Denton: Magic-Warriors Postgame Analysis
By John Denton
December 5, 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.
The Orlando Magic needed some of their trademark road resiliency to get themselves into the record books Saturday night.
Orlando, the NBA’s best road team, delivered in a big way in the fourth quarter, using a 15-0 run in the final period to run past the Golden State Warriors 126-118 at Oracle Arena.
The victory was Orlando’s seventh straight on the road, equaling the franchise record for consecutive wins in one season. The Magic won seven in a row in November of 2007. The overall franchise record is nine consecutive road wins because the Magic won their last two in April 2007 and the first seven in November of 2007.
``They had us on the ropes and we were struggling, but we gathered finally, gained our composure and made plays on both ends to dig it out,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``It wasn’t pretty and we didn’t play well, but I was happy we stuck with it to get a win. Anytime you win seven in a row on the road in this league you’ve got to be pretty happy.’’
The Magic have not lost on the road since the abysmal rout in Oklahoma City on Nov. 8. They improved to 16-4 overall and 9-2 on the road with their fifth consecutive victory. Orlando bounced back rather nicely from the heartbreaking one-point loss to Miami on Nov. 25, winning all five since then.
Down as much as six in the fourth quarter and trailing 114-109 with 5 minutes to play, Orlando reeled off a 15-0 run that turned the game around. The Magic had three 3-pointers during the game-changing charge and limited the Warriors to nine consecutive misses.
The Magic outscored the Warriors 17-4 over the last five minutes of the game. It was a weird night – one in which Orlando blew a 16-point first-half lead and rallied back late – but in the end it was another tough road win for Orlando.
``First off, it’s our ability to score, but it’s our perseverance, too,’’ said Magic star guard Vince Carter, who had 27 points and seven assists. ``Defensively, we lock down regardless how bad or how good we’ve played throughout three quarters. We have a lot of guys who can score and can create their own shot for themselves. We’re able to put the whole package together in the last 5 minutes.’’
This four-game, nine-day roadtrip continues Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. It will be the Magic’s next chance to win for an eighth consecutive time on the road. But before we move ahead, let’s look back at the good, bad and ugly from Saturday night/Sunday morning:
THE GOOD
---- Carter was as good as he’s been so far in a Magic uniform, almost willing Orlando to this victory with his play-making skills. How good was he? In 34 minutes on the court – foul trouble kept him out for some extended stretches -- the Magic were plus-19 in scoring.
Carter’s 27 points were a high for the Magic, but it’s how he scored those points that was significant.
``The thing that I like are the 12 free throw attempts and the seven assists. Those are numbers that I have been looking for from him,’’ Van Gundy said. ``We know he can shoot the ball and we certainly don’t want to take his jump-shot game away, but when he’s at his best and we’re at our best is when he’s attacking the basket. Either getting to the free throw line or drawing a second defender and making plays. He made a great play at the end getting the ball to (Mickael Pietrus), whose shot sort of stuck the dagger in their backs.’’
---- Facing his former team, Pietrus stuck several daggers in the back of the Warriors. He had a season-best 22 points and seemed to embrace Van Gundy’s plea that he play more aggressively and seek out more shots.
He made six free throws and four 3-pointers, none bigger than the corner three from Carter that put Orlando up 122-114 and doomed the Warriors.
---- Golden State is among the worst teams in the league, but it is worth watching because of the enormous potential of young stars Monta Ellis and Anthony Randolph. Both scored at will much of the game, finishing with 33 and 28 points respectively.
Ellis, a blur with the basketball, is almost unguardable with the new rules prohibiting defenders from touching players on the perimeter. And Randolph showed once again why many are convinced he’s a future star because of his ability to shoot and slash.
THE BAD
---- Magic center Dwight Howard had a solid night with 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, but it was an otherwise forgettable night.
Howard had done a much better job of late of staying out of foul trouble, but he struggled against a flopping Randolph all night.
Howard was on the floor for just 31 minutes after picking up three fouls in the first half and another two in the third quarter. That kept him out of the game much of the fourth quarter, but his presence late in the game was huge when he got back in.
Howard must make adjustments against finesse players like Randolph. He backed over the converted power forward for a charging foul and hooked him another time while fighting for a rebound.
Howard has improved controlling his fouls of late, and the Magic are going to need him on the floor to keep winning on this trip.
THE UGLY
---- Corey Maggette continues to look like a monumental bust in Golden State, struggling through another dreadful game. He missed four of his five shots, including two pivotal questionable shots down the stretch as the Magic were turning the game around. Maggette had 11 points, but nine of those came on free throws.
---- Rookie point guard Stephen Curry shot the ball well, but he’s hardly a true point guard. In 46 minutes on the floor, he had just three assists.
A big part of Golden State’s meltdown late came when Curry had two bad turnovers. His telegraphed pass was picked off by Carter with 3:30 to play. He followed that up seconds later by traveling when he was unsure what to do with the ball off the dribble.
