Official Orlando @ Memphis Game Thread

[Driguez]

Lol no. Actually im pretyt sure that reads thats Stan is a far superior coach comparatively to all but 2 of our players...thus you blaming him for our shortcomings rather then more outstanding weakness on team(i.e bogans, nelson) is completely (Please Use More Appropriate Word) and misinformed. Trust me anyone who knows absolutely ANYTHING abt basketball would promise you that/.....write an expert and as them lolas dr. Jack Ramsey if your right, hell e-mail u back saying that a.) your (Please Use More Appropriate Word), b.) you have no idea what you are talking about

Errr... ok? Why i get the feeling you talking about retards and typing like a (Please Use More Appropriate Word) its really making you look like one? If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck...? j/k Anyhow, a weakness is a weakness, obvious no? This is essentially the SAME team we had last season, why are we not looking like it? Sure we can blame the players and im pretty sure i can find plenty of faults but its coach's job to get their head straight into the game. Well, im done ranting, hopefully tomorrow we will look more like last years team.

[Optimus_Steel]

Yeah I don't understand why we're so out of sync. The only change in the starting lineup is Pietrus in for Evans. And, offensively, I don't see how that changes anything at all. Mo Evans liked the corner 3. Pietrus likes the corner 3. Mo Evans is athletic and can cut to the basket and finish a broken play. Pietrus is athletic and can cut to the basket and finish a broken play. That's all Mo Evans ever did. So what the hell is the problem?

Make Pietrus watch 10 hours of Mo Evans film every day.

I dont think its that. Its mental and egos. Stan said that there are players complaing for shots. I would imgaine its Dwight, Hedo and Lewis so there has to be discontent there somewhere. Its like they got an inflated sense because of the good year last year.

[spinedoc]

Terrible decision to lob the ball into a double team, whoever decision that was. Shard was getting open in the right corner. All hedo had to do was get it over Warrick. Anyway, we deserved to lose this game. We played their style of game in their house. It should have never been that close, still looking for an identity but its early.

We shouldn't, what happened to last years team? I could have sworn we had one. They need to wake up, soon.

Its like we didn't have a training camp, no cohesion at all. And are we a fast break team with one of the most dominant centers in the league? ..and if we are, why? We just tried to outrun two run and gun teams and came out on the short end of the stick. Who is doing the scouting? If Dwight is going up against someone like Dampier, then fine run his butt up and down the court, but not against these two teams. Dwight is frustrated because we aren't patient enough to get the ball to him. We are shooting too early in the clock and not getting back on defense. Trying to score too quickly and counter the other teams quick bucket. I don't like it.

[Bensational]

It was sooo displeased with the total lack of effort and team unity in those last mins that I actually wanted the Magic to lose because I was disgusted. I cant believe I am saying this but I am glad they lost, I would have not felt much better had we won and it would have been undeserved.

Complaing about shots? Are you serious? No one on the team is good enough to be upset about not getting shots. Feels like the players grew misplaced egos over the summer.

Call me when the Magic care about winning again, if that ever happens this season.

uh, i'd let Dwight complain. he may not have been playing the best, but he still went 5-9 and got no touches in the 2nd half. as far as i'm concerned, the team should routinely dump the ball in to him no matter what. the team's success starts and ends with him.

and there's no excuse for Jameer to be taking 12 shots when Dwight gets 9, and Hedo gets 10 (still shooting 50%).

this is frustrating. once the shots start falling it'll be ok. but still.... this is just highlighting that we don't have much of an answer if the shots aren't falling...

[Bensational]

Terrible decision to lob the ball into a double team, whoever decision that was. Shard was getting open in the right corner. All hedo had to do was get it over Warrick. Anyway, we deserved to lose this game. We played their style of game in their house. It should have never been that close, still looking for an identity but its early.

We shouldn't, what happened to last years team? I could have sworn we had one. They need to wake up, soon.

Its like we didn't have a training camp, no cohesion at all. And are we a fast break team with one of the most dominant centers in the league? ..and if we are, why? We just tried to outrun two run and gun teams and came out on the short end of the stick. Who is doing the scouting? If Dwight is going up against someone like Dampier, then fine run his butt up and down the court, but not against these two teams. Dwight is frustrated because we aren't patient enough to get the ball to him. We are shooting too early in the clock and not getting back on defense. Trying to score too quickly and counter the other teams quick bucket. I don't like it.

yeah, while i do like the makeup of the team right now, we really do need more versatility in our offensive sets. the no reason we can't slow it down, make a few extra passes, try two or three times to get the ball to Dwight and if it's not there, THEN settle for 3 - or even better, someone put the ball on the floor and drive.

[spinedoc]

Agreed.

[magicfan217]

where can i find this postgame quotes?

[Forest]

Dwight looks like a third option out there right now. It is just stupid. You have one of the best big men in the game and you don't even make a conservative effort to get him the ball.

