NBA Defenses Finally Able to Combat the Magic?

I said this earlier last week when the Magic's four game losing streak was still fresh. Maybe it's an issue with NBA teams finally being able to combat the four shooter and one big man line-up? The Sentinel just released an article touching on the subject (located HERE). Well this article explains a lot about the offensive game of Dwight Howard and the opinions of a few NBA greats on his game. First I want to say that I like Dwight, and I really want to see the best for him. I'm not hating to trying to put him down, but as a fan you've got to come across some reality. His offensive game is raw and it's really not helping the team right now. I understand he's young, however many of us Magic fans have seen a much better Dwight Howard than this year's. The Sentinel's article really gives a good point to justify that.

"Howard has posted single-digit scoring games six times so far this season — including four times since a Christmas Day loss to the Boston Celtics.

During the entire 2007-08 and 2008-09 regular seasons combined, Howard had just seven games in which he scored fewer than 10 points."

I have said that Dwight has taken a step back this season but of course I'm not wishful of that at all. The main thing that bothered me was to see Dwight brag about working on his game this summer in between his movie filming and overseas trips. He really came out and told us fans that he was in the gym and wanted to come out this year to win it all. We not only believed him but we believe in him.

I also agree with Tim Legler...

"You really have to get the ball to Dwight Howard extremely deep for him to be effective offensively, and against really good defensive teams, when you get that far into the playoffs, they're just not going to allow that to happen," Legler said. "He's certainly going to get his moments over the course of games, because he's too athletic, too big and runs the floor well. But what about when the game slows down and teams are forced to play them in a half-court game?

"He has to have something else he can do to get himself more shots, just to make himself a more viable option. For me, the fact that he has no ability whatsoever to pick-and-pop and shoot a 15-foot jump shot, that really inhibits what you can do with him offensively."


What Can the Team Do?
There is always the question of the team. How can they help Dwight improve, and how can they get him the ball to where he can score? Like Legler said, not every night Dwight is going to have it easy. Normally when that happens and nothing opens up for the Magic, they normally have a hard time winning games. This is the reason Dwight needs to develop more than what he is right now. The Magic NEED him to be able to get his comfort zone EVERY NIGHT! That's one huge part of the offense that they do strive on and he's the key. I agree the team can get a little better on finding him in the right spots, however what if he can't do it himself? Dwight has said he wants to be one of the greatest, well not being limited is not a characteristic of that class.

Magic fans feel that this team can win it all this year, especially with the amount of talent this team has. Dwight has a burden on his shoulders since he went out and said he wants to bring a title to Orlando and it's fans. While he's young and still can improve most of us feel like he'd be a lot farther along than he is now. It's hard to defend that his offensive game is limited at this point especially since the way he played in the Finals run last season. I hope this is just a minor slump and this team is bored, awaiting the the Playoffs.

Start em' or Sit em'?

To start off the New Year the Magic are 2-4 (before their contest in Sacramento today). None of the Magic nation saw this team losing 4 straight games, especially to sub .500 teams. By now it's clear when Jason Williams has a good shooting game with double-digit scoring this team wins big. It's pretty odd, and it also goes over to the shooting guard spot. J.J. Redick steps in for the injured Vince Carter a few times this year and has great games that contribute to Magic wins that look better than with VC in the line-up. Some fans have spoken their minds and the verdict? Sit Vince Carter and maybe Jameer Nelson too. My thoughts, or yours at first? HUH?

With a team full with much talent, it's hard to gel everyone together when you have five new players and your planned starting line-up only has played so few games. With Jameer slow to get back he's showing signs of coming back to that All-Star form he was last season. Vince Carter has fallen into the worse shooting slump of his career. Hampering with various injuries periodically, Redick has came in and provided, what I think, is the most consistent play off the bench. Sure enough he's had his off nights but quickly left those to be forgotten.

