Denton: Magic-Celtics Postgame Analysis
By John Denton
December 25, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Within minutes of the Orlando Magic’s unsightly 86-77 Christmas downer of a loss to the Boston Celtics, several players quickly scurried from the locker room, eager to spend time with their families and put the defeat out of their heads.
Not Magic franchise center Dwight Howard, who had a skull session with head coach Stan Van Gundy. The emphasis of the meeting was calmly trying to find a way to get Howard the ball more against a Boston team that has made life miserable for the Magic center.
Of all the reasons for Orlando’s ragged 33 percent shooting night and 18 turnovers, the most glaring of all might have been the inability to run the offense through Howard. When Orlando’s couldn’t play inside-out basketball, they were forced to heave too many jump shots. Howard said Orlando’s impatience played right into Boston’s game plan and resulted in the hide-your-eyes type of result.
``We shot a lot of jump shots and we just can’t do that and be successful,’’ said Howard, who got just seven shots and scored just five points in the loss. ``When we’re making them that’s fine. But we have to have a balance and play inside-out and attack the rim. It’s just something we have to work on.’’
Howard was the last Magic player to leave the arena and walked along the halls of Amway Arena with his son, Braylon, in his arms and his family in tow. He seemed at peace with what was a mostly frustrating afternoon, especially after Van Gundy reassured he would work to find ways to get him the ball in the future.
``It’s usually inside-out and me and coach talked after the game and he recognized that it doesn’t matter who we play that we have to establish an inside presence first,’’ said Howard, who grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked four shots, but also had seven turnovers. ``We can’t just come down and settle for quick shots. Once we did that in the second quarter, that’s when those guys were able to get such a big lead on us.
``We understand what we have to do against them. The biggest thing is we have to run them and move the ball,’’ Howard continued. ``When we played them earlier in the year we ran them and got duck-ins. But when you let their defense settle they are good because they are big, long and active. It’s one game, but we realize that if we see these guys in the playoffs or whatever, we have to make some changes.’’
Orlando (22-8) never recovered from a shocking eight-point quarter, a period that ended with the Magic missing 14 of their last 15 shots.
Boston (23-5), who was playing without star forward Paul Pierce, led by as much as 14 points in the second half, but allowed the Magic to get within 78-75 with 1:02 to play. But the Celtics went to Ray Allen, who hit a curl jumper over J.J. Redick to seal the victory.
``That was definitely a benchmark game for us because we have talked about this game for a long time,’’ said Allen, who had 18 points, but made just five of 12 shots. ``We did what we had to do and took care of the game. We feel good about it. This propels us going forward.’’
The season series, which could ultimately be a tiebreaker to determine homecourt advantage if the two teams finish the regular season tied, stands at 1-1. The Magic won 83-78 in Boston on Nov. 20. The two teams play again in January and a fourth time in February.
Here’s a look back at the good (not much of it), the bad (plenty of it) and the downright ugly (gobs of it) from Friday:
THE GOOD
---- With Howard unable to get the ball, Rashard Lewis being run off the 3-point line and Jameer Nelson struggling with his shot out of pick-and-roll sets, Vince Carter had to carry the Orlando offense for long stretches.
Carter’s willingness to attack the rim in the third quarter kept the Magic afloat and within striking distance. Whereas he often settled for runners and fade-away shots early in the game, Carter got all the way to the rim in the second half. Three consecutive times in the third period Carter got all the way to the rim for layups or dunks.
Carter scored 27 points on 10 of 20 shooting. His hope is that the effort will help him break out of a prolonged shooting slump.
``I refuse to put pressure on myself because I’ve been there before,’’ said Carter, a 12-year NBA veteran. ``I sit around and ponder this and that, but I believe in my mechanics and believe in my game.’’
---- Boston’s big man rotation of Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Shelden Williams was physical and smothering with Howard. Not only did he get up just seven shots, but he didn’t even touch the ball much more than that.
Perkins insinuated after the game that Howard likes to hit opponents, but doesn’t like to be hit back. And Garnett reacted angrily to Howard’s claim that the referees let the Celtics get away with too much contact defensively.
``We’re a physical team. We’re a very good defensive team,’’ said Garnett, who scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. ``When you play (Howard), a lot of people tend to shy back from him. We tend to take a step forward, and we have some physical presence when it comes to playing defense. … These people in this league, I tell you. Everybody wants to roam free.’’
