On March 29, after the game against the Bucks ended, Stan Van Gundy gave the players two days off after returning to Orlando. The schedule was relatively tight some time ago, and the Magic were also in the process of impacting the playoff rankings.
At critical moments, Stan Van Gundy never dared to give his players a day off, fearing that the team's hard-working state and chemical reaction would suddenly disappear once they took a break.
However, after the last game in March, the Magic currently have one more win than the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference standings. The Magic's next game is four days later, on March 2, at home.
Against the Hornets. This gave the Magic the confidence to take a vacation, and at the same time, they could temporarily devote some thoughts to considering the playoffs.
The current situation in the Eastern Conference is clearly divided between strong and weak. The Celtics are proudly at the top and have won 60 games. They are still 6 games ahead of the Orlando Magic and 7 games ahead of the Detroit Pistons. With only 1 regular game left,
At this point in the game, whether the Orlando Magic or the Detroit Pistons want to surpass the Celtics at the last moment and win the first place in the Eastern Conference, it can be regarded as a joke.
After that, the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons ranked second and third respectively. The Orlando Magic had 54 wins and the Detroit Pistons had 53 wins. With eight games left, it is still unknown who is ranked first and who is second.
However, if they enter the semi-finals, no matter whether they are ranked second or third, a confrontation between the two teams is inevitable.
As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, ranked 4, 5, 6, and 7, there is not much difference in wins between the Washington Wizards and the Toronto Raptors. The Cleveland Cavaliers have 41 wins, the Washington Wizards have 37 wins, the Toronto Raptors have 36 wins, and Philadelphia has 76 wins.
They also have 36 wins. Currently, they are temporarily behind the Toronto Raptors in seventh place due to the relationship between wins and losses. These four teams can basically only look at the backs of the top three and move forward, and the rankings may change.
, but it is absolutely impossible to go beyond fourth place.
In addition, the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers, who also have 33 wins, are competing for the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Due to the relationship between wins and losses, the Atlanta Hawks are temporarily one ranking ahead of the Indiana Pacers based on the relationship between wins and losses.
In April, there will be a direct confrontation between them, which is very likely to determine who of the two can be the last person on the playoff roster. As for the New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls, it cannot be said that there is no chance at all. But
The chances are really not very high.
Stan Van Gundy's main consideration is who they should face as their first-round opponent in the playoffs. Among the three opponents, the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers, the one Stan Van Gundy wants to play most is Philadelphia.
The 76ers, after all, among the three teams, the Philadelphia 76ers are the weakest and have changed very little. Although Larry Brown is one of the league's few championship coaches, it is difficult for a clever woman to build something without straw, even with Larry Brown's tactics.
No matter how high his quality is, it will be difficult for this 76ers team to provide him with the ability to realize his tactical ideas.
And after several games, the Magic are basically familiar with this team. When it comes to the playoffs, it can be said that winning is as easy as picking something out of the bag.
However, considering that if they break through the first round, the Orlando Magic will face the stinky and hard rock of the Detroit Pistons. Stan Van Gundy hopes to ensure home court advantage in the second round. After all, the Detroit Pistons
As an opponent of this kind of team, even a slight home court advantage is very necessary. As for the Eastern Conference finals, there is no need to consider that aspect for the time being...
After discussing with Adrian, Stan Van Gundy finally decided to continue competing for wins in the remaining games in April.
Although it is most beneficial for the Magic to choose the Philadelphia 76ers as their opponent, there is really no need for them to deliberately lose. Whether it is the Raptors, 76ers or Wizards, in addition to the Wizards being stronger, there is also the possibility of General Arenas
With the huge variable of coming back at any time, both the Raptors and the 76ers and Magic have great advantages. On the contrary, the Detroit Pistons are a tough nut to crack. If they lose their home court advantage in the second round in order to choose their opponents, it will be too much.
Not worth it anymore.
After determining the goal, the Magic's lineup also underwent some changes. After March Madness, Chris Hunter was eventually given up by Stan Van Gundy after signing another ten-day short-term contract. He can now
Gone to find a new job.
Regarding Chris Hunter, Stan Van Gundy is a little helpless. Although he is strong enough, he obviously cannot adapt to the rhythm of the NBA. When he is on the court, it is obvious that he cannot integrate into the team's overall lineup.
He also looked helpless in defense.
Playing in two NBA games on behalf of the Magic, Chris Hunter only scored a total of 4 points and 2 rebounds. In addition, he also had 4 turnovers and 6 fouls.
Relatively speaking, the performance of another center candidate, Lance Alley, satisfied Stan Van Gundy a lot. Although he did not perform well on the offensive end, he played a pretty good role defensively. Although
His speed is slow and his jumping is only average, but with his wide body and thick body, he makes up for the Magic's lack of thickness inside to a certain extent. After the end of the second ten-day short-term contract, the Magic and Lance
- Al Reese signed a non-guaranteed contract that runs until the end of the season.
And Van Weaver, also relying on his outstanding performance on the offensive end during this period, signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Magic that lasts until the end of this season.
As a result, the Magic's lineup is.
