Friday, March 6, 2009

Top 8 Gortat YouTube Clips


As our loyal reader knows, we love Marcin Gortat here at TPASTBM. The Warlock, or Polish Hammer as others call him, has been with the Magic for two years and we all hope he stays longer. That said, here are our favorite YouTube moments featuring Mr. Gortat.

Number 8: A pretty sweet ally from former Magic man Carlos Arroyo. This one gets an extra point considering Pat Garrity was also in the game.



Number 7
: Gortat gets down during "Name that TV Tune." It's pretty obvious he isn't too familiar with the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.



Number 6
: In his second career start Gortat put up 16 points and 13 boards.



Number 5
: During Media Day Marcin has a nice little conversation with TV play by play man David Steele.



Number 4
: In his first career start earlier this year Gortat comes up with a huge block.



Number 3
: Times are tough, even in the NBA. That said, the Orlando Magic put Gortat to work in the ticket office.



Number 2
: We love Gortat, but even our love couldn't prevent us from putting this horrible attempt at a dunk on here.



Number 1
: "Droga Do NBA part 1." We're not really sure what this is, but it does include the line, "NBA welcome to, Marcin Gortat."


Thursday, March 5, 2009

Message Boards, Blogs, Twitter, Beanbag Chairs, and Journalism




When Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford brought down the Nixon administration, it was perhaps the pinnacle of American journalism. Two young men given a long enough leash to chase down the story, the truth, and to perfectly display the intentions of our First Amendment. Journalism was viewed as a noble profession full of upstanding Americans looking out for the everyday man. Things have certainly changed.

As everyone likes to say, newspapers are dying. Just last week the Rocky Mountain News, which had been running for well over 100 years, printed their last edition. The Tribune Co., which owns our hometown Orlando Sentinel, has been in trouble for years.

There are two main issues getting in the way for newspapers. First, in a nutshell, is the profit motive. The ownership of newspapers by those who are only concerned with the bottom line and the corporate stock price, well, make decisions accordingly. Providing a valuable public service seems almost secondary.

Second, and this is a problem just as much because of the first reason, is the internet. And when you look at it, when compared to the internet, an actual newspaper has a lot live up to:

Advantages of the internet:

• I can get the scoop on the game and look at the box score instantly. None of this getting up in the morning and walking out to the curb stuff.
• It’s free.
• I am not limited to just what is in today’s edition. My sources are endless. I can read about the Magic at ESPN.com, OrlandoMagic.com, this pretty cool blog called The Puns Are Starting to Bore Me, and plenty of other places.
• Video, audio… All sorts of stuff.
• People can do it while they are at work, and it will still look like they are working.

Advantages of the newspaper:

• The feeling of relaxing with a cup of coffee and unfolding the paper.
• When skimming through a newspaper you can catch stories that you wouldn’t otherwise see.

Not looking too good for the ole’ newspapers, and that was just the Cliff Notes version. For some great journalism on the current state of journalism, check out this Frontline.

So why all this rambling about stuff not having to do with the Orlando Magic? Well, the other day we discussed the media and it deserves to be expanded on. This all started when, as visitors to the Orlando Magic Message Board, we noticed several posts by Orlando Sentinel writer Mike Bianchi. He was posting links to his blog and columns he had written over at OrlandoSentinel.com. Why would Mike be promoting his writing like this?

Now I’ve never sat in on a meeting at the Orlando Sentinel, but I can imagine how one not too long ago went:

Guy in business suit who went to business school: “Alright, folks. Ya see, with this internet thing we are getting killed because people don’t need to pay us anymore to list in the classifieds that they are trying to sell their beanbag chair.”

Mike Bianchi: “I want a beanbag chair.”

Guy in business suit who went to business school: “Now they can put it on Craigslist for free. This sucks. They can also post their resume on Monster.com. Not good too. So we have this website, orlandosentinel.com, and we’re trying to survive this way. What we have decided to do is bow down and try to generate ad revenue by putting up pictures of girls in bikinis, cute babies, and other top notch journalism stuff like that. Ya know… Pulitzer stuff."

