Denton: Magic-Lakers Postgame Analysis
By John Denton
January 18, 2010
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.
LOS ANGELES – There were plenty of moments Monday night when the Orlando Magic showed the grit and talent once again of a championship-worthy contender. But ultimately their stirring, feel-good stretches weren’t enough to overcome their bad ones in another loss to the juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers.
A dazzling third-quarter run briefly put the Magic in control Monday night and gave them visions of not only beating the Lakers, but also shaking free of the slump that has gripped the team for nearly a month.
But a 15-0 stretch to start the fourth quarter doomed any chances the Magic had of a win on this night and the 98-92 loss to the Lakers sent Orlando to its seventh loss in the past nine games.
``We showed a little bit of improvement for us, but we showed spots and that’s the problem,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``We’re too streaky and we’re not solid enough over the course of the game right now. We did play better than we have in a while, which I guess is good. But when you’ve played better and you still have a loss, that’s not a very good feeling.’’
The Magic (26-15) concluded a grueling four-game, eight-day roadtrip at 1-3 with a victory against Sacramento and losses to Denver, Portland and the Lakers (32-9). Orlando is back at Amway Arena on Wednesday night to face the Indiana Pacers.
``We showed some really good things and sort of looked like we used to look when we played on the road,’’ guard Mickael Pietrus. ``But the Lakers made their run because they are the defending champs and they weren’t just going to give it to us. We just have to keep playing hard like this and moving the ball. And hopefully we’ll see the sun shine again soon.’’
Magic superstar center Dwight Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but only six of his points came in the second half after a dynamic first half. Rashard Lewis scored 18 and hit three 3-pointers, while Jameer Nelson and Matt Barnes each had 13.
Star guard Vince Carter, still playing through a sore shoulder, scored nine points, but six of those came in the closing minutes as the Magic were trying to frantically rally. He made just three of 10 shots, seven of which were 3-point attempts.
Oddly, the Lakers got more of a contribution from bit players Shannon Brown (22 points) and Jordan Farmar (11 points) than they did superstar guard Kobe Bryant (11 points). Howard’s shot-blocking (three swats) and the gritty play of Barnes and Pietrus kept Bryant to four of 19 shooting.
``We didn’t win, so I guess our plan didn’t work,’’ Carter said. ``You’d love to win when you hold a player like Kobe to a low percentage, but we let the role players hurt us too much.’’
The Magic were facing the Lakers for the first time since last spring when L.A. beat Orlando 4-1 in the NBA Finals. The Magic finally looked again like that team that won the Eastern Conference last year for certain stretches, but it was done in 13 turnovers that the Lakers turned into 21 points.
``This is a game that we definitely can build off of, but it still wasn’t enough for a win,’’ Lewis said. ``I’m still confident about this team that we can be really good. But we’ve just got to keep building our chemistry and get it down better.’’
Here is a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from Monday’s game:
THE GOOD
---- The third quarter looked much like the Magic team that started the season 17-4, swinging the ball from side to side and penetrating repeatedly for better shots. Orlando hit four 3-pointers in a game-turning 20-2 run, allowing it to go from down nine points (56-47) to up nine (67-58).
Rashard Lewis came alive during the stretch, scoring 10 of Orlando’s 20 points. He was aggressively seeking out shots and got help from Jameer Nelson, who probed the defense and found open shooters. Nelson handed out five assists in the third quarter alone.
---- Orlando’s feel-good rally would be short-lived, however, as the Lakers responded with a 21-1 spurt of their own over the final minutes of the third period and the start of the fourth quarter.
And oddly, it was some of L.A.’s supporting cast that did the damage. Lamar Odom had three tough baskets in heavy traffic on putbacks and Jordan Farmar give the Lakers a lift with his energy and a flurry of points.
The Lakers scored the first 15 points of the fourth period, nine of them coming consecutively from Farmar. Odom hurt the Magic with his length, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds in the Lakers’ turnaround stretch late in the third and early in the fourth period.
---- At long last, Howard faced a team that didn’t double-team or foul him on every catch in the paint. And he responded accordingly early in the game, pounding Lakers’ big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol down low with a variety of moves.
Howard hit nine of his first 12 shots and picked up two early fouls on Bynum with hard drives to the hoop. Howard also mixed in a 14-foot and 12-foot bank shots just off the block. He’s worked hard on the shot of late, feeling that adding a jump shot will broaden his game and give him another weapon when defenses collapse into the lane and await his drive.
Howard had 18 points by halftime – one fewer than the 19 points he had in the losses to Denver and Portland. And he did that without getting to the foul line when the Lakers didn’t repeatedly foul him. ---- The Lakers, who have already lost this season to the three teams they eliminated from the playoffs last spring, clearly approached this game with some extra zeal at the start.