In Stan's first season in Orlando he's dealt with Jameer Nelson, Carlos Arroyo, and Keyon Dooling at the point guard spot. Each of them saw a number of games that they did start. Through out Stan's career here he's gone with the players that produced the most on the floor. From Trevor Ariza to Brian Cook and the new man left out; Brandon Bass it shows how Stan has fluctuated his line-ups outside of the star players. One thing he hasn't done is taken his star players, or core and brought them off the bench unless there was an exception. Dwight Howard has never came off the bench in Stan's stay here. Rashard Lewis has only once after coming back from a suspension. After Dooling and Arroyo left, Jameer has only came off the bench after coming back from injuries in the Finals and once this season. Now with Redick and Williams producing better results on the floor in a starting role will Stan finally do it?

My opinion is that he might not go as far as starting both Redick and Williams at the same time. With Vince out for the upcoming trip this definitely gives J.J. a chance to shine. He'll be fine in the starting role and the bench will need to step up, as I believe Jason Williams is next to follow. If Jameer is healthy and can play I don't see him coming off the bench. I think he's struggled no doubt but will get in sync as time goes on. I pray that he stays healthy because he's another weapon the Magic can unleash if playing at his best. Overall, I support Stan's decision whatever it maybe, well I say that because I kind of have a slight assumption of what he may do.

Play Brandon Bass Campaign

Yes, it's now a campaign! I may have briefly said why Bass should play in the blog before but here is my full explanation. Some of them are just general observations from watching my beloved Magic and reasons other wonderful Magic fans have come up with hoping to see Bass. First off though, I just want to say the allegations of me being just another gossip blog or twitter kind of made me annoyed. My posts are based on facts and opinions from me but nothing close to TMZ. I expressed my voice, and MANY other Magic fans in a blog...don't down play me for making it happen.

Moving on, I'm not saying Brandon Bass is the solution to all the Magic's problems but it's clear that not only I but many other fans have notice the lack of rebounding and physical toughness from the current Magic rotation. The other main point is the Magic can't always win with four 3-point shooters on the floor. Look, I know Stan has built the offense that way and the Magic have done wonders with it however teams are slowly learning to combat the 4 3-point shooter rotation. When that happens what do you do? My best guess is work around it, but that doesn't mean continue with the same game plan if it's being defeat does it?

I'm not asking that Bass sees 25-40 min. of playing time or even start. He can come off the bench and provide solid minutes with the second unit with some energy. On some nights he can even finish the game out down the stretch depending on match-ups. I do remember Stan himself talking about match-ups being how he decides a rotation, and he's pulled guys in and out before. I'm disappointed and surprised he hasn't turned to Bass yet. Also, did anyone remember one of the Magic's priority last off-season? They wanted to get another big man to "help Dwight"....well I wonder how Bass is helping Dwight right now.

Compare the competition:
Boston has Kevin Garnett along with the physical defense he provides with his team. He doesn't shoot the three ball or hang out around there, instead him and Perkins are more effective from inside the trey. the Lakers have Pau Gasol at the four and he's a scrapper that also shoots the jumper. Hmm...who do the Magic have that matches those stigmas?

Besides Bass?
Dwight Howard has to step up beyond what he is right now. I know he thinks he doesn't have to score to win games but elite centers don't put up 8-13 pts three nights in a row then a random 20 point game in between. They score a solid 20+ points EVERY NIGHT!

Overall it's been proven that the Magic cannot always win 100% with the 4 men 3-pointer line-up. It is slowly combated by other teams who can stick the shooters and contain Dwight. There has to be another option and Bass may come into the picture with that.

DEAR STAN VAN GUNDY....PLEASE PLAY BRANDON BASS! [UPDATED: FEATURED IN THE SENTINEL BLOG!]

[UPDATE: THIS BLOG HAS MADE IT ON THE ORLANDO SENTINEL MAGIC BLOG LOCATED HERE!]

This is a plea....from a whole bunch of Magic fans across the world, not only myself. We beg and want to see the Magic's very own #30 BRANDON BASS in that line-up as soon as POSSIBLE!

No doubt Stan is a great coach but at this current time Brandon Bass has done NO HARM in that line-up as the Magic continue to give up a great amount of offensive rebounds and points in the paint!

