In a Disney fairytale, the story is always the same. The wizard controls the magic. Would the outcome of the season opener for the Orlando Magic take the usual road? The answer is no. The magic wand worked in front of more than 18,000 fans Thursday night, bringing a winning score of 112-83 over the Washington Wizards.
Orlando finished the 2010-11 preseason with a perfect 7-0 record and last night’s victory puts the Orlando team at 14-9 all time on opening night. It has now won nine of its last 11 openers.
Tip-off has Orlando taking the lead as Vince Carter scores the first 2 points of the game. The change in jersey colors confuses the crowd a little bit. Is it white or is it blue? The scoreboard doesn’t lie, and Orlando is breathing white for the season opener. With 9:48 left, Quentin Richardson makes a 25-foot three-point jumper with an assist by Rashard Lewis.
—The first of the game.
The party continues as Nelson and Carter play along with 6:12 left on the buzzer and the end result leaves VC wide open to sink three points with no problem. Magic leads 20-7. Only with five minutes left, center Dwight Howard actually makes an appearance and with free throws no less. Orlando went ahead by 14 after the first quarter. 29-15.
Second quarter was no different than the first. The game looks more like a preseason game then a season opener. A surprise, since Wizard’s coach, Flip Saunders, holds an 11-2 career record on opening night.
—But it was Magic’s night.
Washington never found their footing, defensively. Rookie John Wall, who led team in scoring, assists and steals during preseason blended in. He took 11 of his team’s first 24 shots, making only three. Memorable moment of the second quarter comes in the form of Marcin Gortat. With 6:35 left, he makes a driving dunk with an assist by Chris Duhon. Magic are 58-34 at half.
—Can they keep it up?
Third Quarter…. Dwight Howard makes slam dunk, Dwight Howard assists Rashard Lewis in a 24-foot three point jumper, Dwight Howard makes a 4-foot hook shot, and finally Dwight Howard makes a 17-foot two point shot in mid-air while fans screamed M-V-P! M-V-P!
A shot at redemption after Howard missed 10 of its 19 free-throws of the game. Magic lead 90-59.
—Is it time for a breather?
With the big Miami Heat game coming up this Friday night, Orlando Magic’s coach Stan Van Gundy gave his main players a much-needed rest. Carter, Howard, Lewis, Nelson and Richardson watched the game from the sidelines.
Much of the Arena was gone, including Tiger Woods, who made his first game appearance since his infamous car accident. With one minute left Jason Williams receives a technical foul that left a foul taste in his mouth. After being ejected from the game, he faces suspension against the Miami Heat game.
—What’s next?
It’s all critics and sports experts talk about. Back-to- back games for Orlando. Tonight they face Lebron James’ new home, the Miami Heat in Miami.
“As soon as the game was over I started thinking about what we’ve got to do to get another win. We know it’ll be a circus down there (in Miami) and it’ll be crazy,” Center Dwight Howard said. “We want to be the team still standing there at the end.”
As for Van Gundy…
“You guys can decide what’s a big game and what’s not. If they give me two wins for tomorrow night, then it’s a big game,” he said.
Here’s Thursday night’s breakdown…
| LEADERS
Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks |
ORLANDO Â Â Â Â Â Â Â WASHINGTON
D. Howard –23Â Â Â C. Martin– 17 D. Howard — 10 Â Â A. Thornton — 7 J. Nelson — 6 Â Â Â Â J. Wall — 9 J. Nelson — 2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â J. Wall — 3 D. Howard — 3 Â Â Â C. Martin — 1 |
By Fernanda Barros
Special to the West Orlando News