The Lakers were locked and loaded in the first quarter, hitting 14 of 23 shots and four of five 3-pointers early on. L.A. was so hot that the Magic shot 64.7 percent in the opening period and still trailed 33-25. Los Angeles also made the Magic pay for their mistakes, turning four first-quarter turnovers into 10 points.
THE BAD
---- Van Gundy said he sort of chuckles as the assumption that the Magic’s chemistry is a mess now that they have hit a rough patch in the season. He also said he isn’t buying the notion that the Magic are suffering through a Finals ``hangover,’’ especially considering that the Lakers don’t seem to be having that problem.
``We were 17-4 at one point, so it’s not like our chemistry should have gotten worse. We’re just not playing well,’’ Van Gundy said. ``And as for a hangover, I’m not a big believer in that sort of thing. What, did it come on late (after the 17-4 start)? When you have as many guys as we’ve had not playing well, it’s going to look like you don’t have good chemistry.’’
---- Lakers coach Phil Jackson has a record 10 NBA championships, but he also has some experience with having a team trying to bounce back after losing in the NBA Finals.
His Lakers were routed in six games in 2008 against the Boston Celtics, but rebounded in 2009 to win it all. Jackson admitted that there is a period of mourning that teams usually go through after losing in The Finals, but it’s how they respond that is the most important.
``You either go back out with the revenge factor or maybe you are just worn out from playing ball all the way until June and come out of that with a distaste,’’ Jackson said. ``Things like (losing in the Finals) are hard to deal with and it can be a depressing situation because there’s so much pressure on winning it all.’’
And what does Jackson see from the Magic? He’s impressed with how the Magic re-tooled the team after losing Hedo Turkoglu in free agency, but he said the recent slump raises many questions.
Said Jackson: ``They’ve put the money and the effort into balancing this team out. But whether the same energy and spirit is still there, it’s hard to tell. I can’t tell yet.’’
THE UGLY
---- Bryant joked the day before Monday’s game that he was ``about to get my George Jefferson strut on,’’ after teammates kidded him for limping with the back spasms that have bothered him of late.
Bryant seemed to be bothered by injuries to his back and index finger in the first half. He was doubled over a couple of times while trying to stretch out his back. And he repeatedly shook his right hand because of the pain in his fractured index finger. And when he snagged a rebound just before the half, he did so with one hand and flung the ball ahead with just his left hand.
The injuries could have played a part in Bryant missing five of his seven shots in the first half and scoring just four points. He wasn’t hardly his aggressive self, looking to pass much more than shoot. He did have five first-half assists, two of them spectacular alley-oop passes to Bynum.
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 DentonJanuary 18, 2010
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.
LOS ANGELES – There were plenty of moments Monday night when the Orlando Magic showed the grit and talent once again of a championship-worthy contender. But ultimately their stirring, feel-good stretches weren’t enough to overcome their bad ones in another loss to the juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers.
A dazzling third-quarter run briefly put the Magic in control Monday night and gave them visions of not only beating the Lakers, but also shaking free of the slump that has gripped the team for nearly a month.
But a 15-0 stretch to start the fourth quarter doomed any chances the Magic had of a win on this night and the 98-92 loss to the Lakers sent Orlando to its seventh loss in the past nine games.
``We showed a little bit of improvement for us, but we showed spots and that’s the problem,’’ Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``We’re too streaky and we’re not solid enough over the course of the game right now. We did play better than we have in a while, which I guess is good. But when you’ve played better and you still have a loss, that’s not a very good feeling.’’
The Magic (26-15) concluded a grueling four-game, eight-day roadtrip at 1-3 with a victory against Sacramento and losses to Denver, Portland and the Lakers (32-9). Orlando is back at Amway Arena on Wednesday night to face the Indiana Pacers.
``We showed some really good things and sort of looked like we used to look when we played on the road,’’ guard Mickael Pietrus. ``But the Lakers made their run because they are the defending champs and they weren’t just going to give it to us. We just have to keep playing hard like this and moving the ball. And hopefully we’ll see the sun shine again soon.’’
Magic superstar center Dwight Howard scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but only six of his points came in the second half after a dynamic first half. Rashard Lewis scored 18 and hit three 3-pointers, while Jameer Nelson and Matt Barnes each had 13.
Star guard Vince Carter, still playing through a sore shoulder, scored nine points, but six of those came in the closing minutes as the Magic were trying to frantically rally. He made just three of 10 shots, seven of which were 3-point attempts.
Oddly, the Lakers got more of a contribution from bit players Shannon Brown (22 points) and Jordan Farmar (11 points) than they did superstar guard Kobe Bryant (11 points). Howard’s shot-blocking (three swats) and the gritty play of Barnes and Pietrus kept Bryant to four of 19 shooting.
``We didn’t win, so I guess our plan didn’t work,’’ Carter said. ``You’d love to win when you hold a player like Kobe to a low percentage, but we let the role players hurt us too much.’’
