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ATLANTA HAWKS

ADDITIONS: G Jamal Crawford, F/C Joe Smith, G Jeff Teague

SUBTRACTIONS: C David Andersen, G Speedy Claxton, C Solomon Jones, G Acie Law

STARTERS: PG – Mike Bibby, SG – Joe Johnson, SF – Marvin Williams, PF – Josh Smith, C – Al Horford

ROTATION: G Jamal Crawford, G/F Maurice Evans, F/C Zaza Pachulia, F/C Joe Smith, G Jeff Teague

OUTLOOK: The Hawks have improved their win total in each of the last four seasons and reached the postseason in each of their last two campaigns. That is particularly positive for two reasons – the continuity of three free agents being brought back as part of seven rotation players returning and the relatively young core of the team (Joe Smith is the only player expected to get regular minutes over the age of 31). What remains to be seen is if the team can take another step forward and get to the conference finals.
Joe Johnson is the leading man of this cast, averaging over 20 points per game during each of his four seasons in Atlanta. Mike Bibby returns to the point guard slot on a fair contract (three years, $18 million), but unfortunately is not bringing better defense with him. Continuing to hit 39 percent from three will help alleviate his defensive inadequacies. Marvin Williams is a solid complementary player, but further developing his outside shot and improving his rebounding would help. Third-year man Al Horford is a rock in the pivot, a modern-day P.J. Brown, but could do more if the team asked. Josh Smith is an enigma. If he could play all 82 games close to the level that he is capable, he would be a first-team All-NBA player. Of course, in the land without unicorns, he is an erratic player who is in love with his weak jump shot and indifferent much of the time. His inability to harness his natural gifts keep and work to achieve what he is capable of doing prevent the Hawks from moving up to the next level.
The addition of Jamal Crawford gives the Hawks the ability to bring in an additional ballhandler or rest Joe Johnson without a dropoff in scoring punch. Crawford, however, still does not have much of a conscience on defense or willingness to play defense. It will be interesting to see how he responds to the change from being a freewheeling Warrior to a bench supporter behind the Hawks’ best player. Maurice Evans comes back for more work at the defensive stopper slot and Jeff Teague is an undersized two, which is not that bad here, as he can be teamed with Johnson or Crawford in the backcourt and not handle the ball or be expected to run the offense. The addition of Joe Smith to Zaza Pachulia gives the Hawks a second big man who can be trusted with significant bench minutes. Hopefully for the Hawks, Smith’s blue-collar effort and attitude can rub off on Smith. It also does not hurt to add his playoff experience to the mix.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

ADDITIONS: F Derrick Brown, C Tyson Chandler, G Gerald Henderson, G Ronald Murray

SUBTRACTIONS: F Sean May, F/C Emeka Okafor

STARTERS: PG – Raymond Felton, SG – Raja Bell, SF – Gerald Wallace, PF – Boris Diaw, C – Tyson Chandler

ROTATION: G DJ Augustin, F Derrick Brown, C DeSagana Diop, G Gerald Henderson, C Nazr Mohammed, G Ronald Murray, F Vladimir Radmanovic

OUTLOOK: Charlotte pulled off one of the bigger trades of the summer, sending Emeka Okafor to the Hornets in exchange for Tyson Chandler. While the two players are similar on the court (Okafor is a better offensive player while Chandler, when healthy, has athleticism that makes him a more versatile defender), this deal was primarily done for salary cap reasons. Chandler’s value, sadly, is not necessarily based in whether or not he can help the Bobcats improve on their franchise-best 35-win mark last season.
Prior to last season, Chandler had been mostly healthy in his career, playing in at least 71 games in six of the previous seven seasons. The primary concern for his health is that his rebounding rate, which was over a dozen boards per 36 minutes the previous five seasons, tapered off to just under ten last season. Chandler’s rebounding prowess is needed badly, as Boris Diaw, who flourished offensively after coming from Phoenix in a trade, just does not bring it to the glass. Diaw does, however, provide excellent passing as part of a diverse offensive game, making 70 threes in 59 games as a Bobcat after connecting on 56 in the first 400 of his NBA career (and at a much higher shooting rate, as well, 41.9 percent to 27.2 percent). Gerald Wallace returns as the team’s leading scorer, but his steal and block rates have tapered off considerably, perhaps as a result of the accumulated bumps and bruises that accompany his reckless, high-flying style. Raja Bell provides a less statistical, more bread-and-butter impact on defense, as usual, but added a slightly greater offensive impact after getting traded by the Suns. Raymond Felton signed a one-year contract to stay in Charlotte and would be well-served to make better decisions and more than 28.5 percent of his treys in his second crack at a contract year.
DJ Augustin had a solid rookie season for the ‘Cats, leading the squad in three-pointers and averaging nearly a dozen points per game. The hope in Charlotte is likely that Augustin improves his point guard skills (2.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio) enough this year that Felton can walk after the season or be shipped out at the trade deadline. Ronald “Flip” Murray provides a third short, yet proficient backcourt scorer and Gerald Henderson provides another defensive effort player who can play both swingman spots while adjusting to the league. The frontcourt bench players are very weak. The forwards are Vladimir Radmanovic, a three-point shooter who offers little else, and Derrick Brown, a solid rookie from Xavier whose transition to the NBA could be choppy. DeSagana Diop provides size and defense while Nazr Mohammed is not likely to see much action due to his advancing age and declining skills.

