GAMETIME: Orlando Magic 120 - Miami Heat 99
November 24, 2007 - Amway Arena
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By Nick Adams | OrlandoMagic.com
RECAP
Orlando scored a season high 120 points in their defeat of the Miami Heat and improved their Southeast Division leading record to 12-3.
Five Magic players scored in double figures as the Magic tied a season high by shooting 56 percent from the field.
Hedo Turkoglu and Keyon Dooling lead the Magic attack each tallying season high totals with 27 and 17 points respectively. Other Magic double figure scorers included Rashard Lewis (19 points), Dwight Howard (17 points, 13 rebounds), and Jameer Nelson (12 points).
Dwyane Wade scored a game high 32 points as Miami drops to 3-10.
The Magic get rewarded for their two back-to-back division wins at home with a five game west coast road trip which begins at Portland on Monday night.
FOURTH QUARTER
Hedo starts the Magic fourth quarter off with a three from the corner. Every time Hedo has scored tonight, which he has 17 points, the highly entertaining guy next to me yells, "Happy Turkey-Day". I want this guy next to me at every game but I am afraid his beverage funds hinder him from doing so.
The Heat string together a couple of buckets and have cut the Magic lead to 12 at 100-88 with 8:30 left but Dooling makes a nice defensive play and feeds Lewis for two leading to a Heat timeout. Dooling has once again provided a great spark off the bench scoring 15 points thus far.
The fourth quarter has been moving along rather quickly and halfway through the final 12, the Magic lead 106-90. Wade has had a quiet 27 points leading all scorers and the Heat have two other players with at least 20 points. The Magic on the other hand have had more of a team effort as five players have double figures with Rashard Lewis leading the way with his 19 points.
Turkoglu hits an acrobatic reverse layup, Wade answers, and "Happy Turkey-Day" as Hedo nails a three giving him 22 points are propelling the Magic lead to 111-97 advantage with four minutes left in the game.
Keyon Dooling was named tonight's "Subway sub of the game" which denotes two things...Dooling had another great game off the bench and I'm starving. Turkoglu is pouring it on converting a three-point play. I turn to the guy next to me and look at him like..."No Turkey-Day?" He replies to my look with, "He is so good they named a food after him"...classic.
Riley waves the symbolical white flag by bringing in the scrubs with the Magic leading 116-99 with a minute and change to go. The Amway crowd begins to pile out but the faithful fans give Rashard and Dwight a standing ovation as the two exit the game.
The crowd gives the Magic a standing ovation as the final horn sounds.
Final: Orlando Magic 120, Miami Heat 99
THIRD QUARTER
Keith Bogans starts the second half by drilling a jumper and Wade hits on the Heat's first attempt as both teams continue their superb shooting. Wade buckets his 14th point to go along with his game high six assists and Rashard converts on a three-point play at the other end as the Magic lead 64-55.
Jason Williams scores his first points of the game on a three-point shot but Nelson answers quickly back with a bucket of his own. Lewis gets an easy bucket and Pat Riley wants a timeout with the Magic leading 69-58 with 8:25 to go in the third.
Nelson oops Lewis for a highlight dunk resulting in an eruption of the fans here at Amway. Turkoglu nails a three after a mad scrum and the crowd goes nuts. Nelson goes up and contests a Ricky Davis dunk attempt and the little guy gets a big ovation for his efforts. Davis makes both but the Magic still lead 76-60.
Marice Evans checks into the ballgame and dunks on a nice feed from Rashard. Evans has six points on three dunks to start his Magic career which leads the slightly inebriated gentlemen next to me to yell, "Marice is in the East". Evans is quickly a fan favorite...alcohol endused or not.
Arroyo finishes a three-point play and the Magic lead 83-64 with three minutes left in the third. Dooling increases the Magic lead to 20 points with two free-throws. The Magic have increased their lead in the third quarter due in large part to their defense. Miami's field-goal percentage has dropped below 50 percent as a result.
A Keyon Dooling floater in the lane followed by an acrobatic Wade layup makes the score 88-73. Arroyo gets fouled and Wade picks up a technical foul. The Magic get three points out of the whole ordeal and increase their lead to 91-74 with just under a minute left in the third.
