# It's Official......next round: Magic vs. Piston's



## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

Okay, Pistons finally beat the 'sixers.......Magic should be ready for a battle tho. Detroit finally woke up so if we want to win this series we need to bring our "A" game and play good D or else it could get ugly......On the bright side tho, if we get hot from the perimeter we can definately take them out of what they do so it can go either way.....And even tho they have more depth, the pace that detroit plays at I think will ultimately work to our benifit..... As long as we keep these games close going down the strecth we will always have a chance to win becuz of our shooters..... we also have proven throughout the year that we can win in close games so they dont scare me as much when i look at it like that. Being optimistic, I think this series will go to 7 games, and from there it can go either way so I will say Magic in 7. 

Alot of people will count us out, but this is where we have to prove ourselves. If the players want the respect that they have been talkin about all year, then now is the time to step up and prove themselves and show everybody what they're all about......I think that we need to come out strong in game 1 and set the tone.......we need to make them adjust to us, instead of vice-versa. 'Meer needs to use his quickness on Billups, Hedo needs to use his size on Prince, and 'Shard needs to do what he does and spread the court and use that low post game that he showed last series......not to mention, they still have to stop Dwight. We have all the tools we need win, including the best player in this series in Dwight.... so why does everyone just expect them beat us?? We just need to go right at these guys from the start, like Philly, and just dont back down and i think we will be alright. Magic in 7.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

If it helps, you have me rooting for you guys! I hope you destroy Detroit. :cheers:


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

Tough matchup...Turk will not be able to drive as he was driving against the Raptors because Prince is a very good defender, Billiups always has perfect games against us and Rasheed, when he wants of course, is one of the elite PF in the league...Hamilton is a headache as well...But Dalenbert was playing so well against Detroit, so I hope Dwight can really dominate the series, he just needs to get the ball in good positions and stay agressive...A lot of things depends on officiating, we all know that Pistons are arguing every foul and crying the whole game, so hopefully refs will not lose control...Key is our outside shooting, if we get hot from the perimeter then we can beat them every game...


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

This series will depend on which Rasheed Wallace shows up. If it's All-Star Sheed, Detroit will win. If it's 3 point shooting Sheed, the Magic will win. Billups will get his. As will Dwight. But if Sheed stays on the perimeter on offense, Rashard will be our X-Factor in this series.

PS Why is Carlos Arroyo the only Magic representative as the current Avatars for the Magic?


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## MLKG (Aug 25, 2003)

deanwoof said:


> This series will depend on which Rasheed Wallace shows up. If it's All-Star Sheed, Detroit will win. If it's 3 point shooting Sheed, the Magic will win. Billups will get his. As will Dwight. But if Sheed stays on the perimeter on offense, Rashard will be our X-Factor in this series.
> 
> PS Why is Carlos Arroyo the only Magic representative as the current Avatars for the Magic?


3-point shooting Sheed IS all-star Sheed. I don't understand why people look at his 3-point shooting as a bad thing. The high pick-and-roll he runs with Billups is basically unguardable and creates huge matchup and spacing problems for defenses.


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## Idunkonyou (Feb 23, 2003)

This is a good test for the Magic. I say Magic in 6, but we shall see.


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## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

Good luck guys. May the better team win!


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

It looks like Pistons fans are not like Raptors'


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

3 point shooting is where i think it hurts detroit. yes that pick and roll is very dangerous and sheed is the best shooter on the team. however, he is UNGUARDABLE in the post. Magic in 6


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

Babir said:


> It looks like Pistons fans are not like Raptors'


Truth.


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## thaKEAF (Mar 8, 2004)

Let's go Magic!

Howard vs. LeBron in the ECF 

:smoothcriminal:


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

Rooting for you guys. I think this one might take 7 games to win.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

embarassing loss in the first game of the series


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

ouch! what happened to our team?