MIAMI HEAT

ADDITIONS: G/F Quentin Richardson

SUBTRACTIONS: C Mark Blount, F Jamario Moon

STARTERS: PG – Mario Chalmers, SG – Dwyane Wade, SF – Michael Beasley, PF – Udonis Haslem, C – Jermaine O’Neal

ROTATION: C Joel Anthony, G Carlos Arroyo, G Daequan Cook, F James Jones, G Chris Quinn, G/F Quentin Richardson, G/F Dorell Wright

OUTLOOK: The Heat bounced back nicely last season, as Dwyane Wade carried them to 43 wins, an improvement of 28 wins from the preceding campaign. The problem for the Heat is those two words – “Wade carried.” The All-NBA performer and league’s leading scorer last year simply did not have much help. A weak surrounding cast of youth, age, and question marks returns around Wade.
Mario Chalmers did a serviceable job last season as a rookie at the point for Miami, but the Heat would love to have a better option available, if only just to take a little more of the ballhandling load off Wade’s shoulders. Chalmers is a good defender and offers good size at the point. Hopefully, he is able to take a significant step forward in his sophomore season. Wade is a dominant player who can do just about everything. Asking for improvement from him (improved three-point shooting and turnovers – partially due to his high ballhandling and usage rate – are his two biggest deficiencies) is just nit-picking. Michael Beasley’s, um, interesting summer put additional pressure on last season’s top draft pick. He is apparently in improved shape, but will need to show increased foot speed and shooting range to preserve a starting spot at the three and give Miami their best group on the floor for as long as possible. Udonis Haslem is a rock at the four, providing defense and rebounding. Miami could really use a season of 70+ games out of Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal still demands attention on the low post and his interior scoring complements Wade nicely. He also is still a solid deterrent at the rim and good rebounder.
Backup point Chris Quinn is a fringe NBA player who can be exploited on both ends of the court. Quinn’s roster spot, or at least his rotation spot, may be usurped by Carlos Arroyo, who was a late addition to Heat training camp on a non-guaranteed contract and began pushing for a permanent roster spot immediately. Daequan Cook, James Jones, and Quentin Richardson should help out Wade by being available on the perimeter for kick-outs. Cook made 153 three-pointers last season (14th in the league), Jones is a 39.3 percent shooter from deep in his career, and Richardson buried 120 treys while with the Knicks last year. Jones and Richardson, however, would ideally only be used in short stretches when the floor needs to be stretched. Dorell Wright is a solid rebounder, but not a great shooter and should focus on improving his defense as it is the shortest distance to being a major contributor on the Heat. Joel Anthony is a shot-blocking specialist, but lacks skills on offense and is a poor rebounder to boot. Haslem is likely to see minutes at the pivot when O’Neal rests with Beasley sliding to the four.

ORLANDO MAGIC

ADDITIONS: F Ryan Anderson, G/F Matt Barnes, F Brandon Bass, G/F Vince Carter

SUBTRACTIONS: G Rafer Alston, F/C Tony Battie, G Courtney Lee, F Hedo Turkoglu

STARTERS: PG – Jameer Nelson, SG – Vince Carter, SF – Mickael Pietrus, PF – Rashard Lewis, C – Dwight Howard

ROTATION: G/F Matt Barnes, F Brandon Bass, F/C Marcin Gortat, G Anthony Johnson, G JJ Redick

