Eek! It's the mousy Magic lying in wait to trap
the Nets...
Opponent File
Orlando
Magic
The Magic play
in the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando, Florida. Their 2002 - 2003 record
was 42 - 40 (fourth in the Atlantic). What did Joe say about the Magic
in his preseason
preview? Here's the Orlando
Magic Roster.
Local Paper:
Orlando
Sentinel | Magic
Team Pages:
CNNSI.com
| Magic
ESPN.com
| Magic
NBA.com | Magic
The
Sporting News | Magic
Sportsline.com
| Magic
Head Coach:
Johnny Davis
2003 Draft:
G Reece Gaines, Louisville (#15); F Zaur Pachulia, Georgia (#42).
New Players:
PG Reece Gaines (draft); PF Juwan Howard (Nuggets;)
PG Tyronn Lue (Wizards); PF Donnell Harvey (Nuggets).
Season Slogan: Salvage what's left of Tracy McGrady's reputation
while aiming to finish at .500 after the disasterous 19 game losing streak.
Record vs. Nets: 0 - 0
Other Opponent Files
Projected Atlantic Division Standing:
Chris Carrino: 2
Tim Capstraw: 2
Ian Eagle: 2
Joe Netsfan: 2
Steve Politi: 5
Man Or Mouse?
Down in the land of Disney, there has been something cartoonish about the Orlando Magic this season, hasn't there? OK, Tracy McGrady has never had a real team built around him, and Grant Hill was signed to help out but can't recover from his blow ankle, but this is ridiculous. The Magic are just off the heels of a 19 game losing streak that got coach Doc Rivers fired and showed once again how terribly flawed the team is. Worst of all, superstar McGrady hasn't been able to pull the Magic up by their mouse ears and keep them afloat, and it's done damage to his reputation as the "next MJ" (much like what happened to Vince Carter several years ago after being served with that mantle). There is hope - new coach Johnny Davis has won two straight games (after losing his first nine) and this one has all the makings of the dreaded "trap" game for the Nets. Can the Nets kick the cartoon Magic while their down and buy themselves an e-ticket of a win? Or will the Magic continue to play in Fantasyland while cutting in front of the Nets with a victory?
- Joe
Orlando Magic Cheat Sheet
The Story From Orlando: Sam Smith (ESPN.com) asks the question: "If [Tracy] McGrady is so great, how could he let the Magic lose 19 straight games?" Smith says that McGrady is "a great talent, not a great player" and goes on to explain how it was a bad idea for him to leave Vince Carter, much like it was a bad idea for Stephon Marbury to leave Kevin Garnett. It's an interesting and provocative read.
Has McGrady lost hope? Tim Povtak (Orlando Sentinal) reports that McGrady doesn't feel the Magic are in the same league as the '72-'73 Sixers, who went 9 - 73. "I'm not saying it's impossible, but we can't possibly be that bad, to win only nine games," McGrady said after practice Tuesday. "Not this team. And even if things completely fell apart, a lot of teams let down toward the end of the season. You could pick up wins that way." And McGrady knows the story of coach Johnny Davis' stint with the '84-'85 Cavs team that started 2 - 19 but recovered to win 36 games and get a playoff berth. In this Atlantic Division, that's entirely possible, considering the Magic are still only 9 games out despite the long losing streak.
Pain Game: G Reese Gaines (knee), F Grant Hill (ankle) and F Pat Garrity (knee) are on injured reserve.
Archive | Backlash | Bio | Calendar | Champagne's Blog | Diatribe | Game x Game | History | Home | Joe Netsfan's Blog | Media | Opponents | Players | Playoffs | Search | Specials
© 2003 Shawn Belschwender and Michael Kozlowski