Mike Bianchi: “Alright, so what does this have to do with me. I’m a pretty solid writer. I do a good job making noise and stirring the pot. Is it because you want me to take some of these bikini photos?”

Guy in business suit who went to business school: “No, basically what we want you to do is put on one of those sandwich signs and go to the street corner and do whatever you can to get our website a few extra hits. That way we can try to charge an extra dollar for that ad on our site that no one clicks on anyway.”

Mike Bianchi: “Alright, boss, I’ll do it. But I have to say that this isn’t why I wanted to be a writer.”

Guy in business suit who went to business school: “Quite you. I don’t have time for the only staff member here that isn’t trying to extract the most profit from the Casey Anthony situation.”


I could be wrong, but I think that is how it went down. After the meeting Mike signed up at orlandomagiczone.com and posted a few links to his stuff. So the question is, what’s wrong with it? Why not yell as loud as you can for attention?

The problem starts at the illusion of separation between the internet and actual journalism (actual journalism refers to Woodward and Bernstein type stuff). For some reason people still think that there should be writers doing it the old fashioned way, even though the old fashioned way died years ago. The internet, especially message boards, is for playing, while cubicles at the Sentinel's downtown office is where the real work gets done.

Unfortunately, there are many more sources vying for our attention these days, and if you don’t take a proactive approach you will become the Rocky Mountain News. Take for example, this blog. We promote it whenever we can. We email our posts to other sources and hell, I’m going to email this to Mr. Bianchi. And we would like for as many people to read it as possible. One might be able to say that even we are a bit of competition for the sports desk over at the Orlando Sentinel… And 10 years ago no one would be able to read us!

So journalists keep trying. The latest craze is Twitter. Yes, journalists are resorting to 160 character updates on sports, business, and politics. Is there anything wrong with it? No. The only problem is when the need to Twitter, blog, Facebook, and post on message boards replaces doing actual journalism. These tools need only supplement the long nights and countless cups of coffee that is true American journalism. After all, the typical Magic fan can’t go to practice and hear what Stan Van Gundy has to say about this Shaq feud. They can’t ask Otis about Hedo opting out after the season is over. So, given the world is at their fingertips now with this internet craze, if fans don’t get the answers right away they blame the journalists who they see spending too much time Twittering… Thank God I’m not a journalist.

SHAQ ATTAQ


First, a little bit of background for those who have had their heads in the sand for the last few days.



Here is the ESPN article on the feud, and here is the Orlando Sentinel piece.

  • Gibberish is defined as unintelligible or nonsensical talk or writing. With that in mind we here at the PUNS would like to react to the latest SHAQ ATTAQ.

Maxwell Effort:

Well yesterday I called him the Big Floptus and that name fits again because these comments flopped just like his big body. Its a sad portrayal of his character to see him lash out like this. He is getting up there in years and could not take the fact that somebody else is coming along would COULD quite possibly be as good. He tries to downplay everything Dwight does saying he invented it. Gosh I did not know Shaq invented the dunk or even participated in the dunk contest. Heck if DWade does not get hurt in 2005 they beat the Pistons in my opinion and its not like Shaq exactly carried or willed his team to victory. He is so quick to take all the glory but yet when things do not go his way pass off all the blame. In the 2006 NBA Finals the refs and Wade carried him and I would say Zo played better than he did providing a great deal of defense and grit. Yet Shaq is there with his huge smile acting like he did the heavy lifting. Now Shaq has been a truly dominant and amazing player to watch but I would argue he is not even the best big man of this era because that would be Tim Duncan.

