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Nearing Technical Foul Suspension, Dwight Howard Rallying Magic

February 25, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Magic center Dwight Howard received his 15th technical foul of the season Friday night, leaving him one shy of an automatic suspension, a cloud that now will hang over the final 23 games of the regular season.

But he also will be scary at playoff time.

Howard leads the NBA in technical fouls — and at least one one-game suspension looks inevitable — but he also made it clear that the Magic could be a real wild-card team when the playoffs begin.

Despite the Magic’s struggles with consistency all season, Howard’s growing dominance and recent willingness to hold his teammates accountable, still makes them dangerous for any opponent — even if no one thinks they are a serious contender anymore.

“We don’t care what anything says or thinks about us,” Howard said after another Herculean effort Friday. “We know we can beat any team in the league.”

The Magic throttled short-handed Oklahoma City, 111-88, again riding Howard, who had 40 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots, a trifecta that no one else in the NBA has matched since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999.

The Magic (37-22) are resting in the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, having already beaten the Celtics, Heat, Lakers and Spurs, while losing to the Raptors, Pistons and Kings.

 

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Nearing Technical Foul Suspension, Dwight Howard Rallying Magic

February 25, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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ORLANDO — Magic center Dwight Howard received his 15th technical foul of the season Friday night, leaving him one shy of an automatic suspension, a cloud that now will hang over the final 23 games of the regular season.

But he also will be scary at playoff time.

Howard leads the NBA in technical fouls — and at least one one-game suspension looks inevitable — but he also made it clear that the Magic could be a real wild-card team when the playoffs begin.

Despite the Magic’s struggles with consistency all season, Howard’s growing dominance and recent willingness to hold his teammates accountable, still makes them dangerous for any opponent — even if no one thinks they are a serious contender anymore.

“We don’t care what anything says or thinks about us,” Howard said after another Herculean effort Friday. “We know we can beat any team in the league.”

The Magic throttled short-handed Oklahoma City, 111-88, again riding Howard, who had 40 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots, a trifecta that no one else in the NBA has matched since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999.

The Magic (37-22) are resting in the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, having already beaten the Celtics, Heat, Lakers and Spurs, while losing to the Raptors, Pistons and Kings.

 

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Magic Fading as Long-Bomb Attack Fails Them Again

February 11, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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Stan Van GundyORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic built this team — and reached the NBA Finals two seasons ago — with a cast of long-range shooters and a bombs-away philosophy that worked so well because defenses were collapsing inside on center Dwight Howard.

That’s about to change. It’s not working anymore. The luster has left their perimeter game.

The Magic (34-21) are no longer among the NBA elite, losing their eighth consecutive game Friday night against teams with a winning record, falling at home to the New Orleans Hornets, 99-93, with the same tired story line.

They may have led the NBA in both 3-pointers made and attempted last season — and are leading again now — but the quantity is ruining the quality, which is taking them down.

The Magic are 9-9 in their last 18 games, dropping to fifth in the Eastern Conference. In their last nine games, they are shooting just 28.5 percent (65 of 228) from 3-point range.

 

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Chris Paul Tops Great Era for NBA Point Guards

February 11, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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ORLANDO, Fla. — This is the fourth consecutive year that Hornets point guard Chris Paul will be going to the NBA All-Star Game, but it’s not getting old yet.

It’s only getting better.

“It’s a huge honor, maybe now more than ever,” Paul said Friday. “At my position, in the Western Conference, it really means something to be in that game.”

Paul will be starting for the West next weekend at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles, further evidence that he indeed has become the league’s premier point guard in what is becoming a golden era for point guards.

“To me, it’s the toughest, deepest position in the league now,” Paul told FanHouse. “Think about it. Steve Nash and Tony Parker didn’t even make the All-Star Game. And those are great point guards.”

Paul will be getting his second starting assignment in the league’s showcase event. He also started in 2009. He was voted in by the coaches as a reserve in 2008 and 2010.

 

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Van Gundy: Sloan’s Departure Bad and Sad for the NBA

February 11, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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Jerry Sloan and Stan Van GundyORLANDO, Fla. — Magic coach Stan Van Gundy listened all day to the speculation surrounding the sudden and surprising resignation of Utah’s legendary coach Jerry Sloan, and came to one conclusion.

“It’s not good for the league, and it’s not good for the (coaching) profession,” Van Gundy said Friday after his team’s morning practice. “It’s a sad thing all around.”

Van Gundy, like most everyone else in the game, expressed his unending admiration and respect for the most tenured coach in major professional sports, but he disagreed with the popular theory that Sloan was driven out by Jazz point guard Deron Williams.

