of bad coaching. Imagine how good LeBron would be if he played on a team with a good coach, heck even if the Cavs had a better coach, who could get more out of Mo Williams, Jamison, Shaq...

Go Magic!

How important is Vinsanity to the Magic?

With the 2nd game of the Orlando Atlanta series done, we move to Atlanta for game 3 where the Magic will be truly tested for the first time this playoffs. VC has definitely shown his importance with clutch plays especially in the 4th, and opening up the court with his all round skill. He was definitely an improvement over Turkoglu considering his play this season.

Go Magic!

A video tribute to Vince Carter...

NBA Playoffs 2010: The first round

Lakers vs Thunder

The Oklahoma Thunder are in the playoffs for the first time since their move from Seattle (Supersonics), and with Kevin Durant leading the way, they are hoping to gain some experience before becoming an elite team in the years to come.  But its still Laker time.  Ron Artest is playing Dennis Rodman like defense, keeping KD shooting under 30%.  Bryant is also a great defender, plus they have two 7 footers.  I don't see anyone out west beating them beside Dallas.

Magic vs Bobcats

Howard's first game into the playoffs and he was frustrated by the Bobcat's front line.  He's not going to have a bad game every game, but it was great to see Jameer Nelson step up, scoring 36 pts 4 rebs 6 assists.  Lewi, Pietrus and Reddick had solid games and it was enough for a win even with VC playing badly.  I think the Magic will bounce back from this bad performance and play better as the playoffs go along, which is scary considering how deep they are.  Its no secret I'm vouching for a Magic Lakers finals rematch with the Magic finally winning that championship.

This still has Orlando fans angry...



Celtics vs Heat

I don't really care who wins this series, winner goes on to play Cleveland who will eventually make it through to the conference finals anyway.  I really like Paul Pierce, and I really like Dwayne Wade, so I'm just sitting back and enjoying an intense defensive series.


And just for fun... NBA's Record for most 3 pts by a team, staring the Orlando Magic...

My Favourite (Active) NBA Players

1. Dwight Howard.  Best player on my favourite team.  He's also the best centre in the league, has a great attitude towards the game, is a Christian, and also likes Superman!

2. Dwayne Wade. In the years that Orlando didn't make the playoffs while Dwight was still young and up n coming, I followed Wade and Miami and their championship run.  His skill and talent is great but his determination won him the ring.

3. Paul Pierce.  I just love his playing style, since I also play Small Forward, The Truth is the player I want to play like.  A complete player that can shoot, penetrate, pass and defend.

4. Tim Duncan.  He almost became a Magic back when T-Mac and Grant Hill joined Orlando and what a team that would be.  He played with David Robinson and clearly gets a lot of values from him.  An unselfish player that dominates the game with fundamentals, and the only all world superstar that accepts lower pay so that his team can sign more and better players.

5. Vince Carter.  This spot just goes to VC because he joined the Magic this year.  He no longer commands the highlight reels with his dunks, but still a top swing man.

Honorable Mentions: Kevin Garnett, Ron Artest, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy

Update on My Life so far

South Island DVD
Took me way too long, but managed to get there in the end.  Sorted through hundreds of photos to turn them into slide show movie files, one file per day. Then add music and a DVD menu to turn it into a proper DVD. Looks very kiwi/amateurish but its pretty cool. I usedDVD-Styler and DVD slideshow GUI both open source apps to make the DVD.

Back to School - well work actually.
Getting back from a massive South Island
road trip has been hectic.  At work, I'm straight into with a new project kicking
off.  I'm organizing Round the Bays for the company, so that will be great
fun!  Our first running-bunch session starts tomorrow.


Fire on Cawley St
Check it out... its down the road from where I work, and I saw it!! wowzers it was
big

Church @ Salvation Army I've attended once this past month and a bit, as
I haven't been in Auckland on Sundays much.  I did however visit their new
website... nice!

Decommissioning my beloved basketball hoop
Its lasted some 3-odd years, but the rust has made it dangerously unstable.  Not too sure what i'm going
to do with it, whether I'll buy another one or make my own...

Braces: 12 months and counting
 Its been 1 year since I first got my braces.  It was thought that we could get them off in 9 months and then use the retainers.  But its taking a bit longer than expected and I'm not enjoying it one bit.

Orlando is not doing as well as expected.  The team is too muddled by new players and chemistry despite having one of the best teams on paper.  Their last loss to the Lakers was particularly bad after falling behind in the 1st half, crushing the Lakers in the 3rd quarter and collapsing in the 4th.  The Lakers are on a roll despite Kobe's injuries.  LeBron has the Cavs right up there despite Shaq getting in the way.