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 5, 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.
The Orlando Magic needed some of their trademark road resiliency to get themselves into the record books Saturday night.
Orlando, the NBA’s best road team, delivered in a big way in the fourth quarter, using a 15-0 run in the final period to run past the Golden State Warriors 126-118 at Oracle Arena.
The victory was Orlando’s seventh straight on the road, equaling the franchise record for consecutive wins in one season. The Magic won seven in a row in November of 2007. The overall franchise record is nine consecutive road wins because the Magic won their last two in April 2007 and the first seven in November of 2007.
``They had us on the ropes and we were struggling, but we gathered finally, gained our composure and made plays on both ends to dig it out,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``It wasn’t pretty and we didn’t play well, but I was happy we stuck with it to get a win. Anytime you win seven in a row on the road in this league you’ve got to be pretty happy.’’
The Magic have not lost on the road since the abysmal rout in Oklahoma City on Nov. 8. They improved to 16-4 overall and 9-2 on the road with their fifth consecutive victory. Orlando bounced back rather nicely from the heartbreaking one-point loss to Miami on Nov. 25, winning all five since then.
Down as much as six in the fourth quarter and trailing 114-109 with 5 minutes to play, Orlando reeled off a 15-0 run that turned the game around. The Magic had three 3-pointers during the game-changing charge and limited the Warriors to nine consecutive misses.
The Magic outscored the Warriors 17-4 over the last five minutes of the game. It was a weird night – one in which Orlando blew a 16-point first-half lead and rallied back late – but in the end it was another tough road win for Orlando.
``First off, it’s our ability to score, but it’s our perseverance, too,’’ said Magic star guard Vince Carter, who had 27 points and seven assists. ``Defensively, we lock down regardless how bad or how good we’ve played throughout three quarters. We have a lot of guys who can score and can create their own shot for themselves. We’re able to put the whole package together in the last 5 minutes.’’
This four-game, nine-day roadtrip continues Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers. It will be the Magic’s next chance to win for an eighth consecutive time on the road. But before we move ahead, let’s look back at the good, bad and ugly from Saturday night/Sunday morning:
THE GOOD
---- Carter was as good as he’s been so far in a Magic uniform, almost willing Orlando to this victory with his play-making skills. How good was he? In 34 minutes on the court – foul trouble kept him out for some extended stretches -- the Magic were plus-19 in scoring.
Carter’s 27 points were a high for the Magic, but it’s how he scored those points that was significant.
``The thing that I like are the 12 free throw attempts and the seven assists. Those are numbers that I have been looking for from him,’’ Van Gundy said. ``We know he can shoot the ball and we certainly don’t want to take his jump-shot game away, but when he’s at his best and we’re at our best is when he’s attacking the basket. Either getting to the free throw line or drawing a second defender and making plays. He made a great play at the end getting the ball to (Mickael Pietrus), whose shot sort of stuck the dagger in their backs.’’
---- Facing his former team, Pietrus stuck several daggers in the back of the Warriors. He had a season-best 22 points and seemed to embrace Van Gundy’s plea that he play more aggressively and seek out more shots.
He made six free throws and four 3-pointers, none bigger than the corner three from Carter that put Orlando up 122-114 and doomed the Warriors.
---- Golden State is among the worst teams in the league, but it is worth watching because of the enormous potential of young stars Monta Ellis and Anthony Randolph. Both scored at will much of the game, finishing with 33 and 28 points respectively.
Ellis, a blur with the basketball, is almost unguardable with the new rules prohibiting defenders from touching players on the perimeter. And Randolph showed once again why many are convinced he’s a future star because of his ability to shoot and slash.
THE BAD
---- Magic center Dwight Howard had a solid night with 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, but it was an otherwise forgettable night.
Howard had done a much better job of late of staying out of foul trouble, but he struggled against a flopping Randolph all night.
Howard was on the floor for just 31 minutes after picking up three fouls in the first half and another two in the third quarter. That kept him out of the game much of the fourth quarter, but his presence late in the game was huge when he got back in.
Howard must make adjustments against finesse players like Randolph. He backed over the converted power forward for a charging foul and hooked him another time while fighting for a rebound.
Howard has improved controlling his fouls of late, and the Magic are going to need him on the floor to keep winning on this trip.
THE UGLY
---- Corey Maggette continues to look like a monumental bust in Golden State, struggling through another dreadful game. He missed four of his five shots, including two pivotal questionable shots down the stretch as the Magic were turning the game around. Maggette had 11 points, but nine of those came on free throws.
---- Rookie point guard Stephen Curry shot the ball well, but he’s hardly a true point guard. In 46 minutes on the floor, he had just three assists.
A big part of Golden State’s meltdown late came when Curry had two bad turnovers. His telegraphed pass was picked off by Carter with 3:30 to play. He followed that up seconds later by traveling when he was unsure what to do with the ball off the dribble.
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.
