20-Second Time Out
It’s the Orlando Magic by the numbers; 20 things you may not know, or may want to know, about the 2004-05 squad. When do the Magic meet former stars Shaq and Tracy McGrady? What uniform number will rookies Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson sport? What is the cheapest ticket to a Magic game? Find out here...
1- The 2004 NBA Draft selection the Orlando Magic used to pick McDonald’s High School Player of the Year Dwight Howard; former No. 1 draft picks for the Orlando Magic include Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway
2- Months left until the Orlando Magic open their season – The Magic face the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening game this year on November 3 at the TD Waterhouse Centre at 7 p.m.
3- The uniform number newly-acquired star Steve Francis will wear for the Orlando Magic this season
4- Number of teams in the newly-formed Southeast Division of the NBA, including the Atlanta Hawks, expansion Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards
5- Five current members of the Orlando Magic played in the NBA playoffs last year; Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Stacey Augmon, Kelvin Catoand Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu made it to the Western Conference finals last season with the Spurs, while the rest failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs
6- Number of times Grant Hill has been named to the NBA All-Star team
7- The Magic will play seven pre-season games this year to get ready for the 2004-05 season; marquee matchups include meetings with the Rockets on October 23 and the Heat October 27 in Orlando
8- Number of times the Orlando Magic have appeared in the NBA playoffs, including the years of 1994, ‘95, ‘96, ‘97, ‘99, 2001, ’02 and ‘03
9- The Magic will be on national television nine times this season, including two appearances on ESPN, one on TNT and six on NBA TV
10- Orlando Magic fans can find tickets to home games starting as low as $10.00 – tickets can be purchased at the team’s official web site, www.orlandomagic.com, or by calling (407)-89-MAGIC
11- Consecutive seasons the Magic have had at or above .500 (1992-2003); the best season for Orlando came in 1995-96, when the squad went 60-22 before falling in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the eventual world-champion Chicago Bulls
12- Uniform choice of top-draft pick Dwight Howard, whose high school accolades include winning the Morgan Wooten High School Player of the Year Award, being named Co-MVP of the 2004 McDonald’s High School All-American game, winning Mr. Basketball in Georgia and being selected to PARADE magazine’s All-American Team
13- Orlando Magic head coach Johnny Davis is entering his 13th year of coaching in the NBA and 28th in the league either in the front office or on the court. Davis has spent 12 years in the NBA as an assistant; this is his second job as a head coach, with the first stint coming with the Philadelphia 76ersin the 1996-97 campaign
14- Jersey number of Magic rookie Jameer Nelson, who was drafted with the No. 20 pick by the Denver Nuggets but traded to the Magic shortly thereafter, giving Orlando much-needed assistance in the point guard area
15- In 2003-04, Steve Francis joined the elite company of Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Grant Hill as the only players in NBA history to average 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in each of their first five seasons in the league
16- The Magic are entering their 16th season in the National Basketball Association – the franchise holds an overall record of 588-610
17- The TD Waterhouse Centre, home to the Orlando Magic franchise, can seat over 17,000 people for a basketball game
18- Number of games the Magic won in their inaugural season in 1989-90. The team improved to their first .500 record just three years later and made the playoffs in just their fifth year of existence
19- South Beach will be even more sizzling than usual on December 19, as the Magic will face former star Shaquille O’Neal for the first time in the regular season in a Miami Heat uniform
20- On the 20th of January, all eyes will be on Orlando, as former star Tracy McGrady makes his only regular-season showing in Orlando
Melanie Curtsinger is an intern in the Magic's Communications department.
1- The 2004 NBA Draft selection the Orlando Magic used to pick McDonald’s High School Player of the Year Dwight Howard; former No. 1 draft picks for the Orlando Magic include Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway
2- Months left until the Orlando Magic open their season – The Magic face the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening game this year on November 3 at the TD Waterhouse Centre at 7 p.m.
3- The uniform number newly-acquired star Steve Francis will wear for the Orlando Magic this season
4- Number of teams in the newly-formed Southeast Division of the NBA, including the Atlanta Hawks, expansion Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards
5- Five current members of the Orlando Magic played in the NBA playoffs last year; Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Stacey Augmon, Kelvin Catoand Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu made it to the Western Conference finals last season with the Spurs, while the rest failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs
6- Number of times Grant Hill has been named to the NBA All-Star team
7- The Magic will play seven pre-season games this year to get ready for the 2004-05 season; marquee matchups include meetings with the Rockets on October 23 and the Heat October 27 in Orlando
8- Number of times the Orlando Magic have appeared in the NBA playoffs, including the years of 1994, ‘95, ‘96, ‘97, ‘99, 2001, ’02 and ‘03
9- The Magic will be on national television nine times this season, including two appearances on ESPN, one on TNT and six on NBA TV
10- Orlando Magic fans can find tickets to home games starting as low as $10.00 – tickets can be purchased at the team’s official web site, www.orlandomagic.com, or by calling (407)-89-MAGIC
11- Consecutive seasons the Magic have had at or above .500 (1992-2003); the best season for Orlando came in 1995-96, when the squad went 60-22 before falling in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the eventual world-champion Chicago Bulls
12- Uniform choice of top-draft pick Dwight Howard, whose high school accolades include winning the Morgan Wooten High School Player of the Year Award, being named Co-MVP of the 2004 McDonald’s High School All-American game, winning Mr. Basketball in Georgia and being selected to PARADE magazine’s All-American Team
13- Orlando Magic head coach Johnny Davis is entering his 13th year of coaching in the NBA and 28th in the league either in the front office or on the court. Davis has spent 12 years in the NBA as an assistant; this is his second job as a head coach, with the first stint coming with the Philadelphia 76ersin the 1996-97 campaign
14- Jersey number of Magic rookie Jameer Nelson, who was drafted with the No. 20 pick by the Denver Nuggets but traded to the Magic shortly thereafter, giving Orlando much-needed assistance in the point guard area
15- In 2003-04, Steve Francis joined the elite company of Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Grant Hill as the only players in NBA history to average 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in each of their first five seasons in the league
16- The Magic are entering their 16th season in the National Basketball Association – the franchise holds an overall record of 588-610
17- The TD Waterhouse Centre, home to the Orlando Magic franchise, can seat over 17,000 people for a basketball game
18- Number of games the Magic won in their inaugural season in 1989-90. The team improved to their first .500 record just three years later and made the playoffs in just their fifth year of existence
19- South Beach will be even more sizzling than usual on December 19, as the Magic will face former star Shaquille O’Neal for the first time in the regular season in a Miami Heat uniform
20- On the 20th of January, all eyes will be on Orlando, as former star Tracy McGrady makes his only regular-season showing in Orlando
Melanie Curtsinger is an intern in the Magic's Communications department.
