What They're Saying: Magic vs. Lakers Game One

-Jerry Crowe of the Los Angeles Times talks about how Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant were nearly teammates... on the Clippers.

-As far as coaching is concerned, Stan Van Gundy and Phil Jackson could not be more different, Mike Bianchi writes for The Orlando Sentinel.

-The Lakers and the Magic are still escaping the shadow of Shaquille O'Neal.

-Bethlehem Shoals of the Baseline blog says versatility is the key to the success of the Magic and Lakers. and it might be a sign for the future in the NBA.

-Mike Freeman of CBS Sportsline compares the 2009 Magic to the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants of two years ago. Both are equally tough and both are huge underdogs despite their successes so far.

-Third Quarter Collapse sits down with various NBA experts and bloggers to answer some questions about the series.

-Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated says the role players will be key to winning the NBA Finals.

-Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes Orlando is making the three the new two.

-Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times says the Lakers remember their defeat last year against the Boston Celtics and want some redemption from it in a title this year.

-Marc J. Spears of the Boston Globe reports former Magic assistant coach Clifford Ray feels like a proud papa after seeing his student, Dwight Howard, reach the NBA Finals. Ray was an assistant coach during Howard's rookie season and grew very close with him during his one season working with him.

-John Denton writing for ESPN talks about Dwight Howard's maturation in this postseason.

-Andrea Adelson of The Orlando Sentinel profiles the man, Otis Smith, who built the Magic.

-Jon Nichols writing for Hardwood Paroxysm graphs the correlation between regular season series victories and postseason series victories.

-Rashard Lewis in an interview with Sporting News says the Kobe-LeBron commercials did inspire the Magic and what happened when he met Magic/Lakers fan Tiger Woods.

-Are the Magic just hot? Maybe not. According to some stats from Tom Ziller of NBA FanHouse the current stretch by Orlando is not just a flash in the pan.

-Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says a Kobe championship is very much about showing up Shaquille O'Neal (who won the title with the Heat as a supporting character).

-erivera7 of Third Quarter Collapse runs some projection numbers on Jameer Nelson and finds out that his return (statistically speaking) might be just a slight improvement over Anthony Johnson. Either way, it is looking less likely Nelson will play.

-Marc Berman of the New York Post writes a championship ring as a coach for Patrick Ewing would be as satisfying as a championship as a player.

-Otis Smith bought a 1989 Corvette Convertible for the parade he hopes the Magic will get in a few weeks. It certainly will be bigger than the last parade they got -- when they first became a team.

-Chris Erskine of Los Angeles Times asks the nation: Why does everyone want to beat LA? Los Angelinos are quite nice. And in honor of that I will say, "BEAT THE LAKERS!"

-The Ghost of Finals Past still follows Nick Anderson. A Magic win would do a lot to vindicate the now-front office ambassador.

-The Disney bet is on. And between Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

-Kobe Bryant is racing against Father Time to get his title, writes Mike Bresnehan of the Los Angeles Times. And not only is his legacy at stake, but also maybe Pau Gasol's.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Celtics Game 7

-Great video from Knicks blog Seven Seconds or Mess analyzing Boston's defense against Dwight Howard. It is no secret that Howard struggles against the Celtics, but this video does a great job breaking down exactly how they do it. More importantly it shows that Hedo Turkoglu has got to start hitting some shots.

-ESPN holds a roundtable answering the big questions before Game Seven.

-Somehow the Magic find a way even without a real threat to take over in the fourth quarter as Brian Schmitz writes in The Orlando Sentinel.

-The New York Times looks in to the JJ Redick vs. Allen matchup. Even with Redick's superb defense, Allen could still go off for 20 in the first quarter. But Redick has certainly set the tone for how the Magic defend Allen with his great play to open games.

-Patrick Ewing went on ESPN Radio in Washington D.C. and guaranteed a Magic win. Of course he thinks Orlando is going to win, but you don't say that on radio! Doc Rivers tells the Boston Globe that he is very happy that he did. Ewing does not have a good track record with guarantees.

-Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse says the Celtic mystique does exist if they find a way to pull out Game Seven. This series has been about the junkyard dogs of the Boston team and not the "Big Three."

-What Game Seven might mean for future of the Celtics.

-Michael White of The Orlando Sentinel is worried about JJ Redick starting Game Seven. But as several Magic fans, including myself, have tried to argue, Redick has not been horrible this series... at least on defense.

-Game Seven is a big turning point in the franchise according to Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. This is Dwight Howard's NCAA Tournament. It is one-and-done for the teams.

-Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel tells Magic fans to disparage and ridicule their team. It might be the only way to give them the adversity they need to win.

-Mike Moreau of Scouts Inc. offers his thoughts on the adjustments each team should make. Expect Boston to stop the silly turnovers and space its shooters better with Orlando constantly double-teaming Paul Pierce. Orlando will probably continue to try to get Howard involved and increase his energy level. In the end, he thinks the experience and home court will win the Celtics this series. To me, that is shaky ground to stand on (it is not a basketball reason), so I would expect a close game.

