2024-2025 Regular Season Game 69: Orlando Magic (31-37) at Cleveland Cavaliers (56-10) - 1pm

Post #2 » by **magik9113** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 12:58 pm

I remember Cavs fans during the playoffs last season saying how good they’d be if they’d just move on from Bickerstaff.
They were not lying.

Post #3 » by **Knightro** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 1:24 pm

magik9113 wrote:I remember Cavs fans during the playoffs last season saying how good they’d be if they’d just move on from Bickerstaff.
They were not lying.

Going from Bickerstaff to Atkinson is certainly a factor, but they've also been MUCH healthier this year.

Last year...

Mobley missed 32 games (only 7 this year)
Mitchell missed 27 games (only 6 this year)
Garland missed 25 games (only 4 this year)
Jerome missed 80 games (only 5 this year)

That's 164 games missed from 4 of their top 6 players last year down to only 22 missed this year.

Garland also had a terrible year last year because of the injuries and he's back to being awesome this year.

And Mobley made a massive leap too.

Rainwater · Post #4 » by **Rainwater** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 2:53 pm

As of late the Magic haven’t played well on national tv, hopefully that changes today.

drsd · Post #5 » by **drsd** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 3:32 pm

Skybox · Post #6 » by **Skybox** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 3:39 pm

This is the game we should want...If we are truly interested in getting out of the play-in and out of the lottery, then kick CLE's ass today and send a message that we're a threat. Nothing worse than being the one bad team that refuses to acknowledge it and the other mediocre teams hold the door for you to walk into the meat grinder while they start polishing their good luck charms for the lottery.

MartinsIzAfraud · Post #7 » by **MartinsIzAfraud** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 3:45 pm

Mobley & Mitchell are questionable...

ORLMagicGirl15 · Post #8 » by **ORLMagicGirl15** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:21 pm

Make the game respectable. That’s all I want.

basketballRob · Post #9 » by **basketballRob** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:26 pm

Franz needs to get out of his funk.

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CalOrl11 · Post #10 » by **CalOrl11** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:29 pm

I'd love this tip off time if we weren't about to receive a beat down

Post #11 » by **eyriq** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:30 pm

A win here will be great for fan morale

Rainwater · Post #12 » by **Rainwater** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:37 pm

Skybox wrote:This is the game we should want...If we are truly interested in getting out of the play-in and out of the lottery, then kick CLE's ass today and send a message that we're a threat. Nothing worse than being the one bad team that refuses to acknowledge it and the other mediocre teams hold the door for you to walk into the meat grinder while they start polishing their good luck charms for the lottery.

There is very little chance the magic get out of the play-ins regardless of what they do.

Rainwater · Post #13 » by **Rainwater** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:39 pm

I would love a Magic win, but all I want is Franz and Paolo to show out. Show the league they are really that good.

thelead · Post #14 » by **thelead** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 4:49 pm

Cavs have the two magic kryptonites: Length (to slow down Paolo and Franz a bit) and shooting (because our offense can’t keep up). I have little hope for this game unless the defense is top notch and we, uncharacteristically, hit our open shots.

basketballRob · Post #15 » by **basketballRob** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 5:03 pm

We need to pay them back for the last game on national TV.

I think we match up better with Boston, so I prefer them in the 1st round.

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Post #16 » by **eyriq** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 5:03 pm

No Mobley. LFG

Post #17 » by **eyriq** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 5:05 pm

This is pretty much our super bowl. Win this and the regular season story becomes much more palatable.

ORLMagicGirl15 · Post #18 » by **ORLMagicGirl15** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 5:12 pm

basketballRob wrote:We need to pay them back for the last game on national TV.

I think we match up better with Boston, so I prefer them in the 1st round.

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I rather see our team step up and make open shots instead of talking about payback.

ORLMagicGirl15 · Post #19 » by **ORLMagicGirl15** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 5:13 pm

eyriq wrote:No Mobley. LFG

That’s not a good thing. We don’t do well when teams have one or more of their starters out.

Bakomagic · Post #20 » by **Bakomagic** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 5:19 pm

thelead wrote:Cavs have the two magic kryptonites: Length (to slow down Paolo and Franz a bit) and shooting (because our offense can’t keep up). I have little hope for this game unless the defense is top notch and we, uncharacteristically, hit our open shots.

Is it Paolo’s Kryptonite?

He’s put numbers up on Wemby, Gianiss/Brook, Gobert and average 27pts a game vs Cavs in the playoffs last year?