Denton: Magic Prepared for Celtics' Best Effort
By John Denton
November 20, 2009
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.
BOSTON – To a man, the Orlando Magic’s players suggest that they are still an overlooked championship contender, and more often than not, they get overshadowed by marquee teams in Boston and Cleveland.
While that might be the thought process among the national media, there is certainly no overlooking the Magic from the perspective of the Celtics and Cavaliers, the two teams that Orlando wiped out last spring en route to winning the Eastern Conference and reaching The NBA Finals.
The Magic (9-3) got Cleveland’s best shot a week ago and Orlando is expecting the same type of fire and intensity on Friday night when they face the Celtics (9-3) in Boston.
``We ended the Celtics’ season so they’ll play with that chip on their shoulder and we’ll have to come with the same attitude,’’ said Orlando’s J.J. Redick, a key cog in the Magic’s defeat of Boston last spring. ``We’re going to get people’s best games. We were the conference champions. And beating Boston and Cleveland, we didn’t make a lot of people on those teams very happy. We’re expecting the Celtics to play extremely hard against us, the same way Cleveland did.’’
Orlando will be back in Boston for the first time since the epic seven-game series last spring in the second round of the playoffs. The Magic won a Game 7 in Boston and beat a Celtics franchise that had been 32-0 in series all-time after leading 3-2.
The Magic take umbrage to the notion that Boston only lost last spring because it wasn’t at full strength with star forward Kevin Garnett out injured. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has a suggestion for what fans and media can do with the mythical asterisk that was so often attached to Orlando’s series win.
``Sure, I’m sure they think that,’’ Van Gundy said of Boston’s belief that it could have won with Garnett. ``But we didn’t have (starting point guard) Jameer (Nelson) either, but people just leave that out. You would think by reading accounts of that series that it was `The Celtics with Kevin Garnett and the full-strength Orlando Magic.’’’
Privately, several members of the Magic were seething that TNT picked Cleveland and Boston to open the regular season on national television even though it was the Magic that won the Eastern Conference. Orlando star Dwight Howard has talked candidly about how Orlando will be forever overlooked nationally until they win a title.
Van Gundy has already played the ``no respect’’ card with his players, insisting they’ll have to fight through the perception again that Cleveland and Boston are better. Said the coach: ``It’s the same way as it was last year, but it really doesn’t matter. Guys on ESPN and media people don’t get to decide (the best team). Like I’ve said before, this isn’t the BCS.’’
And Redick cooked up a theory as to why the Magic will always rank behind Cleveland and Boston when it comes to national notoriety.
``We have a target on our backs, but I still think we’re under the radar a little bit more than Boston and Cleveland,’’ he said. ``We’re a small market, so we’re going to get less attention. Plus, we don’t have LeBron. Seriously, if the guy (James) said tomorrow that he was going to run for President, (CNN’s) Anderson Cooper would be on SportsCenter for 30 minutes talking about why he’d make a good president.’’
Rashard Lewis, arguably Orlando’s most effective player last spring against the Celtics because of his ability to exploit his matchup advantage at power forward, doesn’t shy away from calling the Celtics rematch ``a real statement game for us.’’
Lewis said that all throughout his 10-game NBA-mandated suspension he thought about getting back to play games like this one against the Celtics. He returned on Monday with mixed results, but came through in a big way on Wednesday by finishing one assist shy of his first career triple-double.
Finding his groove came just in the nick of time, Lewis said.
``Playing well was very important and I thought about that before this (Boston) game,’’ Lewis said. ``Going into the Boston game, my team is going to need me to do a lot for us to win. I’m glad I shook some of the rust off before Boston and hopefully I’ll be even better (on Friday).’’
Orlando will once again be without all-star point guard Jameer Nelson, who underwent surgery on his knee on Wednesday to repair a meniscus tear. Nelson is expected to be out four to six weeks, a stretch that could be as few as 13 games or as long as 19 games.
Jason Williams will have to guard the steadily improving Rajon Rondo, but undoubtedly the game’s most pivotal matchup is the one pitting Howard against Boston’s bevy of big men.
Kendrick Perkins did a solid job of frustrating Howard in the playoffs by pushing him away from the basket. And Howard will also see time against Garnett and free-agent acquisition Rasheed Wallace, two players who have historically given Orlando’s superstar fits in the post.
``Most likely I’ll see all of them,’’ said Howard, who has averaged 18.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.75 blocks a game through 12 games. ``I know those guys are going to be very physical, so I’ve got to use my quickness and speed to score, rebound and defend.’’
Both Boston and Orlando have muddled along somewhat so far, possibly showing signs of hangover from a long playoff run last spring. Boston dropped consecutive games recently to Atlanta and Indiana, while the Magic have struggled with consistency because of injuries, illnesses and uneven play.
Regardless, Howard fully expects Boston to be there again in the Magic’s way when the playoffs roll around. Howard said winning this game isn’t as important as the Magic continuing to try and find their rhythm as a team.
``The Lakers are the champs and that’s who everybody should be trying to knock out. But for us, we’re just about trying to get better,’’ Howard said. ``I think we’ll cross over, reach our peak and be at our best about January and February. We’re still in the learning phase. It’s good to be winning while we’re learning each other, but we’ll get there and hit our stride soon.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonNovember 20, 2009
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.
