Anybody else bandwagoning the Magic?

[redzero]

I think they have a good shot of winning it all. They swept a decent team with their best player riding the pine for half the series.

[jag]

I can't stand the Celtics and Lebron is irritating...so by default, I'd like to see Orlando come out of the East.

[kamikazi_player]

I believe they are the favorites as well. This team has so much depth and they have the personnel to make Kobe and Lebron frustrated if they face either team.

[tlongII]

They don't have snowball's chance against Cleveland this year. They will need D-12 against the Cavs and he will be riding the pine.

[Muser]

If Dwight was riding the Pine against Theo Ratliff he doesn't stand a chance against Gasol/Shaq/Garnett etc.

[DJ Mbenga]

are they the only team on this site not to have a fan?

[Muser]

are they the only team on this site not to have a fan?

Only contender yeah, but I haven't seen any Bucks fans either.

[Kamnik]

I can't stand the Celtics and Lebron is irritating...so by default, I'd like to see Orlando come out of the East.

My sentiment exactly.

Celts and Cavs are the 2 teams in the league I really can't stand...

[redzero]

are they the only team on this site not to have a fan?

Which is odd, considering the fact that all of their games were broadcast on ESPN, ABC and TNT.

[TampaDude]

Orlando is basically the "local" team for us here in Tampa, so yeah, I'll be backing them, unless they're playing the Spurs.

[redzero]

Once the Celtics sweep the Cavs in five, the Magic will pick them off easily.

[dirk4mvp]

tbh, I am on the Barkley bandwagon the way he dominated Chris Paul on the set earlier.

[icem]

so long as its not the cavs....

[ezzizle]

are they the only team on this site not to have a fan?

hi

[Lars]

I hope the Magic win.

[Fpoonsie]

[checks SA-PHO score a few minutes before halftime]

Yes.

[Bob Lanier]

The Magic aren't any better than they were last year: what better players they have don't play and what players play aren't any better.

They have a decent shot, but I wouldn't call them favorites against any of the teams now remaining.

[hitmanyr2k]

I can't stand Vince Carter. Can't stand the way he plays and I don't ever want him to win a damn thing. I don't like Stan Van Gundy's whining to the media either. And Dwight Howard is just a dumb player period. It makes that team hard to root for.

[Bob Lanier]

I can't stand Vince Carter. Can't stand the way he plays and I don't ever want him to win a damn thing. I don't like Stan Van Gundy's whining to the media either. And Dwight Howard is just a dumb player period. It makes that team hard to root for.
:tu

[pauls931]

My second year on teh bandwagon. Them or Boston. I'm praying Cleveland biffs it.

[Cane]

I can't stand the Orlando Magic, they're a bunch of whiners whether its SVG whining about the refs, Howard whining about the refs and touches, and Barnes whining about the refs.

[lurker]

Chuck just asked if anyone thinks Dwight fouls out of practice. :lol

[Budkin]

They don't have snowball's chance against Cleveland this year. They will need D-12 against the Cavs and he will be riding the pine.

I think LeBron's elbow has something to say about this.

[timtonymanu]

In the words of TP: definitely.

I dont want to see Shaq gets his 5th ring for free and LeBron is irritating. I hate the Celtics with a passion and I dont want Finley to get ANOTHER ring for free.

[GatorKid117]

are they the only team on this site not to have a fan?

Representing!

I more observe than post but I've seen a couple other Magic fans.

Anyway, I need to see Dwight not suck for me to say they are the best. While the refs were a factor in his foul trouble, he played pretty stupidly that whole series. I think he even admitted he was sometimes trying to show off his strength than just play smart. Sigh, dude still doesn't "get it" sometimes.

[Xylus]

I can't stand the Orlando Magic, they're a bunch of whiners whether its SVG whining about the refs, Howard whining about the refs and touches, and Barnes whining about the refs.

+1

I fucking hate the Orlando Magic. Only team I hate more is LA, but at least I have a little respect for them. Matt Barnes is a bitch. Howard is a bitch. SVG is a bitch. Fuck 'em.

[NewJerSpur]

Got to loooooove the Drake (Seinfeld).....I mean Magic, Magic. My 2nd year on the bandwagon as well. Love me some Jameer Nelson and I would overjoyed if they met SA in the finals.

[LnGrrrR]

If Celts go out, the only teams I can see myself rooting for are the Suns, Spurs, Jazz or Hawks.

If the finals are Lakers/Cavs, or Lakers/Magic, I probably will only watch parts of the games.

