I think they’ll get over this quickly. Howard was just being a little immature. SVG will have them on his hand by the moment next game is starting. He’s a good coach, he knows how to deal with these issues.

I don’t see it, KP plays him welland I don’t like calling out coaches via the media

means I have an easier sleep at night!

The dominant player on that team is Rashard, why are they not going to him over and over and over??

Considering that one of SVG’s questionable moves last night was having Howard on the floor at the end of the game, when he could be (and was) fouled.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. On the one hand, Howard getting the ball more plus playing at home could equal foul trouble for our bigs — something they’ve done a very good job of avoiding (and Doc has done a good job managing) all series. On the other hand, I think I might prefer Howard shooting hook shots and free throws to his teammates shooting 3s.

I know he is shooting over 50%, but if you just count his isolation plays, I am willing to bet that FG% drops significantly. His best offensive game so far in the series is game 4 when the Magic shot 40%, definitely a lot of put back opportunities.

The most calm I have been watching the games is when they isolate him. He drives AWAY from the baseline and throws a hook shoot. And it rarely goes in. He will probably improve his game as he gets older, but as of right now, he should take a look at KG as an example. A great player who is at his best when focused on the dirty work and defense.

It’s pretty clear to me that some of the Magic players don’t like their coach. Where Doc is supportive but firm, Van GUndy is sarcastic. A team can’t live on a steady diet of negativism and for that reason alone I thought we had an edge on the Magic in this series. Do they have more talent than us with KG and Powe out? No question. Like the Bulls they arguably should have won this series by now but like the Bulls the Magic don’t know how to pull out the close ones and we do. Stan VG appears to be unviersally dislike by the media. Last night in his post game press conference he whined about how the Magic will never get a call against the Celtics in Boston. I get how he might be upset about the Turkolu no call and even the Rondo shot but how about the Howard walk or Howard over the back of Pierce and others a bunch of times with no call or even the non call on an offensive foul by Howard when he went straight into Perk? Those things tend to even out over the course of the series. Van Gundy was snippy with the media and afterwards Rick Kamla buried him on NBA TV, Just completely buried him. If I’m Otis Smith I give serious consideration to canning SVG. I just don’t see him as a coach that’s going to win you a title. At the end of the day no matter how good a coach is at x’s and o’s , the job is about managing people and getting them to perform at the right time. Doc has shown that he is great at that. He also was brilliant down the stretch last night, making all of the right substitutions, using his to’s and not allowing the Magic to put up a three. Had he done that against the bulls that series would have been over in 6

Keep Perk, Davis, and even scal out of foul trouble. I’m positive after these comments and watching film, SVG will be feeding the ball to Howard and Lewis most the night. He would have to, because if he doesnt, and they lose, he might as well of signed his own pink slip out of town…

Playing at Orlando, their bigs are going to get more calls. We only have 3 bigs that can even begin to guard theirs. We have to be smart up front and know what a good foul is and use them sparingly.

OK, so he thought we were unprofessional because we celebrated a game that we barely won, that would have put us in a deep hole, playing on the road, and featured the unlikeliest of heroes?

If you tell me Dwight Howard calling out Ron Jeremy and blaming him on the loss in front of the whole country does not top this, then I don’t know what does.

What’s he gonna say? Dwight said it not him? That would be too unprofessional wouldn’t it?

Did anyone else see them jawing at eachother in the 3rd? Pierce kept shaking his head with looks of disgust

Is anyone else sick and tired of this guy? Jawing with our players, hearing him at every time out. I hope Ron Jeremy does take DaaaWight Howard’s advice and we’ll get to see a barrage of ugly hook shots. If he does we should squeak by once again in game 6. If Duhhhwight Howard is indeed Superman, than big Perk is KRYPTONITE

Perkins is not the offensive force Howard is, but he’s kind of been having his way in the paint this series. Howard can’t move him.

1. It was the Orlando players who choked, not the coach. They made zero field goals during the last 5 and a half minutes. They had open looks, but couldn’t knock them down.