We need to get this out, and hell I think if Dwight can complain about Stan being "too negative" I think he damn well can tell Stan that Bass needs to get some important playing time.


STAN....JUST GIVE THE MAN A CHANCE AND PLAY HIM....IF YOU'RE A MAGIC FAN SUPPORTING OF THIS PLEASE GET THE WORD OUT STRONG BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE AREN'T HEARD!

Magic 3-0 on the Road Trip

After losing to the Heat at home last Wednesday the Magic were on the road for the next three including a 4 games in 5 night schedule. Which meant two back-to-backs in a row with a day rest in between. It seems the schedule has been ugly for them as they've played the Cavs and Hawks both coming off days of rest before playing Orlando. Besides all that, being the resilient Magic team from last year, I think that characteristic is coming back. The Magic have picked it up since the lost to Miami and gotten down to business.

Dwight Howard:
The fiasco with Stan and him being too negative has hopefully died down by now, however Dwight looked to be still struggling. Now I think that session is over as I felt his first dominant game since playing the Nets (Nov 13th. 26 pts 12 reb) was against the Hawks on Thanksgiving (10 pts 6 rebs in the 3rd). It was also the first time Dwight scored 20+ since that Nets game. His sudden turn on sparked the Magic to come back from a 14 point deficit and the Magic to victory. The next game in Milwaukee, Dwight poured in 25 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. Another 20-20 on the map! Once again he was key in turning around the 17 point deficit the Magic faced that game. Also the last three games Dwight has scored 20+ points. So has the beast unleashed? How? Charles Barkley? I believe Dwight has been a bit smarter on some of the tacky fouls he struggled with but for whatever reason this is the way us Magic fans want to see him and even better.

Dwight Howard's last 3 games:
@ATL: 22 pts 17 rebs 4 blks
@MIL: 25 pts 20 rebs 4 blks
@NYK: 24 pts 16 rebs 2 blks

Cold Blooded Warming Up?
Since coming back from his 10 game suspension Rashard Lewis has been struggling with his shot. He did have a few games as the near triple-double (17 pts 10 rebs 9 asts) against the Thunder and a double-double against Boston (16 pts 10 reb) but never really found his shot. However that would be contested as the way he played in New York last night. He shot 8-15, 5-9 3PT, and 5-5 FT and scored 26 pts along with 8 rebounds. I think the difference was that he attacked the basketball more rather than just settling for jump shots. The Magic are a better team when he does take it do the basket and posts up than when he is a sitting duck at the 3 PT line.

Overall I think the Magic have begun to get things together and find a rhythm. The defensive has picked up for the better over the past couple of weeks and with the play of Dwight and Rashard looking better recently things can only go up from here. The point guard play so far has been superb. Jason Williams and Anthony "Dad" Johnson are doing great in their respective roles. After Wednesday's home showdown against the Knicks they will head out on a 7 day 4 game trip. Playing the Warriors, Clippers, Jazz and Suns. I think the Magic should come up 4-0 in this trip however a 3-1 is acceptable by me.

GO MAGIC!

On Top of the East!

12-4! As the Magic are at the top of the East currently, the defensive end is looking much better and Dwight Howard is coming off a great game. I do think the Magic are worse than their record which is pretty selfish of me as a Magic fan to say. On the other hand I think it's a process when you've got 10 different starting line-ups due to injuries.

Last time I blogged in about the Magic, slowly they were getting things together on the defensive end. Well like they got down to business, I shall follow. The win in Boston was a very good game and big win. Both teams were in a defensive battle which went down to the final minute. Vince Carter shot a sizzling 10-29 and clocked in 26 points. Dwight had one of his more quiet games this year with only 9 points but a huge block on Pierce with under a minute. After the Boston massacre the Magic would then take the show on the road to Toronto. This would be Vince's first time in a Magic uniform that he's playing against his former team. As Stan puts it "they [Toronto's crowd] don't even know why they are booing him anymore", as he justifies most of the fans are just doing it for a traditional more than a reason. I thought the Magic played very well, a little loose on the defensive end but they got the job done. Bosh had what I call a quiet night against us and Amir Johnson had a good game which was sad to see as a Magic fan.