“I would be absolutely shocked if this was a case of a player running a coach out. I don’t think you could run Jerry Sloan out of Utah. There is just too much respect there,” Van Gundy said. “I’d also be shocked if the front office ran him out, or even suggested he get out. Unless they (front office personnel) are lying through their teeth, they wanted him to stay.”

Van Gundy’s theory is that Sloan just got tired — of the job, of dealing with the constant internal conflicts with players that are just part of the job.

 

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Dwight Howard Takes Blake Griffin to School in Magic Win

February 08, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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ORLANDO, Fla. — It hasn’t happened very often this season, but Blake Griffin almost looked like a rookie Tuesday night.

Dwight Howard had a lot to do with that.

The future of the NBA will have to wait his turn.

Griffin may be the hottest young star in the NBA – a veritable highlight tape on most nights – but he was all but grounded by Howard in the Magic‘s 101-85 victory over the Clippers.

Griffin came into the game brimming with confidence – the only player in the league averaging at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists – but he left looking like just another big man who got chewed up by Howard, the two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year.

Although Howard wasn’t officially guarding the Clippers power forward – that job went to Ryan Anderson – Howard was never far away, always there with a double-team whenever Griffin made a move to the basket.

 

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Dwight Howard: ‘I Never Said Anything About Leaving’ Orlando

February 08, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Dwight Howard can’t stop the speculation over his future — he can become an unrestricted free agent after next season — but he made it clear Tuesday afternoon just what he thinks of all the talk that has been surrounding him.

“I’m really tired of it. I am annoyed by it. I can’t sign a contract this year. I can’t sign anything this summer (because of the pending lockout), so why keep bringing it up,” said Howard, who was clearly bothered by the topic. “There is no need to talk about what might happen in the future. We can’t go into the future now.”

Howard, the best center in basketball and two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year, has two years remaining on his current contract, paying him $17.8 million and $19.2 million, respectively.

He does have the option to become a free agent after the 2011-12 season, which already is in jeopardy because of a pending labor dispute.

 

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LeBron James Gets Payback, Crushes Magic With 51-Point Night

February 03, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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LeBron James

ORLANDO, Fla. — When LeBron James was catching all that flak this summer for leaving Cleveland to form his Super Team in Miami, he reminded everyone that he was taking notes, and that paybacks would be in order.

He delivered another one of those checks Thursday night.

James, whose “Decision” led to Magic general manager Otis Smith questioning his competitiveness, erupted with a performance that was more than worthy of his stature as the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, destroying the Magic 104-100 Thursday night.

It wasn’t just the 51-point, 11-rebound, 8-assist performance that was so special — James already had eight games of 50 points or more in his career — it was the start that set the tone for the entire night.

Even by LeBron standards, it was downright dynamic.

James had 23 points in the first quarter when he hit all nine of his shots, giving Miami a lead it never lost, giving Miami a confidence that is growing by the game. He made his first 11 shots Thursday and left for intermission with 29 points.

“Anyone who questions my competitiveness must be looking at the game the wrong way,” he said during a halftime interview with TNT.

 

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Dwyane Wade: Heat Won’t Need No. 1 Seed to Reach NBA Finals

February 03, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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Dwyane WadeORLANDO, Fla. — For anyone keeping track of this race, Miami guard Dwyane Wade really doesn’t care about catching Boston for the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference.

He already figures the Heat can beat the Celtics in the playoffs — with or without the home-court advantage — if they are healthy. He has been there. Done that.

“We’re not really focused on that (best record). I’ve won a championship without home court (in 2006). What I really care about is us being healthy, and playing good ball at both ends of the court,” Wade said before the Heat played the Orlando Magic Thursday night. “If we’re seeded 1, 2, or 3, whatever the case, you deal with it.”

The Heat (34-14) went into Thursday night’s game with the second-best record in the East, three games behind Boston (37-11) and only a half-game ahead of Chicago. The Magic and Hawks were tied for fourth.

“I just want to focus on good basketball, and let that (playoff seeding) take care of itself,” he said. “If we’re playing well, we’ll be fine with wherever we land.”

 

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One-Armed Kevin Laue an NCAA Basketball Inspiration to All

January 31, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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Kevin Laue

RIVERDALE, N.Y. — Kevin Laue was 10 years old the day his father died, ending the gut-wrenching torment the two endured — a cancerous brain tumor that painfully sucked the life from a big, vibrant man and traumatized the son, robbing him of his innocence and a bond he desperately needed.
If only dad could see him now.

A decade later, Laue has grown into one of America’s most inspirational stories, overcoming a serious birth defect to become the first and the only NCAA Division I basketball player with one hand.

He’s become something the father never thought possible.

“It’s a difficult subject now, but I would have loved to have my father here to see me play — just one game, any game — so he could see what I’ve done,” Laue told FanHouse recently. “All I can do now is hope that he would be proud of me, and what I’ve become.”

 

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