Things are starting to get a bit chipper as Howard and Zo get tangled up. The quarter ends with the Magic's foot on the gas pedal leading 91-76.
End of Third: Orlando Magic 91, Miami Heat 76
SECOND QUARTER
Hedo Turkoglu scores the first points of the second period with a rainbow three which hits nothing but the bottom of the net just beating the shot clock. Penny Hardaway enters the game to a chorus of boos from the Amway faithful.
Maurice Evans sees his first action as an Orlando Magic as Foyle tips in a Dooling miss giving the Magic a 39-32 lead. Foyle will probably see a lot of minutes tonight to help out Dwight with Shaq down low and has done a good job so far. Shaq opened the game with a quick 10 points and has not scored since.
Evans scores his first points as a Magic with a two-handed dunk in transition bringing the Magic crowd off of their feet. Dwight fights for an offensive rebound and throws down for his team-high 11th point giving the Magic a 43-35 advantage with 7:30 to go in the first half.
Both teams are making an effort to pound the ball inside as the Magic have scored 22 points in the paint compared to Miami's 18. Wade gets his sixth assist of the ballgame feeding Mark Blount for two and then gets a fast-break layup plus a Turkoglu foul causing Coach Van Gundy to call a timeout. The Magic lead is cut to 45-43 halfway through the second.
Wade converts the three-point play out of the timeout trimming the Magic lead to one. Lewis buckets a jumper and Turkoglu goes coast-to-coast for a layup giving the Magic a 50-45 lead. The teams trade buckets but the Magic still cling to a five point advantage at the two minute warning.
A Howard block of Wade leads to a Magic fast-break ending in a Maurice Evans dunk forcing a timeout from the Heat. The Magic lead 55-47 with a minute to go in the first half.
Dwight throws in another hook which gives the Magic a 10 point advantage, Wade answers, and Dooling gets fouled and makes a pair to end the half with the Magic ahead 59-49.
Halftime: Orlando Magic 59, Miami Heat 49
FIRST QUARTER
Orlando's present/future and past big men meet at center court for tonight's opening tip as Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal compete for the game's opening possession. The Heat control the opening tap and feed Shaq down low for a slam. Wade drives to the bucket and creates an open three for Ricky Davis who buries a triple. Van Gundy was right when he said that this isn't the same Heat team which started the season so poorly.
Bogans continues his steller shooting from beyond the arc as he ties the game at 4 a piece. After a Shaq free-throw, Turkoglu nets his first bucket drilling a three-pointer giving the Magic a 7-6 advantage. Dwight throws in a hook over Shaq but the big fella answers with a dunk on the other end.
Howard throws down another dunk and Wade dishes a nice alley-oop to Udonis Haslem who throws it down giving the Heat a 12-11 lead with eight mintues left in the first.
Rashard nails a jumper and let's hope he can get going and get back on track. Turkoglu finishes an easy layup on a nice feed from Dwight and Bogans strokes his second triple of the night forcing a Pat Riley timeout with the Magic leading 18-17 with 5:43 to go in the opening quarter.
Both teams start the game shooting extremely well with the Magic converting on nearly 60 pecent of their shots and the Heat making 70 percent of their shot attempts. Dwight may not be able to put on a dunk show tonight with the big bodies of Shaq and Alonzo Mourning guarding him but Howard has turned to his jump hook of the glass as he buckets two more.
Brian Cook comes off the bench and makes his presence known by nailing a long range jumper. Bogans forces a turnover from Wade which leads to a Nelson transition layup giving the Magic a 26-19 lead. Bogans has done an excellent job thus far on Wade holding the superstar to just 2 points with just under three minutes left in the opening period.
With Shaq out of the game, Dwight takes advantage by throwing down a dunk which gives the Magic a 30-22 lead. The Heat string together a couple of easy buckets and have cut the Magic lead to 32-28 as we head under a minute.
Dooling controls the ball for the conclusion of the quarter and converts on a touch floater over top the outstrecthed arm of Alonzo Mourning.
