C's/Magic - 1/07/07

When I called my C’s/Magic preview mediocre I wasn’t kidding as both Grant Hill and Darko Milic played. And while I’m on the subject of Darko, Mike Gorman and Bob Cousy lose points for calling him Milic all night. I think freemilic.com would be infinitely less cool.

There was a play where Delonte West grabbed a rebound on the block, took one dribble and hit Tony Allen with a pass at half court. Allen caught it in stride and Carlos Arroyo fouled him before the former Oklahoma State star could find a streaking Wally Szczerbiak. It’s the kind of play that drives Celtics fans crazy because we want to see it more often. Orlando was retreating and forced to foul or give up a basket. It's definitely better than watching Wally and Scalabrine chuck up bricks. Although if a team struggles to rebound…

Speaking of Wally. His 26-point performance against the Grizzlies the other night may have been harmful as it obscured the point that he’s just not healthy. Even with his competitiveness Szczerbiak is a liability when his shot is not falling (4 of 15 from the field tonight). Although he does seem to be getting superstar calls, particularly when he plowed over Jameer Nelson and got the hoop and the foul call in his favor.

Due to a Ryan Gomes illness Doc finally played the duo of Jefferson and Perkins together. In the third quarter they did cut down a 16-point lead to 5 briefly before Orlando built it back up to 10. I'm putting myself firmly in the camp of people who believe in them playing together.

Tony Allen does seem to be playing at a different speed right now (7 steals!). Although we may not have to completely throw away Tommy Heinsohn’s three-dribble rule for Allen. Perhaps it should be modified and only apply to his left hand.

The Bob Cousy Experience

“It’s a shame this kid isn’t a little more talented.” – Cousy in the midst of praising Brian Scalabrine for his hustle. He’s absolutely correct. It’s great when Veal chases down a loose ball or drives and finds Kendrick Perkins in the paint. But then he’ll grab a rebound and lose it off his leg or have a pass go through his hands for a backcourt violation. There are numerous situations where the mind is willing but the body is incapable.

“Said a naughty word did he?” – Cousy after Trevor Ariza received a technical foul.

“I’ll tell you if there’s a more physical slasher pound for pound in this league I’d like to see him.” – Cousy on Tony Allen. Keep in mind Cousy knows maybe 15 players in the league but he’s got a point.

Heinsohn always takes a back seat to Cousy. It’s an interesting phenomenon. Hopefully FSN is paying for Tommy's long distance because I doubt he has a cell phone or Vonage.

Cousy can’t do a broadcast without referencing Bill Russell. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Well that Latin temperament …although if I’m not mistaken I got a few over the years so you can’t blame it on that.” – Cousy catching himself after Arroyo earned a technical foul.

“He kind of did a 360 tonight. He has not played well.” - Cousy speaking about Nelson who in most previous games the Couz had seen play well. Gorman didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a 180.

Let's revisit my pre game predictions (in bold).

- Nelson has another huge game against the C's. - Nelson struggled throughout the night and finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

- Howard puts up a minimum of 20 points and 15 rebounds. - He only went for 18 and 12. Thankfully I didn't predict 25 and 20 as I initially wanted to.

- Wally Szczerbiak makes one incredibly awkward and graceless, but ultimately harmless play. – At one point he dribbled towards the paint, was stripped of the ball and then somehow bear hugged Hedo Turkoglu into a jump ball.

- The C's big men get in foul trouble because of the beast that is Dwight Howard and Leon Powe gets some time. - Can you say DNP - Coach's decision?

- Ariza and Gerald Green make bids for the Slam Dunk Contest. – Ariza got in foul trouble and had to alter a couple of baseline moves when that the C's contended. Then Delonte West denied Ariza’s best chance on a drive midway through the 4th. Gerald meanwhile threw down a highlight reel dunk on a Szczerbiak miss. The crazy part was that he misjudged his jump and seemed to hang in the air for a split second before dunking. Sadly Gerald didn't do much else.

- If Bob Cousy is in the house he mispronounces a name or calls someone by the wrong name altogether. - Cousy forgot Darko’s name and then mispronounced “Milic” when Gorman fed it to him. Good times.

- C's win. – Orlando was relentless on defense and the glass. And it was not just Dwight Howard when it came to rebounds. Even Grant Hill got into the act (8 rebounds). Bonus points to Hill for hitting the floor to win a loose ball with five minutes to go in the first half. And then he contested a Tony Allen dunk attempt late in the 4th. Long story short he does not play skittish.

I finished 2.5 for 7. Not good.

Random Points

“If you don’t want to know much about basketball watch Gary and Greg on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight (cackling)” – Paul Pierce in a FSN promo. It never gets old. Although the verdict is definitely still out on Delonte’s wire coat hanger commercial.

One halftime observation: As Greg and Gary stumbled through their awkward interview with three Celtics dancers who were attempting to redefine our understanding of short shorts Red Auerbach officially rolled over in his grave. Although it’s worth noting that the Orlando squad picked up on the Mariah Carey formula – wear tight fitting game jerseys. Interestingly the dancers wore either #12 (Dwight Howard) or #33 (Grant Hill). You wouldn’t think stuff like this matters until you read about Shawn Marion in 7 Seconds or Less.

The Magic organization loses points for playing that “clap clap clap clap your hands” song on at least 2 occasions, if not more, during live action.