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.

[big'ol_freeper]

They are deep. Stop one guy and there are four others. Tough line up to control...and they like to play defense.

[Lancey Howard]

The Flyers they ain’t.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Lamar has his moments. He is capable of being a really great player, except he is NOT consistant..He will have 1 great game followed by a sub par game followed by another great game..but if Amare lit the match under Lamar’s ass and made him play better, then I am THRILLED..usually only candy makes Lamar play well LOL. Ron is capable of playing great defense, he just has to piss off Rondo and he will get into his head. Thank God for Pau, he has been the MVP of this team so far..finally so far he is NOT GaSOFT

[GlennBeck08]

Agreed, with all of that. I hope Artest plays just physical enough and annoyingly enough to get under his skin and take him out of his game. And yes, Pau’s been the man these play-offs. He’s stepped up like I hoped he would’ve the past few years during the play-offs. He’s always been good, but this year he has some sort of “killer” instinct.

[SmokingJoe]

He is capable of being a really great player, except he is NOT consistant..He will have 1 great game followed by a sub par game followed by another great game

The # 1 reason why the Lakers got clobbered good by Celtics in 2008 was Lamar Odom's pathetic performance in that series, especially in that last match in Boston when the Lakers got destroyed. Just made me physically ill watching that match. Have never really trusted Lamar Odom much since that terrible performance.
Mind you, he's played the best I have seen him play in quite a while, in these last two matches against Phoenix.
Anyways, on to the Phoenix game. Lets see how the Lakers do against Phoenix in Phoenix. They are quite hard to beat at home. I think it's going to be a very good game.

[Sarah Barracuda]

It will be a really good game and I hope the Lakers come out early and CLOBBER them, show them who is boss and Phoenix will fold..they will fold as quickly as Orlando folded last night. If they can beat Utah IN Utah, a place which is really difficult to play in, they can win in Phoenix..all depends on if the Laker bench steps up and if the refs play fair..and your right about Lamar, Mr Inconsistency should be his name..you never know which guy is gonna show up

[SmokingJoe]

Now look, Amare, he’s even luckier! :)

What's with Amare's mother anyways?

“Amare Stoudemire’s Mom Arrested in Front of Him
NEW YORK (CBS) The mother of Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire was arrested Saturday by Scottsdale, Ariz. police for operating a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device. The device acts as a breathalyzer and is designed to prevent people who are legally drunk from driving.

According to a police report, Carrie Stoudemire, 54, was stopped Saturday at 3:15 p.m. by an officer who noticed that her Lincoln Navigator was cruising at 60 miles per hour while straddling two lanes.

The officer pulled Stoudemire over and noticed that her license indicated “Interlock device required.” But the device was not on that particular vehicle, the report says.

Carrie Stoudemmire stated, “I'm not drunk, I'm on the way to my alcohol class now,” but the officer said her eyes were “watery and glassy.”

After the officer returned to his patrol car, Stoudemire became indignant and began honking her horn, says the report. She refused to take any of the sobriety tests, crossed her arms, and stated, “Arrest me then if you have enough.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20005381-504083.html

[GlennBeck08]

El oh el. I mean it isn’t funny, but it’s really funny.

[cleveland gop]

Yep, LeBoob is all hype, and this playoff performance proved it. The Drama Queen kept whining about the elbow hurting him. Yet Kobe gets his knee drained and only goes out and kicks ass.

In retrospect the CAVS needed to get Amare and not Antwain at the deadline. That would have given them the 2nd scorer it was missing. Shick is just too old and slow to have been a threat to Boston.

Can the C’s beat the Lake Show? Why not? The fact that KG’S 100% healthy has made all the difference and turned Rajon Rondo loose. And Pierce and Allen don’t have to carry the load together anymore....

Geez, Marv just interviewed Zero? DAMNIT!!

[GlennBeck08]

Lebron’s a good player, he just doesn’t have the ability to carry a team on his back quite yet. I think he’s overhyped for what he brings though. Like you said, he needed somebody to take some of the offensive burden off of him.

The Celtics do worry me as a Laker fan. I hope Pau Gasol can keep playing like he has the last half of the season through now. Kobe will be Kobe, Bynum and Odum will have to step it up a bit defensively though. I am glad I am at work and not watching TV or I might have completely shut the game down before the great zilch was interviewed. At least the Sirius/XM has the Lakers radio feed :)

[Sarah Barracuda]

David Stern really called out his goons for tonight..15 free throws for Phoenix, 1 for us..WOW really Stern, really??

[SmokingJoe]

Well Odom managed to throw away both free throws from that fowl.

[cleveland gop]

One of those NBA mandated edicts handed down by the devil himself....

[Sarah Barracuda]

Odom and Artest are playing like crap but in no way could THIS be legit..

Phoenix - 20 FTA
Lakers - 3 FTA

Someone please explain to me a 17 point free throw differential. Looks like the devil Stern wants to extend this series since the Boston/Orlando one is such an utter bore

[word_warrior_bob]

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.

______

I was told this days after his retirement by a friend of mine in NYC, he was a doctor, an older man and not one for tall tales. One of his colleagues is the brother of a famous NBA coach.

He told me matter of factly that Jordan was forced to “retire”. It seems this version has gained traction in recent years.

Also I agree what you said upthread about palming, walking, etc. I used to be a HUGE NBA fan, taped every game on TV and was a good player myself.

The game is a joke now, the game was JUST FINE in the 80’s, I can accept 2 1/2 steps when done properly, but with the “hop step” it’s now 4 or 5 and half steps with the ball. The game is a joke. I guess the NBA doesn’t want their older traditional fans. I couldn’t imagine that I wouldn’t care to watch the NBA anymore, if you told me that 20 years ago I would have thought it impossible.

Some guy at the gym was telling me he thought LeBron was better than Jordan, I laughed and said LeBron travels every other time he touches the ball, he said “OK, I’ll give you that”, LOL, the “great” LeBron gets to travel with the ball. The NBA is a joke, at least to former hard core players like myself.

[Richard Kimball]

Bird, McHale, Parrish, Ainge, Maxwell. I know you loved Ainge and McHale. I still remember the foul McHale put on Rambis that created the flagrant foul rule in the NBA. Lordy, the Celtics turned off the A/C in the old Boston Garden and it was in the mid-nineties during that game.

[GlennBeck08]

I actually liked Bill Laimbeer more then Ainge and McHale ;)
Man, those days of the NBA were terrific. I miss those days. I can hardly stomach the NBA anymore. The charismatic players are gone, the rivalries just aren’t the same and the way they play these days drives me nuts.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Ron Artest and LO have ZERO basketball IQ

[SmokingJoe]

Well this match is over. Stoudemire just bloody killed 'em.
No way the Lakers are coming back in this game.
They are gonna have to try and win the next 2 matches.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Amare played well, and that is because he shot what, 15 free throws and got away with manhandling Pau and getting away with it. This game was rigged from the start, no I’m not blaming the refs for everything, the Lakers did play like poo poo, but when you have Phoenix shooting 20 free throws in the first half to the Lakers 3, yeah it doesn’t pass the smell test..and for the two games that I was praising Lamar, now I am gonna diss him, now he is back to being ODUMB..and Andrew is no where to be found but this loss goes more on Jordan and Shannon, dumb and dumber..who did NOTHING for us tonight except turn the ball over and commit idiotic fouls