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Cohen: Ultimate Supremacy?
By Josh Cohen
May 13, 2010
ORLANDO -- I know the Eastern Conference Finals hasn’t even started yet, and I know to be categorized as a “superior” all-time team you must win the grand prize first.
But, after two rounds of the playoffs, it may be reasonable to believe that the Magic have the opportunity to be remembered as one of the best Eastern Conference teams of the past decade and even one of the greatest in NBA history.
They are one of only four teams in the past 10 years to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs. They completely obliterated their Eastern Conference Semifinal opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, by an average margin of 25.3 points – the largest margin in a seven-game series in NBA history.
When Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis each recorded at least 20 points in Game 2 against Atlanta, Orlando became the first team since Golden State in 2007 to feature four players all scoring 20 or more in a playoff game.
The Magic have won 14 straight dating back to the regular season and have essentially not been tested at all against two of their division rivals in the postseason.
Thus, I ask all of you, what will it take for the 2009-10 Orlando Magic to be classified as an “illustrious” all-time NBA squad of the 21st century?
First and foremost, the Magic will have to capture the NBA championship. That is an obvious.
If they do claim the ultimate prize, perceptibly their magnitude will depend on how dominant they are against their next two opponents.
Then what?
If you look at the past decade alone, I am already close to conclude that this Magic team is one of the most complete, most dynamic Eastern Conference teams in the last 10 years. Let’s take a look at the last 10 East teams to reach the NBA Finals:
I am confident the Magic would beat the 2000 Pacers, 2001 76ers, 2002 Nets, 2003 Nets, 2004 Pistons, 2005 Pistons, 2006 Heat, 2007 Cavaliers and last year’s Magic team in a seven-game series.
The only big question mark I would have is the 2008 Celtics. But remember, Boston that season was tested in every round. Atlanta and Cleveland forced the Celtics to seven games in the first two rounds and then Detroit and the L.A. Lakers took them to six each before they won the title.
The other big factor ultimately is how well the team’s marquee players perform. If Howard, Carter, Lewis and Nelson all display excellence in the conference finals and, should they advance, the NBA Finals, the perception will be that these players were all prime for a championship.
Although I am not a big fan of individual statistics, when people look back at the numbers and see that the team’s stars all performed at a high level, the perception will be that the 2009-10 Magic had an “invincible” roster.
In 2004 when the Pistons captured the championship, not many NBA critics and analysts thought Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace would deliver countless awe-inspiring performances throughout the postseason. But because they did, that Detroit team is regarded as one of the most all-embracing teams in the last decade.
Another discussion years from now will be what the competition was like. In contrast to the last few years when the East was far more inferior to the West, this year I believe any of the top four teams in the East (Cavaliers, Magic, Hawks, Celtics) would pose a big challenge to any of the top four teams in the West. Of course, we will see how this all plays out in The Finals when the best from each conference squares off.
I am someone that loves to discuss what it would be like if all-time great teams from different years or different generations competed in a series. For instance, what would happen if the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72 wins) faced off against the 2000-01 Los Angeles (15-1 in playoffs)? Who would have a better series, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Would the Bulls have any answer for Shaquille O’Neal? Which Ron Harper would show up (he played for both teams)?
I hope we can ultimately have this discussion about the 2009-10 Orlando Magic. It would be pretty awesome if in two months we start projecting what would happen if the 1995-86 Boston Celtics, for example, took on our Magic. Pretty cool, right?
By Josh Cohen
May 13, 2010
ORLANDO -- I know the Eastern Conference Finals hasn’t even started yet, and I know to be categorized as a “superior” all-time team you must win the grand prize first.
But, after two rounds of the playoffs, it may be reasonable to believe that the Magic have the opportunity to be remembered as one of the best Eastern Conference teams of the past decade and even one of the greatest in NBA history.
They are one of only four teams in the past 10 years to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs. They completely obliterated their Eastern Conference Semifinal opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, by an average margin of 25.3 points – the largest margin in a seven-game series in NBA history.
When Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis each recorded at least 20 points in Game 2 against Atlanta, Orlando became the first team since Golden State in 2007 to feature four players all scoring 20 or more in a playoff game.
The Magic have won 14 straight dating back to the regular season and have essentially not been tested at all against two of their division rivals in the postseason.
Thus, I ask all of you, what will it take for the 2009-10 Orlando Magic to be classified as an “illustrious” all-time NBA squad of the 21st century?
First and foremost, the Magic will have to capture the NBA championship. That is an obvious.
If they do claim the ultimate prize, perceptibly their magnitude will depend on how dominant they are against their next two opponents.
Then what?
If you look at the past decade alone, I am already close to conclude that this Magic team is one of the most complete, most dynamic Eastern Conference teams in the last 10 years. Let’s take a look at the last 10 East teams to reach the NBA Finals:
I am confident the Magic would beat the 2000 Pacers, 2001 76ers, 2002 Nets, 2003 Nets, 2004 Pistons, 2005 Pistons, 2006 Heat, 2007 Cavaliers and last year’s Magic team in a seven-game series.
The only big question mark I would have is the 2008 Celtics. But remember, Boston that season was tested in every round. Atlanta and Cleveland forced the Celtics to seven games in the first two rounds and then Detroit and the L.A. Lakers took them to six each before they won the title.
The other big factor ultimately is how well the team’s marquee players perform. If Howard, Carter, Lewis and Nelson all display excellence in the conference finals and, should they advance, the NBA Finals, the perception will be that these players were all prime for a championship.
Although I am not a big fan of individual statistics, when people look back at the numbers and see that the team’s stars all performed at a high level, the perception will be that the 2009-10 Magic had an “invincible” roster.
In 2004 when the Pistons captured the championship, not many NBA critics and analysts thought Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace would deliver countless awe-inspiring performances throughout the postseason. But because they did, that Detroit team is regarded as one of the most all-embracing teams in the last decade.
Another discussion years from now will be what the competition was like. In contrast to the last few years when the East was far more inferior to the West, this year I believe any of the top four teams in the East (Cavaliers, Magic, Hawks, Celtics) would pose a big challenge to any of the top four teams in the West. Of course, we will see how this all plays out in The Finals when the best from each conference squares off.
I am someone that loves to discuss what it would be like if all-time great teams from different years or different generations competed in a series. For instance, what would happen if the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72 wins) faced off against the 2000-01 Los Angeles (15-1 in playoffs)? Who would have a better series, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Would the Bulls have any answer for Shaquille O’Neal? Which Ron Harper would show up (he played for both teams)?
I hope we can ultimately have this discussion about the 2009-10 Orlando Magic. It would be pretty awesome if in two months we start projecting what would happen if the 1995-86 Boston Celtics, for example, took on our Magic. Pretty cool, right?
