Orlando Magic
Celtics Up 3-0 in East Finals After 94-71 Drubbing of Magic
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, NBA, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
The Boston Celtics are on cruise control. What an unbelievable post-season run. The Celtics are now just 1 win away from the NBA Finals after a convincing 94-71 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night in Boston.
I for one and am amazed at the resurgent Celtics. I thought that the Miami Heat might actually give the Celtics a run for their money like the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls have done in each of the last 2 post-seasons. But the Celtics made easy work of the Heat in just 5 games, and they have been pretty much unstoppable ever since. The Celtics took out the #1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers led by King Lebron James in 6 games – winning twice on Cleveland’s home court. And now they are making the defending East Champion Orlando Magic look like a CYO team from Westchester, New York. It is pretty embarrassing for this Magic team, especially since they were riding a 14-game winning streak (8 straight playoff wins) heading into the Eatsern Conference Finals with the Celtics.
On Saturday, it was much of the same for the Celtics as they raced out to an early 1st quarter lead – 27-12. How does a playoff team score only 12 points in a quarter in a series like this?! Pathetic. By halftime, the lead was 17 points, and the Celtics used a 24-13 3rd quarter edge to increase that lead to 75-47. Game Over! When you have quarters with point totals of 12 and 13, you’re not going to win a lot of games.
The Celtics used a balanced attack and tenacious defense to put the Magic away with ease. Ray Allen had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Rajon Rondo added 11 points, 3 rebounds and 12 assists. Paul Pierce had 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Kevin Garnett chipped in 10 points and 6 boards. Bench player Glen Davis had his best showing this post-season with 17 points and 6 boards.
The Celtics can advance to the NBA Finals for the 2nd time in 3 years with a win over the Magic on Monday night in Boston.
Celtics Grab 2-0 Series Lead with 95-92 Win Over Magic in Orlando
Thursday, May 20th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
The Boston Celtics are just brimming with confidence right now. What a difference it makes to have a healthy Kevin Garnett on the defensive end for an entire post-season run. Although his stat lines have not been overwhelming, Garnett is the main reason that the Celtics have been able to limit the explosive offenses of the Heat, the Cavaliers and the Magic so far this post-season. Two more wins against the Magic, and we’ll be able to see if he can do the same against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the NBA Finals (as they did 2 years ago en route to the title).
The Celtics are now in a great position – having won 2 road games to start the series. If they can keep the Magic from winning 4 of the next 5 games in the series, they will advance to their 2nd NBA Finals series in 3 seasons. Paul Pierce led the way again in Game 2, scoring 28 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Rajon Rondo exploded for 15 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Garnett scored just 10 points, but grabbed 9 boards with 2 blocked shots.
To put this into perspective, we can’t forget that the Magic had won 8 straight games this post-season over the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks and 14 games overall before running into the rejuvenated Celtics. In their 1st 8 post-season games, the Magic had scored at least 90 points all of them. In three of their 4 wins over the Hawks, they scored over 105 points in each game. 88 points in Game 1 and 92 points in Game 2 is not going to cut it. It won’t get any easier for the Magic, as they now have to go up against the Celtics on their home turf in the TD North Garden. It certainly isn’t over by any means – we saw the Celtics lay an egg against the Cavs at home in the previous series. But they are going to need a full team effort if they have any hopes of reaching the NBA Finals for the 2nd consecutive season.
Game 3 is set for 8:30PM EST on Saturday night in Boston.
NBA Update — Celtics Top Magic, Lakers Top Suns in Game 1 of Conference Finals
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Sports | No Comments
Here’s a quick update on the NBA Conference Finals –
The Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 92-88 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday. The Celtics had another balanced attack on both ends of the court. Ray Allen led the way with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Paul Pierce chipped in 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Rajon Rondo had 8 points and 8 assists, while Kevin Garnett scored 8 points with 11 boards. The Celtics held on for the win despite being outscored 30-18 in the 4th quarter.
Game 2 is tonight in Orlando at 8:30PM EST on ESPN.
The Los Angeles Lakers crushed the Phoenix Suns 128-107 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant went nuts in the 3rd quarter and finished with 40 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The big surprise was Lamar Odom – 19 points and 19 rebounds. Pau Gasol scored 21 points and Ron Artest chipped in 14 points.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Los Angeles at 9:00 PM EST on TNT.
Celtics Oust Cavs with Exciting 94-85 Win at TD Garden in Boston
Friday, May 14th, 2010 | Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
I think it was a much more exciting game than most people expected. The Cavs just didn’t roll over and give up as most critics expected, but a big 3rd quarter from the Celtics (25-18 edge) proved too much for the Cavs to overcome in the 4th quarter. A 2-point halftime lead for the Celtics ballooned into a 10 point lead after 36 minutes, and even though the Cavs stuck with the Celtics in the 4th quarter (18-18) they were never able to make a sustained run against Rajon Rondo and his club.
Once again, it was Rajon Rondo who controlled the tempo and game for the Celtics. Rondo scored 21 points and dished out 12 assists. And although he only grabbed 3 rebounds, he limited his turnoves to just 4 and also had 5 steals on the defensive end. Not a bad overall performance at all.