End of First: Orlando Magic 34, Miami Heat 28
TIP-OFF
Welcome back to Amway Arena for the second time in as many nights as the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat battle for state bragging rights. The division rivals know each other very well and tonight's game should be a hard fought battle despite their disparities in record.
The Heat are finally starting to get healthy and their superstar Dwyane Wade is feeling like he is getting back to full strength.
"It feels good to be back playing basketball and getting healthy," said Wade who led the Heat to a victory last night against the Houston Rockets with 31 points.
Shaquille O'Neal also had a big game for the Heat scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Coach Van Gundy is well aware of the threat these two players pose on the Magic.
"Miami has two of the most unique players in the NBA and two guys who change your entire gameplan," said Van Gundy. "Wade, in my mind, is as good a perimeter player in the league as anyone. I coached him for a couple of years and I have no idea how to stop him and I certainly didn't learn from watching other people trying to stop him because none of them really could either."
Van Gundy continued, "People don't realize that Shaq may not be able to play 82 games like he used to but he is still very capable of doing what he did last night."
Van Gundy went on to say that his game-plan is to use Dwight's athleticism and ability to run the floor against the older, less mobile O'Neal to the Magic's advantage.
Let's see if the Magic execute their game-plan as the Amway crowd begins to filter in for what expects to be another rowdy sellout crowd.
SHOOTAROUND
Orlando and Miami entered Amway Arena this morning looking to prepare for their interstate, interdivisional clash tonight less than 24 hours after each team was victorious.
NBA teams normally don't go through shootaround the morning following a game but Orlando and Miami don't just share a state, they share a history.
Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy coached in Miami for 12 years, and has an extensive history with Miami's head coach Pat Riley.
"I would not be standing here right now if it wasn't for Pat Riley and I owe most of what I have learned in the NBA to him."
Riley commented on Van Gundy's current situation and his relationship with Stan and the entire Van Gundy family.
"This is the perfect place for Stan, and he would want to coach for nothing."
Riley continued, "Contrary to what people may think, I am in love with the whole Van Gundy family and Stan and Jeff Van Gundy have given a piece of them to me. They are a part of me."
Van Gundy's first season as Miami head coach in the 2003 season was also the first season for Miami superstar Dwyane Wade and the two talked about the respect they have for each other.
"Stan and I kind of grew together," said Wade. "It was his first year as a coach and my first year as a player so we learned on the fly together and I have a lot of respect for Stan."
Van Gundy echoed Wade's comments.
"I have a great deal of respect for Dwyane and he is a great person. He was a very coachable guy and reminds me a lot of Dwight in the fact that they are always willing to learn and get better everyday."
Getting better seems to be an understatement for Dwight Howard this season as he has begun to make a name for himself as being the best big man in the league and is drawing some rather lofty comparisons.
"Dwight is Moses Malone at 22 and Shaq at 22 and that's what they have here in Orlando," stated Riley. "He's going to grow with this organization and be one of the best."
Howard is often compared to another young big man who came up with Orlando, Miami center Shaquille O'Neal.
"Dwight is great," commented Wade. "People are comparing him to a young Shaq and I think that is a fair comparison in the way they dominate the game. It is scary for the league how good this guy is getting."
What is scary are the numbers Howard has been putting up, and for the first time in his career, Howard is coming off back-to-back games of at least 30 points and 15 rebounds, a feat in which O'Neal has accomplished seven times in his career.
The joke in the Magic locker room is that Dwight is putting up "video game" numbers, but the humble Howard isn't focusing on his stats.
"It is more than just my numbers," said Howard, "it's about defending the basketball and winning games."
Winning games is something the Magic are becoming accustomed to as they look to extend their Southeast Division lead by winning their second straight game against a division foe tonight at Amway Arena.
PREGAME
The interstate rivalry renews Saturday night at Amway Arena as the Magic gear up to face the Miami Heat.
Both teams are playing back-to-back games having played the night before and the division rivals appear headed in opposite directions.
The Magic lead the Southeast Division with their 11-3 record and Miami's 3-9 record puts them last in the division and near the bottom of the entire Eastern Conference.