OUTLOOK: The Magic rolled up 59 victories on their way to a berth in the NBA Finals last year. Stan Van Gundy showed that he is an excellent coach, getting career-best performances from Jameer Nelson and the now-departed Hedo Turkoglu. The bar has been raised even higher for the Magic, as a blockbuster offseason trade brought in Vince Carter to replace Turkoglu and they made a couple free agency moves to complement their starters.
Carter brings his perimeter marksmanship to the Magic, having made 151 three-pointers last year in New Jersey without the benefit of an inside player anywhere near the caliber of Dwight Howard on that roster. What remains to be seen is how the absence of Turkoglu’s playmaking, particularly late in games, affects the team. Carter, however, is an adept passer, averaging over four assists per game in each of the last six seasons and this is the most talented cast Carter has ever played with. Howard is simply a dominant force down low and still only turns 24 early this season. 24. Think about that for a second. If Howard develops consistent touch around the rim, he will be unstoppable. Jameer Nelson comes back from injury and a full season from him should help the team. The vast difference in Nelson’s game last year was his perimeter shooting, as he drained 45.3 percent of his triples. Mickael Pietrus, who also missed a couple months last season due to injury, gets the “defensive stopper” role for the Magic. Pietrus, however, also is a perimeter threat, giving the Magic four starters with consistent three-point range. Oh, the fourth three-point shooting starter. Rashard Lewis led the league with 220 three-pointers, hitting almost 40 percent of his league-high 554 hoists from deep.
Anthony Johnson will get the backup point guard job again, as Rafer Alston was sent out in the Carter trade. Like seemingly everyone else on the Magic roster, Johnson was also prolific from outside, making over 39 percent from beyond the stripe. Matt Barnes provides a tough attitude off the bench as well as, stop me if you have heard this before, three-point shooting. He can handle either wing position. JJ Redick again will pine away on the bench for playing time, but his ballhandling and defensive deficiencies will keep him on the bench in spite of his… three-point shooting (37.4 percent from beyond the arc). The Magic have run out of long-range bombers just as I have exhausted ways to describe them. Brandon Bass is an undersized power forward who came over from Dallas as a free agent. Bass provides hustle and effort on the offensive glass. Marcin Gortat, who the Mavericks tried to sign away to replace Bass in their rotation, had his contract offer matched by the Orlando front office. Gortat is a developing talent, but is blocked by Howard. The seven-footer can provide 15 strong minutes off the bench when Howard rests, however, and may see time on the floor against other teams with size, such as Cleveland.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

ADDITIONS: G Randy Foye, G/F Mike Miller, F Fabricio Oberto

SUBTRACTIONS: F Darius Songaila, F Etan Thomas

STARTERS: PG – Gilbert Arenas, SG – DeShawn Stevenson, SF – Caron Butler, PF – Antawn Jamison, C – Brendan Haywood

ROTATION: F Andray Blatche, G Randy Foye, C JaVale McGee, G/F Mike Miller, F Fabricio Oberto, G/F Nick Young

OUTLOOK: Flip Saunders has been imported to replace Eddie Jordan as the head coach, bringing a winning percentage just under .600 and four conference finals appearances in a dozen campaigns. The Princeton offense is out and Flip’s playbook, which resembles one of those giant dictionaries at the local library that doubles as a weight for bicep curls, is in. Saunders, however, has lots of offensive weapons at his disposal, which allows him to be creative, mixing and matching players both as he sees fit and as the team’s health allows. Oh, that team health.
Gilbert Arenas spent a portion of his summer rehabbing under Tim Grover in Chicago and raved about the work. Reports about Arenas are that he looks like the Arenas of old and he has gotten off to a solid start in the exhibition portion of the schedule, but it obviously remains to be seen what he can contribute throughout the full season. DeShawn Stevenson will be the designated stopper for the Wizards on the perimeter, as he is the fifth-best perimeter threat on the team. Caron Butler provides toughness on both ends of the court and, should he be healthy for the full season, will give the team an edge they may otherwise lack. Butler is well-rounded, but his slide in rebounding is mystifying, especially considering the lack of proven boardwork on the roster last year. Antawn Jamison cracked 20 points per game for the fifth time in his career last season, tying his second-highest mark at 22.2 points per contest. He is as automatic a scorer as they come from the non-elites of the league. Brendan Haywood is back from his lost season where he saw a total of six games of action. If Haywood can simply provide production the level he did two seasons ago (ten points, seven rebounds, and two blocks per game), the Wizards will be fortunate.
The Washington bench is one of the deepest in the league and is headlined by two new acquisitions: Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Miller likely will not average double figures in scoring, but will display a diverse game off the bench, as he is surrounded by the best cast of his career. The former Rookie of the Year will probably be given some playmaking duties (which he can handle) and definitely be counted on to knock down about 40 percent of his attempts from downtown. Foye had a breakthrough season last year, scoring 16.3 points per game for the Timberwolves. He will have combo guard duties off the bench. Nick Young looks to take a step forward in his third season, but it will not be shown in his production. Young took advantage of his teammates’ injuries last season, averaging 10.9 points per game, but the talent injection to the roster will likely prevent him from getting enough playing time and shots to match that mark. The Wiz will be satisfied if Young can take better care of the ball and provide an impact on defense. Andray Blatche will once again be asked to translate his talent into actual production at the four spot while former Spur Fabricio Oberto will provide experience down low. JaVale McGee showed promise in his rookie season and will likely be given the backup minutes behind Haywood. That translates to about 20 minutes per game of glass-cleaning and shot-blocking.

