Posts tagged Hedoturkoglu at FanHouse

The Magic improved by 12 games this year to finish with 52 wins, their most since 1996 when Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway carried the team all the way to the NBA Finals. GM Otis Smith deserves a lot of credit for the turnaround, first for bidding against himself to sign Rashard Lewis and then having the foresight of knowing Tony Battie would get suffer a season-ending injury to open up playing time for the soon-to-be Most Improved Player Hedo Turkoglu. For that, he was rewarded with a three-year extension.

Am I being a little harsh? Perhaps, but Smith is obviously riding the coat-tails of Dwight Howard's ascension to superstardom. Sure, Stan Van Gundy turned out to be a nice pick to coach this team, but he's only there because Smith's first choice, Billy Donovan, flaked out. And is anyone really excited about Jameer Nelson's future? Smith gave him a five-year, $35 million contract last summer, but he couldn't even hold down a starting job for all of last year.

Wouldn't a talented young point guard like Rodney Stuckey have been a nice replacement? Well, Smith gave the Pistons Orlando's 2007 first-rounder used to select Stuckey in the Darko Milicic/Carlos Arroyo trade. Darko lasted just a year and a half before leaving town while Magic fans are counting down the days Arroyo's contract comes off the books this summer. And don't even get me started about drafting JJ Redick ...

Smith is hardly the worst GM in the league, but I'm convinced the Magic are where they are despite his efforts, not because of it.

In case you haven't seen this highlight a dozen times already, here's Tayshaun Prince's block on Hedo Turkoglu last night to seal the Pistons' win over the Magic and clinch Detroit's sixth straight appearance in the Conference Finals.

Rip Hamilton talked about the block after the game. "That was awesome," he said. "I didn't even see who blocked the shot, to tell you the truth. The only thing I'd seen was Tay flexing. I went up to Rasheed and I was like, 'Uh, who blocked that shot? It must be Tay, huh?' He was like, 'yes.' It was incredible. That's something that Tay does, and we needed that because it was a big shot."

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Magic-Pistons Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5 this evening.

1. That Better Be A Darn Good Guarantee: I hate guarantees. Hate them. I hate them more from slow, unspectacular sized, non-hyper-athletic point guards that have been a contributing factor to their team's need for a guarantee. So part of me kind of hopes Jameer Nelson gets served tonight, like he has all series. Which is odd, because I'd really like for the Magic to have made this into a series. I don't necessarily mind the intent behind guarantees, in fact I think confidence is an absolute necessity going into an elimination game. It's making it public that creates the issue. Because as laid back as the Pistons are about the matter, it's still another reason for them to swat the mosquito that the Magic have turned into on their trek through the playoff jungle. And every time Nelson misses a shot tonight, you can bet the Pistons faithful are going to remind him of his little blip.

2. 50/50, Win-Win: Chauncey Billups is 50/50 to play tonight. But since the Magic are about 0-2000 in things falling right for them in this series, I wouldn't bank too much on Billups taking the night off. Although, with as well as Rodney Stuckey has played in his absence, you have to wonder if the Pistons feel any urgency to get him back on the floor, especially with this series feeling so completely finalized. Billups has struggled this postseason in general, and it might do him more good to take the night off, see if the Pistons can finish up the Magic at home, and get some rest for the Conference Finals. If the Magic were to somehow pull off a mini-miracle and win tonight, it would just put them in better shape to put the foot to the throat in Game 6. It's pretty much a win-win situation for the Pistons.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Pistons-Magic Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 3 this evening.