[SD2042]

What took the Magic out of this game?

The defense slacked off in the second half. Marc Gasol took D-12 out of his focus for the most part and D-12 got mad b/c of this. Gettin outscored 23-15 off the bench. And not taking care of the ball, the main lineup combined for 16 of the 17 TOs' in the game. The Magic need to address these problems in order to get back the consistancy they need to win games.

BTW, I heard a quick quip from D-12 from the Memphis post game radio. To sum it up, D-12 states that he was thinking too much and not puttin in the emphasis to be dominate in the game. he definately sounded mad after the defense Marc Gasol put on him. he mentioned that he's looking forward to playin the Grizzlies again somewhere down the road. Also a word from Hedo stating that we(the team) need to look back to the films and see what they are doing wrong and need to come correct on the mistakes they are making if they wish to get back to their winnin ways.

Right now, they can't focus on tonight's loss since they have to hit the road to Sacramento on Saturday night. Hate to see this team 0-2, but we will snap out of this funk eventually.

[EasternMagic]

in a thread of negativity i would love to post my displeasure, but im going to be the optomistic one and say everything will be alright guys, it's two games. lets forget about them and win tomorrow. cant dwell on the past

[SOUL]

ugh i still havent watched the magic play thru the preseason and season... its making me not even want to see them lol... thank god i wasnt watching my tv would be cracked

[ProfX]

After watching the two games today, I see some disturbing trends. No ball movement. No team rebounding. Poor ballhandling and general lazyness. The Memphis and Hawks played us to the scouting reports to a T. Stay at home on Hedo and Rashard and make everyone else beat us. If it gets into Howard foul him. With that given, we are still good enough to have beat both those teams. However, you add in the the turnovers with people trying to kick out from the paint and the lack of team rebounding, we become a subpar team. I was amazed how little we go to the ball, its like the team expects it to bounce to their hands. Van Gundy has to answer for his rotations as well. I dont get why Bogans was in at the end. Pietrus should be have been in there. We need to get the ball into the paint more to pull off the extended zone teams are going to throw at us. I am not happy with Nelsons offense or defense. Our intensity is lacking and I am seriously concerned on our lack of continuity on the court. We need to do better as a team at boxing out. Howard is talented enough to get a bunch without it, but the only people I see boxing out are Redick, Gortat and Pietrus. If Battie is going to come off the bench, he should replace hedo or lewis not Howard. IMO Gortat should be Howards primary backup.

[FreshTilapia]

Pistons fan here. From the outside looking in, I can see your guys' frustration. Just wanted to comment on the "complaining about shots" fiasco.

From loosely following game articles last year, I remember Rashard voicing mild discontent multiple times throughout the season about wanting more touches, being more involved in the offense, etc. Logically, he'd be my guess as your complaining culprit. Unless that person was identified already?

In any case, you guys will clearly get on track sooner or later, things will be fine.

[Gutz]

Uh. your team is extremely overrated! you have no bench whatsover. Its really hilarious. Lose to Memhis! LOL

[FFBlitzace]

lol, Gutz doesn't even make me mad. I always get a kick out of him.

[SOUL]

i love loving to memhis

[Furinkazan]

After the game my friend asked me
-"How can you not even go to OT in such situation? I mean how its possibble?You have the ball the game is tied and its just 2 secs left on the gameclock"
-"Well we lost it so I guess its possible"I replied.

[damo[23]]

Uh. your team is extremely overrated! you have no bench whatsover. Its really hilarious. Lose to Memhis! LOL

Your not welcome on my board Gutz.

[zuppafly]

Uh. your team is extremely overrated! you have no bench whatsover. Its really hilarious. Lose to Memhis! LOL

Your not welcome on my board Gutz.

Despite him being... erm... the Gutz we all know, he does have a point.
I'm Redick believer, but when JJ is the first man out of the bench, our 6th man, something is very wrong. That's something people didn't realize that much when we let Arroyo and Dooling go.


Oh, and yeah, it's only two games but let me remind you people that 90% of this board was against me when I told you I hated Pietrus as a player because of his incredibly low bball IQ, because of his fouling sprees, of his stepping out of bounds turnovers, because of his inconsistency. Most of you were in belief that he would somehow become a consistent and intelligent player just because he was a Magic now... yeah, right. By the end of the season this board will act exactly like the GS board acted towards him for three seasons.

[magicmamma]

From loosely following game articles last year, I remember Rashard voicing mild discontent multiple times throughout the season about wanting more touches, being more involved in the offense, etc. Logically, he'd be my guess as your complaining culprit. Unless that person was identified already?

In any case, you guys will clearly get on track sooner or later, things will be fine.

I've read all the articles on the Magic carefully and have never heard of Shard complaining. I have heard the coaches gush about him being the most cooperative and coachable player they have ever worked with. There is one guy on the team who has complained about not getting enough touches from the time we drafted him.