duncan228
05-18-2009, 05:13 PM
Magic look to avoid disappearing act in finals (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txmagicadvance&prov=st&type=lgns)
By Antonio Gonzalez
The walls at the Orlando Magic’s headquarters are mostly bare. There are no champagne-splashed championship photos. No NBA title trophies or rings.
All that keeps the practice court from being completely blank are a few division title banners and one for an Eastern Conference championship.
“Low-hanging fruit,” Magic general manager Otis Smith loves to call them.
Fresh off a Game 7 win over the defending champion Boston Celtics that propelled the Magic into the Eastern Conference finals, fans in Orlando are ready to party like it’s 1996, when the team last made it this far.
But there’s nothing yet to celebrate.
A date with the playoff-perfect Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James in a best-of-seven series begins Wednesday, and the architect of this Magic team wants to make clear that it’s time the franchise take the next step.
“We have to stop talking about making it to the conference level, and start talking about winning a championship,” Smith said Monday. “And then we have to stop talking, and start doing.”
In its 20th year as a franchise, Orlando has had more disappointments than highlights
Shaquille O’Neal bolting for Los Angeles after the ’96 season. Grant Hill’s constant injuries, and Tracy McGrady leading so many Magic teams to promising regular seasons that always ended in the first round.
Now they’re halfway to a title. They’ve won eight playoff games and are eight wins away from reaching the ultimate goal - yet so much remains a mystery.
The Magic are full of young players, most of whom have never played this deep in the playoffs, and a topsy-turvy two rounds have done little to answer the questions that consistently crop up on such a streaky team.
Can they play physical? Will they shoot such a high percentage when the pressure gets greater? Will Dwight Howard be the leader they need him to be? Will coach Stan Van Gundy crumble in the big moment?
Even the Magic aren’t really sure how far they can go.
“We want to see,” Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu said after the team’s 101-82 win over Boston on Sunday night. “We have a chance. We never lose confidence of what we can do - not myself, not anybody.”
Van Gundy and his Magic players were mighty confident about a possible meeting with the Cavs after a blowout win against James and Co. in April, repeatedly saying how much they love the matchup.
“If we ever got in a series with Cleveland, we’d have great confidence going in,” Van Gundy said then, grinning like a coach who had just beat the Cavaliers 116-87.
Be careful what you wish for.
While the Magic have won eight of the last 11 meetings against Cleveland, all that means nothing when the ball is tossed and the flashbulbs pop at the start of Game 1. The Cavs have moved through the postseason with ease, sweeping Detroit and Atlanta.
The Magic were off on Monday after arriving back in Orlando around 4 a.m. and were not made available to reporters. Though it’s been about 45 days since Orlando pounded the Cavs, after the big win in Boston, the Magic were as confident as if it was just yesterday.
“I believe we can win the championship, and we aren’t going to stop going after one until we get it,” Howard said. “We have the right team. We have the talent. We have the right coaches, and it’s on us to go out there every night and play hard.”
These playoffs have been all about getting over the hump for Orlando.
Howard was suspended for a game for an elbow on Samuel Dalembert in the Magic’s first-round series against Philadelphia. Rafter Alston also was suspended one game for slapping Boston’s Eddie House on the back of the head in the second round. Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis have battled through nagging injuries, and All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson was lost to a season-ending shoulder tear in early February.
Orlando has still managed to survive and advance, getting closer to that elusive first title.
“I think we have a chance,” Smith said. “We’re one of four teams left now, so our chances got a lot better. But we’re playing the best team in the NBA, so some would say are chances just got worse.”
By Antonio Gonzalez
The walls at the Orlando Magic’s headquarters are mostly bare. There are no champagne-splashed championship photos. No NBA title trophies or rings.
All that keeps the practice court from being completely blank are a few division title banners and one for an Eastern Conference championship.
“Low-hanging fruit,” Magic general manager Otis Smith loves to call them.
Fresh off a Game 7 win over the defending champion Boston Celtics that propelled the Magic into the Eastern Conference finals, fans in Orlando are ready to party like it’s 1996, when the team last made it this far.
But there’s nothing yet to celebrate.
A date with the playoff-perfect Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James in a best-of-seven series begins Wednesday, and the architect of this Magic team wants to make clear that it’s time the franchise take the next step.
“We have to stop talking about making it to the conference level, and start talking about winning a championship,” Smith said Monday. “And then we have to stop talking, and start doing.”
In its 20th year as a franchise, Orlando has had more disappointments than highlights
Shaquille O’Neal bolting for Los Angeles after the ’96 season. Grant Hill’s constant injuries, and Tracy McGrady leading so many Magic teams to promising regular seasons that always ended in the first round.
Now they’re halfway to a title. They’ve won eight playoff games and are eight wins away from reaching the ultimate goal - yet so much remains a mystery.
The Magic are full of young players, most of whom have never played this deep in the playoffs, and a topsy-turvy two rounds have done little to answer the questions that consistently crop up on such a streaky team.
Can they play physical? Will they shoot such a high percentage when the pressure gets greater? Will Dwight Howard be the leader they need him to be? Will coach Stan Van Gundy crumble in the big moment?
Even the Magic aren’t really sure how far they can go.
“We want to see,” Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu said after the team’s 101-82 win over Boston on Sunday night. “We have a chance. We never lose confidence of what we can do - not myself, not anybody.”
Van Gundy and his Magic players were mighty confident about a possible meeting with the Cavs after a blowout win against James and Co. in April, repeatedly saying how much they love the matchup.
“If we ever got in a series with Cleveland, we’d have great confidence going in,” Van Gundy said then, grinning like a coach who had just beat the Cavaliers 116-87.
Be careful what you wish for.
While the Magic have won eight of the last 11 meetings against Cleveland, all that means nothing when the ball is tossed and the flashbulbs pop at the start of Game 1. The Cavs have moved through the postseason with ease, sweeping Detroit and Atlanta.
The Magic were off on Monday after arriving back in Orlando around 4 a.m. and were not made available to reporters. Though it’s been about 45 days since Orlando pounded the Cavs, after the big win in Boston, the Magic were as confident as if it was just yesterday.
“I believe we can win the championship, and we aren’t going to stop going after one until we get it,” Howard said. “We have the right team. We have the talent. We have the right coaches, and it’s on us to go out there every night and play hard.”
These playoffs have been all about getting over the hump for Orlando.
Howard was suspended for a game for an elbow on Samuel Dalembert in the Magic’s first-round series against Philadelphia. Rafter Alston also was suspended one game for slapping Boston’s Eddie House on the back of the head in the second round. Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis have battled through nagging injuries, and All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson was lost to a season-ending shoulder tear in early February.
Orlando has still managed to survive and advance, getting closer to that elusive first title.
“I think we have a chance,” Smith said. “We’re one of four teams left now, so our chances got a lot better. But we’re playing the best team in the NBA, so some would say are chances just got worse.”