BOSTON – To a man, the Orlando Magic’s players suggest that they are still an overlooked championship contender, and more often than not, they get overshadowed by marquee teams in Boston and Cleveland.
While that might be the thought process among the national media, there is certainly no overlooking the Magic from the perspective of the Celtics and Cavaliers, the two teams that Orlando wiped out last spring en route to winning the Eastern Conference and reaching The NBA Finals.
The Magic (9-3) got Cleveland’s best shot a week ago and Orlando is expecting the same type of fire and intensity on Friday night when they face the Celtics (9-3) in Boston.
``We ended the Celtics’ season so they’ll play with that chip on their shoulder and we’ll have to come with the same attitude,’’ said Orlando’s J.J. Redick, a key cog in the Magic’s defeat of Boston last spring. ``We’re going to get people’s best games. We were the conference champions. And beating Boston and Cleveland, we didn’t make a lot of people on those teams very happy. We’re expecting the Celtics to play extremely hard against us, the same way Cleveland did.’’
Orlando will be back in Boston for the first time since the epic seven-game series last spring in the second round of the playoffs. The Magic won a Game 7 in Boston and beat a Celtics franchise that had been 32-0 in series all-time after leading 3-2.
The Magic take umbrage to the notion that Boston only lost last spring because it wasn’t at full strength with star forward Kevin Garnett out injured. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has a suggestion for what fans and media can do with the mythical asterisk that was so often attached to Orlando’s series win.
``Sure, I’m sure they think that,’’ Van Gundy said of Boston’s belief that it could have won with Garnett. ``But we didn’t have (starting point guard) Jameer (Nelson) either, but people just leave that out. You would think by reading accounts of that series that it was `The Celtics with Kevin Garnett and the full-strength Orlando Magic.’’’
Privately, several members of the Magic were seething that TNT picked Cleveland and Boston to open the regular season on national television even though it was the Magic that won the Eastern Conference. Orlando star Dwight Howard has talked candidly about how Orlando will be forever overlooked nationally until they win a title.
Van Gundy has already played the ``no respect’’ card with his players, insisting they’ll have to fight through the perception again that Cleveland and Boston are better. Said the coach: ``It’s the same way as it was last year, but it really doesn’t matter. Guys on ESPN and media people don’t get to decide (the best team). Like I’ve said before, this isn’t the BCS.’’
And Redick cooked up a theory as to why the Magic will always rank behind Cleveland and Boston when it comes to national notoriety.
``We have a target on our backs, but I still think we’re under the radar a little bit more than Boston and Cleveland,’’ he said. ``We’re a small market, so we’re going to get less attention. Plus, we don’t have LeBron. Seriously, if the guy (James) said tomorrow that he was going to run for President, (CNN’s) Anderson Cooper would be on SportsCenter for 30 minutes talking about why he’d make a good president.’’
Rashard Lewis, arguably Orlando’s most effective player last spring against the Celtics because of his ability to exploit his matchup advantage at power forward, doesn’t shy away from calling the Celtics rematch ``a real statement game for us.’’
Lewis said that all throughout his 10-game NBA-mandated suspension he thought about getting back to play games like this one against the Celtics. He returned on Monday with mixed results, but came through in a big way on Wednesday by finishing one assist shy of his first career triple-double.
Finding his groove came just in the nick of time, Lewis said.
``Playing well was very important and I thought about that before this (Boston) game,’’ Lewis said. ``Going into the Boston game, my team is going to need me to do a lot for us to win. I’m glad I shook some of the rust off before Boston and hopefully I’ll be even better (on Friday).’’
Orlando will once again be without all-star point guard Jameer Nelson, who underwent surgery on his knee on Wednesday to repair a meniscus tear. Nelson is expected to be out four to six weeks, a stretch that could be as few as 13 games or as long as 19 games.
Jason Williams will have to guard the steadily improving Rajon Rondo, but undoubtedly the game’s most pivotal matchup is the one pitting Howard against Boston’s bevy of big men.
Kendrick Perkins did a solid job of frustrating Howard in the playoffs by pushing him away from the basket. And Howard will also see time against Garnett and free-agent acquisition Rasheed Wallace, two players who have historically given Orlando’s superstar fits in the post.
``Most likely I’ll see all of them,’’ said Howard, who has averaged 18.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.75 blocks a game through 12 games. ``I know those guys are going to be very physical, so I’ve got to use my quickness and speed to score, rebound and defend.’’
Both Boston and Orlando have muddled along somewhat so far, possibly showing signs of hangover from a long playoff run last spring. Boston dropped consecutive games recently to Atlanta and Indiana, while the Magic have struggled with consistency because of injuries, illnesses and uneven play.
Regardless, Howard fully expects Boston to be there again in the Magic’s way when the playoffs roll around. Howard said winning this game isn’t as important as the Magic continuing to try and find their rhythm as a team.
``The Lakers are the champs and that’s who everybody should be trying to knock out. But for us, we’re just about trying to get better,’’ Howard said. ``I think we’ll cross over, reach our peak and be at our best about January and February. We’re still in the learning phase. It’s good to be winning while we’re learning each other, but we’ll get there and hit our stride soon.’’
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
