<div align="center">Fri 3/11 7:00pm ET <font size="4"><font color="Navy">Minnesota Timerberwolves (31- 31)</font> at <font color="Blue">Orlando Magic (31-29)</font></font> </div> <font size="4">Minnesota Starters:</font> SF: Latrell Sprewell: 12.9 PpG | 2.90 RpG | 2.3 ApG | .69 SpG | .25 BpG PF: Kevin Garnett: 22.3 PpG? | 13.7 RpG? | 5.7 ApG? | 1.51 SpG? | 1.41 BpG C: Ervin Johnson: 1.5 PpG | 2.50 RpG | .1 ApG | .17 SpG | .24 BpG SG: Trenton Hassell: 5.7 PpG | 2.80 RpG | 1.7 ApG | .41 SpG | .38 BpG PG: Troy Hudson: 8.6 PpG | 1.30 RpG | 3.5 ApG | .32 SpG | .07 BpG Sixth Men: SF: Wally Szczerbiak: 16.2 PpG | 3.70 RpG | 2.4 ApG | .47 SpG | .20 BpG Inury Report: Sam Cassell Michael Olowokandi Eddie Griffin ?Team Leaders in category <font size="4">OrlandoStarters:</font> SF: Grant Hill*: 19.3 PpG | 4.4 RpG | 3.4 ApG | 1.32 SpG | .36 BpG PF: Dwight Howard: 10.8 PpG | 9.90 RpG? | .9 ApG | .83 SpG | 1.72 BpG? C: Kelvin Cato: 7.9 PpG | 7.70 RpG | .7 ApG | .98 SpG | 1.52 BpG SG: Steve Francis: 21.7 PpG? | 6.0 RpG | 6.9 ApG? | 1.22 SpG | .38 BpG PG: Jameer Nelson**: 16.1 PpG | 5.1 RpG | 5.4 ApG | 1.43 SpG | .00 BpG Sixth Men: SF: Hedo Turkoglu: 13.8 PpG | 3.60 RpG | 2.3 ApG | .67 SpG | .28 BpG ?Team Leaders in category *Might be back from injury, if not Hedo Turkoglu is likely to start in his place. **Stats since starter. Inury Report: Doug Christie Andrew DeClerq <font size="4">Orlando?s last games:</font> A narrow win against the Clippers followed a 24 point loss at home against Indiana and Nelson was put into the starting line in place of DC and Francis was moved to SG for the next game. This didn?t lead to immediate success, the Magic lost the following two matches, both against a Shaqless Miami and back-to-back (what a dull schedule!?). Then they pulled off three wins in a row but lost Grant Hill to a left shin bruise (he might be back against the Wolves though) and without their second best scorer they lost the last two games. But the change in the starting line-up looks promising. DC was traded because of his defensive ability and his passing skills but he never was the player he was in Sacramento, he simply didn?t fit into Davis? system. And Nelson was ready to take over the starting PG duties. In the middle of the season, Francis was moved to an all new role, a role where he could not any more dominate the ball as he used to, a role which looks more natural to the scorer Francis. He still dominates the ball from time to time and still produces turnovers on mass but less than before. Nelson is in command now and the ball there is more ball movement now and less turnovers. As a starter his FG is up to over .500%, he?s averaging 16.1 points, 5.4 assits and 5.1 rebounds in addition to 1.4 steals while only averaging 1.9 turnovers in 38 minutes. Not bad. Last 10: 5-5 <ul> [*]Tue 15 | LA Clippers | <font color="Green">W</font> 99-94 | Hill 39 Points | Howard 9 Rebounds | Francis 7 Assists [*]Tue 22 | Indiana | <font color="Red">L</font> 84-108 | Nelson 15 Points | Howard 8 Rebounds | Christie / Hill 3 Assists [*]Sat 26 | @Miami | <font color="Red">L</font> 98-101 | Hill 28 Points | Cato 10 Rebounds | Nelson 7 Assists [*]Sun 27 | Miami | <font color="Red">L</font> 103-112 | Hill 34 Points | Nelson 8 Rebounds | Francis 7 Assists [*]Wed 2 | Sacramento | <font color="Green">W</font> 114-111 | Francis 29 Points | Howard 16 Rebounds | Francis 10 Assists [*]Fri 4 | New York | <font color="Green">W</font> 111-89 | Hill 29 Points | Howard 15 Rebounds | Francis 9 Assists [*]Sat 5 | @New Jersey | <font color="Green">W</font> 105-81 | Francis 26 Points | Howard 11 Rebounds | Francis/Turkoglu 4 Assists [*]Tue 8 | @Cleveland | <font color="Red">L</font> 92-111 | Francis 21 Points | Cato 10 Rebounds | Nelson /Turkoglu 6 Assists [*]Wed 9 | @Toronto | <font color="Red">L</font> 96-106 | Francis 27 Points | Howard 20 Rebounds | Francis 5 Assists [/list] <font size="4">Minnesota?s last games</font> The Wolves, after a loss against Utah on Feb 11 and a losing the next game against Chicago, had fallen below a .500 record and had to bounce back if they wanted to stay in the playoff race and they did. Not as well as I hoped, though. After a promising three win streak they lost yesterday against Miami and are now .500 again. Last 10: 6-4 <ul> [*]Tue 15 | Cleveland | <font color="Green">W</font> 94-88 | H Szczerbiak 26 Points | Garnett 18 Rebounds | Carter 7 Assists [*]Tue 22 | @LA Clippers | <font color="Red">L</font> 86-92 | Sprewell 17 Points | Olowokandi 11 Rebounds | Carter 6 Assists [*]Sat 26 | @Seattle | <font color="Red">L</font> 88-98 | Garnett 31 Points | Garnett 14 Rebounds | Garnett/Hoiberg 4 Assists [*]Sun 27 | @Portland | <font color="Green">W</font> 91-83 | Sprewell 27 Points | Garnett 12 Rebounds | Garnett /Szczerbiak 5 Assists [*]Wed 2 | Golden State | <font color="Red">L</font> 93-99 | Garnett 28 Points | Garnett 13 Rebounds | Garnett 5 Assists [*]Fri 4 | Milwaukee | <font color="Green">W</font> 103-97 | Szczerbiak 28 Points | Garnett 10 Rebounds | Carter 13 Assists [*]Sun 6 | @Boston | <font color="Green">W</font> 99-97 | Garnett 21 Points | Garnett 13 Rebounds | Garnett 9 Assists [*]Tue 8 | Charlotte | <font color="Green">W</font> 102-97 | Garnett 30 Points | Garnett 15 Rebounds | Carter 9 Assists [*]Thu 10 | @Miami | <font color="Red">L</font> 90-107 | Garnett 22 Points | Garnett 19 Rebounds | Garnett/Hudson 5 Assists [/list] <font size="4">Previous Game Wed 01/12 Orlando Magic at Minnesota Timerwolves | 87 ? 