Now for the horrible game of the week. Miami comes to town as the Magic have won five straight. I thought this game was well played for the most part only in the 3rd and parts of the 4th quarter on the Magic's end. The defense on Wade (excluding the 4th quarter) was very good. Pietrus showed why he's an underrated defender. However I'm never fooled by Wade, as he went off in the 4th quarter. The offensive rebounding for this Heat team is above average, they killed the Magic all game in that division and ironically that's how they won the game: A last second put back by Michael Beasley on a D-Wade airball. Now this game has it's frustrations for a Magic fan as they blew a 12 point lead, missed key free throws and failed to grab rebounds in the final moments. As always, the Magic look to rebound after losses like that so they would get the Hotlanta Hawks the very next night. Now this is the game I though the Magic would have some trouble winning, and it looked very much so in the 1st half. It was frustrating and a bit annoying to watch the horrible defense they played. The 2nd half however, was very delightful. Dwight scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds alone in the 3rd. This would spark the Magic as well as Anthony Johnson who scored 17 points in the 4th quarter! The Magic defense some how transformed and only allowed 25 points from the Hawks in the 2nd half. I loved the effort they gave in that 2nd half and I wish they continue to build on that for the rest of the year.

The Point Guard Play:
Well I can't say I expected them to be this great. Jason Williams has been solid and had a great game against Miami, excluding the final minute. Anthony Johnson came off the bench and provided big help against Atlanta, which is good to see since he's been buried on the bench most of the season. Like I said in my last blog I don't think is necessary for Otis to looking into another point guard, Jameer is only expected to be out a month or so and these two veterans can get the job done.

Odd Man Out:
Brandon Bass hasn't played since his mop up minutes against the Thunder. This leaves to speculation of injury, flu or simply the doghouse of SVG. The rumors are truly rumors as Stan himself has said he's found his rotation that he's getting consistency out of. I can't blame him much but I feel bad for Bass who I really like. He's a great player with a lot of potential but at the same time hard to really fit him in on the team at the moment. I think against certain teams he's a great fit and the Magic would benefit but to make the offense work, he can't be in there to spread the floor, which the Magic strive on. Could he be a trade deadline stuffer? Or traded for someone else before to benefit the Magic? I think the possibility is there however Bass was signed here for a reason and he'll stay to fit in.

Next up:
The Magic will face rookie phenom Brandon Jennings and the Bucks tonight, play in MSG aginst the Knicks tomorrow and finally Wednesday night against the same Knicks before heading out to a 4 game 7 day West Cost trip.

Rashard is back...and Jameer is Out

Well it's been a week since I last complained about my Magic's efforts on the defensive end and the lack of playing Magic basketball. Since then the Magic have gone 3-0...and endured another injury. Jameer Nelson out 4-6 weeks recovering from a knee injury while Rashard Lewis made his debut. I really can' stress how frustrating and demoralizing injuries are to a sports fan especially when it happens to one of your star or key players. Jameer has always been an injury prone player but at the same time a guy that I hope over comes it each year. While his absence from the team will be missed, the Magic have games to play without him. The talent level on this team is pretty deep and shouldn't struggle much without him. I like Jason Williams being the uptempo type and pushing the ball not to mention better defensively than Jameer right now. I do think Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson should be able to get the job done as it's a short span of time Jameer is expected to be out. However Vince, Rashard, and Dwight will have to step up and lead the role players to as well.

One goes down as us Magic fans welcomed back another, and that being Rashard Lewis. He didn't have much of a great performance in his Monday's return against the Bobcats but last night against the Thunder proved how valuable Shard is to this team. 17 points 10 rebounds and 9 assists! Sure it's one game but Rashard is a huge part of this team's success. With him and Vince Carter back in the line-up together I think this team will get things together fast and really open up for Dwight Howard. Defensively the Magic played their best game against OKC last night. I was impressed with the effort because it's been the one thing that Orlando is slacking on this year.