The Heat have not been able to get on track offensively averaging an NBA worst 85.4 points per game.
Superstar Dwyane Wade was sidelined for the Heat's first seven games, and is averaging a team high 18.8 points, but hasn't been able to get Miami back on track as they are 2-4 since his return.
Shaquille O'Neal has shown signs of aging, averaging a career low 15.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Udonis Haslem has been the only bright spot of the Heat chipping in 12.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
Despite Miami's woes, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached in Miami for 12 seasons, thinks it is only a matter of time before the Heat get back on track.
"Miami still has four guys from their championship team, they traded for an athletic scorer, and Pat Riley is their coach," added Van Gundy. "It will only be a matter of time before they piece everything together and get back on track."
Orlando is looking for their second straight home victory against a division opponent in as many days.
MAGIC INJURY REPORT
Tony Battie – Out, torn rotator cuff, left shoulder – underwent successful surgery on Oct. 24; will likely miss the entire season.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Nov. 24 vs. Miami (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 31-40 vs. Miami (18-18 at home, 13-22 on the road) during regular season action, including a perfect 4-0 last season…Orlando is 2-3 vs. Miami during the playoffs (1997 first round)...Orlando has won the last five meetings, but lost 10 of the last 16 in the series overall…The Magic have won three of the last four meetings at home, but split the last 10 meetings…Orlando has won its last three games in Miami, but is 6-11 in the last 17 matchups at Miami…Stan Van Gundy served as the Heat’s head coach for two-plus years from 2003-05, compiling a 112-73 (.605) record…Keyon Dooling went to Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale and played in 74 games with Miami during the 2004-05 campaign…Carlos Arroyo played four years at Florida International University…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Miami, see p. 261 of the media guide.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. HEAT: 42 pts., Shaquille O’Neal (@ Miami, 11-5-93); Nick Anderson (@ Orlando, 11-16-92)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 56 pts., Glen Rice (@ Miami, 4-15-95
 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |  |
|
| HEAT | 28 | 21 | 27 | 23 | 99 | ||
| MAGIC | 34 | 25 | 32 | 29 | 120 |
By Nick Adams | OrlandoMagic.com
RECAP
Orlando scored a season high 120 points in their defeat of the Miami Heat and improved their Southeast Division leading record to 12-3.
Five Magic players scored in double figures as the Magic tied a season high by shooting 56 percent from the field.
Hedo Turkoglu and Keyon Dooling lead the Magic attack each tallying season high totals with 27 and 17 points respectively. Other Magic double figure scorers included Rashard Lewis (19 points), Dwight Howard (17 points, 13 rebounds), and Jameer Nelson (12 points).
Dwyane Wade scored a game high 32 points as Miami drops to 3-10.
The Magic get rewarded for their two back-to-back division wins at home with a five game west coast road trip which begins at Portland on Monday night.
FOURTH QUARTER
Hedo starts the Magic fourth quarter off with a three from the corner. Every time Hedo has scored tonight, which he has 17 points, the highly entertaining guy next to me yells, "Happy Turkey-Day". I want this guy next to me at every game but I am afraid his beverage funds hinder him from doing so.
The Heat string together a couple of buckets and have cut the Magic lead to 12 at 100-88 with 8:30 left but Dooling makes a nice defensive play and feeds Lewis for two leading to a Heat timeout. Dooling has once again provided a great spark off the bench scoring 15 points thus far.
The fourth quarter has been moving along rather quickly and halfway through the final 12, the Magic lead 106-90. Wade has had a quiet 27 points leading all scorers and the Heat have two other players with at least 20 points. The Magic on the other hand have had more of a team effort as five players have double figures with Rashard Lewis leading the way with his 19 points.
Turkoglu hits an acrobatic reverse layup, Wade answers, and "Happy Turkey-Day" as Hedo nails a three giving him 22 points are propelling the Magic lead to 111-97 advantage with four minutes left in the game.
Keyon Dooling was named tonight's "Subway sub of the game" which denotes two things...Dooling had another great game off the bench and I'm starving. Turkoglu is pouring it on converting a three-point play. I turn to the guy next to me and look at him like..."No Turkey-Day?" He replies to my look with, "He is so good they named a food after him"...classic.