Center: Marcin Gortat, Lance Alred, Forwards: Kwame Brown, Paul Millsap, Sharad Lewis, Turkoglu. Guards: Adrian, Van Weaver,
Keith Bogans, Carlos Arroyo, Maurice Evans.
There are 11 people in this roster, which is still 4 vacancies away from the NBA's 15-man regular season roster, and even the 12-man playoff roster still has 1 vacancy.
This last spot, according to Stan Van Gundy's idea, is to recruit a role player at the small forward position with good defensive ability. After all, the current Magic team has obvious shortcomings in the defense at the small forward position. Sharad Lewis
Both Turkoglu are strong offensive and defensive players. If Paul Millsap plays small forward, his shortcomings of slow footsteps can easily be exploited.
However, now that the free market has been plowed over and over again, basically all the better role players have been selected, and the rest are either unfit for use or riddled with all kinds of diseases that make people unable to rest assured. For a while, Stan Van Gundy
It is also difficult to find suitable candidates from the free market.
Four days later, the Magic sat at their home court at the Amway Center and ushered in their first game in April. The New Orleans Hornets came from New Orleans and were led by the "Queen Bee" Chris Paul.
It exceeded everyone's expectations before the season. The current Hornets are proudly among the top four in the Eastern Conference with a record of 49 wins. In addition to the Los Angeles Lakers, who top the Western Conference with 51 wins, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs also won 49 games each.
Victory, the record is the same as the Hornets. Due to the relationship between wins and losses and the region, the San Antonio Spurs are temporarily ahead of the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets and are ranked second in the Western Conference. The New Orleans Hornets are ranked third and the Houston Rockets are ranked fourth.
After the top four, the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns are ranked fifth and sixth in the Western Conference with 48 wins respectively. Because of the relationship between the wins and losses, Phoenix is ranked fifth before the Utah Jazz, and Dallas has 46 wins.
The Mavericks can only lag behind the Denver Nuggets, who are seventh in the Western Conference. With 45 wins, they are one game ahead of the Golden State Warriors and in the bottom spot of the Western Conference playoffs.
Unlike the Eastern Conference playoff roster, which is divided into strong and weak players, even the eighth-ranked Denver Nuggets can win 45 games in the league, 12 more wins than the eighth-ranked Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference.
Especially the front line of the Western Conference, the fighting scene is like a gladiatorial arena. Whether it is the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs, their current positions are not stable. In the April game, there is no doubt that these teams at the top of the Western Conference will fight fiercely.
.It’s just a list, the overall situation is that the west is strong and the east is weak.
Before the game started, league officials first awarded Adrian the February Player of the Month trophy.
After the trade, Adrian, who led the team to a 12-2 record in March, beat LeBron James and Kevin Garnett to win the Eastern Conference Player of the Month in March. Although the team's record
Generally speaking, the Celtics' 15-2 losses are more luxurious and brilliant than the Magic's 12-2 losses, but in terms of personal data, Kevin Garnett averaged 18.8 points and 10 rebounds per game.
It's not as convincing as Adrian's all-around triple-double average of 27 points, 9.4 rebounds and 14.5 assists per game.
LeBron James, another strong contender for Player of the Month, although he averaged 30.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, is equally brilliant, and is on par with Adrian in terms of personal data, but James
But they suffered a loss in terms of team record. In the sixteen games in February, the Cleveland Cavaliers only achieved a record of 9 wins and 7 losses. After losing to the Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost again.
To the Bucks, Hornets and Pistons. Especially in the direct confrontation with Adrian on the road against the Magic, the Magic had the last laugh, which further reduced James' competitiveness for the Player of the Month award.
The leader of the Atlanta Hawks, Joe Johnson, is also a strong contender for the Player of the Month in March. However, although his performance was wonderful, he averaged 29.7 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds per game in March, but the Hawks
His record in March was not very impressive. Compared with Adrian, the lack of record support made his data less convincing.
Adrian, both his personal data and team record are convincing enough, and the changes and enhancements he has brought to the Magic can be seen by everyone.
Taking over the Player of the Month trophy from the league officials, this is the first time Adrian has received this honor. Last year, he won the Rookie of the Month for six months, becoming the best player in the 2003-04 season.
After LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, another player swept the Rookie of the Month award.
It's a pity that the best player award will always fall into the hands of Kobe or someone else. For Adrian, this is the first time he has won the best player trophy.
The Rookie of the Month trophy is a multi-faceted cube with the Player of the Month trophy logo on the top. Below is a black and white game photo of Adrian dribbling in a Magic home jersey. Below the photo is the logo
Adrian's name is the same as the Orlando Magic's team name and there is a line of small words "Adrian won the Rookie of the Month in March of the 2007-2008 season."
"Congratulations, Ed." As soon as the award ceremony ended, Chris Paul walked up with a smile on his face.
"It's as if you didn't." Adrian smiled and high-fived Paul. They were both point guards in the Western Conference, and the two had a pretty good relationship. Moreover, in the selection of the Western Conference's best player of the month in March just past, Ke
Reese Paul also defeated a group of powerful opponents and was elected the Western Conference Player of the Month in March.
"Even if you congratulate me, I won't hold back today. If you want to keep the Hornets' ranking in the Western Conference, you can't do it today without working hard." (To be continued...)