THE BAD
---- There was one particularly frustrating sequence in Friday’s fourth quarter when the Magic missed once, twice and three times from point-blank range, and then after a fourth try also rimmed out Carter had the ball swiped from him by Boston’s Rajon Rondo. Just to make matters more frustrating for the Magic, Rondo whipped a behind-the-back pass to Tony Allen for a dunk.
The play was emblematic of the day’s frustration for the Magic. Carter and Ryan Anderson were the only players to hit at least half of their shots.
Lewis (19 points) missed nine of 14 tries, while Nelson (eight points) missed eight of 11. And to make matters worse, six Magic players had at least two turnovers. Of Howard’s seven turnovers, two were three-seconds calls, one was a moving screen and another was for hooking his arm around Perkins in the post.
``We were going in and trying to challenge and they were blocking shots and we were throwing up airballs. We just wouldn’t draw the help and make the pass to open people,’’ Van Gundy said. ``We’ve had a constant, consistent problem with our offense against them and that’s that we just do not sustain good offensive play throughout the game. They are a good defensive team, but there are ways to get good shots. We know it, but we won’t play that way for long stretches.’’
---- Rondo just missed a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. But he also had eight turnovers, missed four free throws and misfired on 11 of 18 shots.
THE UGLY
---- The second quarter was among the ugliest in franchise history for the Magic. Orlando mustered just eight points, one point more than the lowest amount ever in franchise history for a quarter. The eight-point second quarter played a big role in Orlando’s 27-point first half. The 27 points tied the franchise low for points in a first half, equaling the mark set in 2005 in Houston.
Orlando made just four of 22 shots in the period. But it was the final eight minutes of the period that was especially unsightly for the Magic. After going up 25-20, Orlando missed 14 of its last 15 shots before the half. That allowed the Celtics to go on an 18-2 run that put them up 38-27 at halftime.
Said Van Gundy: ``The first half we just continued to force, force and force. It was frustrating because we just would not make the adjustment.’’
---- With Boston’s Paul Pierce out injured following knee surgery there were six all-stars starting Friday’s game. For five of them – Howard, Nelson and Lewis for the Magic and Garnett and Allen for the Celtics – it was a first half to forget.
Allen and Garnett were a combined zero for six in the first half, while Howard, Lewis and Nelson were just two of 18 in the first 24 minutes.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonDecember 25, 2009
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
ORLANDO – Within minutes of the Orlando Magic’s unsightly 86-77 Christmas downer of a loss to the Boston Celtics, several players quickly scurried from the locker room, eager to spend time with their families and put the defeat out of their heads.
Not Magic franchise center Dwight Howard, who had a skull session with head coach Stan Van Gundy. The emphasis of the meeting was calmly trying to find a way to get Howard the ball more against a Boston team that has made life miserable for the Magic center.
Of all the reasons for Orlando’s ragged 33 percent shooting night and 18 turnovers, the most glaring of all might have been the inability to run the offense through Howard. When Orlando’s couldn’t play inside-out basketball, they were forced to heave too many jump shots. Howard said Orlando’s impatience played right into Boston’s game plan and resulted in the hide-your-eyes type of result.
``We shot a lot of jump shots and we just can’t do that and be successful,’’ said Howard, who got just seven shots and scored just five points in the loss. ``When we’re making them that’s fine. But we have to have a balance and play inside-out and attack the rim. It’s just something we have to work on.’’
Howard was the last Magic player to leave the arena and walked along the halls of Amway Arena with his son, Braylon, in his arms and his family in tow. He seemed at peace with what was a mostly frustrating afternoon, especially after Van Gundy reassured he would work to find ways to get him the ball in the future.
``It’s usually inside-out and me and coach talked after the game and he recognized that it doesn’t matter who we play that we have to establish an inside presence first,’’ said Howard, who grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked four shots, but also had seven turnovers. ``We can’t just come down and settle for quick shots. Once we did that in the second quarter, that’s when those guys were able to get such a big lead on us.
``We understand what we have to do against them. The biggest thing is we have to run them and move the ball,’’ Howard continued. ``When we played them earlier in the year we ran them and got duck-ins. But when you let their defense settle they are good because they are big, long and active. It’s one game, but we realize that if we see these guys in the playoffs or whatever, we have to make some changes.’’
Orlando (22-8) never recovered from a shocking eight-point quarter, a period that ended with the Magic missing 14 of their last 15 shots.
Boston (23-5), who was playing without star forward Paul Pierce, led by as much as 14 points in the second half, but allowed the Magic to get within 78-75 with 1:02 to play. But the Celtics went to Ray Allen, who hit a curl jumper over J.J. Redick to seal the victory.