Tomorrow is another big game for the second straight week as the Magic have to face an Eastern Conference rival in the Boston Celtics. It should be a good game for the most part, I know the Celtics will come out for revenge as they are another team the Magic beat in the playoffs last season. The match-ups are almost equal with each team having their advantages, but as you all know I hope the Magic land on top!

GO MAGIC!

9 Games in...

The countdown is almost final: 1 more game until Rashard Lewis makes his 2009-2010 season debut. After tomorrow's game against New Jersey the Magic will welcome back last year's league's leader in three point FG made!

Back to where the Magic stand right now though. Coming off a horrible game against Cleveland at home on ESPN, there are no excuses to this loss. Stan admitted his coaching wasn't right and nobody on the team came to play with a Cleveland team that wanted revenge. As Van Gundy puts it, "We are not good right now." There is no doubt he's right. The defense is horrible and among the worse in the league right now. Solutions? I also agree with Stan as he says it starts with the captains: Jameer and Dwight. Defensively they've got to lead and set an example for the rest. Everyone knows the defensive force Dwight can be, lately here is how he fares. 1 block in the past 3 games (Avg 2 a game last year) and he only has 5 games with double digit rebounding. Basically Dwight isn't playing like we know he can. I'm not bothered much by the loss due to the season being so young but the effort the Magic put in was a bit shameful. As always you expect them to come back stronger the next time Cleveland is on the schedule.

Injury Bug:
Of course injuries can affect a team at any time during the season. Unfortunately, the bug has hit the Magic quite early. Vince was the first to go down and missed three games before returning. Pietrus caught the flu and Anderson is still on the mend with a sprained ankle. All were contributing fairly before they went down.

Rashard's return:
His return should help boost this team, another guy that can score but at the same time can help on the defensive end as well. He rebounds well and a guy familiar with SVG's defensive unit from last year.

It's not rocket science at all, the Magic have their share of problems right now. I don't think it's time to hit the panic button just yet as we aren't even 10 games in. What can be done is a simple regrouping on the team's part to get on the grind. Dwight preaches all great teams have great defense and Stan wants to see it from his team, so ladies and gentlemen let's see how they get it done.

2009-2010 Orlando Magic Season Preview

Well here it is! We are only two days away from the anticipation of the Magic's opening season game. I haven't done a seasonal preview yet so I guess it's a good time to do it now. So I know I have a lot of bias and may come off as cocky but in the end if the outcome happens, I can just say I told you so!

Coaching: Pretty much remains the same as last year, Stan Van Gundy with Patrick Ewing, Brendan Malone and the other fellas. Not much is different here.

Point Guards: Jameer Nelson, Anthony Johnson, and Jason Williams
Verdict: As Jameer looks to return to his All-Star shape form, I think his scoring will take a slight dip but nothing major. Williams and Johnson will back him up 10-15 min a game and hopefully that's all they do all season long as Jameer looks to stay healthy.

Shooting Guards: Vince Carter and J.J. Redick
Verdict: Vince still has some gas in his tank for a few more years whether or not people think he's old, he's on a team that isn't demanding him to put out a workload like New Jersey or Toronto did. Redick has improved majorly according to reports and his preseason play did show some of that. I don't think he's much of a defender due to his size but his offensive game will be nice in back up roles behind VC.

Small Forwards: Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, and Matt Barnes
Verdict: A very solid group at this position. These guys may see starting roles due to the flexibility of the team and match ups nightly. Rashard Lewis would be back to his normal position as he returns from his 10 game suspension. All can shoot the three with Barnes and Pietrus as SVG's choice of lockdown defenders.

Power Forwards: Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson, and Linton Johnson III
Verdict: I think this season would be a huge break out year for both of them. Brandon Bass looked excellent in preseason and shot the ball very well. The same could be said for Anderson who stretches the defense and has a pin point shot. Both are willing to be physical and get some dirty work done around the basket with or without Dwight in the game.

