Gameday Preview at Orlando Magic

by David A. Arnott on Nov 16, 2009 9:08 AM EST

Pump Up Music: Jimi Hendrix -- "Purple Haze"

The Big Picture: The Bobcats are reeling. Again, each individual game does not stand for a larger revealed truth, but nine games in, it's fair to pick out some patterns. Rashard Lewis comes back for the Magic in tonight's game, and just in time, because their front court is dinged up. Only Brandon Bass is doubtful, but a healthy Lewis, ready to get the season started already, presents one of the toughest matchup problems in the league.

Key to Victory: Again, Boris Diaw is the central figure. He'll be charged with guarding three point shooters like Lewis and Ryan Anderson, and big men with midrange shooting ability, like Marcin Gortat and (possibly) Bass, and might even be called upon to guard Dwight Howard for a few minutes, since Larry Brown has absolutely zero confidence in DeSagana Diop and his Diaw's offensive skill set might give Howard problems on the other end.

Secondarily, if the Cats can keep Tyson Chandler and Nazr Mohammed in the game, they've got to resist the temptation to double Howard, because everyone else on the floor for Orlando is a jump shooter and they'll kill 'em by passing out of the post and bombing threes.

Detail That Might Interest .08% of You: The city of Orlando appears to be named after a sugar plantation owner whose name was carved in a tree. Early settlers mistakenly assumed the carving was a grave marker for a war hero. (Wikipedia caveats apply.)

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It would be nice to steal one in FLA tonight

I don’t expect this to be the case…but maybe, just maybe, ORL will be expecting an easy win and we can slip one by them.

by dudemanhey on Nov 16, 2009 9:53 AM EST reply actions

Ha...sad, that hoping the other team overlooks us is how we have to expect to get wins.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Nov 17, 2009 3:51 PM EST up reply actions

It would also be nice to own a sugar plantation in central FLA today

Once again, i fully do NOT expect this to happen, but i would jump at the chance to own & operate a sugar plantation. When one considers the huge tariffs levied against imported sugar into the US; being the proprietor of a large, domestic sugar manufacturing operation would surely be profitable. SWEET!

by dudemanhey on Nov 16, 2009 9:58 AM EST reply actions

I agree dudeman but

it’s not looking good. At some point this team is going to have an “on” night and surprise the hell out of a better team. The odds are against it happening on the road, but you never know. I’ll be pulling for the Cats tonight, but I think this one might be over early. Lewis is going to be hungry and his teammates are going to want to party with him back on the court. There is the chance he’ll be out of sync and throw the rest of the team off-balance as well for a couple of games until Lewis has his game-touch back, but I’m not gonna bet the sugar plantation on it.

by Ourdaywillcome on Nov 16, 2009 10:01 AM EST reply actions

The odds are just as good on the road as they are at home.

Having watched them (as I’m so often accused of not doing), they seem to be far more fired up trying to shut down a road crowd than playing in front of the dozens who fill the arena in Charlotte.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Nov 17, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

Oh my

You didn’t just say the odds of us upsetting a team in front of a hostile crowd are the same as the odds of us upsetting a team when we’re on our home court and in front of the local crowd.

Yeah, you did.

Did you ever look at a good team’s home win/loss versus their road win/loss?

Have you ever heard the NBA axiom that in order to be a contender you have to secure home wins and then take a few on the road?

You’d just as rather play the Celtics in Beantown or the Lakers in LA etc than in the Cable Box?

Uhm… okay. Let’s just say that I have a somewhat different opinion.

by Ourdaywillcome on Nov 17, 2009 4:24 PM EST up reply actions

Did you ever look at THIS team?

Many of their biggest wins happen on the road because our home-court advantage DON’T EXIST. You claim to have been at a game like a week ago. Were you really impressed by the arena atmosphere? Were you roped in by 12 minutes of bobcat energy?

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Nov 17, 2009 7:18 PM EST up reply actions