His play once again freed up Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to go to town on the undermanned Cavs. The Celtics just had too many weapons for the Cavs to handle.
Lebron James did his best to force a Game 7 back in Cleveland on Sunday night, but it wasn’t enough. James had his 6th career playoff triple-double – 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists – and although he is the 2-time defending NBA MVP and his team is the owner of a season high 61-wins, that much-coveted NBA title still eludes James. “The fact that it’s over right now is definitely a surprise to me… I want to win. That’s my only thing, my only concern. I’ve always prided myself — it’s all about winning for me and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that. But at the same time, I’ve given myself options to this point. Me and my team, we have a game plan that we’ll execute and we’ll see where we’re at.”
Now it’s off to Orlando for the Celtics and off to the golf course for Lebron. Will he end up staying in Cleveland, or will he take a leap of faith and head for the Big Apple (New York Knicks or New Jersey Nets in Brooklyn) or the Second City of Chicago? Only time will tell.
NBA Playoffs Update — Land of the Sweeps for Lakers, Magic & Suns
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Sports, Utah Jazz | No Comments
Except for the epic Celtics-Cavs battle which resumes tonight in Cleveland, the NBA Conference Semi-finals have been a major disappointment. The Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns have all won in easy 4-game sweeps.
Orlando Magic – 4 games against the Hawks was about 4 too many. Couldn’t the Hawks have just forfeited the games instead and saved us the misery of having to watch these games? The Magic are clearly the hottest team in the NBA right now. They have won 28 of 31 games and are on a current 14-game winning streak. They have yet to lose in the playoffs after sweeps of the Charlotte Bobcats and Hawks. The Magic defeated the Hawks by an average of 25.3 points per game – which is believed to be the greatest margin of victory in post-season series NBA history. With Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson complementing big man Dwight Howard, the Magic look like they could advance to a 2nd straight NBA Finals. Carter had this to say about the Magic’s current level of play — “Guys are just focused. It’s unbelievable to see. This is my opportunity for a championship.”
Los Angeles Lakers – After pushing themselves to the limit against Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1, they club needed an easy series to rest up for the Conference Finals. That’s just what they got when they got to square off against the Utah Jazz. Beyond Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, the Jazz just don’t have the depth to compete with the Lakers. The Lakers seemed to be re-invigorated after their Game 6 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City and that carried over into this series. Head Coach Phil Jackson summed it up best — “We had one of our better games tonight… This is the first really consistent game we have played, except for a six-minute stint in the 3rd quarter. We controlled the game and forced our will on our opponent.” The Lakers played good defense The Lakers played good defense (the Jazz averaged just 102 points in the series, well below their series average). The Lakers limited their own turnovers (just 6 on the road in Game 4) and they shot well from the free throw line. Although Kobe Bryant (32 points) and Pau Gasol led the way (33 points), 3 other Lakers players also scored in double-digits. Now it’s on to face the Phoenix Suns in what should be one of the best series of the 2010 NBA Playoffs schedule.
Phoenix Suns – The Phoenix Suns overcame their “San Antonio Spurs demons” with a convincing series sweep of the Spurs. Although the Suns had lost to the Spurs 4 times in the last 7 post-season schedules, they wouldn’t allow it to occur a 5th time. Amar’e Stoudemire turned in a solid effort against his west nemesis, averaging over 20 points per game in the series. Steve Nash also showed just how good a big game player he can be with 4 great performances against the Spurs’ Tony Parker. Nash scored at least 16 points in each game and he also averaged just under 8 assists per game to dictate the flow of the game in the Suns’ favor. It will be the 3rd Conference Finals for the Suns in the last 6 years and if they can knock off the #1 seed Lakers, it would be their 1st NBA Finals since 1993.
We’ll keep you posted how the Cavs-Celtics series turns out – we know we have at least 2 more games – tonight in Cleveland and Thursday night in Boston. Will we have a Game 7 over the weekend in Cleveland? Stay tuned…
Rose Hurt, Bulls Lose in Home Blowout to Magic 107-87
Thursday, February 11th, 2010 | Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Sports | 1 Comment
Not a good night for Bulls fans, as Derrick Rose was injured at the start of the Bulls 107-87 blowout loss to the Orlando Magic at the United Center. Just over 2 minutes into the game, Rose was fouled hard by Magic star Dwight Howard. Rose landed awkwardly on his right hip. Rose made the basket and then the free throw, but the Bulls took him out of the game after that for precautionary reasons. Rose went to a hospital after the game to have an MRI done on the injure right hip and results will be forthcoming. Head Coach Vinny Del Negro had this to say about the hard foul and Rose’s status – “I don’t think there was anything intended there at all, just try to block a shot… Let’s see what the MRI says. Let’s see how much discomfort, how stiff he is tomorrow. Usually, those things tend to loosen up rapidly, and luckily, we do have the All-Star Break. I just hope he’s all right to participate because he deserves it and I want him to enjoy himself.”