1. Where Time Stands Still: Maybe tonight we'll actually play the game for the correct amount of time, huh? I know, I know, much ado about nothing. But the impact on this game could be considerable if the Magic come out fighting mad. The Magic shot the lights out in the third quarter of Game 2 before falling back off into the void in the fourth, and still managed to keep the game close to the very end where they lost because the Pistons had a three point lead (kind-of) and the refs called a rather questionable foul on Keyon Dooling. This isn't to say the Pistons wouldn't have won anyway, I have every confidence they would have. But it doesn't change the fact that if you're on the Magic, you have to have at least a glimmer of confidence heading back to the friendly confines of the Magic Kingdom. If the Magic can use Game 3 as their proverbial rallying point, it might give them the boost they need to get past Detroit's defense which has been, well ...

2. Stingy As All Get Out: No, the Pistons aren't leading the playoff teams in opponents' field goal percentage. Philadelphia's unheralded and momentary uprising cut that thing off at the knees before the playoffs had even barely gotten started. But they're still holding teams to 41.9% shooting and only 31 makes a game. In news that will shock and amaze you, the problem with Detroit is not stopping their streaky, inconsistent offense. It's getting past the gauntlet. The Magic did a better job in Game 2 of getting out in transition like I called for, but they would be better served by working to create good quality shots instead of blindly hoping for threes to fall like manna from the heavens. Let me put it this way. Whatever Detroit decides to give you? It's probably poisoned.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Magic-Pistons epic game this afternoon.

1. Insert Kryptonite Reference Here: The one thing the Magic had to count on in this series was Dwight Howard. They can probably hang if Hedo Turkoglu or Rashard Lewis have off games and are kept out of the penetration. They can manage if the three pointers aren't falling, though it would be hard. But Howard having a bad game? Disaster. Utter disaster. The scheme, the offense, the energy, the soul of this Magic team is centered around Howard. I know it, you know it, and the Pistons sure know it. They harassed and knocked Howard into 12 points and 8 boards. That just won't cut it in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If Howard doesn't respond in a big way tonight, the Magic are going home in a hole.

2. Excuse Me, Do You Have Any Tape? 'Cause I'm Ripped: Rip Hamilton is matched up with Maurice Evans. That is good for the Pistons, bad for the Magic. Hamilton's ability to constrain the perimeter shooting and get hot on his own is of vital use to the Pistons in this series. Chauncey Billups or Rasheed Wallace will have a bad game, but rarely at the same time. The Pistons need Hamilton to anchor the scoring with his versatility. Granted, the Pistons don't have to score that much with their defense as good as it is, but the Pistons can't afford a dry spell to give the Magic life. The Pistons want to finish this one quick and brutal. Hamilton leading all scorers can do that.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Magic-Pistons game tonight.

1. Superman Vs. The Automatons: Chris Webber said on Inside the NBA after the Magic eliminated the Raptors that the Pistons would not choose to double Dwight Howard. That's a matter of some debate in the Pistons camp, and it looks like they have decided to bring the double. The thinking here is pretty clear. We shut down Dwight Howard, and this team is without competent weaponry. Howard has to be on his game for every single game in this series. He needs to take advantage when he gets a step, an opening, or a mismatch. He needs to control the boards at both ends of the floor. But most importantly, he needs to make the pass to the open shooter on the perimeter. From there the question gets a little more dicey for the Magic ...

2. .Better Be Good: If the Magic perimeter shooters aren't on target in this series, it could get out of hand very fast. They are going to get open shots. The Pistons are willing to accept shots from Jameer Nelson, from Maurice Evans, from Keith Bogans. As long as it's not Howard dunking on them or Turkoglu slicing to the basket, they'll take their chances with their ability to closeout and put pressure on shooters. Keith Bogans was 12 of 14 against the Pistons this season, and he has to keep up that kind of accuracy to force the Pistons out of the double-team.

FanHouse's Round Two previews will give you the critical points of every series, so you can talk to your friends like you've been following every team in the Association all season long. Or know what the hell a Hedo is.

Biggest Reason You Should Watch: Because we're all dying to find out how Detroit intends on matching up with Dwight Howard. Oh, and Detroit so conveniently "flipped" their on switch recently, but Orlando presents a significantly more difficult task to overcome while on cruise control.