Centers: Dwight Howard, Marcin Gortat, Adonal Foyle
Verdict: Arguably the NBA's best Center backed up by Gortat who can be a starting center in this league. Dwight Howard alone is enough for me to say but Gortat is solid enough that the Magic could start him and let Dwight sit against some of the weaker NBA teams this year.

Toughest competitors:
Boston Celtics:They match up well with Orlando at every position. With their defensive scheme it will be a dog fight between both teams as the big men combo of KG and Rasheed Wallace try to counter Dwight. Pierce and Vince Carter would be a great match up to watch as well, not to mention the point guard play between Rondo and Nelson.

Los Angeles Lakers: Of course the team that beat them in the Finals. With Ron Artest as an addition being the only major difference the Lakers also match up well against Orlando. Dwight Howard is an advantage for the Magic but Kobe Bryant has the LA locked down.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Looking to avenge the "upset" the Magic put on them, they are a top 5 team and one of the three Eastern Conference teams that will battle it out with Orlando and Boston. Lebron will be Lebron and they do have a little more help this season but will it be enough? The original Superman vs Superman II, Vince Carter vs Lebron, and a solid supporting cast around both teams will make this matchup amazing.

Watch to watch for:
-Brandon Bass will show why he is underrated. I think he'll have sort of a break out season this year.
-The three ball again will be one of the things this team strives on again.
-Ryan Anderson is one guy that will be under the radar and a huge impact on the team's success. He's shown himself really well in the preseason and an excellent shooter.
-Dwight Howard making another strive at becoming an unstoppable force. With Yao Ming out it leaves the door open for him to wipe the floor among his position in the NBA.

Magic Leaders:
Scoring-Dwight Howard
Rebounds-Dwight Howard
Assist-Jameer Nelson
3 pt shooting: Rashard Lewis

Overall I see this Magic team repeating as Eastern Conference Champs and winning the title this year. I know many believe this team has gotten worse but that's blasphemy, there is no way this team is worse than it was last year in the Finals. I stand by that and the season will show.

So Magic fans across the globe...BE MAGIC! Let's get ready to support our boys to the GOLD!

October 6th, 2009: A day to Remember!

Cheaa! Well folks I have officially met one of the world's most well known athletes, a star in the NBA, and star of my beloved Orlando Magic. I have the worse of luck when meeting famous people. A lifelong fan, I have never met an Orlando Magic superstar before but I've met Jameer Nelson in his rookie year, Pat Garrity, Darrell Armstrong, and James Augustine. Yea, that list is amazing huh? It's been quite some time that I've heard about Dwight hanging around the areas I visit as well. It was long overdue but I got a pic with him and my NBA Live 10 FREE! So, I'm sure you all know who that is of course, I'll write about what happened to save myself from repeating to others....

So I was on my Xbox in the evening playing NBA 2K10 and my phone by my side. I periodically checked out my Twitter and saw Dwight was giving away copies of NBA Live 10 for those of us in Orlando. We'd have to find him at a spot he gave clues for on Twitter. So basically the location was about 7-10 min away from my house and the time he posted it gave me enough motivation to actually test my luck. I hauled ass down the road and reached the location: A local Gamestop around the Magic's practice facility. I got there and ran to the door but a guy was there already with his phone out. He said Dwight wasn't there yet and the Gamestop folks didn't see him.

We waited because this Gamestop matched all the clues and as minutes went by a few more people who were also following Dwight on Twitter arrived. Then a nice White Maybach rolled by to park and none other than Dwight was cruising in it. So he walked up to the front and into the store to find out who were the first five people there. They would be the ones getting the free copies.

