Memo to Brian Hill Brian Hill, this is potentially your last chance to keep your job. This is what you HAVE to do to receive some faith from the fans and possibly steal a couple of games. 1) Start Darko. This is Darko's chance to prove that he is not a bust and to show off to his former team what he can possibly do. Not only start him, but allow him to operate around the FT line. He is capable of hitting that jump shot and him being at the FT line gives him better passing angles to find cutting wings or Dwight. Utilize his strength and stop forcing him to just stay down low. Play him at least 30 minutes(assuming his ankle is able to take 30 minutes). 2) Give Dwight Howard the damn ball. He is your only chance to win any games in this series. If you give him 15-20 shots a game you will show him that you trust him. I don't care how many turnovers he commits or if his shot is not falling. YOU HAVE TO GIVE HIM THE BALL. That will in turn allow Dwight to get even more playoff experience and will keep him extremely active on the glass and on the defensive end. 3) Play Keyon Dooling and Trevor Ariza a lot. You need to keep one of those 2 on Chauncey Billups for the majority of the games. I wouldn't be opposed to starting either of them. When Billups is in the game, make sure he is matched up against someone that can guard him and not Jameer. When both are in the game, put Ariza on either the PF(to keep us more as a fastbreak team) or Rip. 4) Don't settle for jump shots. Make sure to give Dwight, Darko, or Battie one touch in the post on every other possession at the worst. Dwight will bring the double team which will give open looks to other players. We have to set up the outside by pounding it inside. Make sure you have great ball movement to get the open looks. 5) Pray that you get a miracle and we stay competitive enough for you to keep your job. Also pray that Flip Saunders doesn't out coach you by a wide margin every single game.
ESPN: Magic-Pistons Least Intriguing Series <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You'd think that a series sending Darko Milicic and Grant Hill back to Detroit for at least two games would rank higher on this list on intrigue factor alone. Right? Problem is, this matchup is such a mismatch that I'm struggling to muster even faux enthusiasm for it, with the teams not dissimilar in style but miles apart in quality. Bank on Chauncey Billups having a huge series, since he'll be pitched against smaller guards who've had trouble defending point guards all season ... point guards not necessarily in Chauncey's class. Milicic's foot injury, furthermore, is a killer, given that the one thing Orlando has (had?) to throw at the Pistons is the combined size of Darko and Dwight Howard. If Milicic misses significant time, Hedo Turkoglu and Trevor Ariza will have to play bigger than they are. Not a welcome assignment against of a frontcourt rotation like Detroit's. I suppose that the Magic can steal a game if the Pistons lose interest, like Milwaukee did in the '06 first round, but as one scout reminded me Wednesday night: "That Milwaukee team was better than this Orlando team." Prediction: Pistons in four.</div> Source: ESPN
Doesn't surprise me that people think this way. Orlando hasn't been very successful against Detroit the past couple of seasons and with Detroit's playoff experience it will be tough for the Magic's youth. Just remember we are going to be getting great playoff experience that will better this club for next year. What better way to get playoff experience then to play in front of one of the most loud group of fans in the NBA? I just hope Brian Hill prints this out and puts it on our bulletin board.
I don't expect the Magic to win in this series, but it is always an important step to get into the playoffs. I don't have high expectations for the Magic, but I like to look at this as more of an important learning experience for the Magic to get their first few playoff games under their belt and get the feeling of the playoffs which is also how I look at the Raptors even though they're the 3rd seed. You can always learn a thing or two when you're playing against the top team in the East.
i agree on all the above but the one i think brian hill needs to follow the most is #4... we gotta throw it down low to create something if we wanna beat the pistons plain and simple
Pistons Sweep Magic? Not Likely <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Magic head into the playoffs as the veritable 16th-seed, but here's how I see it: Doom, yes. Broom, no. Here's why: The Pistons don't sweep people. The Pistons haven't swept ANY team in ANY series since. . . .the 1989-90 season. They won the first three games in a best-of-five series against the Indiana Pacers. That's over 27 series, spanning 12 years. Even this latest edition of Pistons --- the group that won a title in 2004 --- hasn't pulled off a sweep. It either lets down or gets distracted or Rasheed Wallace finds the refs more interesting. Heck, the year they won it all, the Bucks won a game off them in round one and the Nets took them to seven. Last season the Bucks beat them in Game 3 in Milwaukee in the first round. The Cavs won three straight to force a Game 7 in the semis. So you can impress your friends and counter the doubters at the water-cooler with this pearl of wisdom. As far as the series, uh, I'd love to say the Magic have a realistic chance if A and B comes together to meet C. Can't. I see the Magic winning one, at home. Don't weep. No sweep.</div> Source
