By Bud L. Ellis
Last year’s Eastern Conference champions aren’t in the conference’s catbird seat to start the sprint to the playoffs, but that’s OK with the Orlando Magic.
Owners of the third-best record in the NBA, the Magic have their sights set squarely on a return to the NBA Finals.
Orlando begins the post-All Star break part of the schedule atop the Southeast Division with a 36-18 record, and second in the Eastern Conference standings. While the Magic trail Cleveland by seven games in the race for the conference top spot, the Magic have plenty of company nipping at their heels.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 9:00 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston, Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors
By Bud L. Ellis
When Vince Carter gets it going like this, the Orlando Magic are nearly unstoppable.
The New Orleans Hornets found that out first-hand on Monday night. Carter turned in a vintage Vinsanity performance, going for 48 points and leading the Magic to a 123-117 victory.
Carter has struggled at times in this, his first season with Orlando. He averaged a paltry 8.3 points per game in January. But on the second Monday in February, he dialed up a splendid showing, scoring 18 points in the decisive fourth quarter.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 5:47 pm by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Dwight Howard, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Vince Carter
For one game, Vince Carter’s January slump seemed to come to an end.
Carter totaled 17 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists for the Magic on Tuesday night, as they routed the Bucks at home, 99-82.
“Maybe January just wasn’t my month,” he said.
Dwight Howard was his usual dominant self, scoring 22 points, grabbing 10 boards, dishing out an assist and blocking five shots, as he remained a menace down in the low post.
But without starting PG Jameer Nelson or Michael Pietrus, the Magic needed a guard to step up in their absence, and Carter was more than up to the task.
Carter had scored 15 points by halftime, bringing the Magic back from a double-digit deficit to a 14-point halftime lead.
“He has to remember who he is,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said of Carter. “He’s had one bad month, but he has had an unbelievable career.”
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 12:06 am by bryan