El Fantasma:

Grumpy Shaq..this is what ESPN called Shaq last night while talking about his idiotic and childish "war" against Stan Van Gundy, Dwight Howard and really, anything or anyone he feels like talking about. I believe they wanted to say Grumpy OLD man, but they where afraid of the fury coming back from the Big Shaqflop. I read in some articles and forums that the guy is just trying to save his legacy, and finish his career on a high note, be relevant. I say, What legacy? This latest run only cements his legacy of a cry baby, a quitter and a sorry sad man. Everywhere he's been, Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, he's left talking trash about the team and the people that supported him. He just can't shut up. It makes him look like an idiot. Sure he has 4 rings, but all of those accomplishments are in risk of being forgotten because of his classless rants. His legacy is right now, is being a silly old man, trying to hold on to whatever memory of youth and relevance he might have left. I think ESPN finally got something right, well at least half right. Shaq is just a Grumpy (old) man.

Jackie Moon:

The thing that comes to my mind over and over reading Shaq's comments is "the truth hurts". Shaq did not be called out for flopping because it has annoyed him for nearly two decades now that players that can't guard him flop or foul him. So when Dwight started making his free throws down the stretch (something Shaq has never done in his career), he resorted to the only defense left and flopped. Shaq is a big baby who would have no rings if not for Kobe or Wade. Patrick Ewing who Shaq took a shot at for no reason at all, would have won more rings than that if he had a wing player of their calibre on his team instead of John Starks.

OCTB:

Another prima donna who thinks his talent in one area gives him free reign to do or say whatever he pleases about those around him.I mean, hell, I'm a fantastic napper! Maybe the best in the whole world! But you don't see me acting like I own the joint, taking peoples milkshakes outta their hands, or calling people out for staying up all day!

Nickel Steak:

Someone needs to explain to me what the meaning of "frontrunner" is as per the Shaqtionary.

Terry and The Pump Fakes:

So much for bowing out gracefully, Shaq seems to feel the need to repeat his resume any chance he gets even if it means taking shots at a kid who looks up to him in Dwight. The thing is, that is all in the past. His time is over and he can't handle it. Did he not get enough attention over the past 16yrs? Apparently not, so now he takes shots at the people that command attention now.

I couldn't believe my eyes at the game Tuesday when I saw him flop. A 300+lb man acting like getting bumped by someone who gives up 50lbs to was enough to knock him down. In my opinion flopping is the most heinous action a player can take while trying to play defense. Not only should it be punishable by death, the offending player should burn in Hell for it. There is nothing more cowardly. Shaq (understandably so) complained for years that the only way other players could defend him was to flop. That if the refs didn't allow flopping he would have better games/been more effective/not fouled out. So what does "The Big Hypocrite" do when he is called out for doing the very thing he spoke out about? He has the audacity to try and defend his actions- "Yeah I flopped but flopping is falling and crying and complaining to the ref." "It was a flop but flopping is wrong." It was a flop but flopping is wrong?? So as long as you only do it to players you can't hope to defend and not to every player in the league it's ok?? As long as you don't complain about not getting the call it's ok?? So I guess Vlade and every other center that played against you were really ok right? Well if there is no problem with it I guess you shouldn't have to take shots at your old coach (the 3rd old coach he has taken shots at for those of you counting) for standing up for the guy that didn't fall down even though he was giving up 50lbs and you were using your off hand to shove him out of the lane, right? You shouldn't have to take shots at someone that wasn't even involved in the whole thing by saying that Dwight's moves are the old stale Ewing moves(stale HOF moves).

Shaq will go down in history as one of the best but the gap for me between him and Russell, Hakeem, and Kareem is Grand Canyon wide. Those guys competed every minute, they fought, they worked hard in the offseason. When was the last time Shaq showed up for training camp in shape? What we are seeing now is the real Shaq, a pathetic shell of a person who is nothing without the attention that others heap upon him. The worlds smallest 7ft 300lb man.

