After playing the Bucks, the Magic stayed one night in Milwaukee and flew back to Orlando the next day.
After a day's rest, at 8 pm on November 5th, the first shot of the home game at the Water House Center was fired. (It was a mistake to say it was Amway Center before. It has been the Water House Center for the past few years, and it was not until 2006 that it was changed to Amway Center.
.)
The Magic's opponent in their first home game was the Hornets, whom they had just played against in the preseason. The Magic defeated their opponent in the preseason.
The Hornets lost to the Mavericks by a huge margin in their first game. Today they came to Orlando to face the Magic, a weak team in public opinion. They originally planned to make a comeback and win their first win of the season.
Before the start of the game, the Magic players performed a simple appearance ceremony. Amid the shouts of the DJ and the cheers of the fans, Howard was the first to walk out of the tunnel. He smiled and raised his hands to greet all the fans. Then Josh, Yi
Godala and others appeared one after another, and when Nash finally appeared, the cheers of the audience reached a climax.
Orlando fans now like this Canadian very much. He has injected new vitality into the team. After the team originally gave up Tracy McGrady and gave away last season's main force at a cheap price, no one had any hope for the new season. But.
Nash used his not-broad shoulders to carry the banner of the Magic. With his passing and ability to anticipate the game, he led the team to defeat each opponent in the preseason, allowing Orlandoans to regain their
Got hope.
After the entrance ceremony, the game officially started. Compared with the preseason game, Baron Davis, Magloire and others were no longer so relaxed in this game, and their eyes were more focused.
In fact, the Hornets have a very good lineup. They have a strong inside line composed of Magloire and P.J. Brown, as well as a backcourt double-gun composed of Baron Davis and David Wesley.
Small forward, it's a pity that Mashburn was reimbursed for the season due to injury. But even so, this lineup is definitely ranked among the top in the league, but unfortunately, they were classified into the Western Conference this year, like wolves and tigers.
Each team in the Western Conference has a starting lineup that is no better than this one.
Edison changed the starting lineup in this game, Josh did not start, and Uncle Huo replaced him. Because the opponent's two insiders are very high, Josh suffered a bit.
Howard still succeeded in jumping the ball, and Nash began to organize the offense.
As soon as Nash passed halftime, the bearded Davis followed him. Davis' one-on-one defense is very good, because he has good physical fitness, speed and tonnage. No one among the league's point guards can physically
He was able to take advantage of him. He was also very good at stealing, especially good at stealing the ball from the opponent. He was the steal leader last season.
Years of competition have made Nash very aware of Davis' defensive ability, so he dribbles more cautiously and closer to his body.
Although Nash can't compare to Davis in terms of personal ability, the Magic are not a team that relies on individual singles ability.
Howard had already stood in the corner, waiting to set up a pick-and-roll for Nash.
Davis's physical fitness is good, and he is strong and tonnage, but compared with a point guard, he is completely inadequate in front of an insider like Howard.
Nash took the opportunity to sneak down along the three-second line, and Magloire took turns to defend.
We say that pick-and-rolls are great because they can create mismatch opportunities.
When many people talk about mismatched singles, they think that the big man plays the small man, and then uses his height advantage to easily shoot or directly attack the basket. This idea is correct, but it is too narrow. In fact, the small man playing the big man is mismatched, and the small man can
Easily break through with your own flexibility.
Edison looked down the court and saw that Brown was guided to the other side by Huo Ershu, and Davis was blocked by Howard. Only Nash was left to single out Magloire, so he blurted out, "Push him."
As if he heard what Edison said, Nash lowered his center of gravity, passed Magloire with a change of direction, and made an easy layup, opening the scoring for the Magic...
Knives and guns went back and forth, and in a blink of an eye, Davis of the Hornets dribbled over and killed him.
At this time, Davis was not the bearded man who led the whole team to run with the Warriors later. He had not yet been led to a new level of speed by Nelson. At this time, he was still relatively stable.
"Iguodala will guard Baron Davis, and Nash will guard Wesley. It seems that this is a special arrangement by the head coach. But this is also normal. Davis and Wesley are both of average height. Wesley
As a shooting guard, Slee is shorter than Davis, and many teams in the league switch positions to guard the two of them." The Magic's home commentator explained to the fans.
Davis' dribbling is very outstanding, and he is said to be one of the best dribbling point guards in the league. As mentioned before, there is an unknown history behind every extraordinary skill of a star. Davis
So is dribbling.
Davis was raised by his grandparents. When he was a child, his grandfather Luke built him a backboard and hoop in their backyard. This way Davis, his sister Lisa, and their
The friends can gather at home and play. In fact, the main purpose of old Luke is to keep his children away from the bad boys on the street. But this golf course is too crude, and the rugged ground is covered with weeds and
Despite this, Davis and his friends still had a lot of fun, and at the same time, Davis gradually developed his excellent ball control ability.