After that play, the rest was history for the Bulls. The Magic outscored the Bulls 41-17 in the 1st quarter. Ouch! The Bulls outscored the Magic in the 2nd and 4th quarters, but it wasn’t enough. The Bulls fell back under .500 at 25-26 and they are tied with the Miami Heat for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks are just 1 game behind the Bulls and Heat, so it is going to be a dog-fight the rest of the way for the Bulls. They will need to get back a healthy Rose and Joakim Noah after the break if they expect to make a real post-season run during the next 2 months…
Bulls, Blackhawks Get Back on Track with Saturday Night Wins
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, NBA, NHL, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks each got back on track with bug wins on Saturday night.
The Bulls defeated the Miami Heat 95-91 in front of a crazy home crowd at the United Center. The win snapped a 3-game losing streak after the team had played so well on their west coast road trip. Luol Deng (25 points, 7 rebounds) and Derrick Rose (24 points, 5 rebounds) led the way for the Bulls. The Bulls are tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the 6th/7th seeds in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The Heat and Milwaukee Bucks are tied for the 8th and final seed in the conference. It’s going to be a battle down the finale 3 months of the season for these playoff-hungry clubs. The Bulls have 2 more games – tonight at the Indiana Pacers and Wednesday night v. Orlando Magic – before the NBA All-Star Break this weekend.
The Blackhawks defeated the Blues 2-1 on the road in St. Louis. The win snapped a 3-game losing streak – the last 2 of which were tough home losses in which the Hawks blew early leads. Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews tallied the Hawks 2 goals in the win, while Annti Niemi had a stellar night in net, stopping 34 of 35 shots on goal. The Blues scored their only goal with under 2 minutes to play in the game, denying Niemi his 5th shutout of the season. The Hawks still hold a 15-point lead in their division and they trail the West-leading San Jose Sharks by only 4 points for the best record in the Western Conference. The Hawks have 3 more games – tonight v. Dallas Stars; Saturday night v. Atlanta Thrashers; and Sunday afternoon at Columbus Blue Jackets – before the Olympics break.
If the Bulls and Blackhawks can keep up this exciting pace, Chicago sports fans will have a lot to cheer about at the United Center come NBA and NHL playoffs time in April, May and June…
Christmas Day NBA Action – Celtics @ Magic & Cavs @ Lakers – Enjoy!
Friday, December 25th, 2009 | Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, General, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
Merry Christmas from your friends at Ticket Chest – we hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season and a great 2010!
Enjoy some great NBA action today:
The defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic host the 2008 defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics at 2:30PM Eastern time on Christmas Day. Paul Pierce leads the way for the 21-5 Celtics who have the best record in the Eastern Conference to date. Vince Carter and Dwight Howard lead the way for the Magic who are 21-7 overall and right no the heels of the Celtics.
At 5PM Eastern time, the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kobe Bryant is averaging over 28 points per game and has had some incredible game-winning shots of late to lead the 22-4 Lakers. Lebron James will be making his last appearance in a Cavs uniform in L.A. (unless the 2 teams meet in the NBA Finals this year) and continues to lead the way for the Cavs by averaging over 28 points per game.
Can’t ask for better NBA game action than this…
Here come the NBA finals
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 | Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic | No Comments
Its June and the NBA finals are set. Once again we have the LA Lakers playing for one more ring. Should be a good match up since Orlando has had a killer year. We have the schedule and tickets here We will update scores daily.
NBA Playoff Teams All Set – Seeds Still To Be Determined
Sunday, April 12th, 2009 | Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, General, Houston Rockets, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, Sports, Utah Jazz | No Comments
We know know all of the 16 teams that have qualified for 2008-9 NBA post-season play. While some seeds have been established, there are still a few slots up for grabs.
In the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers – led by Lebron James - have locked up the #1 seed for the 1st time in franchise history. The Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic are still battling for the #2 seed, but the Celtics have a 2-game edge over the Magic. The Atlanta Hawks have locked up the 4th seed in the East. Miami and Philadelphia have each lost 6 of their last 10 games and are currently sitting in the 5th and 6th spots – they each have 3 games to play. The surging Chicago Bulls – winners of 7 of 10 – and the Detroit Pistons are tied for the 7th and 8th seeds right. That race will likely be decided when the Bulls visit Detroit on Monday night with the winner taking at least the 7th seed.
In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers – led by Kobe Bryant – have locked up the #1 seed for a 2nd consecutive year. The 2nd through 5th seeds are up for grabs among the Denver Nuggets (#2 seed), Houston Rockets (1 game behind Denver), Portland Trailblazers (1.5 games behind Denver) and San Antonio Spurs (1.5 games behind Denver). The 6th through 8th seeds are also up for grabs among the New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks (tied for 6th and 7th seeds) and the Utah Jazz (8th seed – 1 game behind Hornets and Mavericks). Looking to avoid a 1st round match-up with the Lakers, the Jazz play the Warriors and Clippers before ending the season against the Lakers – will they be able to bump out either of the Hornets or Mavs? Only time will tell.
The NBA playoffs will soon be here in full effect – get ready for some intense playoffs hoops action…