Paul Ego:

The Big Shaquego. Open mouth, insert foot. The Shaquego has a HUGE problem with criticism, so much so, that he seems to have a few blank spots in his own memory banks. Calling Stan's coaching career a flop? I think the Big Shaqflopopolis (remember this nickname later kids) needs to open up Webster's and look up flop for old times sake. I have a few different version here in my office (what can I say, I'm a collector), one has a picture of Steel, another had a picture of Kazaam, and the third said something about a rumored rap career? Talk about a flop.I used to think it would be a good move to get a year or two out of Shaq on the bench in Orlando, playing mentor to Dwight, and picking up 15 minutes a game. Now I see that his ego would not let that happen. Personally, I'd rather have Rasheed Wallace here playing that role.In his twilight years, if the Big Shaqflopopolis wants to stay the "center" of attention, play fewer games, not worry about back to backs, and be the focal point of his team, maybe he should move to Greece. He should get enough attention there to feed the big Shaquego plenty.

The Big Train

The key thing in this entire situation is Dwight Howard. It was pretty obvious that he was a bit put off by all the jabs that Shaq has been taking the last few days, and he wasn't really sure how to respond to it. He ended up staying quiet, noting that he respects his elders. Regardless, you could tell he wasn't too happy. Insert Stan as he provides yet another reason why everyone here in Orlando is so happy to have him as our coach. He defended the hell out of his player, and took the heat off of Dwight and placed it square on his shoulders.

Jareth Cutestory

Rather then try to analyze and comprehend what Shaq was saying, or get mad about it like I did when I first read it, I'm simply going to applaud our coach for defending Dwight Howard the best way he knew how. While Stan commented on something we all saw, Shaq decided to take another route, and degrade our beloved coach, his staff, and his players. What did Stan do? He replied that he was honored. And why did he not respond back with a verbal onslaught like Shaq did? Because he knew he had accomplished what he wanted to do. He subtly got under Shaq's skin with a 20 second blip about his flop, and Shaq took the bait hook, line, and sinker. While Shaq made a fool of himself, Van Gundy successfully defended his player, and took Shaq's ego down a few notches while he was at it.



Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The OCTB's Fat From the Fryer: Magic vs. Suns

  • Shaq vs. Dwight: epic battle in the post against the game’s best big man and the game’s biggest, uh, big man. First time in a while that I focused more on an individual matchup vs. the team matchup.
  • You ever used a medicine ball? After shooting or passing with a weighted medicine ball, a regular ball suddenly seems lighter than air. Dwight Howard must have experienced this concept when Shaq left the game and he suddenly found himself guarded by...wait for it...Louis Amundson.
  • Still plenty of boos for both Grant Hill and Shaquille O’Neal. Anyone who thinks that these guys shouldn’t be booed just can’t appreciate how a sports fan takes things to heart. And with affairs of the heart, logic is not a factor.
  • During a timeout, the jumbotron showed Rafer Alston answering the question, “what is your favorite movie.” His answer, “Breakin” and “Breakin II: Electric Boogaloo!”
  • Tyronn Lue’s new role: world’s ugliest cheerleader.
  • Robin Lopez = Sideshow Bob
  • Another technical foul called on Dwight…this is beginning to be a habit and I hate to see it. He is already in double-digit techs for the season and if he keeps this up, he will start to look more and more like Tim Duncan, but not in the “four rings and great glasswork” way.
  • Shaq actually flopped! Shaq!! Is there another player in the NBA besides Dwight Howard who could have made Shaq even consider flopping? Shaq flopping is as strange a site as seeing me without the Fries On The Side!
  • The Magic were a mess with the turnovers, they kept pushing too much, rushing their passes, and making dangerous passes. The Suns looked like an NFL secondary.
  • I was relieved to finally have a team visit the O-Rena who, despite having some serious star power, didn’t have much of a vocal following in the audience like we’ve seen lately with Detroit, Boston, and Cleveland.
  • Both Dwight Howard and Shaq received technical fouls for arguing fouls drawn by the other. No further proof is needed that the two players were “super”-hyped (see what I did there?) for this matchup.
  • From the “Jump In the Fryer If You’ve Heard This Before” Department: In the fourth quarter, when Shaq was called for a technical for arguing a foul called on Steve Nash, Rashard Lewis shot the technical free throw. Then Dwight stepped to the line to take his two free throws. After making the first one, the ref gave the ball to Steve Nash and the Suns headed up the court! All the Magic players and the entire audience was alarmed, saying “he gets two shots!” I was pleased to see that the Magic players had the presence of mind to head back up the court on defense while they protested. Obviously the ref made a mistake but it says right here that Steve Nash was pretty sneaky to take advantage of it like he did. There should have been a delay of game warning given. I don’t care if it was the refs fault. Kudos to Howard for hitting both free throws despite the interruption.
After the game, I went to the visiting locker room. I was able to get a quick moment with Grant Hill. Here are two questions and two answers from The Ankle. The first question is one that another media member asked, but I thought it was worth sharing, because it dispells stories of Hill and Shaq coming back as owners. The second question was asked by the OCTB himself.

