Orlando Magic Status Check:
Record: 40-22
Division: 9-4
Conference: 27-11
Home Record: 24-9
Last 10 Games: 8-2
Streak: Won 4
Last game: 99-96 comeback win over Heat
PPG: 100.3 (11th)
Opponents PPG: 94.3 (5th)
Offensive Rating: 108.4 (11th)
Defensive Rating: 101.9 (3rd)
Pace: 92.2 (16th)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: .522 (6th)
Turnover Percentage: .141 (25th)
Defensive Rebound Percentage: 771 (1st)
Offensive Rebound Percentage: .259 (16th)
Free Throws Per Field Goal Attempt: .226 (17th)
Opp. eFG%: .476 (4th)
Opp. TO%: .132 (16th)
Opp. FT/FGA: .226 (1st)
Leading scorer: Dwight Howard (23.2)
Stats from Basketball-Reference.com.
Magic Injury Report:
Gilbert Arenas: sore left knee (played Thursday against Miami)
Daniel Orton: left knee surgery (out indefinitely)
Overview:
Another tough road test for the Bulls tonight, this one comes after a major failure in their last game. The Magic are coming off a very similar game, except from the winning side.
The Bulls-Hawks game had more ups and downs than a weekend out with Charlie Sheen. And it ended on a major downer, which I assume is how a weekend like that would end. Oh, and Charlie Sheen is “Winning.” But enough pop culture references. The loss was extremely disappointing.
The letdown during that crappy second half that cost Chicago the game was staggering, especially coming after such a great first half. During those second 24 minutes Rose turned the ball over on far too many of his “jump in the air, then pass across court” drives. And many of those led straight to fast-break buckets. Rose took the blame for the loss and guaranteed “it won’t happen again.” Obviously he will have a bad game again in his career, but he has been taking challenges upon himself all season, so why should this be any different?
Noah also blamed himself, saying that he didn’t have the same intensity level in the second half that he normally does. And the rest of the team feeds off of that intensity. Boozer got pushed around like a shopping cart, and Al Horford walked all over Chicago’s defense matching a career high 31 points. It’s like he had tiger blood in his system (OK I’m seriously done now).
Now the Bulls have another big-man test. Dwight Howard and his team will enter the game with tons of confidence coming off such a huge comeback win. They beat Miami on the road, after coming back from a 24-point deficit, including a 40-9 run at one point in the game. You read that correctly. 40-9. According to Stats LLC, the Heat led 73-49 with nine minutes left in the third, but allowed the Magic to complete the second largest comeback in franchise history.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Magic are the only team to beat the Spurs, Heat, Celtics, Lakers, Mavs, Bulls, and Thunder this season.
In the second half of the Atlanta game, Chicago scored 30 points. The Magic allowed only 33 points in the second half against Miami. Those numbers don’t look good.
But let the Magic and Heat beat up on each other; that’s perfectly fine with me (Chicago faces Miami on Sunday). The Magic are in a very tough part of their schedule: games against the Knicks, Heat and Bulls. In last night’s game the Magic couldn’t let up at all. They needed all 48 minutes to win, and their starters played a lot of minutes (Turkoglu: 31, Howard: 45, Jason Richardson: 40, Jameer Nelson: 35).
Chicago will have to win on the road in the playoffs, and after Wednesday’s missed chance, they know how important this game is. “As we fine-tune for the playoffs,” Boozer said, “the No. 1 thing is, can we win on the road? If we want to go as far as we believe we can, we’ve got to be able to beat Boston on the road, to beat Orlando on the road, to beat Miami on the road, to beat Atlanta on the road.”
As Matt said after the last game, basketball lasts for 48 minutes, and if you take 24 of those minutes off, there is a good chance you will lose. The Bulls and Miami learned that the hard way. Now Chicago needs to play hard for the full game. After what Chicago said following their loss to Atlanta, I wouldn’t expect anything else.
Match-up to watch:
A match-up of strengths in this one; Derrick Rose versus Dwight Howard. Howard is the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year and is regarded as one of the best if not the best defensive stopper/shot blocker in the league. He averages 2.2 blocks per game, and alters countless other shots. Derrick Rose, by my unofficial count, averages 2.3 crazy lay-ups per game. Rose also averages 3.6 makes at the rim per game.
But so far this season against the Magic, Rose has shot 5-13 and 6-21 from the field.
Hilarity matchup to watch:
Keith Bogans offensive prowess vs. J.J. Redick’s defensive footwork. Can Bogans do this to Redick?
Oh yes, and this one too.
About the Author:Braedan Ritter was born and raised in Pennsylvania but was swayed by gifts from his aunt to follow the Chicago sports teams. It didn’t hurt that the Bulls had a guy named Michael Jordan playing for them, and the Sixers had…Derrick Coleman. Braedan has stuck with Chicago through thick and thin, and really thin (see: Chicago Cubs). And speaking of Coleman, Braedan is currently a student at Syracuse University.
The key to this game is not D-Rose or D-Howard! That’s right. Though Howard has been playing like Superman of late and D-Rose, the MVP candidate, has something to prove after the flameout against the Hawks, the key match up in this game is, (are you ready for this): Boozer vs. Brandon Bass. Noah is back and he will do his best to slow Howard down, as much as any mere mortal can slow down Superman. And D-Rose will do his best to redeem. Do-All-Deng, Bogans and Brewer will match J-Rich and Turkoglu.
But the key is for Boozer to out play Bass both offensively and on the boards. If Boozer has a good game vs. Bass, the Bulls will beat the Magic.
Good to see Omer getting touches, regardless of the outcome. And, damn he is bulking up fast. It looks like he is on Noah’s regiment.
How about Asik?? Plus 13 when he was in, boards, blocks guarding the best Center in the league? Very solid game by the entire team defensively. Fun to watch!
The Turkish Delight was beasting it up yesterday. He is really getting stronger and learned the American game well. It’s gonna be fun to watch him develop.
damn, Asik is making me a believer….love this win because ORL usually has our #…2-1 so far..thumbs up.
Heat lose by 30 to SA…they will play “mad”…it’s going to be a struggle trying to escape with a win in MIA
Wow. What great bench play. Amazing that some wanted to trade asik for OJMayo.
its time for all of us Bulls fans, if you have not been on the rise or upside of our chances to win a title this year then i guess you have not been watching the play of our bulls.
if you have not seen rose play in person i promise you T.V. does not do him justice to how fast he truly is this kid is a blurr at times in person on the court.
The game coming up against the heat was suppose to let us know where we stand but I am feeling confident we will win and the game has lost its hype some what even though i will be watching it love beating the heat its great like the Bears beating the packers love it.NBA Fantastic..Peace
There is no bigger test than playing them in Miami off a loss like the one to the Spurs. They will be ready in every way and Wade, in particular, is not going down without a dog-fight.
Miami will be whining at every no call. They will challenge the Bulls defense and look to the refs to bail them out.
This Sunday’s game is a test of the refs and how they stand up to Miami’s star power.