By now more people rushed into the store and began to take pictures of Dwight. Eventually Dwight announced that he can only give away five copies of the game and the rest of us would have to settle for pics and autographs. While he was deciding, three people got copies because they were assured by the Gamestop people that they were indeed there first. That left Dwight with two extra copies and a few of us. So in between all this people were speaking up and I said I was a true fan, born and raised here then at the same time this one guy had to tell Dwight that I bought 2K10. (He was outside prior while we talked about our journey to the Gamestop and I slipped I was playing 2K10). Dwight gonna tell me about being a real fan and buying the cover with Kobe. Sorry Dwight, but I bought the game that would be worth my enjoyment. My reason for getting it first was because all my friends had plan to buy NBA 2K10 and I wanted to play on Xbox Live with them. I was eventually going to buy NBA Live 10 when I got paid again, since I'm NOT RICH!

Long story short, Dwight and I got into a debate about Live vs 2K this year. He claimed it was too slow and "sucks". Then the Gamestop lady asked who played the Demos and games so I opened my mouth. Then Dwight said he'd look at this Twitter and he pointed to me and said He saw me on Twitter. (I had tweeted that I was coming to the Gamestop to him on the way). So one guy had to give up his game because he had a PS2. As you know those are outdated and only 360 or PS3 version were available. So Dwight picked me to get a copy.

I got my copy signed and a pic with him, before I left he told me to get rid of 2K. I thanked him and left happy as hell. I must say Dwight is a real class act, he goes around the city and treats his fans as people that exist, unlike the normal celebs. Taking a step further to sponsor give-a-ways and special treats for his devoted fans is something a lot of these current players should look at.

Anyways I still think 2K10 is slightly better than Live 10. Dwight....I love that you're all over the game and I appreciate the game and autograph but my personal preference would settle for 2K's gameplay and graphics. Although, Live has better features and more dribble moves than 2K. Next time get on the cover of 2K!

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chevyballinhot

BE MAGIC!

That's right: BE MAGIC!

Orlando's marking slogan this year is "Be Magic", in case you didn't know. Tomorrow is media for the Magic Men and for the rest of the week they will be spending time in training camp right before their preseason gets in session on October 5th in Dallas. I really can't wait for this season at all, as my team is fresh off an NBA Finals visit and looking to avenge their loss to the Lakers.

The excitement for this season is definitely high. With a few new key guys in Brandon Bass, Vince Carter, and Matt Barnes, I cannot wait to see how they play with Dwight, Rashard and Jameer.

I love the NBA season because of my passion for basketball, the smack talking with my friends who are fans of other teams, the epic games, the amazing plays, the late West Coast games, and then eventually the NBA Playoffs! The point is I'm a devoted NBA fan year-round and it's busiest time is coming around again.

If you're a fan of the NBA go ahead and follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/chevythecoolest and we can talk nothing but NBA all day!

ORLANDO MAGIC 2010!

NBA All-Star Weekend Predictions

Its a weekend that all NBA fans mark their calenders for and one weekend that the celebs party with the NBA...All-Star Weekend! This weekend (February 13-15) will be the 58th All-Star game in NBA history. Hosted in Phoenix this year with a stud line-up from each NBA Conference, I'm excited and ready for a few reasons. First off the Magic have three All-Stars in Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. Now of course its a bummer that Nelson won't be able to participate in the game itself or the Skills Challenge, he still gets his credit! Also Dwight will be participating in all three days as he coaches the Spohomores on Friday night, takes flight in the Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night and the Sunday night game. Rashard Lewis will be featured in the 3 point Contest. This is the first All-Star in a few years where more than Magic player has been featured in more than just the game, so I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible.

Anyways, I will get to the blog title and show off my predictions/who I'll be rooting for this weekend.

Friday Night:

Celeb Game: Terrell Owens' Team!

Rookie-Spohomore Game: Going with this guy's squad the Sophomores!
Saturday Night:

H.O.R.S.E.: Joe Johnson

Shooting Skills Challenge: Team San Antonio (maybe Team SA can finally repeat at something)

Skills Challenge: Devin Harris

Three-Point Contest: Homer but, my boy Rashard Lewis!

Slam Dunk Contest: DWIGHT "SUPERMAN" HOWARD!
Sunday Night's 58th NBA All-Star Game: EASTERN CONFERENCE!


All-Star MVP: Dwayne Wade or maybe Lebron