Magic Cruise to Victory–First Game Ever at New Arena

Three Words: I was There

To the population of Orlando it’s a new Arena but to the Orlando Magic it’s a new home.

—And what a home it is….

October 10th, 2010 was more than just another opening pre-season game. It was the first game ever played at the brand new Amway Center. The curious faces and the oohs and awes were this time directed not to the court but to the Arena’s design, it’s luxury boxes and seats suspended from the ceiling.

The Magic’s need to put sneaker marks on the brand new court was too great and they opened the new Amway Center in style with a 135-81 overthrow of the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night.

They built a big lead from the start and the fans didn’t disappoint. It was a packed house. They seemed not too worried, the Magic have won seven of the last 12 meetings between the two teams.

Right off the bat they took the lead in the first quarter with 17 points. Quentin Richardson was the first player to score a basket in the new arena, a 24-foot three-point jump-shot at the 11:41 mark in the first quarter. Dwight Howard brought his superman out by making a 14-foot two point shot with 5 minutes left with the help of Vince Carter. But that was just the first of his 12 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks of the game.

Second quarter, The Hornets tried to work on their defense but after Marcin Gortat entered the court, the wall seemed to get higher and higher. At the end, the Magic’s offense had three big men–Howard, Gortat and Lewis– leading the team down the right path. Best shot of the quarter: Marcin Gortat makes slam-dunk with the assist of Chris Duhon with 6 minutes left on the clock. 38-66 Magic. A nice 25-point lead.

By now you could see the eyes of the crowd stare at the scoreboard and then back at the doors leading to the outside. The curiosity about the new arena and the Magic’s winning score was too much. Some got up and went exploring.

Back on the court, coach Stan Van Gundy gave his team a last pat on the back and sent them off to a more impressive third quarter. It was all about Rashard Lewis. Here is what The Hornets saw running down the court:

10:06 Lewis with Howard’s assist hits a 16-foot jump-shot…9:17 Lewis, 26-foot three-point jump-shot with a hand by Carter…..7:05 Lewis, 25-foot three point jump-shot shared by Nelson followed by another 15-foot jump-shot also with an assist by Nelson…he closed the deal with a 25-foot three-point jump-shot from Redick at 3:54.

—Magic, 106, Hornets, 62 and tired.

Fourth quarter had the T-shirt launching directed at the press box. Everyone was gone. The game was unofficially over for Magic fans, but the Arena had many things to offer still. Here is a recap of the game in a few words or should I say stats?

Was it the new arena or was it plain Magic? I guess we will find out later this week on Thursday when the Magic play Charlotte.

“Our main focus was to bring good energy, to show the crowd all this wasn’t for a waste,” Magic’s Ryan Anderson said. “We want to bring home a championship.”

The 2010-11 regular season home opener will be on October 28th against the Washington Wizards.

By Fernanda Barros

Special to West Orlando News Online