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

Stupid and blind refs have robbed us today


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

what a disgrace.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

refs were terrible, but still Rashard and Turk were struggling...they just made 11 shots from 32 attempts, plus 12 turnovers...
We lost 9 straight playoff games to Pistons!


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

Looks like our only chance now is to take it 7 games......we have to handle our business at home and find a way to steal one up in Detroit somehow...Game 3 & 4 become vital now tho


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

Game 3 is very important...


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## hobojoe (Jun 20, 2003)

Babir said:


> Game 3 is very important...


I'm going and I'm going to be loud. I've yet to cool down from the Game 2 crap, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Amway should be rocking, obviously a must win situation for the Magic. Anyone else going?


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## Seanzie (Jun 9, 2003)

Babir said:


> Game 3 is very important...


That's an understatement :lol:

The entire series hinges on Game 3. We'll be lucky to win this series now, down 0-2, but if we can win our home games, at least we give ourselves a chance. We can even things up, and then we'll have to steal a home game from Detroit. 

We really need our crowd tonight, and Dwight needs to punish Rasheed and Maxiell down low. Then we can work the inside-out game, because Hedo and Rashard are getting worked right now.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

Seanzie, what are you laughing at? is that nervous thing? I meant that we should think about game 3 first, not about both of them at once...

How serious is Billiups' injury? what type of injury is that? how long does it take to recover?


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## Idunkonyou (Feb 23, 2003)

Big win for the Magic tonight. I sense the momentum shifting. You could feel it in game 2. Now it is in full force. Plus SVG's up tempo change really dictated game 3. Magic need to continue that up tempo style, while Flip figures out how to stop it.


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## deanwoof (Mar 10, 2003)

game 3 was the gimme game that detroit is known for in the playoffs, plus after that game 2 fiasco, orlando was basically given this game by David Stern 

i can't decide if billups injury hurt the pistons more or if richard hamilton's unwillingness to give the ball up did.


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## hobojoe (Jun 20, 2003)

Amway was rocking last night, great atmosphere. Magic need that again on Saturday and Lewis to keep being aggressive and slashing the way he has been in the playoffs.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

any update on Billiups' injury?


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

Terrible one point loss at home in game 4


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## Idunkonyou (Feb 23, 2003)

Babir said:


> Terrible one point loss at home in game 4


Maybe the biggest choke job of the playoffs so far. 15 point lead with about 18 minutes left and they still lose. The Magic need to man up for game 5 and bring the series back to Orlando.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

We lost to Detroit in playoffs again...This time Billiups played in only first 2 games of the series. We had a great chance to advance but failed miserably...
We can't employ this stupid "small-ball" next season, need another PF alongside Dwight. We need a PG, Nelson is not a PG and game 5 just proved that, team had 21 turnovers...We also should trade Turk because he has at least some value now. We can't have two good SFs on the team, playing one of them like PF. By trading Turk we can get some missing pieces. Of course, I would love to get rid off Lewis, but with Isaih Thomas gone, no one will trade for him...Garrity, Arroyo, Evans should leave, maybe Dooling can be resigned but cheap...


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## Enigma (Jul 16, 2002)

Babir said:


> We lost to Detroit in playoffs again...This time Billiups played in only first 2 games of the series. We had a great chance to advance but failed miserably...
> We can't employ this stupid "small-ball" next season, need another PF alongside Dwight. We need a PG, Nelson is not a PG and game 5 just proved that, team had 21 turnovers...We also should trade Turk because he has at least some value now. We can't have two good SFs on the team, playing one of them like PF. By trading Turk we can get some missing pieces. Of course, I would love to get rid off Lewis, but with Isaih Thomas gone, no one will trade for him...Garrity, Arroyo, Evans should leave, maybe Dooling can be resigned but cheap...


Whoa, ease up on the reins. I know that's just reactions to being knocked out of the playoffs. But you're basically talking about blowing up the team here. Let's get some perspective here. We're a pretty young team that just jumped from being sub-.500 and barely reaching the playoffs and getting swept in the first round to having the 3rd best record in the East, winning the division for the first time in over a decade, and getting past our first round curse. And we did all this while being in the first year of a new system with a new head coach.