``That was definitely a benchmark game for us because we have talked about this game for a long time,’’ said Allen, who had 18 points, but made just five of 12 shots. ``We did what we had to do and took care of the game. We feel good about it. This propels us going forward.’’
The season series, which could ultimately be a tiebreaker to determine homecourt advantage if the two teams finish the regular season tied, stands at 1-1. The Magic won 83-78 in Boston on Nov. 20. The two teams play again in January and a fourth time in February.
Here’s a look back at the good (not much of it), the bad (plenty of it) and the downright ugly (gobs of it) from Friday:
THE GOOD
---- With Howard unable to get the ball, Rashard Lewis being run off the 3-point line and Jameer Nelson struggling with his shot out of pick-and-roll sets, Vince Carter had to carry the Orlando offense for long stretches.
Carter’s willingness to attack the rim in the third quarter kept the Magic afloat and within striking distance. Whereas he often settled for runners and fade-away shots early in the game, Carter got all the way to the rim in the second half. Three consecutive times in the third period Carter got all the way to the rim for layups or dunks.
Carter scored 27 points on 10 of 20 shooting. His hope is that the effort will help him break out of a prolonged shooting slump.
``I refuse to put pressure on myself because I’ve been there before,’’ said Carter, a 12-year NBA veteran. ``I sit around and ponder this and that, but I believe in my mechanics and believe in my game.’’
---- Boston’s big man rotation of Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Shelden Williams was physical and smothering with Howard. Not only did he get up just seven shots, but he didn’t even touch the ball much more than that.
Perkins insinuated after the game that Howard likes to hit opponents, but doesn’t like to be hit back. And Garnett reacted angrily to Howard’s claim that the referees let the Celtics get away with too much contact defensively.
``We’re a physical team. We’re a very good defensive team,’’ said Garnett, who scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. ``When you play (Howard), a lot of people tend to shy back from him. We tend to take a step forward, and we have some physical presence when it comes to playing defense. … These people in this league, I tell you. Everybody wants to roam free.’’
THE BAD
---- There was one particularly frustrating sequence in Friday’s fourth quarter when the Magic missed once, twice and three times from point-blank range, and then after a fourth try also rimmed out Carter had the ball swiped from him by Boston’s Rajon Rondo. Just to make matters more frustrating for the Magic, Rondo whipped a behind-the-back pass to Tony Allen for a dunk.
The play was emblematic of the day’s frustration for the Magic. Carter and Ryan Anderson were the only players to hit at least half of their shots.
Lewis (19 points) missed nine of 14 tries, while Nelson (eight points) missed eight of 11. And to make matters worse, six Magic players had at least two turnovers. Of Howard’s seven turnovers, two were three-seconds calls, one was a moving screen and another was for hooking his arm around Perkins in the post.
``We were going in and trying to challenge and they were blocking shots and we were throwing up airballs. We just wouldn’t draw the help and make the pass to open people,’’ Van Gundy said. ``We’ve had a constant, consistent problem with our offense against them and that’s that we just do not sustain good offensive play throughout the game. They are a good defensive team, but there are ways to get good shots. We know it, but we won’t play that way for long stretches.’’
---- Rondo just missed a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. But he also had eight turnovers, missed four free throws and misfired on 11 of 18 shots.
THE UGLY
---- The second quarter was among the ugliest in franchise history for the Magic. Orlando mustered just eight points, one point more than the lowest amount ever in franchise history for a quarter. The eight-point second quarter played a big role in Orlando’s 27-point first half. The 27 points tied the franchise low for points in a first half, equaling the mark set in 2005 in Houston.
Orlando made just four of 22 shots in the period. But it was the final eight minutes of the period that was especially unsightly for the Magic. After going up 25-20, Orlando missed 14 of its last 15 shots before the half. That allowed the Celtics to go on an 18-2 run that put them up 38-27 at halftime.
Said Van Gundy: ``The first half we just continued to force, force and force. It was frustrating because we just would not make the adjustment.’’
---- With Boston’s Paul Pierce out injured following knee surgery there were six all-stars starting Friday’s game. For five of them – Howard, Nelson and Lewis for the Magic and Garnett and Allen for the Celtics – it was a first half to forget.
Allen and Garnett were a combined zero for six in the first half, while Howard, Lewis and Nelson were just two of 18 in the first 24 minutes.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Orlando Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard on ESPN 1080 AM on Thursday at 5:05 p.m. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
