On the Track… With Joanna Hayes

June 10, 2009

I expected game 3 would be an exciting one so I stayed home on my own couch with no distractions to watch it.

I knew Orlando was going to have to step up their game in order to avoid going down 3-0 to the Lakers and that’s exactly what they did. 

The Magic shot a record 75% in the first half and 62.5% overall; both are new NBA Finals records. Way to get it done Orlando!

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was quoted as saying, “Well, it was going in the basket, that always works.”

Well, that’s true Stan but I think it was a little more than that. Orlando started putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket instead of their normal live and die by the 3-point shot. That gave them a better chance to win.  

Dwight Howard had only one turnover vs. seven in Game 2 because he played to his strengths. If he receives the pass within four feet of the basket, he is almost guaranteed a bucket or a foul. However, if he gets the ball prematurely – seven feet or more out – the end result for Games 1 and 2 was usually a forced non-called shot or a turnover caused by the Lakers swarming defense.  Howard did a much better job of recognizing the double- and triple-teams faster. This enabled him to find his teammates and kick the ball back out instead of forcing the ball on the floor and causing turnovers. 

Although Magic guard Jameer Nelson was an outstanding player this year before he went down injured, I think it was a smart decision by Van Gundy to stick with Alston in Game 3. Even though Nelson showed some signs of his old self, he has also showed clear signs of missing four months of play.  I believe the decision to activate Jameer Nelson contributed to the shaky play of Alston in Games 1 and 2 because it showed a lack of confidence in him and changed the flow of the offense. Alston has been the floor general for the last four months and did a solid job of helping to get Orlando to The Finals.               

Nonetheless, even with 62.5% shooting, home crowd support, and smarter play, Orlando still only won by four points.  It seems to me that there is still a lot to be worried about for the Magic fans because you can believe that we will not see Kobe Bryant shoot 50% from the free throw line and score less in the final three quarters than he does in the first.  Not to mention Lamar Odom’s vanishing act. I am going with reappearance from Odom, Kobe shooting 5,000 free throws between now and Thursday, and a Laker win in Game 4.