| Orlando Magic 2007-08 Schedule Breakdown Authored by Alex Kennedy - October 14, 2007 - 2:54 pm
After last season’s disappointing first round sweep at the hands of the Pistons, Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith went into the offseason looking to make some changes.
First, incompetent head coach Brian Hill was fired and replaced with Stan Van Gundy (shortly after the Billy Donovan saga). Smith also wanted to make some personnel changes and had tons of cap room, several second round picks, and multiple free agent options at his fingertips.
At the draft, the Magic traded all of their selections and focused solely on the free agent market. That’s when the biggest move happened. Acquiring scorer Rashard Lewis from the Sonics in a sign-and-trade deal that sent a future second round pick to Seattle. Lewis then signed a max-deal and while Orlando overpaid for the forward, his scoring should still improve this team and turns the Magic into a threat in the East.
Other changes made this offseason include: Grant Hill fleeing to Phoenix in an attempt to win a championship, Travis Diener signing with Indiana so he can actually play in games rather than just watching them from the Magic bench, and Darko Milicic leaving for Memphis to get more money.
After all of these changes, nobody is sure how the team will fare and we will just have to wait and see. Here are some must see Magic games that every NBA fan needs to tune in for this season.
Opening Night - October 31, 2007 - Milwaukee Bucks @ Orlando Magic
The first game of the season is always exciting and expect the fans in Orlando to be very pumped to see their team in action. This will be the first chance to see how the new look Magic will perform and it should be interesting. Rashard Lewis will make his Magic debut and Dwight Howard will show everyone if his offseason dedicated to improving his offense with assistant coach Patrick Ewing paid off. First impressions mean a lot and depending on how well the Magic perform on this Halloween night, the team may immediately strike fear in the eyes of their opponents or question whether their new roster is a trick or a treat.
Prediction: 99-91, Magic win.
The Rivalry - November 7, 2007 - Orlando Magic @ Toronto Raptors
The Magic and Raptors have a growing rivalry not only between the players but also the fans. This is the first of three match ups between these two teams and it should be a great game. Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard are two of the best young big men in the game and while they are best friends off the court, that doesn’t stop them on the court. In the past, these two guys have gone at it, trying to outdo one another and win both the game and their one on one match up. As two of the younger teams in the Eastern Conference, this rivalry is just getting started and should continue to grow as these teams develop and meet in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Prediction: 96-93, Magic win, as if I had a choice
Grant Hill’s Return - November 10, 2007 - Phoenix Suns @ Orlando Magic
This will be Grant Hill’s first time playing against the Magic since jumping ship to Phoenix this offseason. As if that wasn’t enough, it’ll be on Orlando’s home floor. The reaction that fans give Hill and how he responds should be interesting to watch. Oh, and then there is the game. This game features another match up between two premier big men, Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire. When Grant Hill is in the game, he will most likely be matched up against Rashard Lewis. This in a way symbolizes the start of a new era as Orlando’s newest and brightest acquisition squares off against the man who was once in those very shoes before injuries plagued his career. Now Hill has moved on and Lewis has his whole Magic career ahead of him. Please God, do not let this one injure his ankle.
Prediction: Magic lose, 103-99
The Returno of Darko - December 15, 2007 - Memphis Grizzlies @ Orlando Magic
This will be Darko’s first return to Orlando since parting ways with the team on bad terms. After the Magic signed Rashard Lewis, they had to withdraw their qualifying offer from Milicic because they didn’t have the money to sign both. This infuriated Darko’s camp and his agent, Marc Cornstein, was quoted saying, “I think it is unfortunate how dishonest and deceitful Otis Smith and the Orlando Magic have been in the process. There has been a pattern of deception here. It started with Otis making an offer and the pulling it. He told us in private Darko was his No. 1 priority this offseason.” Obviously, Milicic had a right to be mad and quickly signed with the Grizzlies. He’ll come into this game with a lot to prove and will want to show Otis Smith that he made the wrong choice signing Lewis over him. Dwight will most likely be matched up against Darko, who he once supported and was good friends with.
