Orlando Magic Blog – Page 61 – NBA Blog

Game 1: Magic squeak out 98-89 win over Bobcats

The AP reports:

Dwight Howard was slapped, scraped, pushed and punished. His frustration built, simmering so much that he was sidelined in foul trouble…

Game 1: Magic squeak out 98-89 win over Bobcats

Jameer Nelson scored 24 of his 32 points in the first half, and the Magic nearly blew a 22-point lead with Howard out before beating the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday…

Vince Carter was 4 for 19, finished with 12 points and fouled out late. Howard had nine blocks but was limited offensively…

Gerald Wallace had 25 points, and Stephen Jackson played through a hyperextended left knee to finish with 18 points in the Bobcats’ first playoff game in franchise history.

Dwight Howard owns paint in win over Mavs

The AP reports:

Dwight Howard dominates paint in win over Mavs

Dwight Howard regularly dominates in the paint for the Orlando Magic. The X-factor for the Magic is their 3-point shooting.

Howard had 17 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots, and his teammates converted 14 of 24 attempts from 3-point range as the Magic atoned for an earlier loss to Dallas with a 97-82 victory over the Mavericks on Thursday night.

Reserve Mickael Pietrus had a season-high 24 points, making all six of his 3-point attempts, and Vince Carter added 19 points to help Orlando win for the 14th time in 16 games…

Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points to lead the Mavericks, whose three-game winning streak ended. Jason Terry and J.J. Barea had 16 points apiece in reserve roles for Dallas.

Nowitzki’s fellow starters—Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler and Jason Kidd—combined for only 20 points.

JJ Redick rocks Nuggets

The AP reports:

J.J. Redick had 23 points and career highs of eight assists and seven rebounds in place of an injured Vince Carter, helping the Orlando Magic beat the Denver Nuggets 103-97 on Sunday night.

He was 8-for-15 shooting and played a career-high 46 minutes after Carter sprained his right big toe. The Magic also got a big boost with 19 points from Anderson for their 13th win in the last 15 games.

Redick got another lift at halftime, too, when he saw his former Duke team about to clinch a spot in the Final Four. But he pointed to his minutes — and what he did with them — as his proudest moment of the night.

“I think sometimes as a player when you know you’re not going to come out, you don’t force things and you move the ball and you make the extra pass,” Redick said.

Orlando Magic are on fire

John Schuhmann of NBA.com reports:

The Magic are 14-3 since the [NBA All-Star] break, second only to the Bucks (15-3). But statistically, Orlando has been more dominant than anybody. The Magic have outscored their opponents by 14.8 points every 100 possessions over those 17 games. The next best team since the break has been the Phoenix Suns, who have been just 9.3 points better than their opponents.

The Magic have been terrific defensively since November. For the second straight season, they’re the top defense in the league, allowing 99.7 points every 100 possessions, a hair less than the Celtics. But it’s been on offense that they’ve taken off since the break.

With Vince Carter finding the right balance between aggressiveness and unselfishness, and Jameer Nelson all the way back from arthroscopic knee surgery, the Magic are now as potent as any offense in the league. And when a team has both a great offense and a great defense … well, even Magic coach Stan Van Gundy admits that he’s happy with the way his team is playing…

Orlando is taking care of business against the weaker teams, and the Magic have held their own against the rest of the elite. Van Gundy may want to fine tune some things, but with three weeks to go in the regular season, no team is more ready for the playoffs than the Magic.

Free state tax returns for Nets fans Friday

The New Jersey Nets come up with some seriously cool promotions for fans. Here’s their latest:

Roni Deutch Tax Center, one of the nation’s fastest growing tax preparation franchise companies, will provide all New Jersey residents 18 years and older who attend the NETS-Orlando Magic game at the IZOD CENTER on Friday, March 5 with a coupon for preparation of a free state tax return.

Through a new partnership with NETS Basketball, Roni Deutch Tax Center will have representatives on site at NETS Tax Night on March 5 to answer tax-related questions before and during the game.

In addition, NETS fans who attend any upcoming home game at the IZOD CENTER this season, other than March 5, can receive a coupon in the NETS Game Program good for up to $50 off of tax preparation services at a Roni Deutch Tax Center in Hackensack, Bergenfield, and Fair Lawn. Upon completion of their returns, Roni Deutch customers will also receive NETS tickets for this season, while supplies last.

“My life’s mission is to empower every American to take charge of their tax lives,” said Roni Deutch, president and founder of Roni Deutch Tax Center. “Partnering with NETS Basketball is our opportunity to get involved in the community, ensuring that local taxpayers and basketball fans have the information they need to be prepared this tax season and save big bucks on their taxes.”

