Magic Vs. Hawks

The Orlando Magic finished off the Bobcats last week on Monday. A week later and they still haven’t played their second round opponent. The Atlanta Hawks destroyed the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday to advance to the next round of the playoffs. On Tuesday they will face Orlando, a team well rested.

Following the game seven victory, the public-address announcer in Atlanta yelled, "We're headed to Disney World!" For the Hawks, that may not be the best of news. The Hawks are just 1-3 against the Magic this season and have had no answer for Dwight Howard. Howard could use this series to bounce back from a foul riddled first round series with the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Hawks and Magic are all too familiar with each other. The Southeast rivals play a guaranteed four times a season, and for the past three seasons both clubs have advanced to new heights. This year the Hawks will attempt to advance beyond the 2nd round while the Orlando Magic strive for a championship with anything else being a failure.

The Hawks barely have time to rest after almost being eliminated by a sub par Milwaukee team. Jamal Crawford said it best, "As athletes, we're kind of creatures of habit. We've been playing nonstop, and they've had off for a week. So, hopefully, they could be a little rusty and we can go in there and steal a game or two."

The Magic must be aware of the Hawks and their resilient defense. The Hawks defense created a horrid shooting performance from a Bucks team that could have eliminated them in Milwaukee two days prior.

The Hawks themselves must recognize who they are playing. Dwight Howard alone presents a problem the Bucks could not offer with their center Andrew Bogut injured.

Howard will be physical and will look to bully fellow all-star Al Horford who was the bully against the defenseless Bucks. Horford was able to grab rebounds and block shots at will with fellow high-flyer Josh Smith. Against the Magic, any defensive mistake can lead to a Howard dunk or a daggering three pointer.

The Magic are aiming for Howard to make correct passes to open perimeter shooters. When he does so, the Magic function in full cylinder and become nearly impossible to defend.

The series appears to be exciting. The Magic are eager to advance to the Finals again, while the Hawks look to reach new heights.

Time to be half Amazing again

Vince Carter was brought to the Orlando Magic last summer to be the go-to guy down the stretch of big games. The virtual replacement for Hedo Turkoglu has big shoes to fill, and the time to fill them is now.


The 2010 NBA Playoffs have arrived. After the first-round matchup against the Charlotte Bobcats, Vince Carter was anything but consistent. The ensuing matchup against the Atlanta Hawks will give Carter one more chance to prove he is the solution down the stretch before they run into either Boston or Cleveland.

In previous match-ups against Atlanta, Boston, or Cleveland, Carter has performed well. Carter made big plays and executed with some timely passing in at least one game against all three elite teams. However if the playoffs have shown anything to the Orlando Magic besides Dwight Howard’s foul trouble, it’s Carters disturbing unpredictable play.

For most of the series Vince Carter was a non-factor. The sweep of the Bobcats is misleading considering the Magic had problems with keeping Howard in the game and keeping Carter aggressive. Without Jameer Nelson the Magic may have been in a long series against a great defensive Bobcats team.

Carter is most effective when he is aggressive. Van Gundy may draw up certain plays this series to get his shooting guard going.

In a contest against Cleveland earlier this season Carter stepped up and attacked the rim as the game went down the wire. Nelson and Carter began playing pick and post basketball. The Cavaliers had Anthony Parker on Carter and Mo Williams on Nelson. As Carter set the pick, Parker and Williams switched and Carter had the easy matchup against the smaller Mo Williams. Besides a pick and roll with Howard and Carter, this is one of the more effective plays for Carter.

Carter proved at that time he can be a difference maker.

On Carter’s first touch in the final five minutes he drew a foul off of the switch and made both free throws. The following possession Carter caught the ball wide open, as both Cavalier players failed to switch onto him. Carter had breathing room and delivered a thunderous dunk. Carter then made a left handed layup again when the defenders switched. On the ensuing drive, Mo Williams defended a Carter screen and with the shot clock winding down Carter jumped over Parker and drilled a tough acrobatic shot.

The eight points were crucial and not surprising because Cater was aggressive. His passing on the next three plays led to eight points and an important victory over Cleveland.

For roughly five minutes the Orlando Magic saw Carter’s full potential. It was exactly what Orlando needed to win.

Now that the playoffs have started, aggressive play is the only way Carter will match the productivity of Turkoglu. If an aggressive and prolific Carter shows up, the Orlando Magic may even have some hardware in June. That’s how important it is.