The Orlando Magic will host the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night as they attempt to end their three-game losing streak.
Howard the Dunk handed out their mid-season awards. Click here to see who won what. One specific award went to Vince Carter. You can read about why received that award here.
The Magic look forward to playing better basketball in the second half of the season.
"The Magic, to a man, believe they can turn things around, beginning tonight against the Indiana Pacers at Amway Arena. “It’s going to come. We have the right pieces,” small forward Mickael Pietrus said. “It’s a tough situation for everybody, but we want to win a championship.”"
Brian Schmitz has the story here.
Kelly Dwyer takes a look at the southeast division now that we are halfway through the season.
"Orlando Magic, projected record: 52-30Does this sound about right?No. We went into further rumination regarding Stan Van Gundy’s crew yesterday, but it bears repeating — in spite of all the storm and stress behind the team’s injuries and suspensions, the Magic are still underachieving. Vince Carter(notes) has fallen off, which would be no big deal if it weren’t for the fact that he hasn’t realized he’s fallen off. Dwight Howard(notes) has decided to limit his superhero act to eight of every 10 plays (as opposed to 10 outta 10 from last season), and the team’s depth hasn’t been utilized properly, both the fault of the players (Brandon Bass(notes), Marcin Gortat(notes)) and the coach (why can’t Ryan Anderson(notes) get more burn?)."
You can read that here.
Mike Bianchi wonders what lineup change would most benefit the Magic and wonders if a trade could be in the works.
"Obviously, the Magic have many other problems that have contributed to them losing 11 of their last 20 games.Jameer Nelson hasn’t been nearly the point guard he was when he was voted to the All-Star game during the first half of last season. Rashard Lewis seems to disappear during long stretches during games. Carter, of course, is shooting horribly, has been hobbled by injuries and doesn’t seem to have the explosiveness that made him one of the league’s most electric superstars earlier this decade."
You can read his blog here.
Dwight Howard showed off his range on Monday night.
"No wonder C Dwight Howard didn’t enter the slam-dunk contest during all-star weekend.He’s working farther from the basket at times. Against the Lakers, of all teams, Howard continued to try showing off his outside shot, hitting bank-shots from 14 and 16 feet.He’s using regular-season games as a test kitchen, offering glimpses of an all-around game he says is in storage.Howard says GM Otis Smith has encouraged him to expand his offense, although coach Stan Van Gundy isn’t a big fan of the 6-11 Howard leaving the paint.Howard joked in the locker room afterward, trying to imitate TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who has said the Magic need to get Howard the ball more. ” Stan Van Gundy needs to …” laughed Howard."
Read more about that here.
The Orlando Magic are doing very well in terms of merchandise. Here’s the official word from the Magic:
"ORLANDO’S DWIGHT HOWARD JUMPS INTO TOP 5 ON NBA’S MOST POPULAR JERSEYS LIST-Magic also rank sixth in team merchandise-The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard appears in the Top 5 on the NBA’s Most Popular Jerseys List for the first time, the NBA announced today. Howard makes a dramatic jump, moving from No. 10 to No. 3 on this year’s list. The rankings are based on sales at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2009-10 NBA season.The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant once again retained the top spot on the list, a ranking he has held since the start of the 2008-09 season. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James maintains the No. 2 spot, while the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose appears in the Top 5 for the first time. The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade rounds out the Top 5.The Orlando Magic also rank in the Top 10 on the list of Most Popular NBA Team Merchandise, holding down the No. 6 spot.This season marks the fourth with adidas as the official oncourt uniform and apparel provider for the NBA. Below are the NBA’s Most Popular Jersey and the Most Popular Team Merchandise lists.TOP 15 PLAYERS TOP 10 TEAMSKobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers 1. Los Angeles LakersLeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers 2. Boston CelticsDwight Howard- Orlando Magic 3. Cleveland CavaliersDerrick Rose – Chicago Bulls 4. New York KnicksDwyane Wade – Miami Heat 5. Chicago BullsKevin Garnett – Boston Celtics 6. Orlando MagicChris Paul – New Orleans Hornets 7. Denver NuggetsPaul Pierce – Boston Celtics 8. Miami HeatShaquille O’Neal – Cleveland Cavaliers 9. San Antonio SpursPau Gasol – Los Angeles Lakers 10. Phoenix SunsCarmelo Anthony – Denver NuggetsSteve Nash – Phoenix SunsDavid Lee – New York KnicksAllen Iverson – Philadelphia 76ersKevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder"
(Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a contributor at NFL Mocks Subscribe to his RSS feed and add him on Twitter to follow him daily.)