Davis's physical fitness is first-rate. For ordinary point guards, he can definitely defeat his opponents with his size or speed, but that didn't work today. Iguodala, who was guarding him, had better physical fitness than him.
But Davis relied on his dribbling skills and completed an incredible breakthrough after dribbling from behind, but he still didn't get a good chance.
Because the Magic's defense was well crafted by Thibodeau, Howard saw Iguodala being breached and immediately blocked it. Davis had no choice but to throw the ball to Wesley outside.
David Wesley was nicknamed "Mickey Mouse" by fans because of his cute appearance, but he was not cartoony at all on the court and was very decisive in his shots. After deceiving Nash with a fake move, he hit a jumper.
2-2, both teams were evenly matched.
"Our progress is very fast. This is the most distinctive feature of Paul after taking over the team. This is inevitable, he is only 30 years old. Young people like to be active rather than quiet, and are always full of momentum."
"It was still Nash who used the pick-and-roll with the inside. Nash passed the ball to Juwan Howard, shot, and got a good two points."
"Davis, dribbling and breaking through, Iguodala followed closely and did not lose his position. Iguodala is really comprehensive. Although he is a rookie, his defense is very good, whether it is one-on-one or assist defense.
Everything was in place. The Hornets passed the ball to Wesley on the outside, and the three-point shot went in. Just now, Nash failed to follow Wesley, allowing him to run out of space."
"Howard sent a foul ball, Nash found Marion with a long pass, Brown blocked the foul, and Marion made a free throw... It's good that the first ball was made,... the second one was a pity. Wait, Howard grabbed it.
Offensive rebounds, tip-ins, he jumped really high."
"Okay, it's just the last offense in the first quarter. Now we lead the Hornets 28-26. Nash is wasting time. It's 3 seconds. Nash took the shot, but unfortunately he didn't score."
After the players came off the court, Edison shouted to everyone, "Speed, how many times have I said it, we have to increase the speed, but now, you are affected by the opponent, and you are more than 2 seconds slower than in training." Nash
This is your responsibility. Although Davis's steal is very good, you are a little too careful. Do you understand?"
"Yes, coach, I understand. But his pressure is really great." Nash said a little helplessly...
"Well, then, Juwan, you can block Davis for Nash before he passes halftime, so that Nash can get to the top of the arc quickly."
Uncle Huo nodded to express his understanding.
But when the second quarter started, Scott changed his tactics and replaced Baron Davis with rookie Jr. Smith.
Edison was very confused about this. The second quarter had just begun. Normally, the main player should not be replaced. What did Scott mean by this move? He looked at Thibodeau. Thibodeau shook his head and didn't understand.
But Davis' dismissal is good news for the Magic. Although Smith has strong personal abilities and is in better shape than Kobe McGrady, he is not stable.
Without the suppression of Davis, Nash quickly picked up the rhythm. Without Davis, the Hornets had no one to suppress the situation. In addition, the newcomer Smith is also a guy who likes to play fast breaks and disrupt chaos.
The attacks from both sides seemed to be on fast forward.
Chaotic battles are indeed Smith's specialty. In the back-and-forth between the two sides, he scored 7 points with sudden shots, and also caused a foul on Uncle Huo. But the Hornets were the only one who played well, and the other players were very good.
Not used to this speed, so I hit the iron frequently.
The Magic were like a duck in water, with three-point dunks emerging one after another, and the score gradually widened.
By the time the official timeout came in the second quarter, the score was already 52-45, with the Magic leading by 7 points.
For the next game, Edison replaced Nash and other main players and sent in a substitute lineup.
But the Hornets still didn't let Davis play. At this time, a staff member came over and said something to Thibodeau. Thibodeau looked like he suddenly understood. He came to Edison and said in his ear, "First quarter break."
At that time, Davis and Scott had a conflict for some unknown reason, and the two had a quarrel."
"That's it, no wonder he didn't play." Edison suddenly understood. Davis wanted to leave the Hornets in the summer, but the team never found a suitable trade partner, and Davis was forced to stay with the team. But he
He was very dissatisfied with the team, and he was also a very impulsive person. I don’t know why Scott provoked him today. The two of them had a quarrel off the court.
The most powerful thing about the Magic now is its bench lineup, which is both offensive and defensive. Although they are young, in terms of strength, other than those teams competing for the championship, ordinary teams are no match for them.
Martin felt hot today, shooting 3 of 4 from the field in less than 2 minutes, and also won two free throws, scoring 8 points.
The Magic ended the first half with a 9-point advantage 64-55.
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There was a mistake like yesterday. The opening game should be at the Pistons' home court and there would be a championship ring distribution process before the game. I was careless.
The first chapter today, and the second chapter tonight.