The Magic were facing the Lakers for the first time since last spring when L.A. beat Orlando 4-1 in the NBA Finals. The Magic finally looked again like that team that won the Eastern Conference last year for certain stretches, but it was done in 13 turnovers that the Lakers turned into 21 points.
``This is a game that we definitely can build off of, but it still wasn’t enough for a win,’’ Lewis said. ``I’m still confident about this team that we can be really good. But we’ve just got to keep building our chemistry and get it down better.’’
Here is a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from Monday’s game:
THE GOOD
---- The third quarter looked much like the Magic team that started the season 17-4, swinging the ball from side to side and penetrating repeatedly for better shots. Orlando hit four 3-pointers in a game-turning 20-2 run, allowing it to go from down nine points (56-47) to up nine (67-58).
Rashard Lewis came alive during the stretch, scoring 10 of Orlando’s 20 points. He was aggressively seeking out shots and got help from Jameer Nelson, who probed the defense and found open shooters. Nelson handed out five assists in the third quarter alone.
---- Orlando’s feel-good rally would be short-lived, however, as the Lakers responded with a 21-1 spurt of their own over the final minutes of the third period and the start of the fourth quarter.
And oddly, it was some of L.A.’s supporting cast that did the damage. Lamar Odom had three tough baskets in heavy traffic on putbacks and Jordan Farmar give the Lakers a lift with his energy and a flurry of points.
The Lakers scored the first 15 points of the fourth period, nine of them coming consecutively from Farmar. Odom hurt the Magic with his length, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds in the Lakers’ turnaround stretch late in the third and early in the fourth period.
---- At long last, Howard faced a team that didn’t double-team or foul him on every catch in the paint. And he responded accordingly early in the game, pounding Lakers’ big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol down low with a variety of moves.
Howard hit nine of his first 12 shots and picked up two early fouls on Bynum with hard drives to the hoop. Howard also mixed in a 14-foot and 12-foot bank shots just off the block. He’s worked hard on the shot of late, feeling that adding a jump shot will broaden his game and give him another weapon when defenses collapse into the lane and await his drive.
Howard had 18 points by halftime – one fewer than the 19 points he had in the losses to Denver and Portland. And he did that without getting to the foul line when the Lakers didn’t repeatedly foul him. ---- The Lakers, who have already lost this season to the three teams they eliminated from the playoffs last spring, clearly approached this game with some extra zeal at the start.
The Lakers were locked and loaded in the first quarter, hitting 14 of 23 shots and four of five 3-pointers early on. L.A. was so hot that the Magic shot 64.7 percent in the opening period and still trailed 33-25. Los Angeles also made the Magic pay for their mistakes, turning four first-quarter turnovers into 10 points.
THE BAD
---- Van Gundy said he sort of chuckles as the assumption that the Magic’s chemistry is a mess now that they have hit a rough patch in the season. He also said he isn’t buying the notion that the Magic are suffering through a Finals ``hangover,’’ especially considering that the Lakers don’t seem to be having that problem.
``We were 17-4 at one point, so it’s not like our chemistry should have gotten worse. We’re just not playing well,’’ Van Gundy said. ``And as for a hangover, I’m not a big believer in that sort of thing. What, did it come on late (after the 17-4 start)? When you have as many guys as we’ve had not playing well, it’s going to look like you don’t have good chemistry.’’
---- Lakers coach Phil Jackson has a record 10 NBA championships, but he also has some experience with having a team trying to bounce back after losing in the NBA Finals.
His Lakers were routed in six games in 2008 against the Boston Celtics, but rebounded in 2009 to win it all. Jackson admitted that there is a period of mourning that teams usually go through after losing in The Finals, but it’s how they respond that is the most important.
``You either go back out with the revenge factor or maybe you are just worn out from playing ball all the way until June and come out of that with a distaste,’’ Jackson said. ``Things like (losing in the Finals) are hard to deal with and it can be a depressing situation because there’s so much pressure on winning it all.’’
And what does Jackson see from the Magic? He’s impressed with how the Magic re-tooled the team after losing Hedo Turkoglu in free agency, but he said the recent slump raises many questions.
Said Jackson: ``They’ve put the money and the effort into balancing this team out. But whether the same energy and spirit is still there, it’s hard to tell. I can’t tell yet.’’
THE UGLY
---- Bryant joked the day before Monday’s game that he was ``about to get my George Jefferson strut on,’’ after teammates kidded him for limping with the back spasms that have bothered him of late.
Bryant seemed to be bothered by injuries to his back and index finger in the first half. He was doubled over a couple of times while trying to stretch out his back. And he repeatedly shook his right hand because of the pain in his fractured index finger. And when he snagged a rebound just before the half, he did so with one hand and flung the ball ahead with just his left hand.
The injuries could have played a part in Bryant missing five of his seven shots in the first half and scoring just four points. He wasn’t hardly his aggressive self, looking to pass much more than shoot. He did have five first-half assists, two of them spectacular alley-oop passes to Bynum.
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.
