<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Magic are very familiar with the saying, ?there?s no place like home.? This year, Orlando?s record at home is 8-4 and the team pulled off six straight home victories from November 22 vs. Indiana through December 1 vs. Portland. The Magic?s success is carried over from last season when the club finished 16-6 in their last 22 games, 12 of which were at home. In fact, most of the Magic?s victories came on the home front last season, considering they only tallied 10 road victories. That picture has changed though as the Magic have enjoyed early success away from home in the 2006-07 season. The Magic already have seven road wins going into Saturday?s match-up against Cleveland. There are numerous advantages to playing at home, everything from sleeping in your own bed to the support from your own fans. According to Magic guard Keyon Dooling, all of those comforts attribute to their home success. ?All of that plays into the home court advantage,? Dooling said. ?Getting your routine meal, being able to look up into the crowd and see familiar faces and most of all our fans.? The Magic have definitely seen loyalty from their fan base this season and nothing illustrates that better than when Phoenix was in town on December 11. With a 16-point deficit at the halfway point in the fourth quarter, Amway Arena was still packed and the fans were on their feet. J.J. Redick & Darko Milicic But instead of the aisles filling up with angry patrons, the arena was rocking and the fans believed their support could rally the Magic. For some players, just the ambiance of playing at home is enough to perform better. For J.J. Redick, home court advantage involves the atmosphere as well. ?When there?s a buzz in the crowd and energy in the air, players are able to feed off of that and it creates a true home court advantage.? The Magic have played in front of seven sellouts this season, which is almost as many as the nine they experienced during the entire 2005-06 season. As the Magic struggle through recent injuries, you can bet playing at home will be welcomed by all the players. With seven of their next nine games being played at Amway Arena, the Magic players say that there is something therapeutic about having 17,451 screaming fans supporting every move you make. ?Our fans have been great this year,? Dooling said. ?They?ve really embraced us in the arena and outside of the arena and that just makes it a fun place to play.? </div> Source