Question: “Do you see yourself being involved with this team (the Magic) down the line at some point.”
Grant Hill: “Being involved? Nah…I’ll be a fan when I’m done playing. I’ll be involved as a fan.”

Question: “This is your second game back and there was still a negative reaction from the crowd. Did that affect your game?”
Grant Hill: “Nah, nah, I just played bad. I’ve played bad all year at the four position. So...uh, nah, I came out…played a good first quarter but just didn’t get into a good rhythm there. That’s just part of the game.”

Shaq v. D12: The Morning After

In one of the more entertaining games of the year, the Orlando Magic defeated Shaq and the Phoenix Suns last night, 111-99.

There were some great post game quotes.

"This dude is huge. I just realized that I've got to go home and eat like five chickens to put a lot of weight on." - Marcin Gortat

"I was shocked, seriously, shocked," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said of O'Neal's flopping. "And very disappointed cause he knows what it's like. Lets stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that tonight."

Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Dwight fended off foul trouble to score 21 points and pull in 9 rebounds. TPASTBM favorite Marcin Gortat filled in for Dwight after picking up his 2, 3, and 4th fouls beautifully, contributing 8 points and 8 rebounds. For the Suns, Jason Richardson scored a team high 27, while Shaq had 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

TPASTBM Talks


Alright people. It's Tuesday, so let's talk. ESPN, the Orlando Sentinel, Drudge Report, Fox News, NPR. Casey Anthony, Mike Bianchi, Brian Schmitz, John Hollinger, T.O., Pacman. Print, TV, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Internet.


Talk amongst yourself...I'll give you a topic...Local news is neither local, or news. Discuss...


MMMMM Cookie

Last week was supposed to be the second tier of NBA drafting ability, but someone (Paul Ego) was out of the office sick. Quite frankly, none of you were important enough for me to drag my sorry sick self to the office to continue my cookie draft rankings. I believe our second tier of deliciousness is fresh cookie goodness, cooled off and ready to eat. Yum. Milk anyone?

Lets kick things off and see what pushed these teams up to the second tier, or what held them back from the top...

First up: Golden State
Vaulted to the top of this group by two second round draft picks, the Warriors showed a keen eye for selfish potential by picking Gilbert Arenas (30 overall) and Monta Ellis (40). All they needed was one more decent second round pick to push them into the top tier. Wait, what's this? Marc Jackson has a career PER of 0.0? That can't be right. You can't trust ANYONE these days, what every happened to taking pride in your work? Okay, lets set that career PER to 14.1, where it should be, and re-evaluate Golden State. What do you know, they just jumped up to fourth overall, and pushed Seattle back to sixth. My groupings are based on separation of data, not simple groupings (top 5 etc.), so this doesn't knock Seattle into the second tear.

