Denton: Magic-Celtics Notes
By John Denton
January 28, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Not a time goes by that the Orlando Magic face the Boston Celtics that Rashard Lewis doesn’t think back to last spring when the Magic defied the odds and won a series-clinching Game 7 in Beantown.
The Magic won the second-round playoff series by coming through in a big way against the Celtics in a Game 7 in Boston. Orlando smashed the Celtics from start to finish in that game, leading by as much as 23 points and winning 101-82 in runaway fashion.
Lewis said that winning in Boston last spring gave the Magic the confidence they needed to beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals. And to this day, he still thinks that beating Boston has a lasting effect for the Magic.
``It’s let us know that they were beatable,’’ Lewis said. ``They are a great team, but we know how to beat them. They are a very professional team and we learned that you just can’t make a lot of mistakes to beat them.
Lewis pointed out that Boston not having Kevin Garnett in that series helped the Magic tremendously. Lewis, who had 19 points in that Game 7 and averaged a team-high 20.4 in that series, would have been guarded by Garnett instead of Glenn Davis and Brian Scalabrine.
``They’re a very different team with KG,’’ Lewis admitted. ``Defensively, he makes them so much bigger and longer. He’s so athletic and he’s able to close out on the 3-pointers on pick-and-roll plays and gets a hand up on the shot. And when you go to the basket, he still tries to block your shot, so he makes it tough on you.’’
SHOT SELECTION AN ISSUE: The Magic spent the day between the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and the game against Boston examining the quality of their shots.
Orlando attempted a franchise-record 39 3-pointers on Saturday in Charlotte and 35 3-pointers against the Grizzlies while missing its last 10 tries. Against Memphis, star center Dwight Howard had 27 points and 15 rebounds that game, but he rarely saw the ball down the stretch as the Magic hoisted one 3-pointer after another.
The Magic’s current pace of making and taking 3-pointers would be new NBA records. The Magic went into Thursday having made an average of 10.40 3-pointers per game, ahead of the record of 10.21 made by the 2005-06 Phoenix Suns. The Magic are attempting 28.78 3-pointers a game, just ahead of the 27.85 3s that the New York Knicks attempted last season.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has never been one to quibble about the number of 3-pointers the Magic take and he’s been known to get onto players who pass up open looks, but he said too often now his players are taking contested 3-pointers. Van Gundy said he doesn’t want to overanalyze his team’s shot selection, but he does want his team to take advantage of more driving opportunities.
``In the last four games, we’ve gone through long stretches where we’ve been just standing around and jacking the ball up,’’ Van Gundy said.
ETC: Tired of seeing Howard hammered on a hard foul, Magic small forward Matt Barnes confronted Boston’s Paul Pierce early in Thursday’s first quarter. Pierce made no attempt on the ball and wrapped both arms around Howard, drawing a whistle. Barnes went to the defense of Howard, going head to head with Pierce. Both Barnes and Pierce were issued technical fouls. … Barring a scenario where there are injury replacements, Howard will be the only Magic representative at the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 14. Howard was voted in by the fans to start the game at center for a third consecutive season after getting the third most overall votes. Vince Carter finished third in the voting among guards in the East, but was not chosen as a reserve. … Boston’s Rasheed Wallace was whistled for his 12th technical foul in the first half for arguing a non-call on a post move. The 12 technical fouls are the most in the NBA this season. … Carter’s restaurant opened in Daytona Beach two weeks ago, and he made an appearance at the facility Wednesday night. Carter had some influence over the menu and said his favorite thing to eat is the red velvet cake for dessert. Carter usually does not eat seafood, but said he highly recommends the seafood ravioli. … The Magic will host the ``2010 Evening of Magic’’ on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. allowing season ticket holders to meet Magic players Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Jason Williams, Marcin Gortat, Anthony Johnson and Adonal Foyle. The event will feature photos and autographs with the Magic players, karaoke and casino games.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonJanuary 28, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Not a time goes by that the Orlando Magic face the Boston Celtics that Rashard Lewis doesn’t think back to last spring when the Magic defied the odds and won a series-clinching Game 7 in Beantown.
The Magic won the second-round playoff series by coming through in a big way against the Celtics in a Game 7 in Boston. Orlando smashed the Celtics from start to finish in that game, leading by as much as 23 points and winning 101-82 in runaway fashion.
Lewis said that winning in Boston last spring gave the Magic the confidence they needed to beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals. And to this day, he still thinks that beating Boston has a lasting effect for the Magic.
``It’s let us know that they were beatable,’’ Lewis said. ``They are a great team, but we know how to beat them. They are a very professional team and we learned that you just can’t make a lot of mistakes to beat them.
Lewis pointed out that Boston not having Kevin Garnett in that series helped the Magic tremendously. Lewis, who had 19 points in that Game 7 and averaged a team-high 20.4 in that series, would have been guarded by Garnett instead of Glenn Davis and Brian Scalabrine.
``They’re a very different team with KG,’’ Lewis admitted. ``Defensively, he makes them so much bigger and longer. He’s so athletic and he’s able to close out on the 3-pointers on pick-and-roll plays and gets a hand up on the shot. And when you go to the basket, he still tries to block your shot, so he makes it tough on you.’’
SHOT SELECTION AN ISSUE: The Magic spent the day between the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and the game against Boston examining the quality of their shots.
Orlando attempted a franchise-record 39 3-pointers on Saturday in Charlotte and 35 3-pointers against the Grizzlies while missing its last 10 tries. Against Memphis, star center Dwight Howard had 27 points and 15 rebounds that game, but he rarely saw the ball down the stretch as the Magic hoisted one 3-pointer after another.
The Magic’s current pace of making and taking 3-pointers would be new NBA records. The Magic went into Thursday having made an average of 10.40 3-pointers per game, ahead of the record of 10.21 made by the 2005-06 Phoenix Suns. The Magic are attempting 28.78 3-pointers a game, just ahead of the 27.85 3s that the New York Knicks attempted last season.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has never been one to quibble about the number of 3-pointers the Magic take and he’s been known to get onto players who pass up open looks, but he said too often now his players are taking contested 3-pointers. Van Gundy said he doesn’t want to overanalyze his team’s shot selection, but he does want his team to take advantage of more driving opportunities.
``In the last four games, we’ve gone through long stretches where we’ve been just standing around and jacking the ball up,’’ Van Gundy said.
ETC: Tired of seeing Howard hammered on a hard foul, Magic small forward Matt Barnes confronted Boston’s Paul Pierce early in Thursday’s first quarter. Pierce made no attempt on the ball and wrapped both arms around Howard, drawing a whistle. Barnes went to the defense of Howard, going head to head with Pierce. Both Barnes and Pierce were issued technical fouls. … Barring a scenario where there are injury replacements, Howard will be the only Magic representative at the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 14. Howard was voted in by the fans to start the game at center for a third consecutive season after getting the third most overall votes. Vince Carter finished third in the voting among guards in the East, but was not chosen as a reserve. … Boston’s Rasheed Wallace was whistled for his 12th technical foul in the first half for arguing a non-call on a post move. The 12 technical fouls are the most in the NBA this season. … Carter’s restaurant opened in Daytona Beach two weeks ago, and he made an appearance at the facility Wednesday night. Carter had some influence over the menu and said his favorite thing to eat is the red velvet cake for dessert. Carter usually does not eat seafood, but said he highly recommends the seafood ravioli. … The Magic will host the ``2010 Evening of Magic’’ on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. allowing season ticket holders to meet Magic players Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Jason Williams, Marcin Gortat, Anthony Johnson and Adonal Foyle. The event will feature photos and autographs with the Magic players, karaoke and casino games.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