NBA Preview: Orlando Magic

Key additions: Vince Carter, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson
Key losses: Courtney Lee, Hedo Turkoglu

Fresh after a finals appearance, the Magic wasted no time in acquiring some help.  VC will provide them with a go-to guy at the end of games which they have been lacking for years.  They lose Turkoglu, who was an important part of their team last year causing mismatches to many opposing teams.  They also lose promising young talent in Courtney Lee, however, the addition of Ryan Anderson has more than offset that loss.  Time will tell whether VC can remain healthy and inspired, whether Nelson make it back to his pre-injury All-Star form, whether Howard can take that next step in becoming a franchise superstar.

I think the Magic are greatly improved over last year on paper, but they are going to need time to find team chemistry.  Its going to take focus to build their form.  But come playoff time, this is a deep and talented team.
I think these guys are going to win 60+ wins and go deep into the playoffs, with their main challengers being Celtics in the East and Lakers in the West.

My take: Today

RIP Michael Jackson! boy did I love his music in the 90s. And despite all the bad that has happened to him over the last 10 years, his death rectifies it all. He is no longer Jacko, the crazed man hanging a baby out the window. He is no longer Michael, a flawed man with child-like dreams of neverland. He becomes Michael Jackson, the icon, and that will surpass who he really was.

In other news, Charlie's Angels' Farrah Fawcett dies from cancer. Since I never really knew her, my generation will know her as "the other celebrity to also die"

What a jackpot in Big Ticket Wednesday, the biggest lottery in NZ history at $36m. You know lotto isn't statiscally random when less than 1 in 15 winners come from Auckland (since it should be 1 in 4 or something closer to that). I still think gambling is bad, but thats shapped from my personal values rather than from being a Christian. I have heard many Christians say that gambling is bad but have not investigated this since it hardly affects me. But it could be a worthwhile study to see what the Bible has to say about it.

Air Canada lands in Orlando! The Magic trade Vince Carter for Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Tony Battie. The trade gives the Magic yet another All-Star (4 after Howard, Nelson, Lewis) and a goto guy when the game is on the line, a key piece missing from last season. They however lose the young Lee who showed signs of great potential and could be a great player in a few years, but I guess the Magic are in WIN NOW mode. They may also lose Turk, who has been an outstanding and consistent clutch player. The Cav's also traded for Shaq, Spurs for Richard Jefferson. This is going to be some of the most talented and competitive teams going at it for a championship in recent history.

I'm getting new broadband internet after being fustrated at Slingshot's increasingly slowing speeds. Its becoming difficult just to load a web page let alone checking emails or internet banking. Telecom seems to have the best deal at the moment at 20Gb ADSL2+ at $59 a month which is just $20 over the basic package. Woohoo! more on this later :)

The economy is still not showing signs of recovery, it is however stabilizing at a low point. I hope for the people's sake that things pick up and people who are financially in difficult times are assisted. But ultimately God has things under control, and its far more important that we have a moral recovery than an economic one. A quick scan of the news indicates some crazy and sick people out there.

UnMagical

The Magic lost pretty badly to a very good Lakers team playing at an incredibly high level.

Although I could say "next year", this series has raised a few questions about D-H. Can he become an offensive force that can dominate on both ends of the floor, becoming a go to guy when the team needs him? He was severely limited by the Lakers front court this series with very little help from the rest of the team.

Turkoglu's future with the team is also in doubt, with Rashard Lewis' large contract, they may not have money to re-sign him or anyone else for that matter. He may however opt to stay for a chance for a championship again. Marcin Gortat may also leave for more money and more playing time. The Magic also don't have any draft picks.

Then there's Nelson's return, lets see if he can get back to his All-Star form. Courtney Lee was also playing the ball of his life in the first 2/3 games of the playoffs before getting hit on the head. He may develop over the summer and next season into a very good player.

Seems like the Magic have a nice young core of players (although Turk and Shard are in their primes now) they have some nice backups, but the future flexibility seems bleak.

But for now, time to rest up and get back to the gym, and prepare for next year.

Orlando going down 3-1

Well after game 4, with Orlando going down 3-1 to Los Angeles in the NBA Finals, its pretty much all over. I strongly support the Magic and Dwight Howard but its just not their time yet. Dwight play really well on the defensive end but lacks the offensive presence to take over the game like a true superstar.

In other news, my second favorite NBA team are favored to win it all. For those interested, here's my top preferences.

Orlando Magic

LA Lakers

Miami Heat

Chicago Bulls

Boston Celtics