2. It’s easy to say that “Rashard Lewis should have gotten the ball” or “Dwight Howard should have gotten the ball.” But the fact is that the Celtics made that very difficult. They forced Orlando to go to their 3rd or 4th option— the same thing that Orlando was doing. The difference is that BBD delivered, including two jump hooks over Dwight Howard. Rafer Alston and the rest of Orlando’s supportijng cast didn’t.

3. As others have noted, Dwight Howard is not a good offensive player. He’s a physical specimen and a dunker. But both Perkins and BBD defend the post very well, and have the bulk to force him into a difficult shot. Plus, Howard does not pass well out of the double teams. He wouldn’t be my option at the end of a game either.

4. Orlando had a legitimate beef on the non-call against Hedo. That play could have gone either way. But in fairness, Orlando was mugging Pierce throughout the game, and there were plenty of non-calls on that end as well. Hedo missed the shot. Too bad, end of story.

5. In retrospect, that Chicago series really helped the Celtics. It gave them mental toughness. They might even win a game or two against the Cavs.

I mean I hope the Celtics win, but for Dwight to get better the coaches need to change that play book. What I don’t understand is if Perkins is shutting him down then why not run a pick and roll for Dwight and create a miss match. They seem to just dribble jack up shots and hope that Dwight will catch an offensive rebound. On any other team Dwight would be a mega star he would probably be complaining about getting too many touches. Dwights stats should be 20.6 points 13.6 rebounds and at least 7.6 assists from getting double teamed.

Give the man some credit for defending well against Howard and not allowing them to pass the ball inside to him

Missing Jameer Nelson at the Point has been a huge loss for the Magic. All you have to do is look at the Assist Box Score from each game to realize that Howard is simply not getting the ball because they have no one to give it to him

As far as the Coach, I have to agree with Brickowski’s comments …….

Someday. Just not now. With Nelson back, and another year of experience for Howard, they will be formidable next year. I assume SVG will not return… whether it’s his fault or not, there are now 3 players on the team that have publicly expressed dissatisfaction and/or fought with him and/or his coaching… so right or wrong, he’s apparently wrong for this team. (And it’s not like these are toublemaking players… Howard is a good kid, and Johnson and Lewis are pretty solid.)

Next year, all those post moves Howard misses now will start to fall… and his FTs will improve too. He will get tougher and more dominant. And they’ll finally have a go-to guy in Nelson. And btw, I’d trade Alston.

Why give the ball to a post player who has no post game? If he’s not following up his teammates’ misses with slam dunks, or making little throw-ins off great passes from his teammates, he has no offensive game. And no, that little running “hook” “shot” is not an offensive game. It’s the basketball equivalent to a shot-put throw. I said this last week, but it’s because of this that Howard is not an elite player in the league. He’s a more athletic version of Perk, but Perk at least knows who is.

This loss is totally on the Magic players. I hope they do fire Van Gundy, because as bad of a personnel manager he seems to be, he’s also an outstanding X and Os coach. The Magic did have the league’s best D this year, and considering how limited all of his players are offensively, excepting Turkoglu, he’s done a pretty good job on the offensive end too.

Film Don’t Lie. Ron Jeremy needs to show Supergirl how ineffective he has been. At least the Celts know how to deal with using Ray as a decoy. Suergirl needs to understand his role better.

But, when the Magic are behind in the fourth quarter and Supergirl decides to put the team on his shoulders, and fails, and gets frustrated, Celts win.

I don’t blame SVG as much as I blame the point guard. He’s the one with the direct say of who gets the ball and where they get it.

I think if Jameer Nelson had played, they don’t blow that game.

Did you guys see the players being confused to where they should be in that last play.

it is your last play, last time out. That is not acceptable.

howard just put all the pressure on his back, he wants the ball? he can be sure hes going to get it next game, and every shot he misses will be completely demoralizing.

After game 4 when he took responsibility for losing the game rather than giving credit to the Celtics for making a play with their third option. It is a double edged sword, if he can blame himself for a loss, so can his players.