PROJECTED DIVISION STANDINGS:
1. Orlando
2. Washington
3. Atlanta
4. Miami
5. Charlotte

The Magic should threaten 60 wins this season en route to the division title. Riding a combination of the return to health of Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood, as well as the acquisition of injury protection depth in the form of Randy Foye and Mike Miller, the Wizards should be in the 50-win neighborhood. Atlanta should get another season of improvement out of their youth and be hot on the heels of Washington. Dwyane Wade will be hard-pressed to coax 45 wins out of the Heat again, as the Eastern Conference is tougher this time around and he has mostly the same supporting cast of last season. The Bobcats’ lack of an elite scorer is a major issue, as is the frontcourt depth, which will be a significant problem should Tyson Chandler get dinged again.

Two summers ago, Rashard Lewis, having just completed his ninth season with Seattle, opted out of his contract to become a free agent, the franchise that drafted him. The Sonics had just sent Ray Allen to Boston, showing that the franchise was going to overhaul everything and Lewis knew that if he wanted to win, he would be skipping away from the only NBA home he had known.

At that time, Lewis could have signed a five-year deal with any team in the league or a six-year deal at higher annual rates with Seattle. Seattle did both themselves and Lewis a favor by signing him to a six-year deal, then sending him to Orlando for a second round pick and a $9 million trade exception. That six-year deal Lewis signed was a maximum deal valued at $118.2 million. The five-year deal Lewis could have simply signed with the Magic? $91 million. Lewis got an extra $27 million, the Sonics got some useful items, and the Magic made their new acquisition happy by agreeing to the deal instead of just bringing him in at the “reduced” rate.

Why is this a bigger deal now when it wasn’t back then?

Hedo Turkoglu is opting out of his contract to chase a salary significantly more that the $6 million-and-change his current deal pays annually after having two excellent years in Orlando as a multi-faceted player. Promising back-up big man Marcin Gortat (10.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per 36 minutes as a 25-year-old in his second NBA season) will be a free agent, as well. Right now, Rafer Alston will be a very expensive backup point guard and insurance policy behind All-Star Jameer Nelson.

There have already been comments made from Orlando’s front office that they will go into luxury tax territory to re-sign Turkoglu. Of course, they may have to let Gortat walk away and will likely shop Alston due to his expiring deal ($5.25 million for next season) to shave some expenses. Eight players are already locked in through 2010, which includes every player who got consequential minutes except Turkoglu and Gortat, so the Magic should be fine… unless they suffer serious injuries (Nelson again?)… and Tony Battie is the only back-up big man on the roster. Maybe Adonal Foyle will return for another year at the minimum. There will be miscellaneous roster filler for the league minimum to be had. Their first round pick belongs to Memphis in the deal for Alston. Their second round pick was the one spent to get Lewis.

Had they won the NBA title, none of this would matter and Lewis’ contract would be money well spent. Now, though, a step away from the mountaintop and facing luxury tax, maybe the Magic made a misstep a couple years ago.

LA 100. Orlando 75.

And b.o.r.i.n.g. If LA plays like that, and Orlando like it did, well, this will be one of the worst NBA Finals in recent memory.

Kobe eases to 40/8/8. Dwight Howard gags to a 1 of 6 from the floor. Not much else to say when surveying the wreckage that was Game 1. Either Orlando decides there is something left to accomplish this season and steps to the moment, or this will be a historic beatdown.

When it comes down to it, Cleveland’s lack of an answers for Dwight Howard was just as crippling as Orlando’s lack of an answer for Lebron James. Because when you add in the fact that Orlando’s front office was kind enough to provide Howard with some actual help, the reason for Orlando’s dominance in the match-ups between these two teams comes into focus.