Riley waves the symbolical white flag by bringing in the scrubs with the Magic leading 116-99 with a minute and change to go. The Amway crowd begins to pile out but the faithful fans give Rashard and Dwight a standing ovation as the two exit the game.
The crowd gives the Magic a standing ovation as the final horn sounds.
Final: Orlando Magic 120, Miami Heat 99
THIRD QUARTER
Keith Bogans starts the second half by drilling a jumper and Wade hits on the Heat's first attempt as both teams continue their superb shooting. Wade buckets his 14th point to go along with his game high six assists and Rashard converts on a three-point play at the other end as the Magic lead 64-55.
Jason Williams scores his first points of the game on a three-point shot but Nelson answers quickly back with a bucket of his own. Lewis gets an easy bucket and Pat Riley wants a timeout with the Magic leading 69-58 with 8:25 to go in the third.
Nelson oops Lewis for a highlight dunk resulting in an eruption of the fans here at Amway. Turkoglu nails a three after a mad scrum and the crowd goes nuts. Nelson goes up and contests a Ricky Davis dunk attempt and the little guy gets a big ovation for his efforts. Davis makes both but the Magic still lead 76-60.
Marice Evans checks into the ballgame and dunks on a nice feed from Rashard. Evans has six points on three dunks to start his Magic career which leads the slightly inebriated gentlemen next to me to yell, "Marice is in the East". Evans is quickly a fan favorite...alcohol endused or not.
Arroyo finishes a three-point play and the Magic lead 83-64 with three minutes left in the third. Dooling increases the Magic lead to 20 points with two free-throws. The Magic have increased their lead in the third quarter due in large part to their defense. Miami's field-goal percentage has dropped below 50 percent as a result.
A Keyon Dooling floater in the lane followed by an acrobatic Wade layup makes the score 88-73. Arroyo gets fouled and Wade picks up a technical foul. The Magic get three points out of the whole ordeal and increase their lead to 91-74 with just under a minute left in the third.
Things are starting to get a bit chipper as Howard and Zo get tangled up. The quarter ends with the Magic's foot on the gas pedal leading 91-76.
End of Third: Orlando Magic 91, Miami Heat 76
SECOND QUARTER
Hedo Turkoglu scores the first points of the second period with a rainbow three which hits nothing but the bottom of the net just beating the shot clock. Penny Hardaway enters the game to a chorus of boos from the Amway faithful.
Maurice Evans sees his first action as an Orlando Magic as Foyle tips in a Dooling miss giving the Magic a 39-32 lead. Foyle will probably see a lot of minutes tonight to help out Dwight with Shaq down low and has done a good job so far. Shaq opened the game with a quick 10 points and has not scored since.
Evans scores his first points as a Magic with a two-handed dunk in transition bringing the Magic crowd off of their feet. Dwight fights for an offensive rebound and throws down for his team-high 11th point giving the Magic a 43-35 advantage with 7:30 to go in the first half.
Both teams are making an effort to pound the ball inside as the Magic have scored 22 points in the paint compared to Miami's 18. Wade gets his sixth assist of the ballgame feeding Mark Blount for two and then gets a fast-break layup plus a Turkoglu foul causing Coach Van Gundy to call a timeout. The Magic lead is cut to 45-43 halfway through the second.
Wade converts the three-point play out of the timeout trimming the Magic lead to one. Lewis buckets a jumper and Turkoglu goes coast-to-coast for a layup giving the Magic a 50-45 lead. The teams trade buckets but the Magic still cling to a five point advantage at the two minute warning.
A Howard block of Wade leads to a Magic fast-break ending in a Maurice Evans dunk forcing a timeout from the Heat. The Magic lead 55-47 with a minute to go in the first half.
Dwight throws in another hook which gives the Magic a 10 point advantage, Wade answers, and Dooling gets fouled and makes a pair to end the half with the Magic ahead 59-49.