We just need tweaks, not wholesale changes. I agree that Dwight definitly needs his post sidekick though. That would be my focus this off-season if I was running the team.

Detroit just happens to be the absolute worst matchup for us. Plenty of solid big guys to throw at Dwight with all those fouls, an uber lanky quality defender to slow down a hot Hedo or Lewis, and PG's that simply can overpower Jameer. Now throw Rip hamilton into the mix.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

What I am saying is not a wholesale changes. I am proposing to trade Hedo, because it is impossible to move Rashard, and to get a decent SG. I also said that Garrity, Evans, Arroyo should not come back...Yes, and I hate to have Jameer Nelson as our starting PG, but his contract is not allowing to trade him as well...


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## Enigma (Jul 16, 2002)

Babir said:


> What I am saying is not a wholesale changes. I am proposing to trade Hedo, because it is impossible to move Rashard, and to get a decent SG. I also said that Garrity, Evans, Arroyo should not come back...Yes, and I hate to have Jameer Nelson as our starting PG, but his contract is not allowing to trade him as well...


So trading our starting SF, trying to find a new starting PG if possible, landing a new starting SG, and picking up a starting PF and changing our style of play and dumping a bunch of backups. If that's not wholesale changes, I don't know what is.

BTW, I'd take Evans over Bogans if financially feasible.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

Enigma said:


> So trading our starting SF, trying to find a new starting PG if possible, landing a new starting SG, and picking up a starting PF and changing our style of play and dumping a bunch of backups. If that's not wholesale changes, I don't know what is.
> 
> BTW, I'd take Evans over Bogans if financially feasible.


Maybe my English is not good enough, but I will try to explain one more time. We can't have 2 SFs in the lineup, playing one of them as PF. We lost at least two games to Pistons because we gave up too many offensive boards and by getting abused by their bigs. SVG is ridiculously stubborn, he did not even try to put Gortad or Foyle alongside Dwight. We played the whole series against one of the most physical teams with one true center on the flour...So, that is why I am proposing to trade Hedo while he has value and get a decent PF or at least a SG.
Of course I would love to change our starting PG as well but it is impossible because of his stupid contract.
Regarding "a bunch of backups", do you want to keep Garrity, Arroyo and Evans? maybe Evans would be ok if we resign him cheap, but in case if we get a SG, then we don't need him and Bogans...


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## Enigma (Jul 16, 2002)

Babir said:


> Maybe my English is not good enough, but I will try to explain one more time. We can't have 2 SFs in the lineup, playing one of them as PF. We lost at least two games to Pistons because we gave up too many offensive boards and by getting abused by their bigs. SVG is ridiculously stubborn, he did not even try to put Gortad or Foyle alongside Dwight. We played the whole series against one of the most physical teams with one true center on the flour...So, that is why I am proposing to trade Hedo while he has value and get a decent PF or at least a SG.
> Of course I would love to change our starting PG as well but it is impossible because of his stupid contract.
> Regarding "a bunch of backups", do you want to keep Garrity, Arroyo and Evans? maybe Evans would be ok if we resign him cheap, but in case if we get a SG, then we don't need him and Bogans...


I never said I opposed changes. I am opposed to changing as much as you were originally suggesting. You were basically talking about having 4 new starters and some new backups. We need tweaking, not wholesale changes. I already stated that Dwight needs a young sidekick. But I don't think trading Hedo for it is a good idea because when you trade up in size, you trade down in talent. If we were to trade Hedo, we should trade him for a guard. Address the PF need through some other ways.

BTW, your English is great.


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## Babir (Jan 10, 2005)

Ok, then if we are keeping Hedo, then we should bring him from the bench. I ll be very upset if keep playing "small"  hate that strategy...


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