Prediction: Magic lose, 96-92
Fight Club - January 27, 2008 - Boston Celtics @ Orlando Magic
There is a lot of bad blood between the players in this game. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, think back to when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were on their former teams. The past few times that Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett have matched up, there’s been a lot of trash talking, some tangles and several technical fouls called. Dwight entered the league looking up to Garnett and tried modeling his game after the fellow big man who also jumped to the NBA straight from high school. However, something behind the scenes must have happened because Dwight and Kevin do not get along whatsoever now that they’ve played together. Garnett even made some harsh comments about Howard to the media after one of their rough games. He said, “Now you’re going to see what kind of player Dwight wants to be and if he evolves his game into other aspects. We’ll see if he starts to attack defenses differently and if he does his homework... There are ways that you can make everyone else around you better and at the same time make yourself better. But he has to do his homework to evolve his game.” Dwight responded saying he was hurt by the comments but never took any shots back. Now that both players are in the same conference and could potentially meet in the playoffs, one has to wonder if this rivalry will fizzle out or grow stronger as the two men square off more and more. Only time will tell. Another two players who dislike one another in this game are Ray Allen and Keyon Dooling. When Allen was in Seattle, Dooling and he got into a fight that poured into the courtside seats and it was pretty intense to say the least. After both players were escorted to the locker rooms, Dooling tried to break free and chase down Allen through the tunnels. With so many past fights between these players, this game could get pretty aggressive.
Prediction: Magic lose, 109-104
Dunkin’ Over Duncan - March 25, 2007 - San Antonio Spurs @ Orlando Magic
If you don’t remember what happened the last time these two teams squared off in the Amway Arena, go over to Youtube and type in "Dwight Howard Spurs" to will refresh your memory. This is Tim Duncan’s first trip back to Orlando since giving up the game winning alley-oop to Dwight Howard with .8 seconds left. I was actually covering this game and you wouldn’t believe the noise and energy in that stadium after the Magic came back from behind and Howard slammed down that dunk. Coming back from almost twenty points and then sealing the game with a play like that just sent every Magic fan in the building into a frenzy. It’s the best game I’ve ever been to and I can’t see that changing anytime soon. Now the Spurs are coming off a championship and new school (Howard) matches up against old school (Duncan) yet again. If it’s anything as awesome as last year’s match up, I not only suggest you watch it, but also set your Tivos for this one.
Prediction: Magic win, 92-88. Orlando usually has pretty good success against the Spurs.
Toughest Month:
The toughest month of the season is definitely November. The Magic play 11 of their 17 games on the road during this month including a five game Western Conference road trip at the end of November. As if all these road games aren’t enough, Orlando plays some very hard teams during this month such as: Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Toronto. Usually Orlando comes out strong and plays very well early in the season but it’s going to be tough starting the year off like this. Cross your fingers Magic fans!
Easiest Month:
The easiest month has to be March. The Magic have 14 games this month but 10 of them are at home and the caliber of the teams they play this month are nowhere near as hard. While they still match up against the Spurs, Cavs, and Warriors, they also play teams like the Hawks, Knicks, and Bucks which should be a bit easier. If they can play well this month and secure a playoff spot, they’ll have a bit of breathing room in the last month of the season, April.
Record Prediction:
Many people are acting like the overpaying of Rashard Lewis will somehow make him less of a player. While the Magic did give him an overvalued contract, he’ll still be effective on the court and his range will give the Magic spacing and a three point threat that this team has lacked.
The Magic have someone who they can trust with the ball in their hands as the fourth quarter is coming to an end (rather than the inconsistent Jameer Nelson).
The club improved this offseason whether they overpaid or not. Sure they could have done better with the resources they had but at least the Magic acquired a scoring wing that makes a pretty talented duo with Dwight.
I see the Magic going 48-34. With Stan Van Gundy running the show, that’s several more wins right there because Brian Hill was really holding this team back. Van Gundy knows what he is doing and he’ll help this team tremendously.
I see Orlando making the playoffs and getting knocked out in the second round, but I see them contending in a couple more years when Dwight Howard has reached his prime. |
