OT - The Magic Are Damn Good

Gordon Bombay · Post #1 » by **Gordon Bombay** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:14 am

the magic are just killing people right now. dominated a 4 game west coast trip that saw them beat three division leaders san antonio, lal and denver.

its so hard to beat a team with a dominant big man in dwight, a baller of a point guard in jameer nelson and two outstanding wingmen in hedo and shard...they're a very fun team to watch (plus they got a good and knowledgable fanbase on here, which always makes it easier to root for a team - i know we're competing against them right now for best record but there's just nothing there to hate on them for).

that game in a couple weeks should be pretty fun...it'd be nice to develop a nice little rivalry with them over the next couple of years because im about sick of the washington idiots and their fans

magicman123 · Post #2 » by **magicman123** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:07 am

we have been playing good lately, and i think the biggest improvement for the magic have been their defense, hope they can keep improving in that area... my girl friend is from Cleveland so it would be nice to develop a rivalry

, it sucks that west went down, but i cant wait till these 2 teams match up..good luck

Benedict_Boozer · Post #3 » by **Benedict_Boozer** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:19 am

Jameer Nelson is why they are better (IMO) this year. He is really playing some good ball offensively. Howard is the monster he's always been, but Jameer Nelson has taken that next step.

I'm still not totally sold on their style of play for playoff basketball, but they are a great team. Really any team that can play as well on the road as they do needs to be taken seriously though as a playoff contender.

prekazi · Post #4 » by **prekazi** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:35 am

They're simply amazing. I realized that they're "damn good" like a month ago. But they're even better than that. If we didn't have LeBron I'd go far and say they can beat us in a playoff series but thank God, your son is playing for us.

Post #5 » by **TheOUTLAW** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:38 pm

I keep expecting them to lose a game but they just keep putting up the W's. They are playing better than anyone right this moment.

I don't really find them as entertaining as you but they are a darn good team. It's tough to beat a team that is shooting 40% from 3 unless you can run them off of the 3 pt lines. Most importantly, you can't double team Howard in the post since that is what is creating the space on the perimeter.

joshman · Post #6 » by **joshman** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:46 pm

so you cavs fans really think you can beat the magic in a 7 game series???

Post #7 » by **TheOUTLAW** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:58 pm

I still think we can beat them, but that's not what this thread is about. I just have no faith in a team that counts on being a jump shooting team.

What is wrong with you that someone can't compliment your team without you pushing it even further?

LoveThemCavs · Post #8 » by **LoveThemCavs** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:35 pm

joshman wrote:so you cavs fans really think you can beat the magic in a 7 game series???

There isn't a team in the league that I don't think the Cavs could beat in a 7 game series. I have been watching LA, BOS and ORL closely all year. They have some advantages and disadvantages against our team. The Cavs have arguably the best player in the game(1a and 1b with Kobe) and the best defense in the NBA. When healthy, arguably one of the best rebounding teams in the league. I could see why someone would think Boston, LA, or Orlando could beat the Cavs. I see no reason why we shouldn't feel we can beat any of those teams as of the moment.

SportsInfoBar · Post #9 » by **SportsInfoBar** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:39 pm

You do realize besides Lebron, we are pretty much a jump shooting team also, right? I mean our center (Z) plays 18 feet from the basket on offense and shoots over half his shots from right about there.

The Magic play good defense and rebound the ball well also. I mean any team that can beat the Spurs, Lakers and Nuggets on a road trip is pretty damn good. And it isn't like they were lucky, they killed the Nuggets when they could have easily had a let down after the Laker win. Now they get 4 days off before they play the Celtics (who will have played in Miami the night before).

Anyone watch the end of the Lakers-Magic game...what scares me about them, is that in crunch time they have 4 guys that can take the shot. They don't have one guy standing at the top of the key pounding the ball and settling for a contested jump shot. They RUN their offense and that creates a good open look. What I wonder is why don't WE do that. Still ticks me off that Mo didn't get the last shot against the Bulls, Lebron was totally off and Mo was on...in this situation Lebron or the coaches have to recognize this and make better decisions.

If we play the Magic, I think it will go 7 games. I think they will be a much tougher match up for us than the Celtics.

CzBoobie · Post #10 » by **CzBoobie** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:05 pm

joshman wrote:so you cavs fans really think you can beat the magic in a 7 game series???

No way, I think the Magic are the greatest team ever who will go 16-0 in the playoffs, never trail in the game and win by an average margin of 15 points.

rjgraca · Post #11 » by **rjgraca** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:25 pm

Yes, the Magic are playing excellent basketball right now and have enjoyed extraordinary good health so far this season.