Halftime: Orlando Magic 59, Miami Heat 49
FIRST QUARTER
Orlando's present/future and past big men meet at center court for tonight's opening tip as Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal compete for the game's opening possession. The Heat control the opening tap and feed Shaq down low for a slam. Wade drives to the bucket and creates an open three for Ricky Davis who buries a triple. Van Gundy was right when he said that this isn't the same Heat team which started the season so poorly.
Bogans continues his steller shooting from beyond the arc as he ties the game at 4 a piece. After a Shaq free-throw, Turkoglu nets his first bucket drilling a three-pointer giving the Magic a 7-6 advantage. Dwight throws in a hook over Shaq but the big fella answers with a dunk on the other end.
Howard throws down another dunk and Wade dishes a nice alley-oop to Udonis Haslem who throws it down giving the Heat a 12-11 lead with eight mintues left in the first.
Rashard nails a jumper and let's hope he can get going and get back on track. Turkoglu finishes an easy layup on a nice feed from Dwight and Bogans strokes his second triple of the night forcing a Pat Riley timeout with the Magic leading 18-17 with 5:43 to go in the opening quarter.
Both teams start the game shooting extremely well with the Magic converting on nearly 60 pecent of their shots and the Heat making 70 percent of their shot attempts. Dwight may not be able to put on a dunk show tonight with the big bodies of Shaq and Alonzo Mourning guarding him but Howard has turned to his jump hook of the glass as he buckets two more.
Brian Cook comes off the bench and makes his presence known by nailing a long range jumper. Bogans forces a turnover from Wade which leads to a Nelson transition layup giving the Magic a 26-19 lead. Bogans has done an excellent job thus far on Wade holding the superstar to just 2 points with just under three minutes left in the opening period.
With Shaq out of the game, Dwight takes advantage by throwing down a dunk which gives the Magic a 30-22 lead. The Heat string together a couple of easy buckets and have cut the Magic lead to 32-28 as we head under a minute.
Dooling controls the ball for the conclusion of the quarter and converts on a touch floater over top the outstrecthed arm of Alonzo Mourning.
End of First: Orlando Magic 34, Miami Heat 28
TIP-OFF
Welcome back to Amway Arena for the second time in as many nights as the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat battle for state bragging rights. The division rivals know each other very well and tonight's game should be a hard fought battle despite their disparities in record.
The Heat are finally starting to get healthy and their superstar Dwyane Wade is feeling like he is getting back to full strength.
"It feels good to be back playing basketball and getting healthy," said Wade who led the Heat to a victory last night against the Houston Rockets with 31 points.
Shaquille O'Neal also had a big game for the Heat scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Coach Van Gundy is well aware of the threat these two players pose on the Magic.
"Miami has two of the most unique players in the NBA and two guys who change your entire gameplan," said Van Gundy. "Wade, in my mind, is as good a perimeter player in the league as anyone. I coached him for a couple of years and I have no idea how to stop him and I certainly didn't learn from watching other people trying to stop him because none of them really could either."
Van Gundy continued, "People don't realize that Shaq may not be able to play 82 games like he used to but he is still very capable of doing what he did last night."
Van Gundy went on to say that his game-plan is to use Dwight's athleticism and ability to run the floor against the older, less mobile O'Neal to the Magic's advantage.
Let's see if the Magic execute their game-plan as the Amway crowd begins to filter in for what expects to be another rowdy sellout crowd.
SHOOTAROUND
Orlando and Miami entered Amway Arena this morning looking to prepare for their interstate, interdivisional clash tonight less than 24 hours after each team was victorious.
NBA teams normally don't go through shootaround the morning following a game but Orlando and Miami don't just share a state, they share a history.
Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy coached in Miami for 12 years, and has an extensive history with Miami's head coach Pat Riley.
"I would not be standing here right now if it wasn't for Pat Riley and I owe most of what I have learned in the NBA to him."
Riley commented on Van Gundy's current situation and his relationship with Stan and the entire Van Gundy family.
"This is the perfect place for Stan, and he would want to coach for nothing."
Riley continued, "Contrary to what people may think, I am in love with the whole Van Gundy family and Stan and Jeff Van Gundy have given a piece of them to me. They are a part of me."