-Adonal Foyle puts what Orlando has to do simply in his blog for The Orlando Sentinel.

-Orlando Magic Daily's Woody Womack tracked down some local NBA experts and got their predictions for the decisive Game Seven. As expected, they are all pretty split on the subject.

-Rajon Rondo is incredibly stubborn and expects greatness in everything he does. So much so that he refused training wheels when he learned to ride a bike at four and continues to be the perfectionist that makes Boston go.

-Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe says this game is anything but a foregone conclusion. History means nothing and both teams know they left opportunities out on the floor this series.

Magic Wands: May 1, 2009

-Interesting allegations about the Magic's promise to hire minority groups for the building of the new arena. The NAACP was planning to picket all remaining Magic home games in the Playoffs because of their belief that not enough black workers had been hired for the building of the new arena. Both the city and the team believe they have gone above and beyond that effort, Jessica Reuter of Bleacher Report says.

-Apparently the Dream Team is not already in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Well, they are nominated now.

-David Stern confirmed to The Orlando Sentinel that the All Star Game will return to Orlando in the near future in the new Orlando Events Center.

-Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the winner of the Create-A-Caption contest on 3rd Quarter Collapse. With some luck and determination, you too can achieve this great honor.

-A plea from Hardwood Paroxysm for NBA bloggers to stop criticizing referees and believing in the infallibility of their teams.

-Despite continually being relegated to NBATV, Orlando does well in the ratings on TNT and national broadcast.

-The world is beginning to find out how awesome Adonal Foyle is. Not on the court, but off it. Henry Abbott of TrueHoop caught up with Foyle in Philadelphia and asked him a few questions and tells a great story about his relations with some hating Philadelphia fans.

-Jeremy Fowler of The Orlando Sentinel tells a personal story about the impact of sports on all our lives.

-Rashard Lewis has a horse in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel reports. Cheer for Join the Dance on Saturday.

-The age limit sure seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Jeremy Tyler of California, a 6-foot-11 high school junior, is skipping his senior year to play overseas professionally. Much like Brandon Jennings, the NBA's new rule might be sucking players out of the college system. Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel has a good story on the ramifications of this decision.

-I will definitely have more on the Magic's offseason plans when it becomes important to think about. But interesting debate over at 3rd Quarter Collapse about the possibility of signing unrestricted free agent Antonio McDyess.

-Anybody want a Geert Hamminck jersey? There is one being auctioned off on eBay right now!

-Add Courtney Lee to the list of teammates that Dwight Howard has injured.

-The Houston Rockets are doing what they can to keep the public safe from the swine flu scare.

-Patrick Ewing is not expecting to get a head coaching gig next year and will likely return to the Magic.

-David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel just became the second Orlando Sentinel sports columnist to step down from the Sentinel in the last month after Jerry Greene retired. Whitley is heading to AOL sports. New blood coming into the Sentinel, maybe?

-Early entry list for the NBA Draft is out!!!!! I feel like a kid on Christmas who already got his present for this year, last year!

-Dwight Howard is No. 10 on the NBA's list of jersey sales. Progress! Kobe Bryant passed presumptive MVP LeBron James for No. 1.

-A list of athlete twitters via ESPN the Magazine at AthleteTweets.com.

-A long article from Spurs blog 48 Minutes of Hell about the possibility of players like Jeremy Tyler who decide to skip college ball to go and play in the NBA D-League. Interesting proposition with interesting ramifications for basketball in the United States.

Magic Wands: March 27, 2009

-Pablo S. Torre asks the question: why do athletes go broke so quickly? That is quite a lot of money to burn though. It is all about who you trust with your money that's for sure.

-Stan Van Gundy is making a big stink again and raising some headlines. This time in defense of his assistant coach Patrick Ewing and his seemingly sour relationship with the New York Knicks' front office. Ewing really should be getting a head coaching job soon. It is clear he is not meant for the Magic much longer.

-Interesting report that Dr. Phillips neighborhood is asking the Magic not to build one of the five gyms in their neighborhood saying that it is needed more in other areas. I actually think this is a very good thing. There are plenty of gyms in the Dr. Phillips area and it could be needed in other areas. I am glad to see people do care about others. Maybe I am not seeing the whole picture.

-Now that Orlando has clinched its fourth division championship, and second Southeast Division crown in two years... where is the banner going to go? There simply is not any room left on that left side of the scoreboard where there other banners are. You cannot put it on the same railing as the Conference championship banner and the retired No. 6 jersey for the Fans.

Interesting maneuvering coming up for this thing. Honestly, it doesn't matter. We shouldn't make a banner for every division title... I guess you should until you win that first title.

-Dwight Howard says (in box two), "Bring on the Pistons!" Not an exact quote, but he believes Orlando needs to face and beat Detroit to get over any remaining mental hump.

-Mike Bianchi also noted the large amount of Celtics fans at Wednesday's game. I have a feeling there were a lot more bandwagoners than Bostonians. At least the home team won. But with the way Florida is, expect a lot of the other team's colors in Amway Arena on any night.