80</font> Minnesota lost their last meeting in January despite KG putting up great numbers: 19 points, 8 assists and a season-high and career-high tying 25 boards getting more than ? of the total rebounds. The Wolves clearly dominated the boards (52-44) against one of the better rebounding teams (No 1 in RpG, No 7 in difference in RpG), but still they lost due to their poor shooting (.390) and high turnovers (18 compared to Orlando?s 10). Those 18 turnovers converted the Magic into 18 points while allowing a season low of 80 points after coming in with averaging an NBA worst 101.5 points per game. The man for the Magic was Hedo Turkoglu, after Cuttino had been traded and because DC hadn?t arrived yet, he was put into the starting line-up. He responded very well with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. This time he might start again depending on Hill?s health. Hill had 20 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 5 steals last time, and Francis added 20 / 7 / 7 while Dwight Howard and Kelvin Cato combined for 12 points and 18 rebounds. On the other side, Hassell (coming off the bench) and Wally (starting) had each 14 points, Sprewell had 12 and Hudson (starting in place of missing Sam Cassell ? private reasons) only had 4 points and 2 assists. Both teams were coming off from losses, the Magic had also lost their last 7 road games and the Wolves already two games in a row and struggling after a 13-6 start into the season, and now coming very close the .500 mark and hitting it with the loss of this game. The Magic also started with 13-6 into the season and much like the Wolves began to struggle after that. So it was a match between two struggling teams just like it will be this time. <font size="4">Today?s game</font> Some of Orlando?s weaknesses: <ul> [*]Defense [*]Turnovers [*]They are among the league leaders in points allowed per game [/list] Orlando?s strength: <ul> [*]Once they can play their style, only few can stop them [*]Team chemistry. Yes, I believe so. I think even Francis is finally happy. [*]Team leadership, Hill is a great leader for this team and when he plays he can be the difference maker. [/list] Some of Minnesota?s weaknesses: <ul> [*]Stretches of a lack of concentration and determination during the game [*]Depth, when KG leaves the floor, others need to step up but seldom do so [*]Inconsistency, you never now what you can expect from a player, other than KG of course. [/list] Minnesota?s strength: <ul> [*]KG. Sure he can?t do everything all by himself and needs at least a second scorer. [*]Halfcourt offense [*]Knocking down the open jumper [/list] Preview: The Wolves are coming off of a great and wearisome game against Miami while the Magic want to snap a two game losing streak. Both teams are in the playoff run, both need a win tonight. The Magic are a pretty good home-team (21-8), they had some rest and Hill might be back, their second best scorer while Minnesota is missing three players, Cassell, Olowokandi and Griffin and are a pretty bad road team (13-16). Orlando is among the top rebounding teams in the league but they struggle against top rebounders, one reason why KG had 25 against them. But without any big body under the basket he seems a bit alone against the likes of Howard, Cato and Battie. Keys to the Game for Orlando: <ul> [*]Orlando needs to set a high pace, they need this in order to win. [*]Keep the turnovers low [*]Control the boards [/list] Keys to the Game for Minnesota: <ul> [*]The Wolves won?t be able to keep up with a fast game after the game against Miami, for this reason they need to stop them early on and force them to play half court. [*]Keep the turnovers low [*]Good transition defense [/list] Matchup to watch: <div align="center"><font color="Navy">Kevin "The Kid" Garnett</font> vs <font color="Blue">Dwight "D12" Howard</font></div> Key Players: Minnesota <ul>[*]Latrell Sprewell: Minnesota needs both his defense and offense to win this game [*]Wally Szczerbiak: He needs to provide a spark off the bench [/list] Orlando <ul>[*]Grant Hill: His scoring and leadership is needed[/list] My Prediction: Orlando by 8. Minnesota Timberwolves Home | Orlando Magic Home | Official Orlando Magic Game Preview <font size="1">My first Preview. I wanted it in more detail but I had to hurry, so sorry also for no images. I think I might have some mistakes in it and I couldn't follow Minnesota and Orlando as well as I wished and did during the first half of the season. Hope you like it, if not tell me please per PM and what I can do better next time.</font>
HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGEEEEEEEE WIN! This win was big. Good to see the good guys dig deep and found a way to win tonight at the O-Arena in Orlando. They clearly had to run out of gas late in the game, but to their credit, they found a way to dig deep and find a way. You can credit Kevin Garnett for finding a way to get it done. KG was fantastic tonight. He willed his team to the win with a fantastic fourth quarter performance. KG found a way to make jumpshots and score from the paint. He just took charge like great players and leaders do. The way KG has played this week, he should be the Player of the Week and he will likely be on his way. Latrell was fantastic tonight especially defensively. He has had a very good week. Troy Hudson was solid. Wolves really got it done in the fourth tonight unlike last night. Good win for them. Bad loss for Magic as they are just slumping at the wrong time. They gotta get it together or their feel-good story could be over with their head coach maybe out of a job as head coach. Sunday is a huge home game against the Mavericks.
GREAT WIN! what a matchup between the future to the present kg vs. howard damn! howard is so strong and a hard worker...but KG aint gonna go no where so dwight can keep bowing to him... were up for a tough week and in general were up for tough games... vs. dallas sunday @ dallas tuesday @ san antonio @memphis in order dor us to stay in the playoff picture we half to win at least two of those upcoming 4...ill say dallas tommrow and memphis...wow imagine us winning at san antonio that's gonna be soooo goood! Ill say it again...denver has the spurs today and suns tommrow... it's a shame that the lakers has the bobcats today,but who know what will come out of that game.... GOOD LUCK WOLVES-KG KEEP LEADING US DOG!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Timberwolf:</div><div class="quote_post">Wolves really got it done in the fourth tonight unlike last night. Good win for them. Bad loss for Magic as they are just slumping at the wrong time. They gotta get it together or their feel-good story could be over with their head coach maybe out of a job as head coach.</div> One thing you should know, the majority of the Magic fans want this coach out. Anyway, this slump is because they are missing Hill, they don't have any scoring threat coming off the bench with Hedo starting which isn't good. Another problem is that Francis takes too many shots, even when he isn't hot and he's still dominating the ball too much. I just saw that he had two TO in the last minute. Like yesterday, Dwight was huge but he didn't get the ball as often as he should. The Magic should start running more plays for him. I'm happy with the outcome of the game, I only hope the Wolves continue to play like this.
Coranor: What's your take on Davis? I never was sold on him. Guys quit on him last year and he wasn't that special with the Sixers? He hasn't showed that he is a great coach. He may be the only one not going. I think Francis will be traded this off-season and Doug Christie is clearly going to be gone. He is not happy about his role and he is out for the year. He wasn't happy about going to Orlando in the first place. This could be another off-season changes for the franchise. At least, the Magic got something to build around in Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, who is really playing well. How about Dwight Howard tonight? He was great. He had 19 points and 19 rebounds. He is going to be the franchise for years to come.
Good Game but whats with KG hes the Raining MVP souldnt he show more of control as he fore armed Howard and got him a T. Hes letting a Rookie take control of him. He should have been Thown out and called for some fouls but you cant doin anything after the game. The Twolfs/Magic need wins to stay in the playoffs and would be nice to see them both battle in the Finals beacuse it was a good match-up if Sam and Grant are both in Healthy.
@Timberwolf As I said in my preview, I haven't followed the Wolves and Magic as closely as I did during the first half of the season. But from what I've heard it seems that Davis just can't get the best out of our players and he's not using them to their best possibilities. He doesn't know too many offense strategies and his defense knowledge is poor as well. From my impression, he isn't a coach who can lead a team and tell them what to do, I think he isn't charismatic enough or he doesn't have such a personality, I don't know. He might be good as an assistant but not as a head coach. And just looking at the play-by-play, why did he bring in Garrity for Howard with 20 seconds to go, he just played a combined 3 minutes and it was 99-96. Okay, Davis wanted another three point shooter but in the post game quotes it sounded as if he prepared a two point play, so why not have Howard, who had been huge on the boards, and make a three point play with the hope that it goes in, and if not, Howard is ready to get the rebound and do something with it, a tip in and hoping for a foul call or another three point play, there was still 15 seconds to go.
Flaboy: KG certainly can imtimidate people and I think that's what he wanted to do to Dwight Howard last night. He always uses that tactic. Ask guys like Richard Jefferson, Matt Bonner, and etc.