Magic to honor Darrell Armstrong Feb. 19

As part of the Orlando Magic’s “Commitment to the Past,” fan-favorite guard Darrell Armstrong will be honored by the organization when the Magic host Dallas on Friday, Feb. 19 at Amway Arena. Game time is 8 p.m.

Undrafted by any NBA franchise, Armstrong was originally signed as a free agent by Orlando on Apr. 8, 1995. He went on to play 502 regular season games during nine seasons with the Magic, averaging 11.7 ppg., 5.1 apg. and 1.65 stlpg.

Armstrong ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in almost every single category, including games played (3rd, 502), points (8th, 5,898), assists (3rd, 2,555), steals (2nd, 830), three-point field goals made (3rd, 654) and three-point field goals attempted (3rd, 1,892).

From Feb. 5, 1999 to Apr. 3, 2001, Armstrong played in 206 consecutive games, at the time a franchise record (Dwight Howard later appeared in 351 straight games from Nov. 3, 2004 to Dec. 12, 2008). He still holds the team record for most consecutive free throws made without a miss with 47.

Past honorees of the Orlando Magic’s “Commitment to the Past” include Nick Anderson, Matt Guokas, Dennis Scott, Scott Skiles, Jeff Turner and Pat Williams.

Vince Carter scores 48

The AP reports:

Vince Carter had a season-high 48 points, leading the Orlando Magic back from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat the New Orleans Hornets 123-117 on Monday night.

Carter was 19 for 27 shooting and had 34 points in the second half with some of the most sizzling moves since he joined the Magic, who have won nine of their last 11 games.

Dwight Howard added 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Rashard Lewis finished with 18 points for Orlando…

It was by far Carter’s best performance since he was traded from New Jersey in the offseason, finishing three shy of his career high. The eight-time All-Star expected to be Orlando’s missing piece to a title was back in peak form, and the Magic can only hope he stays there.

Stan Van Gundy to coach 2010 East All-Star team

Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, to be played on Sunday, Feb. 14, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

With a 91-86 road victory tonight over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Magic (32-16, .667) clinched the second-best record in the Eastern Conference through Jan. 31. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Mike Brown coached the East in last year’s game and is not eligible for the honor this season.

In his third year as coach, Van Gundy has Orlando poised to win its third straight Southeast Division title and back in title contention a season after guiding the Magic to The Finals. The Magic posted a 111-53 mark during Van Gundy’s first two years at the helm. Including his two-plus-year sting as head coach of the Miami Heat, Van Gundy has earned NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors on five occasions. With a 255-142 (.642) overall coaching record, Van Gundy is almost certainly assured of owning one of the top winning percentages in league annals when he reaches the minimum requirement of 400 games coached.

George Karl of the Denver Nuggets earned the right to coach the Western Conference earlier this week and will man the sidelines of his fourth NBA All-Star Game of his 22-year NBA coaching career. Los Angeles’ Phil Jackson, who coached last year’s West squad, is not eligible to coach this year’s All-Star Game.

The NBA All-Star Game will broadcast live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 14, from Arlington.

Doc Rivers says Dwight Howard hits opponents more than anybody

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports (via blog):

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers chuckles at the notion that Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is on the receiving end of more physical play than Howard dishes out.

I asked Rivers following his team’s shootaround today whether the Celtics are more physical with Howard than other teams.

“I don’t think so,” Rivers said. “We don’t have ‘Howard Rules,’ I can tell you that. We just go out and play one-on-one defense. We have big guys. We have guys who are very good defenders. I literally get a kick out of all the Howard people [saying Howard is always on the receiving end of physical play]. ”Clearly, people are looking one way. Howard gives out far more punishment than he gets, I can guarantee you that. I actually giggle at that when I hear all the ‘Howard’s getting hit’ talk. It’s a joke to me. That guy hits more than anybody in the league. So, if you’re gonna give it out [you’ve got to be prepared to take it]. That’s the way we look at it.”

Stan Van Gundy talks with frustrated Rashard Lewis

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Coach Stan Van Gundy said he met with PF Rashard Lewis on Thursday “for quite a while” to discuss his frustration — and the team’s.

Lewis said after Wednesday night’s game loss to the Denver Nuggets that he wasn’t getting quite enough shots.

Does he have a point?

“Yes and no. We need to find more shots for our keys guys, but part of it is the defense is keying on those guys, especially on Rashard,” Van Gundy said. “Part of it his energy and aggressiveness. I talked to him quite a while (Thursday).

“I think he’s frustrated. That’s a bit of the problem. There’s sort of a frustration running through our team. Rashard had made a comment that sometimes it feels like we’re a last-place team. That sort of sums up a little bit of where our guys are right now.”