Two notes of interest. GSW have played like they took a GSW to the chest this season. Mention Monta Ellis in your post, and suggested labels like "scooters, vacation, fall" pop up. Just in case you were wondering why he got hit with selfish player tag.

Next up: The Pacers
The new (by default) number one of the cooled off but still fresh cookies, Indiana has the fewest picks of any team in this tier with 14 overall. This is important, because they have a dearth of stand out picks in the second round. James Jones comes in as their best second round pick, 49 overall, and that's a far cry from picking up players like Arenas or Ellis late in the draft. How then do they find themselves in the second tier? The strength of great mid to late first round picks, that's how. Al Harrington anyone? What about he who can not be named? Yeah, that one hurt, didn't it, Magic fans?

Rounding out the second tier:
I'm grouping the next three teams together, because I hate writing about all three of these teams, for obvious reasons. Boston, Cleveland, and Detroit all made it into the second tier. I refuse to say anything else about these three teams, and guess what? This is my article, and I don't get paid, so I can do whatever I want in this spot! If you came here for some good word on one of these three teams, take a hike!

Join us next week as we talk about the bulk of the league, and every one's favorite team, "Your, Orlandooooooooo Magic"!

Tell us what you really think Shaq


Asked whether Dwight Howard's Superman mystique is bothering him, Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal said:

Doesn't bother me. I can't be impressed by something I invented in '92. I mean, you look at what he is doing, I've been there and done that. Every street he is driving down in Orlando, I have been on that street. Every nightclub, every restaurant. ... I have been there and done that. Until he wins three, four championships, then we can talk about him. But right now, he is just like every other big guy: 'You can run and jump, but you haven't won yet.'



Here is the Stats LLC preview...

Monday, March 2, 2009

Who is the real Superman? Dwight vs. Shaq



Let me start by saying I am biased here, but considering your are reading an Orlando Magic blog this shouldn't come as a surprise. But who really deserves to have the nickname “Superman” over the other? Shaq had it first and tattood it on his arm, but Dwight made it his own by flying in the cape for one of the most memorable dunks in the NBA slam dunk competition.

Sometimes I get the feeling Shaq is having an identity crisis with all the nicknames he has like Big Kahuna, Big Aristotle, Big Cactus, Shaq Diesel and of course Superman (among others). Does he really need all these nicknames? Does he really need a nick name at all? His name itself “Shaq” pretty identifies him to most people on the planet! How many other famous people are there named Shaq? Dwight on the other is more common name used by many people some who are very famous. Physically, Shaq is a rare combination of size, strength, and agility (more so in his younger years) that he sometimes appears to be superhuman but if you had to pin a Superhero label on him. I would go with the Incredible Hulk myself not only are the physical attributes closer, but so are the emotional aspects. Don’t make him angry or will leave town and call your city a “dried up little pond”, not to mention the Kobe bashing after his divorce (or trade) from the Lakers.

Dwight on the other hand is the real “Superman”, not only does he have the same superhuman physical skills as Shaq has but he can fly without his teammates holding him up! Dwight looks like a man of steel to the point he looks like he was molded instead of born. Off the court Dwight nearly always has a smile to go with his well mannered interviews and off the court comedy routines.

I have been a Magic fan since the day the NBA announced my hometown was being awarded a franchise. I have watched both of the future Hall of Fame centers be drafted, fight through their rookie struggles and grow up to be considered among the NBA elite players. Both have given me great joy in watching their domination of the paint, but to me Dwight will always be Superman regardless of how his career goes. It fits like no other nickname does.

As for Shaq, I admit to having hard feelings for him leaving town to join the Hollywood scene. Not to mention leading our in state rivals the Heat to their one and only championship. But I will always have fond memories of the finals team you lead and your leading role in helping establish our expansion team in a way that Charlotte and Vancouver were unable to do. To me you always be Shaq Diesel, an immovable force in the paint who knows how to carry the weight of his team.

