http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking...son=2005&week=3 I am glad they are getting some credit for what they have been doing as of late. I hope they keep moving up and by the end of the season to be ranked in the top 10.
Honestly, when I first saw it, I was kind of surprised to see the Magic rated so much lower than the Heat, a team that they are only a half a game behind for the division lead. Also, you look at the Magic's recent play against Western Conference teams and you see that they're not really having a hard time with the West like they used to. Nevertheless, you have to like it in some ways. I think that by seeing this kind of stuff, it is just going to really shock people even more when they see what this team is really capable of. Let the analysts count the Magic out, that notion has seemed to fire our team up for the first part of the season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Honestly, when I first saw it, I was kind of surprised to see the Magic rated so much lower than the Heat, a team that they are only a half a game behind for the division lead.</div> Teams that are built for the post season these days have strong front courts. O'Neal can dominate in the playoffs, there's no doubt about that. He's a presence on defense and offense and can certainly get it done in the half court set. Half Court, or as I like to call it, The Playoffs. Orlando has been remarkable this season, but they lack a presence in their frontline, it's that simple. When the playoffs roll around that aspect of their game will be shown as a true weakness. Tony Battie and Cato won't get the job done against the elite centers among the league, They won't be turning away or changing shots, and they won't be a factor against opposing defenses. As for Dwight Howard, he's been astounding thus far, but he's inexperienced and likely to hit the wall when needed most. Orlando will be a real contender in due time, once Howard develops into the player he's expected to. As for this season, they remind me of the Dallas Mavericks of years past, they're success will mainly take place during the regular season...
Once we get Cuttino back, we will move up to top 10 I think. And now that Cato is back, they will play better on defense so that could boost us up a few spots.
I think we're underrated a little seeing as how well we've been playing against some of the top teams in the league recently. But then again it's good to see us up there and to see that we're in the path of a full turnaround from last season.
