Going into the fourth quarter, the Magic had a different look about them. There wasn't desperation on their faces. They didn't look like a group of young players looking for an identity. The Magic looked like a team that believed they could win a game. Any game. And tonight, it was at the expense of the Chicago Bulls. Hedo Turkoglu calmly received the ball from Jammer Nelson, dribbled left to avoid a flying defender and promptly sank a jump shot to put the Magic up for good. There was no hesitation in the move at all. It was one fluid movement - like the team rehearsed that play over and over again.
Four game winning streaks will do that to a team. Having the right players on the floor will do that to a team. We are still a few players and a year away from being a serious contender, but the Magic are growing up. There were two important things that happened in this game. One, the Magic had confidence going into the fourth quarter. Two, they executed down the stretch.
The Magic trailed by 9 going into the fourth quarter and flirted with the lead throughout the quarter. With less than 2 minutes to go, Hedo hit his two big shots and Keyon Dooling knocked down a huge three pointer.
Jameer Nelson finished with 24 points, 4 assists and - a block. Dwight Howard did not play much in the second half, but he finished with 11 rebounds. The bench played very well tonight, especially the guards. Carlos Arroyo and Dooling played very well, scoring 12 and 15 points respectively. And though the big men played hard, Darko Milicic was really the only one to show up in the box columns. Milicic finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
11 Comments on "Game notes - Magic at Chicago"
NICE! (and it's about time we got an update!)
Sorry about that. Been real busy working on some new web apps and didn't think anyone was really keeping up with the site. Now that I know there is at least one other Magic fan out there - I will certainly get back to updating almost daily.
Your updates are much appreciated! I am overseas right now and can't watch any games. Besides the game breakdowns from ESPN or Yahoo, this is all I get.
Thanks.
Sir!
My name is Halil Bahadirli and I do live in the beautifull mediterranean city of Antalya, Turkey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antalya
But even from here I try to follow the Magics as closely as possible, mainly because of Hedo Turkoglu, I must confess.
I am thrilled by the recent performance of the team. Really, really excited. And if you would keep up your good work I would be very gladfull.
If you ever happen to be in the neighbourhood, please let me know, so I can return the favour.
Yours, sincerely
Halil
You promised us photos from the game last time!
good performance by darko.
too bad we will steal milicic from you
that's the buzz here in toronto
Good deal! I wasn't sure if everyone was reading the game updates or just the news and opinion part. I'll keep up on the game updates from now on. Thanks for visiting!
Randy - I'm sorry about the photos. I've been working on a new app and it completely slipped my mind. I will post them tonight!!!
Sorry coach - but I don't see it happening. The Magic will have first shot at locking him up to a multiyear deal. I don't see Darko or Arroyo going anywhere else.
I'm feeling something here that's unfamiliar. If I'm not mistaken....could it be....hope? It's been so long...
Obviously the Magic are going nowhere this year, the playoffs are out (I don't care about mathematically), but man do I like the way they are making a go of it. There is a great learning experience at hand these last few games- getting to know the squad, getting darko big minutes, and winning games, even if they don't matter for the postseason. I'm sick of being in the lottery, but if we're rebuilding this is the way to do it.
I agree Eric - the team is definitely headed in the right direction. I was one of those few who thought the .500 days of Doc Rivers was unacceptable. We forget that we've had decent teams and spent a number of years at .500. However, the team was never really going anywhere. Each summer had the same feeling, what if.
This year, I'm feeling pretty excited about the summer. The heck with .500 ball, a few small tweaks and I think the Magic will make some noise. They're playing with a chip on their shoulder, finally!