Coming this week


This week Orlando plays three pretty big games as they try to find some consistency. Tuesday the now off and running Phoenix Suns come to town followed by New Jersey on Friday. The week is capped by a visit to Boston on Sunday.

Phoenix Suns @ Orlando Magic: Tuesday, March 3, 7:00 PM. SunSports and NBATV

The Suns enter the game winners of two straight, including a big with against the Lakers on Sunday. The Suns are now 6-2 since Alvin Gentry replaced Terry Porter as coach after the All-Star break.

Prediction: Phoenix will score points, and probably quite a bit of them. On the other hand, Orlando can score points also (You're welcome for the crack TPASTBM analysis). Shaq will score 17 but only grab 3 rebounds. However, on the other side Dwight will put up 27 and totally dominate Shaq on the boards with 16. Throw in 3 blocks for Dwight.

The key to this game is Steve Nash, who didn't suit up in the win against the Lakers on Sunday. Right now it is anyones guess if he plays. If he sits, the Magic win. If he plays, the Magic still win. Score: Orlando 115, Phoenix 109

New Jersey Nets @ Orlando Magic: Friday, March 6, 7:00 PM. Fox Sports Florida

The New Jersey Nets are trying to get themselves back into the playoff picture after sitting inside for most of the season. Frankly, (Is that a Lawrence Frank pun?) the Nets have been all over the place this year. Taking a look at their schedule, they have had lost 8 of 9, then won 4 in a row, then lost 5 in a row, and followed that up by winning 2 of 3. So, who knows what we are going to get on Friday.

Prediction: In their only previous meeting this season Orlando came out on top, 101-84. Dwight led the Magic with 30 points and 16 boards while Devin Harris paced the Nets with 28 points and 12 assists. Look for similar numbers again on Friday by both players. However, in the previous matchup Vince Carter did not play, so look for him to add an element of difficulty for an Orlando team that is having a hard time keeping quality scores from getting their share. Score: Orlando 105, New Jersey 102

Orlando Magic @ Boston Celtics: Sunday, March 8, 1:00 PM. Fox Sports Florida HD

Well, it's time to play the Celtics again. The Magic are 0-2 this season against the reigning world champs. The Celtics beat down on Orlando by 19 earlier this year in Boston and took the matchup in Orlando by 10. That said, the Magic are due to play well against these guys. In case you haven't heard, Stephon Marbury plays for them now.

Prediction: Dwight has struggled in scoring against Boston this year, putting up 11 and 15 in the two games. He will struggle again. Rashard and Hedo will pick up some of the slack, but not enough to break Boston's luck against the Magic. Score: Boston 97, Orlando 85

Music Monday

Tomorrow evening the Magic face off against Shaquille O'Neal, Grant Hill, and the Phoenix Suns. So, that said, it's time for "Separate Ways" by Journey.



Here we stand
Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two
Sleepless nights
Losing ground
I'm reaching for you, you, you


Feelin' that it's gone
Can change your mind
If we can't go on
To survive the tide love divides


Someday love will find you
Break those chains that bind you
One night will remind you
How we touched
And went our separate ways
If he ever hurts you
True love won't desert you
You know i still love you
Though we touched
And went our separate ways


Troubled times
Caught between confusions and pain, pain, pain
Distant eyes
Promises we made were in vain, vain, vain


If you must go, i wish you love
You'll never walk alone
Take care my love
Miss you love


(chorus twice)


I still love you girl
I really love you girl
And if he ever hurts you
True love won't desert you
No, no

Thanks to Lyrics Freak for the lyrics...

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Magic @ Sixers Highlights


The Magic came back from behind last night for a 106-100 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. Here are the highlights, including a wide open dunk buy one of our favorites, Marcin Gortat.



Yahoo! Sports - NBA - Orlando Magic News

This blog is a fan blog, and is in no way affiliated with the Orlando Magic or the NBA. The views on this blog are for entertainment and informational purposes only.

Credit "Sebi" from the Orlando Magic Message board for the title graphic.


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