Orlando 103. Cleveland 90. In a game that was not remotely as close as that final score.

New challenge for Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel? Re-firing the persecution complex that drove his articles throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. But first he must wallow in the mud one more time of feeling inferior to Cleveland. Geez man, get over it.

As for Cleveland, Terry Pluto in the Plain Dealer joins with a lot of the NBA watching audience in turning a raised eye to alleged NBA coach of the year Mike Brown:

1) What were the Cavs doing with James on defense? It was hard to know exactly who he was supposed to be covering.

2) Whatever happened to Joe Smith? It’s hard to believe they couldn’t have used another big man have helped underneath where Dwight Howard was terrorizing them.

3) What was the deal in the third quarters, where the Cavs were outscored in five of the six games? What happened to adjustments?

There’s so much more.

Brown made his reputation as a defensive coach, but never could come up with a scheme to stall Orlando for long, much less shut them down. The Magic averaged 103 points in this series, shooting nearly 49 percent.

He stubbornly refused to maximize James on defense by assigning him to defend either Rashard Lewis or Hedu Turkoglu for most of the series. He was not able to find a way to either stop Dwight Howard (40 points, 14 rebounds) inside or Lewis and the other shooters outside.

Ah, yeah. All that. And more. Heck, at one point I wondered why he didn’t stick Lebron on Dwight Howard. If Lebron is as good as everyone thinks he is and wants him to be, that would have been a Magic Johnson-esque move. The only guy on Cleveland remotely close to Howard in size, quickness, and strength is James. Maybe, at least once or twice, come down and see if he could have blunted some of Howard’s advantage?

At any rate, Cleveland is done and the far better team is moving on. And we are now one mere year from the free agency to end all free agency. Hard to think that Lebron is entirely sold on Cleveland long term at this point, given the lack of help that has been provided him.

Orlando 116. Cleveland 114. In OT.

And a 3 to 1 lead in the series for the Magic, who have now won 11 of their last 15 against Clevleand. Given that last stat, I am having a real hard time figuring out how the Cavs win three in a row at this point. And if Orlando goes ahead and puts this thing away in the next two games, it is not too hard to imagine irritation upon reflection setting in for Lebron James as the off-season unfolds. He needs some legit help. 44/12/7 was not enough last night. 8 turnovers too. And his coach (the alleged coach of the year) looks completely helpless to come up with something different to help. So would some team defense from the Cavs.

Cleveland’s front office might want to attend to all of that. Quickly. Something they have not been able to do in the last four years. Because Lebron’s unrestricted free agent year is coming fast. And the argument for him staying around Cleveland is taking a hit as this series unfolds.

But for one ridiculous shot, the Magic would have the Eastern Conference Finals by the throat. Heck, they may anyway. It was a relatively easy 99 – 89 Magic win last night in Orlando for a 2 games to 1 Magic lead. The fun part stemming from the game? The lingering bitterness from Magic fans and followers after the Lebron love-fest the whole world engaged in between Friday night’s finish and throughout most of Game 3. The lead line from the write-up in the Orlando Sentinel on the game:

While GM and the rain forests are waiting his magical touch, LeBron James couldn’t save the Cleveland Cavaliers — his personal project — on Sunday night at Amway Arena.

Heh. Not bad. 41 points for James, but a bad shooting night for him at only 11 for 28 from the field. Course, his teammates were worse. Much worse. He really had next to no help. At any rate, back to the irritation of the Magic fans and followers, go Mike Bianchi:

Give Stan Van Gundy and the Magic credit. They are the only ones in the league who refuse to be LeBron’s LeBootlicker. Gotta love Van Gundy barking at his team and telling them to quit being LeBron’s “witnesses” during Game 1. Or Dwight actually snarling at LeBron when the two got tangled up Sunday night. This why the Magic own the Cavs. This is why they’ve beaten them 10 of the last 14 times they’ve played. They don’t kneel down and kiss LeBron’s Nikes. They may give him his points (41 on Sunday), but they don’t give him their genuflection.

Excuse me if I sound bitter about the LeBron LeBoosterism. True story: As Sentinel colleague Brian Schmitz and I were walking down an empty hallway in Cleveland’s arena late Friday night after Game 1, a security guard started yelling at us: “Step to the side! Step to side!” What? Was this some sort of medical emergency? Were EMTs rushing some fallen fan to the hospital? Not exactly.