The Magic Can Win If: The shooters can hit from the outside. Howard is going to get his 20-15 (which is a scary thought), but Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis have to post similar numbers at minimum, to what they put up against Toronto. Which, yes, will be vastly more difficult to pull off with Tayshaun Prince extending out against them. Jameer Nelson averaging 17 and five for the second straight series wouldn't hurt either.

The Pistons Can Win If: Rasheed Wallace keeps his head together. Detroit can't afford anything like the two point stinker the put up against Philly in the third game of that series. With Antonio McDyess dealing with a busted grille, the Pistons Need4Sheed is strong right now. Jason Maxiell and Dice will help out on guarding D-Ho, but Sheed has to stay hot and bring the only size Detroit has, Howard, to the perimeter to guard him.

Video Clip to Get You Pumped: I get the feeling FanHouse may stop putting me in charge of "pump you up" videos.

The Orlando Magic won their first playoff series since 1996, officially ushering in a new era in Orlando, built around Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu. But it was Jameer Nelson who stepped up and score 19 to lead the Magic. With a competent bench suddenly starting to develop at the right time, Dwight Howard destroying everything in his way, and solid defense holding Chris Bosh to 16 points, the Magic look like the best team in the Eastern Conference right now. A combination of a supremely talented big man, two dynamic forwards with range and athleticism, and an emerging crew of shooters? That's a pretty good recipe for success.

Conversely, one year ago, Sam Mitchell was receiving his Coach of the Year award. To show you how fickle this league is, just 365 days later, there is a lot of talk about firing Mitchell. To be clear, there is not a dearth of talent in Toronto like there is in Denver. This team was in a vastly improved division, and still performed well. But this is how it goes in the NBA, and we'll have to have our eyes on Toronto, especially with Bryan Colangelo looking to assert himself.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Raptors-Magic game tonight.

1. Sultan Of Swat: Dwight Howard had 8 blocks last game. That's today's "Matt repeats himself so you can let that sink in" phrase of the day. Dwight Howard had 8 freaking blocks in a playoff game in Toronto on Saturday. Chris Bosh can get all the mid range J's and weakside layups he wants. It's been clear from the start of this series that Howard owns the paint in this series. If the Raptors are going to pull out the semi-miracle and pull this thing back to Canada kicking and screaming, they're going to have to attack the basket and get some fouls on Howard. Because letting him sit back there, legal or not, is only going to result in more jumpers, which you can't rely on in a game like this.

2. Dónde Está Jose?: You remember Jose Calderon, right? The guy all the Raptors fans wanted to start after Game 2, before TJ Ford scored 21 points to help the Raps take Game 3? The guy who in that same game had a dou-ble-dou-ble? Yeah, well, if you see him, holler at your boy, okay? Because Calderon vanished in Game 4. 2 points, 5 assists, 1 for 7 shooting in 21 minutes. I kept searching a box score for something tangible I could attribute the Game 4 Magic win to, beyond my own observations watching the game which were a. Dwight Howard is not of this world and b. Rashard Lewis can pop off when he wants to. The only answer I can come up with Calderon. He's got to step up and be the man tonight along with Ford if the Raptors want to win. Well, that and ...

Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu will be awarded the NBA's Most Improved Player award Monday, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel.

Turkoglu, who averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists this season, hasn't just grown up in the boxscore, he's also become the reliable wing scorer for the Magic. The Magic's rise to the Southeast Division title was in no small part thanks to Turkoglu's dynamic offense, and clutch shots. Turkoglu has hit a few big shots for the Magic this year, and always seems to come up with a huge bucket for them when they need it.

Turkoglu has become the most successful current player from the vaunted Kings core from early in the decade, and having found consistent playing time, has developed into a star. He's also the best Turkish-born player in NBA history. Mostly because he was, you know, the first.

Also, Hidayet is continuing a long line of ridiculous player websites.