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What are you going to do about it, Orlando?
I’m talking to you, Orlando Magic.
I’m talking to you, Orlando Magic fans.
Are you going to lay down or are you going to stand up?
Let’s be honest.
Nobody believes in you.
Let’s just say it plain and simple. Let’s not sugarcoat it or try to wrap it in some kind of moral-victory ribbon. Nobody — not Vegas, not the national media, not the Boston media, not even some of your own backyard beat writers — is giving you a snowball’s chance in Key West of beating the defending champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Magic are the most lopsided underdog of all the eight first-round playoff series. The oddsmakers have made the Celtics an overwhelming minus-8000 favorite. What does that mean? It means you’d have to bet $8,000 on the Celtics just to win $100. In contrast, the No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers are only a minus-4000 favorite over the lackluster Miami Heat, who finished eight games below .500.
Here’s a sampling of what some in the media think of the Magic’s chances:
“The Celtics are going to sweep the Orlando Magic,” writes Oliver Fox, who does a Celtics blog for SBNation.com. “Listen. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but the Magic suck.”
Writes Noah Rosenstein of Masslive.com, a website that covers news and sports in Massachusetts: “The Celtics are going to win this series. The only question is how many games they will let the Magic have before they wrap things up.”
Says respected ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst: “It’s hard for me to take the Magic seriously. … If they win more than one game, I’ll be impressed.”
Not even the Atlanta Hawks, whom the Magic destroyed by 25 points in the Play-In Tournament, are giving the Magic any respect. Listen to what longtime Hawks radio play-by-play broadcaster Steve Holman said over the air as Hawks-Magic game was coming to a close: “I guess they can enjoy this before they get their [expletive] kicked up in Boston.”
What are you going to do about it, Orlando?
Because if you’re waiting for someone to give you a chance, to hand you respect, to say you belong on this stage, well, keep waiting. That train ain’t coming. It’s never coming. If you want to board the respect train, if you want to be taken seriously, then you’re going to have to earn it.
And the truth is, there’s never been a better time than now.
You are, by every predictive metric and pundit’s panel, an “easy out” that will get swept or maybe, if you get lucky, win one game in the series. Most of the NBA establishment is already salivating about a potential second-round matchup between the Celtics and Knicks.
The fact is, nobody takes Orlando seriously. Never have. This is a city that, for most of its existence, has always been treated like an NBA afterthought. Why do you think Shaq left all those years ago and called us a “dried-up little pond” on his way out the door?
And who will ever forget when the Magic played the Celtics in the 2010 playoffs when legendary Boston Globe columnist, iconic basketball writer and ESPN gabmaster Bob Ryan said about Orlando: “It’s a backward, useless city. It’s a terrible place to live and it’s a stupid place to live even in the good times. It’s a useless backward place and it’s not getting better.”
What are you going to do about it, Orlando?
I’ll tell you what you need to do.
You need to come out in Game 1 and punch those arrogant Bostonians in the face.
Let ’em see their own blood.
Let ’em know they’re in for a fight.
Yes, the Celtics are loaded. They are the champs. They’re got All-NBA guys in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on a star-studded roster that includes five current or former All-Stars. They made more 3-pointers this season than any team in history and are one of only two teams in the league that are top five in offense and defense.
On paper, they are everything the Magic are not.
Fortunately, games aren’t played on paper. If they were, the NBA Department of Analytics and Algorithms would have already declared the Celtics as winners.
This is why the Magic must muck up the metrics, confuse the data, disrupt the math and spill coffee on the spreadsheets. They must get underneath Boston’s skin like they did with Atlanta star Trae Young during the Play-In. They must use their vaunted defense to harass, swarm, smother and frustrate.
They must channel their inner Rocky Balboa and show the Celtics: “It ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
Take away the Celtics’ comfort zone. Take their rhythm and confidence, too. Remind them there’s a reason they have lost six of the last 10 to the Magic. Let them start second-guessing themselves and wondering, “Why are we in a close game? Why are we in a close series?”
Stand up or lay down.
What’s it going to be?
No more excuses.
No more talk about the injury-riddled season.
No more, “If only Jalen Suggs and Moe Wagner hadn’t gotten hurt.”
It’s time for the Magic’s stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, to shine.
Let naysayers talk. Let them laugh. Let them count you out.
Let them pick Boston in four. Let them make fun of your offensive ineptitude. Let them say you’re going to get your asses kicked.
You want respect?
Then take down the champs.
You want the league’s players, fans and media to believe in Magic?
Then go out and make them.
It’s the freaking playoffs.
What are you going to do about it, Orlando?
Email me at [email protected]. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
Continue reading...