It was just LeBron being escorted to the media interview room. And, apparently, nobody occupies the same hallway as LeBron for fear the intruders might smush the rose petals being thrown at the king’s feet. Don’t get me wrong, this is not LeBron’s fault. He is an exceptional player, but the fawning fans, media and refs are making everybody sick of him. A classic case of LeBron LeBurnout.

And if you haven’t caught it, it’s only because you haven’t turned on ESPN since his buzzer-beater in Game 2. From hearing the commentators coo over him, you’d have thought LeBron had just scored the winning goal for the 1980 U.S. hockey team. The only thing missing was Al Michaels yelping, “Do you believe in miracles!”

I would imagine Cavs fans are uniquely postioned to understand this point of view, with memories of Michael Jordan/Craig Ehlo and the ensuing Jordan love (deserved, mind you) still fixed in theirs and everyones memories. That said, it is interesting to see how that dynamic might be working to help Orlando in this series. Something of a bunker mentality seems to be setting in, and whatever helps to spur a team to play its best is a good thing, particularly at this time of the year.

Oh, and Friday night’s goodness notwithstanding, that’s 10 Magic wins in the last 14 games against Cleveland.

What fixes choking away a 23-point first half lead? A miraculous shot-for-the-ages to win the game from Lebron James. At the height of its arc, the ball had to have been 25 feet or more in the air. Impossible to defend. He’s just better.

Cleveland 96. Orlando 95. A series tilting toward classic. Series heads to Orlando tied at one game a piece.

Orlando 107. Cleveland 106.

Lebron James was his usual dominant self, but pretty much the rest of his teammates took a pass on providing any help. That’s how 49/8/6 isn’t enough.

And, as Stan Van Gundy helpfully points out, you look a smarter as a coach when shots are falling. So Van Gundy looks brilliant as Rashard Lewis drains the three to put Orlando up, and Mike Brown looks brain dead for Cleveland’s last shot not being taken by James. Then again, James set up a wide-open Mo Williams, who simply bricked the shot.

At any rate, we have a series in this one. Orlando plays Cleveland tough normally (that’s 9 wins in their last 12 meetings for Orlando), and matches up well with them. And appears comfortable with letting Lebron get his, while they try and limit the damage elsewhere. That’s not the worst approach ever to dealing with the Cleveland James’.

…people stop trying to tear down Dwight Howard?

Just sayin’.

For all the shit Howard took for saying what was on everyone’s mind after Game 5’s meltdown against the Celtics, it is Orlando that is moving on after their 101-82 wipe-out of Boston in Game 7 yesterday. A blowout noteworthy because Orlando led only 66-61 heading into the fourth. And, for the second game since Dwight Howard dished truth, the Magic did not wilt.

Their reward: a rested, loving life, Cleveland Cavs team led by the best player in the universe. They might win a game in the series. If they are lucky.

Still, a nice comeback for a Magic team left all but dead early last week.

Another game. Another Magic fourth quarter meltdown. This time, a 14-point fourth period lead choked away on the road in game five of a series tied at two games a piece. So, yeah. Noteworthy. Dwight Howard had only one touch offensively in the last seven minutes of the game. How does THAT happen?

Boston 92. Orlando 88. Celtics up 3 games to 2.

Dwight Howard has apparently had enough. Go Dwight:

I would just say it’s tough to win all season when you play inside-out with people who got you off to a good season. I think I’m capable of scoring in the post,” Howard said after the Magic blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost 92-88. “I don’t’ want to say it’s all about offense. But when you have a dominant player, let him be dominant.”

…

“The coaches have to recognize what’s working on the floor. Stick to it. Even if it’s half your starters on the floor. Not just the guys you have put the most trust in. You have to have trust in everybody,” Howard said.

“We moved the ball, we ran, got easy shots, and our coach has to recognize when he was a certain group out there and they are getting the job done and we have to leave those guys on the floor. We are going to make mistakes, but I think you have to go with what works.”

What Howard said. And fuck killing Howard for saying it now. Their season is on the brink anyway, in no small part because Van Gundy consistently commits coaching malpractice in the fourth period of games. Game five was the latest in a series of such games. Someone needs to say it.

Shaq was consistently entertaining (if a bit tiresome) with his smack talk this year, but watching another meltdown from a Van Gundy team reminds me that Shaq said this back in March.

“When a bum says some (stuff) and I respond, you can (expletive) cancel that ’cause I know how he is in real life. We’ll see when the playoffs start and he (expletive) panics and quits like he did when he was here.(Miami) Do I look soft to you like you can say something and I’m not going to say something?

Panics and quits? Hmmmm. Point to Shaq.