Van Gundy's first season as Miami head coach in the 2003 season was also the first season for Miami superstar Dwyane Wade and the two talked about the respect they have for each other.
"Stan and I kind of grew together," said Wade. "It was his first year as a coach and my first year as a player so we learned on the fly together and I have a lot of respect for Stan."
Van Gundy echoed Wade's comments.
"I have a great deal of respect for Dwyane and he is a great person. He was a very coachable guy and reminds me a lot of Dwight in the fact that they are always willing to learn and get better everyday."
Getting better seems to be an understatement for Dwight Howard this season as he has begun to make a name for himself as being the best big man in the league and is drawing some rather lofty comparisons.
"Dwight is Moses Malone at 22 and Shaq at 22 and that's what they have here in Orlando," stated Riley. "He's going to grow with this organization and be one of the best."
Howard is often compared to another young big man who came up with Orlando, Miami center Shaquille O'Neal.
"Dwight is great," commented Wade. "People are comparing him to a young Shaq and I think that is a fair comparison in the way they dominate the game. It is scary for the league how good this guy is getting."
What is scary are the numbers Howard has been putting up, and for the first time in his career, Howard is coming off back-to-back games of at least 30 points and 15 rebounds, a feat in which O'Neal has accomplished seven times in his career.
The joke in the Magic locker room is that Dwight is putting up "video game" numbers, but the humble Howard isn't focusing on his stats.
"It is more than just my numbers," said Howard, "it's about defending the basketball and winning games."
Winning games is something the Magic are becoming accustomed to as they look to extend their Southeast Division lead by winning their second straight game against a division foe tonight at Amway Arena.
PREGAME
The interstate rivalry renews Saturday night at Amway Arena as the Magic gear up to face the Miami Heat.
Both teams are playing back-to-back games having played the night before and the division rivals appear headed in opposite directions.
The Magic lead the Southeast Division with their 11-3 record and Miami's 3-9 record puts them last in the division and near the bottom of the entire Eastern Conference.
The Heat have not been able to get on track offensively averaging an NBA worst 85.4 points per game.
Superstar Dwyane Wade was sidelined for the Heat's first seven games, and is averaging a team high 18.8 points, but hasn't been able to get Miami back on track as they are 2-4 since his return.
Shaquille O'Neal has shown signs of aging, averaging a career low 15.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Udonis Haslem has been the only bright spot of the Heat chipping in 12.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
Despite Miami's woes, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached in Miami for 12 seasons, thinks it is only a matter of time before the Heat get back on track.
"Miami still has four guys from their championship team, they traded for an athletic scorer, and Pat Riley is their coach," added Van Gundy. "It will only be a matter of time before they piece everything together and get back on track."
Orlando is looking for their second straight home victory against a division opponent in as many days.
MAGIC INJURY REPORT
Tony Battie – Out, torn rotator cuff, left shoulder – underwent successful surgery on Oct. 24; will likely miss the entire season.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT:
Nov. 24 vs. Miami (Orlando, FL): Orlando is 31-40 vs. Miami (18-18 at home, 13-22 on the road) during regular season action, including a perfect 4-0 last season…Orlando is 2-3 vs. Miami during the playoffs (1997 first round)...Orlando has won the last five meetings, but lost 10 of the last 16 in the series overall…The Magic have won three of the last four meetings at home, but split the last 10 meetings…Orlando has won its last three games in Miami, but is 6-11 in the last 17 matchups at Miami…Stan Van Gundy served as the Heat’s head coach for two-plus years from 2003-05, compiling a 112-73 (.605) record…Keyon Dooling went to Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale and played in 74 games with Miami during the 2004-05 campaign…Carlos Arroyo played four years at Florida International University…For last season’s stats and Magic career numbers vs. Miami, see p. 261 of the media guide.
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. HEAT: 42 pts., Shaquille O’Neal (@ Miami, 11-5-93); Nick Anderson (@ Orlando, 11-16-92)
BEST ALL-TIME SCORING PERFORMANCE VS. MAGIC: 56 pts., Glen Rice (@ Miami, 4-15-95
