Magic has shown no heart

Fox Sports ^ | May 23, 2010 | Jeff Goodman

[SmokingJoe]

No heart.

I’m not sure you can find a pulsation right now among Orlando’s trio of Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis.

With their backs against the proverbial wall, all three came out and laid a gigantic egg.

That’s $50 million that should have just stayed home and watched the Eastern Conference finals on television — because they were all bystanders on Saturday night in Boston’s 94-71 thrashing in Game 3.

Howard went through the first 11:51 without scoring as the Celtics took a 27-12 lead after the first quarter.

The NBA’s most dominant big man finished with a mere seven points in more than 39 minutes on the floor.

Lewis was virtually useless for the third consecutive game in the series, which the Celtics now lead 3-0 with an opportunity to close it out Monday night. Lewis had four points and is averaging five in the series.

-snip-

In case you haven’t heard, no team has dug out of a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven NBA series.

Never.

“We’ve got to win one,” Carter said.

These teams don’t bear much resemblance to the ones that took the floor a year ago in the Eastern Conference semifinals, in which Orlando pounded Boston, 101-82, in Game 7 en route to an appearance in the NBA Finals.

-snip-

Turkoglu was sensational in the postseason a year ago. He even dished out a dozen assists and was clearly the most valuable player on the court in the decisive seventh game. Lee was critical in giving the Magic an offensive spark off the bench throughout the postseason.

That group seemed to mesh together and thrived as the hunter, sneaking up on its opponents.

Now, they have wilted as the hunted.

[SmokingJoe]

Stopped watching after the 3rd quarter. The match was pretty much finished anyways. There was no point in continuing to watch.

[aliquando]

As an Atlantan, I can not understand how the hawks can own the Celtics and be owned by the Magic. I still wish they played hoops like they used to. Do they even call palming any more?

[FTJM]

They clearly miss Turkoglu, Lee and Rafer Alston. Playing Nelson last year was a mistake.

[SmokingJoe]

As an Atlantan, I can not understand how the hawks can own the Celtics and be owned by the Magic

Well I don't understand how Orlando can own Atlanta and sweep them like that, and then turn round and be totally clobbered by Celtics. Yesterday's match..what the heck! Orlando didn't even put up a fight.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I watched a bit at a bar. Why don’t players follow up the long three point shots? Saw it happening over and over. No rebounding on offense?

[Sarah Barracuda]

I agree..we took the Magic to five games last year in the NBA Finals and now they are gonna be swept out of the Eastern Conference finals..they have gone down instead of up. I think Hedo, even though for Toronto he has not been a major factor, he was a great fit in Orlando. The team has folded, from start to finish ZERO effort, but they take their cue from Howard, no effort from him, no effort from the team

[max americana]

The so-called “Superman” of sports, Howard. What a choker. You’d think that after tasting bitter defeat from the Lakers would have pushed them to find a new drive gear.

[WellyP]

Somewhere “Red” and all the old Celtics who have passed away are smiling but they know it isn’t over until you put the Lakers away!

[SmokingJoe]

Well at least they got to the finals last year, which is a heck of a lot more than they'll do this year.
It's going to be yet another Lakers/Celtics finals, and the way that the Celtics are laying right now, especially in their away matches, it's going to be really hard for the Lakers to beat them.
Should be an interesting series (I hope), unless The Lakers decide to fold like Orlando just did.

[Sarah Barracuda]

HAHA well I’m a die hard Laker fan so my hate for the Celtics goes WAY back. I want Phil to get another ring before he retires

[max americana]

Conspiracy NBA theorists will say that Stern was steering for another Celts-Lakers finale, just like the fact that no one actually sees the teams win the draft lottery.

BUT the horrid performance of the Magic negates the fact. I admit that the Celts were running on fumes right before the start of the playoffs and for a bunch of “old, over the hill dudes” they really showed me.

-max (typing on a blackberry in Los Angeles) ;)

[Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo]

Do they even call palming any more?
 
No, they haven't enforced the rulebook for about 20 years now.
 
I used to be an NBA fanatic, but now just the thought of NBA hoops - well, it doesn't "disgust" me, and it doesn't even "bore" me - you know, the truth of the matter is that I don't even THINK about NBA hoops anymore.
 
It's just completely irrelevant to my life now.
 
LOL'ed.

[GlennBeck08]

I still think Shaquille O’Neal is the Superman of the NBA.

[GlennBeck08]

Can’t say I am a diehard Laker fan anymore.. but I hate the Celtics. I miss the Lakers of the 80s. Those were my Lakers. Kobe, good player, but he’s not like Magic, Worthy, Scott, Green, Cooper, Kareem or Rambis. Just something about those guys...

[max americana]

“Superman” couldn’t save leChoke..I mean lebron.

[Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo]

What a choker.
 
I might get banned for saying this [or at least have the comment deleted], but I am fairly certain that a lot of the bruthas are probably "chokers" in more ways than one - just google the term "on the down low".
 
Hillbuzz recently had a piece about that phenomenon as regards our esteemed Commander-in-Chief [and be sure to read the comments at Hillbuzz].

[EscapedDutch]

NBA = Not Basketball Anymore

[SmokingJoe]

Conspiracy NBA theorists will say that Stern was steering for another Celts-Lakers finale,

Conspiracy theorists always say that whenever the Lakers meet Celtics in the finals, which has happened 11 times already:

Year Winner Series
1959 Boston Celtics 4–0
1962 Boston Celtics 4–3
1963 Boston Celtics 4–2
1965 Boston Celtics 4–1
1966 Boston Celtics 4–3
1968 Boston Celtics 4–2
1969 Boston Celtics 4–3
1984 Boston Celtics 4–3
1985 Los Angeles Lakers 4–2
1987 Los Angeles Lakers 4–2
2008 Boston Celtics 4–2

[Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo]

Magic, Worthy, Scott, Green, Cooper, Kareem or Rambis
 
You know, I was in love with that old Lakers team, but Magic turned out to be at least "Bi", and Worthy cheated ruthlessly on his wife [she wrote a book about it], and Kareem is a Muslim and a world-class kook.
 
Even Michael Jordan [who played with Worthy on the 1982 NCAA championship team] turned out to be a total loser of a human being - a lot of people now believe that his 1994-1995 sabbatical from the NBA, "to pursue a childhood dream of playing Major League baseball", was, in fact, a secret two-year ban imposed on him by the league for gambling with the mafia.

[GlennBeck08]

Nah, Shaq’s a bit old to save anybody at this point in his career. I’m not sure Lebron has the leadership yet to lead a team to the title. I did think with Shaq going to Clev. and providing a veteran leadership presence, they’d at least make it to the Finals. Shaq v. Kobe with Kobe’s Lakers winning it all.