Lets see Nelson hasn't played all playoffs and he is back in the rotation. JJ Redick in and out of the rotation, but was out of the rotation the Cleveland series in which Orlando played the best, now he is back in the rotation. And you wonder why Orlando probably won't win this series, well there it is.
I really feel sorry for the Magic. If I were SVN, I wouldn't play nelson. He is not ready. He can't shoot to save his life and he is just shaky. You have a proven veteran on the bench who has ben playing well, GIVE HIM PT.
The same exact thing I said to my homeboy. He always took shots like that from way beyond the 3 pt line in College.
I dont get why jj redick was on the court of the entire OT. when he barely is even used in regular season except garbage and "giving an opportunity" time
I'm just saying that every game is a different series on its own. The term 1 game at a time is huge. The magic just need to win the first game and every thing changes from there. Everyone thought Dallas and Philly had the ring also. Remember dr j,bibby,mcginnis had the most talent and was on the verge of blowing walton and lucas out the water only to lose 4 straight. I'm not saying thats going ot happen, i'm just saying they need to win 2 of 3, then its a best of 3.
Looking at how Rashard performed throughout the playoffs, it really puzzles me how so many people on this board are complaining that he's overpaid. To some, only Kobe, LeBron, and Wade can be paid with 10 million a year. Well, that's not how market works, and that's certainly not how NBA works. You have to pay for any talents, and overpay for relatively consistent talents. Odom is another example of that. He's been inconsistent throughout the regular season, but he had a few great key games in the Utah series, Houston, and Denver series, and now in the finals. Both Odom and Lewis are putting up worthy performance of their money. No, they won't be like that in every game. You can't expect everyone to play perfect at every game night. You have to have enough talents on the court, and allow them to be on and off, just as human. As long as not everyone is off, you still have a chance to win, you have yourself a great team. For that, you have to pay.
Thats because alot of people only watch their team and think lewis is just a jump shooter. He is a jump shooter, but he doesn't have to be wide open reading the words on the ball like battier to shoot and make it. Guys that can shoot under distress get paid more plus he's 6'10 with a high release. He's not elite, but in terms of a 6'10 sf who can put the ball on the floor and post a little, i would take him over a guy like allen,redd,rip and guys of that ilk. He's been a good shooter his entire nba career and has been pretty durable also.
I know where you are coming from. Blazers/Sixers in '76 was one of my favorite Finals of all time. Totally awesome. The Mavs blew the series against the Heat because they had poor team chemistry and got totally out of whack after choking like dogs at the end of game 3. Plus, the Heat had the best closer in the game at the time, Dwyane Wade. This year, the Lakers have more talent, more maturity, a better coach and a superstar all-timer named Kobe. Without a fluke event such as an injury, kiss the Magic goodbye. This was their one game to "steal" and they came up short. BTW, if the Magic win 2 of 3 in Orlando, there will be only 2 games left, both in LA and the Magic must win both. real_egal, it's no puzzle at all why people say Rashard Lewis is overpaid. He's getting paid like a franchise player and isn't close to being one. Yes, he's had some good games and hit some clutch shots in these playoffs. Good for him, finally.
Biggest turning point, aside from the missed layup, was Redick's wide open missed three from the top when the Magic had a 91-90 lead with under three minutes left. It was completely uncontested, and this is supposed to be one of the best shooters in the history of the sport. They had the momentum, and that's the kind of shot you have to make on the road if you want to win a title. If JJ can't hit that shot, not sure why in the world he's on the floor.
Late in the 4th, turkey got doubled before he crossed half court, gave the pass to rashard who was WIDE OPEN to drive and draw a foul from gasol but stopped and gave the ball back to turkey. Yeah, he is overpaid.
It seems Alston's not adjusting well to the PG rotation changes. He mentioned it after Game 1, and again in Game 2, he didn't look like he was in rhythm and his shots looked even poorer than usual. But I see no problem with SVG's decision here. Nelson did fine and playing with Turkoglu at the PG during the second half was a great move, IMO. It's up to Alston to adjust quickly and give his team more.
Turkoglu has been mister fourth quarter for the last couple of seasons for Orlando not Lewis (who is getting to paid to be). Lewis has stepped up in these playoffs but that has not been the norm.
hell no. Redick is not even the best shooter on the Magic team, both Turgolu and Rashad Lewis are better shooters.
I threw my hands up in the air. The Magic backcourt was 6/26, including 1/12 from long range. Trash. Lewis, Turkey-Glue and Howard were 25/48, including 9/18 from long range. In OT with Rafer and Redick playing at the same time, the Lakers clamped down on the Magic's "big 3" and contested every shot because they didn't bother guarding the other two. I doubt it's a sweep because the Lakers lack some maturity and the Magic are bound to win one at home, but this Magic team isn't championship caliber. They showed their true colors in the first two rounds, played over their heads against the Cavs and are overmatched against the Lakers. The Lakers won't play any worse than this and still won.
Rashard is a good player, who is going to be a fringe All-Star his entire career. But, there is no way in hell anyone can argue that he's worth the $110+ million that he's getting paid over 6 years. And alot of the criticism goes to the Magic organization, who effectively outbid themselves during the offseason. No one was going to pay Lewis much more than $10 million a year, which he's worth. And then Orlando jumps in head over heels with over $18 million a year. If that isn't Allan Houston part deux, I don't know what is.
