Nets Spoil Magic’s Attempt to Secure 2nd Seed

Just a couple of games left in the season, the Orlando Magic suffered untimely setbacks when they visited New Jersey. The 12^th place Nets defeated the visiting Magic 103-93 and extinguished their hopes of grabbing the second spot n the east. Aside from sliding down to the 3^rd seed, the Magic also saw Hedo Turkoglu limping out of the court with a sprained ankle.

The Nets displayed a different starting five and fielded three rookies in the starting line-up. Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and Chris Douglas-Roberts were given chance to play since the Nets were already out of playoff contention. The three rookies combined for 32 points. Vince Carter led the game with 27 points and nine assists while Keyon Dooling added 12 points and ten assists.  The Nets played without point guard Devin Harris who was nursing a shoulder injury.

Turkoglu had team-high 16 points before leaving limping out of the game in the final period. Magic big man Dwight Howard only had 7 points and eight rebounds in 26 min of play. Tony Battie and Rafer Alston had 14 and 13 points respectively.

New Jersey will face the Charlotte Bobcats and New York Knicks for their final two games while Orlando will close their season with games against Milwaukee Bucks and Bobcats.

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Around the League: Coach Talks

D’Antoni Agrees to Coach Knicks

After leading the Phoenix Suns to three division titles and two trips to the Western Conference Finals, Mike D’Antoni will now head to the Big Apple for a change of scenery.

D’Antoni made an agreement with the New York Knicks to become the head coach of the team next season. The completion of the contract is still on the prcoess.

D’Antoni will replace Isiah Thomas at the helm of the Knicks. Thomas was fired after the Knicks went 23-59 this season and tied the franchise record for losses in a season.

D’Antoni will have a tough time transforming the Knicks into a contender. His new roster is obviously unfit for his small-ball up-tempo style.

Carlisle Replaces Johnson as Mavs Head Coach

The Dallas Mavericks named Rick Carlisle as the replacement for their former head coach Avery Johnson. Carlisle was the only candidate for the head coach post when the Mavs fired Johnson after their second straight round 1 playoff exit.

Carlisle went 281-211 in two seasons in Detroit and four in Indiana. This is Carlisle’s third stint as a head coach and his skills will be put to test as he is now in the tough Western Conference.

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Disappointments in the Eastern Conference

With about 20 games played into the NBA season, some teams are still struggling to find their groove and rhythm. I expected some teams to start hot in the season but some of them are nothing but disappointments. I will start with the disappointing Eastern Conference teams.

First on my list is the New York Knicks. With the tandem of Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph, things should have been pretty smooth for the New York squad, but there are far too many scandals that are hounding this team. Controversies and issues inside and outside the court continue to damage the reputation and standing of this once glorious ball club. Isiah Thomas’ sexual harassment case, Stephon Marbury’s larger than life ego and their constant arguments are obviously detrimental to the Knicks’ standings.

The Chicago Bulls are also quite disappointing after starting really slow this season. The young Bulls seemed poised and ready to contend for the title last year when they defeated the former NBA champions Miami Heat. But the Bulls are 8-13 this season and they may have to pick up their games soon if they wish to land in a high seed playoff spot. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace seem to be out of sync these days and they must find their rhythm quickly if they want to play competitively in the playoffs.

The former NBA champions Miami Heat are also playing at a very low level this season. They hold a horrible 6-15 record which is second to the last in the league standings. With their current level of play, it’s hard to believe that this team won the NBA championship two seasons ago. Well, come to think of it, Shaquille O’Neal has been struggling this season. I think age/injury/fatigue is catching up with him and he can no longer dominate the paint the way he used to in his younger years. Scoring machine Dwayne Wade just came back from his offseason shoulder and knee surgeries and it may take time for him to adjust in the rigorous NBA campaign. Without Shaq’s dominance and D-Wade’s offensive prowess, the Miami Heat may spend longer time in the bottom of the standings.

 

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