I’m talking to you, Orlando Magic.
I’m talking to you, Orlando Magic fans.
Are you going to lay down or are you going to stand up?
Let’s be honest.
Nobody believes in you.
Let’s just say it plain and simple. Let’s not sugarcoat it or try to wrap it in some kind of moral-victory ribbon. Nobody — not Vegas, not the national media, not the Boston media, not even some of your own backyard beat writers — is giving you a snowball’s chance in Key West of beating the defending champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Magic are the most lopsided underdog of all the eight first-round playoff series. The oddsmakers have made the Celtics an overwhelming minus-8000 favorite. What does that mean? It means you’d have to bet $8,000 on the Celtics just to win $100. In contrast, the No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers are only a minus-4000 favorite over the lackluster Miami Heat, who finished eight games below .500.
Here’s a sampling of what some in the media think of the Magic’s chances:
“The Celtics are going to sweep the Orlando Magic,” writes Oliver Fox, who does a Celtics blog for SBNation.com. “Listen. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but the Magic suck.”
Writes Noah Rosenstein of Masslive.com, a website that covers news and sports in Massachusetts: “The Celtics are going to win this series. The only question is how many games they will let the Magic have before they wrap things up.”
Says respected ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst: “It’s hard for me to take the Magic seriously. … If they win more than one game, I’ll be impressed.”
Not even the Atlanta Hawks, whom the Magic destroyed by 25 points in the Play-In Tournament, are giving the Magic any respect. Listen to what longtime Hawks radio play-by-play broadcaster Steve Holman said over the air as Hawks-Magic game was coming to a close: “I guess they can enjoy this before they get their [expletive] kicked up in Boston.”
What are you going to do about it, Orlando?
Because if you’re waiting for someone to give you a chance, to hand you respect, to say you belong on this stage, well, keep waiting. That train ain’t coming. It’s never coming. If you want to board the respect train, if you want to be taken seriously, then you’re going to have to earn it.
And the truth is, there’s never been a better time than now.
You are, by every predictive metric and pundit’s panel, an “easy out” that will get swept or maybe, if you get lucky, win one game in the series. Most of the NBA establishment is already salivating about a potential second-round matchup between the Celtics and Knicks.
The fact is, nobody takes Orlando seriously. Never have. This is a city that, for most of its existence, has always been treated like an NBA afterthought. Why do you think Shaq left all those years ago and called us a “dried-up little pond” on his way out the door?
And who will ever forget when the Magic played the Celtics in the 2010 playoffs when legendary Boston Globe columnist, iconic basketball writer and ESPN gabmaster Bob Ryan said about Orlando: “It’s a backward, useless city. It’s a terrible place to live and it’s a stupid place to live even in the good times. It’s a useless backward place and it’s not getting better.”
What are you going to do about it, Orlando?
I’ll tell you what you need to do.
You need to come out in Game 1 and punch those arrogant Bostonians in the face.
Let ’em see their own blood.
Let ’em know they’re in for a fight.
Yes, the Celtics are loaded. They are the champs. They’re got All-NBA guys in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on a star-studded roster that includes five current or former All-Stars. They made more 3-pointers this season than any team in history and are one of only two teams in the league that are top five in offense and defense.
On paper, they are everything the Magic are not.
Fortunately, games aren’t played on paper. If they were, the NBA Department of Analytics and Algorithms would have already declared the Celtics as winners.
This is why the Magic must muck up the metrics, confuse the data, disrupt the math and spill coffee on the spreadsheets. They must get underneath Boston’s skin like they did with Atlanta star Trae Young during the Play-In. They must use their vaunted defense to harass, swarm, smother and frustrate.
They must channel their inner Rocky Balboa and show the Celtics: “It ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
Take away the Celtics’ comfort zone. Take their rhythm and confidence, too. Remind them there’s a reason they have lost six of the last 10 to the Magic. Let them start second-guessing themselves and wondering, “Why are we in a close game? Why are we in a close series?”
Stand up or lay down.
What’s it going to be?
No more excuses.
No more talk about the injury-riddled season.
No more, “If only Jalen Suggs and Moe Wagner hadn’t gotten hurt.”
It’s time for the Magic’s stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, to shine.
Let naysayers talk. Let them laugh. Let them count you out.
Let them pick Boston in four. Let them make fun of your offensive ineptitude. Let them say you’re going to get your asses kicked.
You want respect?
Then take down the champs.
You want the league’s players, fans and media to believe in Magic?
Then go out and make them.
It’s the freaking playoffs.
What are you going to do about it, Orlando?
Email me at [email protected]. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
Continue reading...
