By Josh Cohen

Game 1: For the third straight game, Boston built a big first quarter lead on Wednesday. But unlike the last two contests, the Celtics figured out how to sustain it and cruise to a victory.

Matt Janning led with 20 points and DeShawn Sims scored 18 as the Celtics earned their first win of the 2010 AirTran Airways Pro Summer League with a 92-71 triumph over the Charlotte Bobcats.
FULL RECAP

Game 2: There are many things James Harden does well; he can consistently bury the mid-range jumper, play insistent defense, protect the ball and make quality passing decisions.

But perhaps his best asset is his relentless ability to get to the free throw line. The former Arizona State star attempted 18 foul shots on Monday, 10 on Tuesday and on Wednesday, went 15-of-18 from the stripe and finished with 21 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the previously undefeated Philadelphia 76ers, 89-80.
FULL RECAP

Game 3: It was only fitting that Damion James (30 points) and Joe Crawford (29 points) went toe-to-toe in New Jersey’s victory over Orlando.

James, selected 24th overall by the Hawks in the 2010 NBA Draft, was traded for Crawford’s brother, Jordan, picked by the Hawks (27th).
FULL RECAP

Game 4: There was no quit in the Utah Jazz, but in the end, they didn’t quite have enough in the tank.

Leading by as many as 23 in the first half, the Pacers scratched and crawled in the final minutes to earn a win.
FULL RECAP

By Dan Savage

Joe Crawford and Damion James are extremely familiar with one another. After all, they worked out with each other for an entire summer in California.

However, the two players never expected they would be trading baskets in the most prolific scoring battle the 2010 AirTran Airways Orlando Pro Summer League has seen.

Unfortunately for Crawford and the Magic, James got the best of his friend in the scoring showdown on Wednesday. The former Texas forward, who New Jersey acquired in a draft-day trade, exploded for a Summer League season-high 30 points to lift his squad to a 94-91 victory over Orlando.

The contest was the third straight quality outing for James, who’s now averaging 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Still, Crawford was equally as impressive on the night, connecting on 10 of his 13 shots for a Magic team-high 29 points.

"The biggest thing for me is to go out there and play as hard as I can," the former Wildcat explained. "I think they know I can score, so for me it's just about playing hard every minute offensively and defensively."

But the guard’s sensational evening had a bitter ending. With his squad down two and the ball in his hands, Crawford stepped out of bounds with seven seconds remaining. New Jersey knocked down a free throw at the other end and Orlando was unable to get another shot off before time expired.

By Josh Cohen

The Sunshine State is ‘where amazing happens’.

Before 1988, many Florida residents barely knew what the NBA was. More than 20 years later, however, the fans of Florida are celebrating over their basketball ascendancy.

The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, two NBA franchises that didn’t exist prior to the late 1980’s, are now two of the most popular and supreme teams in the league.

The Magic, for one, are the reigning three-time Southeast Division champions and possess the game’s most intimidating center, Dwight Howard.

The Heat, meanwhile, coagulated their primacy with the news that they reportedly agreed to deals with free agents Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Since Orlando debuted in 1989, the Magic and Heat have never really had an impassioned rivalry. They met in the playoffs once (1997), but were never two of the elite NBA teams at the same time.

That is expected to change starting in 2010-11. It will be a great time to be a hoops fanatic in Florida, and most likely, the Magic and Heat will finally begin their highly-anticipated enmity over one another.

Just think; how exhilarating would it be for basketball fans across The Sunshine State if the Heat and Magic eventually clashed in an Eastern Conference Finals? Sounds pretty awesome to me.

By Josh Cohen

Some of the participants competing at the 2010 AirTran Airways Pro Summer League are already under contract with their respective teams. Players such as Oklahoma City’s James Harden, Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson and Philadelphia’s Jrue Holiday are certain to be playing in the NBA next season.

But most of the competitors are battling for a spot on an NBA roster. There are obviously very few opportunities available in the NBA, thus it is extremely important to impress in Summer League.

Here are some players that have made a good impression for NBA scouts and general managers:

• Jaycee Carroll (Boston Celtics): Utah State’s all-time leading scorer is a vigorous point guard with excellent shooting range and a high basketball IQ. He recorded 13 points and three assists on Wednesday to guide Boston past Charlotte.

• Patrick Ewing Jr. (Orlando Magic): Ewing is all about heart and hustle and has shown in Summer League that he is a first-rate distributor, ball-handler and defender. His shooting from the perimeter is improving as well.

• Jeremy Pargo (Charlotte Bobcats): Pargo demonstrated on Tuesday when he buried a last-second game-winning bucket against the Thunder that he is not afraid to take critical shots. He has great size for a point guard and generally makes very good decisions.

• Joe Crawford (Orlando Magic): The former Kentucky standout is an explosive scorer. Crawford erupted for 29 points on Wednesday in a losing effort against the Nets.

By Dan Savage

In all my time covering the Magic, I’ve never seen Head Coach Stan Van Gundy at a loss for words. He kept the tradition alive on Wednesday when describing the absurdity of LeBron James’ television show, which will reveal his free agency decision. “It takes 15 seconds to say ‘I’ve decided to stay in Cleveland,’ but we've got another 59 minutes and 45 seconds to do, what? Promote LeBron James? As if we don’t do that enough,” Van Gundy said. “It's gotten ridiculous.”

There’s no superstar in the NBA quite like Kevin Durant. Even though he’s now consistently mentioned in MVP discussions, he still hasn’t lost his boyhood charm. The Thunder’s franchise player sat on the squad’s bench for the third straight day, engaged in pregame rituals with his teammates and offered words of encouragement to each member of Oklahoma City’s roster. He also made his way over to the scorer’s table to ask me a number of questions about other players on different teams throughout the league. When I showed him Matt Janning’s line from Boston’s win over Charlotte, he simply replied “he’s dat dude.”

When the 2010-11 NBA regular season tips off, it will mark the 23rd consecutive season that Jerry Sloan has coached the Utah Jazz. In his duration as the longest tenured coach in professional sports, he’s seen just about everything and is now prepared for nearly every situation. The exception to this rule: Meeting OrlandoMagic.com’s Josh Cohen. Mr. Cohen caught Sloan off guard on Wednesday when the two ran into each other in the hall; literally. Cohen’s feet tangled in with Sloan’s, which nearly brought the coach to his knees. Although, the Magic’s web writer apologized, Sloan remained silent. In my opinion, Cohen better watch his back for the rest of this week.