We still have over half the season to go and the playoffs are a whole different ball game as Orlando found out last season's playoffs against Detroit. The Three pointers won't be as easy to come by in the post season and I look forward to a series between the CAVs and Orlando in the playoffs. IMO, the CAVs (with a wildcard like Lebron) have a very good of chance of knocking off the other elite teams like the Lakers, Boston and the Magic.

cavshats · Post #12 » by **cavshats** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:28 pm

this is why securing home court is so important cleveland boston la and orlando are all teams capable of winning it all this year. You can't pick one too win a 7 game series until homecourt is determined. I know we can beat any of these teams but say orlando pulls a better record than us in 82 games..... We are gunna have our hands full because it means we have too beat them in orlando. Also i honestely do not find their game fun too watch i think dwight howard is fun too watch but i hate watching teams set up soley on that 3 point jump shot. Ever watch orlando on the fast break they run too the 3 pt line also when they get too the hoop other than dwight they miss alot of layups if you contest them. Ive only saw a couple orlando games this year so maybe i was mislead but their inside game, other than (dwight) is very inconsistant. Which is why i think anyteam has a chance at beating them because there are alot of nights where you can't rely on those jumpers. You need someone who can drive the lane and finish and the best on their team in probly hedo which isn't saying much

Niko23 · Post #13 » by **Niko23** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:27 pm

Dont matter what they have.

Who the hell is going to guard LeBron???

Howard+Nelson · Post #14 » by **Howard+Nelson** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:32 pm

rjgraca wrote:Yes, the Magic are playing excellent basketball right now and have enjoyed extraordinary good health so far this season.

We still have over half the season to go and the playoffs are a whole different ball game as Orlando found out last season's playoffs against Detroit. The Three pointers won't be as easy to come by in the post season and I look forward to a series between the CAVs and Orlando in the playoffs. IMO, the CAVs (with a wildcard like Lebron) have a very good of chance of knocking off the other elite teams like the Lakers, Boston and the Magic.

Lewis is the only starter to play in all our games so far this year. Dwight has missed 2, Hedo 1, Jameer 5, and Pietrus 21. Nothing that major but we have had a few injuries here and there. When Bogans was playing well as our 6th man, he went down and missed a few games.

Cleveland Fan · Post #15 » by **Cleveland Fan** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:54 pm

joshman wrote:so you cavs fans really think you can beat the magic in a 7 game series???

We may just be seeing the beginning of a great rivalry. Will be fun if it happens, then we will know the answer to the million dollar question.

Mr2400 · Post #16 » by **Mr2400** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:05 pm

they still have a defensive hole at the 3/4 spot. pietrus is a really good defender, but not good enough to neutralize someone like lebron. the cavaliers have the size to put on howard to at least make it a little tougher for him, and they've also got the better bench. It would be a spectacular series, but at the end of the day i still think the cavs are just a little bit better.

Howard+Nelson · Post #17 » by **Howard+Nelson** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 9:11 pm

Who in league can neutralize lebron? He only had one bad shooting night against us last year w/ 6-22, the rest were good. we still managed to win 3/4 against the cavs. should be an interesting game coming up next week. I think magic can pull it off b/c of the cavs injuries but we'll see.

eyejayem · Post #18 » by **eyejayem** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:14 pm

I have been going through this debate for awhile. But they beat the those three division leaders who haven't played defense the way Olando,Cleveland, or Boston do. Their efficiency goes down to limited 2nd chance opportunities. Boston doesn't have the size. I think Cleveland and Orlando will be a great match because they are both top notch defenses and limit 2nd chance points and both are good 3pt shooting teams. The only thing I worry about is pgs kill us but if Lebron goes to the hole I wonder if they can keep Dwight out of foul trouble.

I think this is the reason we hope to get the 1st seed, not just for home court, but if the #2 and #3 play each other before the Eastern Conference Finals than it should be a slugfest between Boston and Orlando. Whoever is left should be beat up.

Mr2400 · Post #19 » by **Mr2400** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:51 pm

Howard+Nelson wrote:Who in league can neutralize lebron? He only had one bad shooting night against us last year w/ 6-22, the rest were good. we still managed to win 3/4 against the cavs. should be an interesting game coming up next week. I think magic can pull it off b/c of the cavs injuries but we'll see.

the spurs did a pretty good job of it a couple years back.

anyway i think the cavaliers will lose to orlando next week simply because they really need Z's size and presence to battle with howard. they also need him to stretch the floor and take howard out of the paint on defense. we'll see though.

Post #20 » by **B Mac** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:12 am

We are easily the two top teams in the league. Right now they are probably even better than us due to all of our injuries.

If both teams were completely healthy Id take the Cavs though. Even though they can shoot the lights out from downtown, for now we still have the better offense and even though they have the potential DPOY, for now we still have the better defense. Everyone talks about how scary they are (which they are) and ask how in the world are we going to stop such a potent offense, but what about our MORE potent offense? How are they going to stop that?

Our game against them next week should be fun, but it is a bit spoiled due to our injuries. Regardless, it will be nice to see some of the matchups that should take place on the court.

Now I just wish that all of those Magic faithful that keep playing the respect card would realize they are getting plenty of it and shut up about it. I hate to generalize because Im sure they have some really great posters over there, but Im not sure Ive seen a more venemous group on this board. Anytime anyone even remotely tries to point out a weakness in their team its attack, attack, attack, even after you point out all the positives in their team first. I hope that now that everyone recognizes that they are very good that some of their fans chill out. Although with guys like Pleezebelieve representing us, Im sure we get a bad rap just the same. Oh well, just a bit grumpy about that subject I guess.