[ffadicted]

I've been in the Magic bandwagon since last seasons ECF tbh, but I already predicted boston in 6 against the cavs, so I might jump off if that happens lol

[Giuseppe]

I wouldn't begrude Carter if it came to that. He acts cool & collected like it don't matter, but, his eyes give him away.

He's a child in a man's body.

[redzero]

Bumping to remind everybody that Orlando has the best starting five in the league.

[Man About Town]

Not a big fan of Orlando. Every place has big box retail and chain restaurants, so I can't fault them too much for being plastic and utterly devoid of culture, but all there is to do there is play golf, go to Disney World and get a hooker. I don't like golf and I can get a hooker in D-Town.

[Budkin]

I'm a Magic fan only because I lived in Orlando for their first few years in the league, but I agree that the city of Orlando is the cultural wasteland of the universe.

[Bob Lanier]

lol Brandon Bass

Welcome to the Eastern Conference, you useless piece of shit.

[Ghazi]

Bass was arguably the 2nd best player for the Mavs in the 08 and 09 post seasons and can't even sniff the court for the Magic.

and some claim Dirk's help has been adequate the last 3 years :wow :wow

[peteee]

Bass was arguably the 2nd best player for the Mavs in the 08 and 09 post seasons and can't even sniff the court for the Magic.

and some claim Dirk's help has been adequate the last 3 years :wow :wow

Mavs didn't have any quality big in the 08 and 09 post seasons (like all other seasons prior and posterior), that's why a single drop of rain looked like a satisfying shower for Mavs. In 08 and 09 w/o Gooden&Haywood, Mavs only had 3 guys to use in paint and Bass was abruptly the only one playing toughly.

[peteee]

and even when they've got Haywood who's thought to be one last piece to complete a champion squad, their paint was still proved to be one plain weaklink in the wake of 10 first round playoffs, in which they lost to Spurs.

[kromediablo]

Magic is such a powerful team provided with vince carter on board...How close were we to trading for vince carter???????

[HarlemHeat37]

Magic is such a powerful team provided with vince carter on board...How close were we to trading for vince carter???????

Spurs would have had to give up Hill and picks, and Vince wouldn't have been the missing piece to a title, so it was good not to trade for him..

[pookenstein]

If the Spurs don't make it for me it's like choosing one of these options:

-Kobe and that fucker Gasol getting another one, which is worse than
-Lebron and Shaq getting one, which is worse than
-Stoudemire and PHX getting one, which is worse than
-Garnett and Finley getting one more (I actually like Pierce and have nothing against the Celtics), which is worse than
-Carter getting one, which is worse than
-Utha getting one.

So if the Magic advance to the Finals and take on either the Suns or the Fakers, I'll surely be rooting for them.

[Chillen]

They are currently 6-0 in the playoffs. They are playing well and they are the defending Eastern conference champions, so it's highly possible they could come out of the East and make it back 2 back NBA finals. Nelson is healthy, Carter is playing well and Howard is a beast, plus Lewis is still deadly from 3-point range. One thing I know is despite getting the 1st seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs (assuming they advance that far) the Cavaliers have had a nasty playoffs. The Bulls in the 1st rd, the Celtics in the 2nd rd, and if they knockoff Boston the Magic will probably be waiting for them in the ECF. Never have I seen a team secure the 1 seed and have this much hefty competition. While the Lakers have just had to play an upcoming OKC team with superstar phenom Durant and now face the Jazz whom they have dominated.

The Cavaliers won't have an easy road to the NBA finals if they get there that's for sure.

[pauls931]

If I have been pulling for them for over 2 years as my second choice, does that make me a bandwagoner?

[LnGrrrR]

If I have been pulling for them for over 2 years as my second choice, does that make me a bandwagoner?

Nah, they're in a different conference. I pull for the Saints when they aren't playing the Pats.

[pauls931]

Nah, they're in a different conference. I pull for the Saints when they aren't playing the Pats.

But I am on the boston bandwagon right now. :toast

[Allanon]

I think the Celtics are actually going to make it out of the East.

[duncan228]

Are the Magic Now the Favorites to Win the Championship? (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-arethemagicnowthefav)
SportingNews

No team has been as impressive as the Orlando Magic so far in these playoffs. They swept the Bobcats with ease in the first round and have already put together two easy wins over the Hawks in this round. They’re executing well on offense, locking opponents down on defense, and getting contributions from virtually every player in the rotation.

It’s enough to make you wonder if they’ve already vaulted past the Cavs and Lakers as the favorite to win this season’s championship. With LeBron James not 100 percent and the Lakers not looking their best in the first round against the Thunder in the opening round, it’s a distinct possibility. So let’s consider the facts at hand.

