Sunshine State Rivalry Storylines
By Josh Cohen
November 23, 2010
Throughout the NBA season, I will document and analyze the latest storylines and perspectives about the Sunshine State rivalry.
Wednesday night around central Florida will be as entertaining as the first time you played Super Mario Brothers for the original Nintendo with your friends (if you are from my generation).
Wednesday night around central Florida will be relieving like you just completed your final exam of the semester after weeks of time in the library studying for that grueling, torturous test.
Wednesday night around central Florida will be as suspenseful as the first time you watched the movie Scream (we all thought it was a cool film when it first came out, don’t try to pretend).
Wednesday night around central Florida will feel innovative like back in the late 1990’s when you first learned about instant message. Back then; whomever had the coolest screen name earned brownie points.
Wednesday night around central Florida will be awesome!! It will be electrifying and it will be something that not only will you tell your grandchildren about some day, but also remember as possibly one of the greatest sports days in Orlando’s history.
Unless you happened to be serving duty on another planet to find out if those Mars Attacks creatures are actually breeding somewhere, then I assume you know what is scheduled for Wednesday night.
It’s the first time the Orlando Magic will host the Miami Heat at Amway Center since the Sunshine State rivalry was reformed and revitalized over the summer.
Expect to walk into work or school and be counted on to have your opinions about this highly anticipated matchup.
It’s okay if you feel kind of nervous. It’s okay if you can’t focus on your priorities because of this game. It’s okay if all you want to do is read OrlandoMagic.com for Magic-Heat stories. We understand!
Unlike most years when you host Thanksgiving family gatherings, you may want to stock up on extra supplies this year.
Not only will you be counted on to have delicious cuisine for Turkey Day, you may be relied on to have scrumptious food for Wednesday’s Magic-Heat game.
As a result, there are several tips you may need to correctly prepare for this highly anticipated double dipping.
In addition to the traditional cooking (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc.), you need to pick up some universal snacks to munch on during the game.
Aside from food, though, you may want to step up your home decorations. While you may already have started displaying all of your holiday adornments, it’s imperative if having guests over to enhance your ornamentation with Magic paraphernalia. Shop at OrlandoMagicShop.com for all kinds of items.
If any of your family and friends that you plan on inviting over are Miami Heat fans, there are a few different things you should do.
1) Designate Heat fans to sit in the dusty and grimy basement to watch the game. You don’t need their sarcasm while enjoying the Magic play.
2) Force Heat fans to bring dessert. Be selective. Require them to make homemade peach cobbler or strawberry cheesecake, for instance.
3) Poke fun at them all game about the Magic having a better record and being the three-time defending Southeast Division champions.
If you are attending the game at Amway Center, make sure you wear as much Magic apparel as possible and make more noise than you have ever made before.
Although the outcome wasn’t what the Magic hoped for when they played the Heat on Oct. 29 in Miami, there was plenty to learn from on that frustrating Friday night.
Orlando Head Coach Stan Van Gundy will probably spend hours watching film and taking notes on improvements his team needs to make to have success against the Heat on Wednesday at Amway Center at 7:30 p.m.
Besides anticipating a much better shooting performance – the Magic shot 30 percent from the field and went 4-of-24 from 3-point range – Orlando will need to rely on Dwight Howard to overpower a weaker Miami frontline.
In the last meeting, Howard racked up all of his 19 points in the first half and looked indestructible against Joel Anthony and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. But as Van Gundy pointed out in his postgame press conference, Orlando went away from Howard in the third quarter when Miami opened up an insurmountable lead.
It will also be essential for the Magic to close out on the perimeter on the Heat’s 3-point attempts. Miami ranks No. 8 in the league in 3-pointers made this season and Orlando must keep an eye on all of its drives and kick-outs.
Although Miami prevailed in the Sunshine State rivalry’s first collision, it’s been the Magic who has had more success since that game this season.
Most recently, the Heat suffered a last-second defeat to the Grizzlies and another loss at home to the Pacers. Dwyane Wade sat out with flu-like symptoms and a sprained wrist against Memphis, but then shot a career-worst 1-of-13 from the floor against Indiana.
Udonis Haslem, meanwhile, left the game in the third quarter against the Grizzlies with a foot injury and is out of action indefinitely. Miami, as a result, signed Erick Dampier and waived Jerry Stackhouse to add more size.
While waiting for the elevator at Amway Center during my path to my media seat, I overheard a group of fans discussing one of the latest viral videos bouncing around across the Internet.
It’s called “Like a Bosh” and it mocks the Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh for his choice to leave Toronto. (WATCH)
During the elevator ride, some of the kids decided to recite the song’s lyrics, while the others enjoyed the humor and laughed until they arrived at their seating level.
I am personally obsessed with YouTube and tend to search around on the site to find the funniest, most entertaining videos. “Like a Bosh” definitely deserves consideration for one of the best sports-oriented viral videos of all time.
Not only are the lyrics to the song funny and straightforward, it’s catchy too. For a video that appears relatively low-cost and simplistic, the creators successfully managed to pick their more comical lines at the appropriate times of the song.
Listening to the fans’ discussion at the elevator reminded me of other NBA-related viral videos that have previously circulated around on the Internet.
Only fitting since the Phoenix Suns were the Orlando Magic’s opponent on Thursday, I started thinking about one that I used to watch repeatedly. It was a feature about a prank war between Phoenix’s mascot Gorilla and the Utah Jazz’ mascot Bear. (WATCH)
Others that I have enjoyed are some of the more comical postgame television interviews. Again appropriate that the Magic played the Suns because two of my favorites involve Phoenix players. One involves Steve Nash (WATCH) and the other is of Hedo Turkoglu (WATCH)
I may want to start making a list of all NBA-related viral videos that I come across and become a critic here on OrlandoMagic.com.
It felt like it was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but unfortunately for the Orlando Magic, the result wasn’t what they hoped for.
Dwight Howard tallied 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, but the Magic couldn’t get into a rhythm and didn’t have an answer for the Miami Heat’s potent offensive attack as they dropped a 96-70 decision on October 29.
"Some of the guys were shell-shocked," Howard said. "This wasn't a championship effort so we need to work harder."
While momentum was generally in the Heat’s favor in the first half, it was a third-quarter knockout that basically sealed the deal.
Miami led by just six at halftime before Dwyane Wade and LeBron James seized control with three straight 3-pointers out of the gate in the third. The Heat would outscore the Magic by 18 in that one-sided period.
"They hit us with an upper cut and we got knocked down," Howard said about the third quarter.
Wade finished with a game-high 26 points, while James poured in 15 points and seven assists.
Outside of Howard, who fouled out with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter, the rest of Orlando’s starters combined to shoot just 4-of-30 from the field.
Surprising for a team that set an NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a season, the Magic shot just 4-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Vince Carter injured his back and neck but did return and J.J. Redick got hit in the eye while taking a charge and needed seven stiches.
READ MORE STORIES FROM 10/29
Which starting line matchup are you most excited to see?
Latest Opinions
Who on the Heat do you think will be most difficult to contain?
Latest Opinions
Who do you think will win the Southeast Division this season?
Latest Opinions
