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ORLANDO MAGIC 2007-2008 SEASON ANALYSIS
The Orlando Magic have compiled a winning season, and they are currently slotted as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Led by surreally bulky and agile center, Dwight Howard, the Magic have feasted on the opposition in the paint all season long. The perimeter is taken care of by borderline All Star gunslingers Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. This triple duty Magic attack is run effectively and efficiently by point guard Jameer Nelson. His discipline (in knowing he must keep the basketball in the hands of his more offensively potent sidekicks) is perhaps his most apparent, yet often overlooked quality. Without his selfless approach to running the Orlando offense, the Magic would not run like such a well-oiled machine. ORLANDO MAGIC -- TOP 3 PLAYERS1. Dwight Howard — 20.7 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, .9 spg, 2.2 bpg, 59.9% (FG%), 37.7 mpg
After the 2007-08 Magic campaign comes to a close, Dwight Howard will have accomplished two jaw-dropping feats. First, Howard has already shaken the world with his nearly unimaginable performance in the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. Howard’s jams were so memorable and so awe-inspiring that he not only took home the trophy, but he also gained the respect and admiration of each and every viewer of the competition. Second, Dwight Howard has climbed the ladder of great NBA centers, and he is now seated atop the NBA hierarchy as the number one center in the Eastern Conference (and maybe even the entire League).
2. Hedo Turkoglu – 19.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5 apg, .9 spg, 82.9% (FT%), 40% (3p%), 45.6% (FG%), 36.9 mpg
Although his jersey says “Magic”, Hedo Turkoglu will not be pulling any rabbits out of his hat. However, he provides the fans in Orlando with a magic show of a different variety; he snipes in threes like he is the Houdini of hoops. A facet of Hedo’s game that most casual fans fail to observe is Turkoglu’s predilection for rebounding and passing as well as scoring.
3. Rashard Lewis – 18.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 83.8% (FT%), 40.9% (3p%), 45.5% (FG%), 38 mpg
The Orlando Magic finally came to recognize their need for one more lethal scorer on the wing during the 2007 offseason. They scoured the free agent market in search of the most creative scoring threat available that also fit their positional criteria. Bingo! The Orlando Magic found just the man for the job, former NBA All Star small forward Rashard Lewis. Despite the fact that they paid Kobe Bryantesqe money for Lewis, the Magic still walk away winners (literally and figuratively) after this timely signing.
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