The Cavs entered the playoffs as the clear favorite in the East, but LeBron’s injury and their loss of homecourt advantage agains the Celtics have changed things considerably. While the Cavs are still a very deep team, it now looks possible that they won’t even get to face Orlando in the conference finals, let alone get to hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy above their heads in June. Cleveland still has their most talented team of the LeBron era, but they depend on his skills so much that even a partial loss of ability changes their game considerably. The Magic are a different team than they were a year ago and wouldn’t hold homecourt advantage in a potential series against the Cavs, but they’d have to feel good about their chances regardless.

Should Orlando face the Celtics in the conference finals, they would be even more optimistic. The Magic won last year’s series with Kevin Garnett on the sidelines, but they would have homecourt once again, as well as a healthy Jameer Nelson to keep Rajon Rondo occupied on the defensive end. Plus, the Magic would enter that series with supreme confidence, and Boston would probably be licking their wounds after a tough series against Cleveland.

If the Magic could make it past their East brethren, that would leave the Lakers as their likely Finals foe. And while the Lakers defeated Orlando reasonably easily last season and would hold similar advantages this year, the Magic are arguably a better team now than they were last June. When Vince Carter is at his best, he gives them a much-needed scoring threat on the perimeter, and Nelson is the kind of quick point guard the Lakers often struggle to defend. The teams are the same, but it would be a different series.

Keep in mind, though, that L.A. still has the best frontcourt in the league, and that the Magic are a little worse in that area with Marcin Gortat playing at a lower level than he was last spring. So while Orlando could very well enter the playoffs playing the best ball of anyone in the NBA, they wouldn’t necessarily hold the matchup advantages against their opponent.

The importance of matchups is an important reminder that asking which team is the favorite is in many ways a fool’s errand. A lot can change between now and the Finals. If you remember, last season at this time most people assumed that LeBron and Kobe would face off to decide who was the best player in the league.

So yes, praise the Magic for playing as well as they have so far, but don’t jump the gun and start proclaiming them the team to beat. Wide-eyed speculation can only get you in trouble, and you can be sure Orlando’s only looking at the Hawks right now. It’s a cliche, but you have to take it one game at a time.

[redzero]

lol me
lol Magic

[NewJerSpur]

'Til the wheels fall off baby.

[himat]

If there's a team that would have the poise to win 2 games on the road but the capability of imploding at home, it would be the Celtics.

I really hope the Magic can pull of the daunting task thats ahead of them because I cannot stand the Celtics. The only player I like on that team is
Sheed and because he wears that green jersey now even I hate him a little bit.

Magic haven't faced adversity the whole playoffs. The world tends to balance itself out so the Magic are facing a ton of adversity right now. Time to overcome it.

I honestly still feel like the Magic can win this because the Magic have played absolutely terrible the last 2 games and they were still in it to the last second in each on of them.

And if the Magic don't pull it out well than at least I'll have a team to really root for (the team that comes out of the West).

[resistanze]

Bumping to remind everybody that Orlando has the best starting five in the league.

lol

[NewJerSpur]

I honestly still feel like the Magic can win this because the Magic have played absolutely terrible the last 2 games and they were still in it to the last second in each on of them.


Very good point.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

Bumping to remind everybody that Orlando has the best starting five in the league.

:rollin

[mogrovejo]

I don't think they've been playing terrible. Why are they playing terrible? The favourable matchups the Celtics have allow them to take away an important chuck of Orlando's offense. Pretty much like it happened with Cleveland.

I think both teams are playing at the same level of execution and hence the games have been close. I don't see what Orlando can do that differently to just jump to another level. They're defending well. Their offense has been at the level of the regular season games. Have they been playing terribly for 6 games?

[Tmac&Luther]

The Orlando Magic bandwagon....

http://news.cnet.com/i/bto/20080929/ModelTmud_620x374.JPG

[LnGrrrR]

Bumping to remind everybody that Orlando has the best starting five in the league.

Bumping to remind you they're 0-2 in the ECF, they lost two at home in a row for the first time this season, and they're going to Boston for at least two games...

[LnGrrrR]

lol me
lol Magic

:toast :lol

[v2freak]

Yes I am also pulling for the Magic.

[Killakobe81]

Let's be real ...

Rondo>>>Nalson
Allen>VC they are about even stat wise no way Ray misses 2 FT's in the clutch 1, MAYBE
Pierce>>>Barnes Barnes played well in the first half he kept them in it with heart & hustle
KG>>Rashard nuff said all Lewis gives is 3's
perkins<<<Howard but at that point who cares?

Celts are better period I thought Magic would make Finals because I thought Cavs COULD beat Boston but would falter Against Magic ...but I was wrong ...did not EXPECT the "Lebacle"