Inside Enemy Territory with “Believing In Magic”
With the Raptors about to play Orlando we chatted with Brendan from Believing in Magic to help prepare Raptors fans for the game.
1. A couple weeks back Stan Van Gundy made a controversial decision to call out Dwight Howard for a perceived lack of enthusiasm on the defensive end and on the glass. Did this move pay off? Do you think it was a wise decision by the first year head coach to rip into his franchise player through the media?
The Van Gundy comments were indeed controversial. I personally love that Orlando now has a coach with the brass to call out his star player and I think it was a good move. Van Gundy had talked to Howard about putting more effort up on the defensive end before, but it fell on deaf ears, so he was left with no choice and talked about it publically. It was concerning to me that Howard needed to be called out in order to do what his coach asked of him, but it worked. Since Van Gundy called out Howard, Orlando is 6-2 and Dwight is playing with a lot more intensity on defense and is putting up more effort on the glass.
2. Former Raptor Carlos Arroyo has found himself as Orlando’s third string point guard in recent weeks. Why has he fallen out of favour with the coaching staff? Arroyo has shown flashes of brilliance in International play but has yet to find his niche in the NBA, why is that?
Arroyo actually got the nod at point guard Saturday night versus the Knicks because of injuries to Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling. Arroyo played well, but don’t look for him to stick as the team’s starting point guard. Arroyo is a frustrating player because he has the skill and ability to be a top-10 PG in the NBA, but he doesn’t have the discipline or wherewithal. Arroyo has been known to play out of control and doesn’t fit in the confines of a typical NBA offense. Arroyo takes too many ill-advised shots, and while he makes a lot of them, he can take a team out of its flow. Arroyo also wanders around on defense and seems to get lost. Arroyo can be a dazzling player and makes a lot of nice plays but he is inconsistent and doesn’t give in to the role as a “pass first guard”, which is why he hasn’t had much success as an NBA player. If, and that’s a big “if”, he can play under control more often and not try to be so fancy, Arroyo can become a very good starter for any team in the league.
3. With the race to the playoffs about to begin, what teams would you like to see Orlando face in the first and second round of the playoffs? Which teams scare you?
I think I am being baited into this question because the obvious answer of who I am scared to play is the Toronto Raptors. If you guys fall to the 6th spot, which is unlikely, I’d be very afraid to see you in the first round. Orlando, for whatever reason, doesn’t match up well against Toronto, and Chris Bosh seems to have monster games against Orlando every time he plays them. If the two teams did meet in the first, even with Orlando having home-court advantage, I’d probably like the Raptors in a tight series.
In a more realistic scenario, the Magic will see Washington, which scares me as well. With Gilbert Arenas likely to come back in time for the playoffs and Caron Butler on the mend, this team could be poised to pull the first round upset. I’d love to see Philadelphia in the first round, but that seems farfetched at this point.
Seeing as Orlando is likely to keep its position as the third seed, the Magic will probably see Boston or Detroit in the second-round. A lot will come down to Boston’s health, but I would prefer to see Detroit in the second round. Orlando has split the season series with them and although they were swept by them last year in the playoffs, Orlando is a much better team and they will be motivated to come away with the win.
Again, a big thanks goes out to Brendan from Believing In Magic. Make sure you check out his blog for all your Orlando Magic news and commentary.
This article was written by:
Ryan McNeill - who has written 200 posts on Hoops Addict.
Ryan McNeill is the editor for Hoops Addict and has appeared on NBA XL and WSRQ 1220. Ryan has covered the NBA with media credentials since the 2007 season.