Early in the evening, dressed regally in royal blue all the way down to his suede shoes, Shaquille O'Neal entered the players' entrance at the TD Waterhouse Centre and made a right instead of a left.
One way heads to the visiting locker room, the other to the home.
It is a minor difference.
In a major way.
It is six seasons now that Shaquille O'Neal has been making that right-hand turn, the wrong turn, dressing in the wrong locker room, sitting on the wrong bench.
Six seasons since he left for the Left Coast.
He was only in Orlando for four.
Hard to believe.
Time moves on, but it seems to have stood still for the Magic. The "what ifs" that were once whispers grow louder with each passing year. They have become a roar, hard to ignore, as Shaq continues to add NBA titles to the legend that is the Los Angeles Lakers. Each visit back, like the one he made Wednesday night, wearing the hated purple and gold, is a reminder wrought with pain.Shaq enjoys last laugh
When O'Neal left Orlando, many of us (me included) said he'd never win an NBA title. We enjoyed trotting out the old quote he once blithely uttered, when he said he had won "at every level except college and the pros."
We'd laugh at that one. Mockingly.
Of course, we know now who has gotten the last laugh.
Shaq is only five weeks shy of 30 years old, and yet if you were starting an NBA franchise and you could pick one player to build your team around, would you choose anybody else but him? You can talk all you want about the Kobe Bryants and the Vince Carters and the Tracy McGradys and the Kevin Garnetts. You can theorize and hypothesize and philosophize until your face turned blue, but when it really comes down to it all those guys stand in Shaq's shadow -- literally and otherwise.
Shaq, his game more complete and his maturity more advanced, is the reason why the Lakers are on the verge of winning a third NBA Championship. Last night, he did his typical bullying beneath the basket, pushing the likes of Andrew DeClercq around like a rag doll. And he threw enough bricks from the free-throw line to build a house. But you don't need to be an astute student of the game to see that he has a repertoire of shots around the basket and a rare athleticism for a man of his size.
He led all scorers, which, of course, included Kobe and T-Mac. His Lakers won.
So you can't help but wonder what would've been had he stayed in The City Beautiful? Would it be the Magic who were now motoring toward a third NBA title? Would building a new modern arena be a foregone conclusion instead of a topic for raging debate? Would the Magic be sporting a "For Sale" sign today?
Turn right, or turn left?
It makes all the difference.Bigger than Mickey
To be sure, there were hugs and handshakes waiting for Shaq when he entered the arena. Security people. Stadium support. The little folks that Shaq has always connected so well with. He is just one of many stars in the solar system that is Southern California. But had Shaq stayed in Orlando, he'd be bigger than that mouse named Mickey.
It hurts.
And everybody knows it.
"People around here will always be injured and stung by it," Magic coach Doc Rivers said. "But there's nothing we can do about it now. You move on and we're trying to win a title here without him. But there will always be a 'How can you lose Shaq?' syndrome around here until we do something big. And, really, that's the only way it can be."
And so that's the way it is.
People booed Shaq last night, but not with a whole lot of heart in it, certainly not as lustily as back in the late '90s, when the wound of Shaq's defection was still fresh. Shaq's cutting remarks about Orlando being "a dried up old pond" had penetrated deep.
But he is still an Orlando resident, his house in Isleworth his main crib. Shaq even returned here recently when he incurred a three-game suspension and had a rare week off. He maintains that not only will he maintain his home here, but that he will return for good one day.
Of course, that day will be when his playing career is over.
Right or left?
Via
Orlando Magic
Read the Full Story
Discuss
Send Feedback
Buy Tickets
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes: It's going on six years now.
He's been there longer than he was here.
"Until we win a championship, there absolutely will always be the 'How could you lose Shaq' syndrome around here," Magic Coach Doc River acknowledged Wednesday, just a few hours before Shaq's Lakers dismantled his Magic 111-93. "People will always throw that in our face."
In the years since he left, the emotions have changed. Orlando has gone from defiance (we will show him), to anger (we will boo him), to sadness (we will mourn him).
When he was introduced Wednesday, there were nearly as many cheers as jeers. After leading the Lakers to back-to-back championships, Shaq's return here now is more torture than treason.
This is like seeing an old girlfriend six years later -- and she is more beautiful than ever and married to Freddie Prinze Jr.
As he trotted off the court, a fan held up a sign that said, "Lakers Tear Down The House That Shaq Built."
They don't hate Shaq around here anymore.
They just miss him. Much like Toronto misses Tracy McGrady.
Via
Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers
Read the Full Story
Discuss
Send Feedback
Buy Tickets
With the New York Knicks struggling and possibly in the hunt for a new head coach this summer it was inevitable that Doc Rivers' name would eventually surface in rumors.
But while Rivers, a former Knicks player, has a distinct affinity for New York and the Knicks' franchise, he said he has no plans of leaving the Orlando Magic any time soon.
"I'm a Magic coach and I'm going to stay a Magic coach," Rivers said. "That's not going to change. I'm going to stay here."
Jeff Van Gundy resigned as New York's head coach on Dec. 10 and the Knicks have gone just 7-16 since then under Don Chaney, who was promoted from within. Despite having the NBA's highest payroll, New York lost eight games in a row at one point, including a 43-point home drubbing to Charlotte. But since then, New York has won four games in a row.
Rivers played for the Knicks from 1992-95, the period during his 13-year playing career that he calls his favorite. Rivers won the NBA's Coach of the Year award in 2000 after leading a starless Magic team to a 41-41 record. He was influential in the Magic landing free-agents Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill in August of 2000, and he has the Magic in the playoff race again this season despite another season-ending injury to Hill.
Rivers is under contract with the Magic through the 2004-05 season and has an option for the 2005-06 season.He originally signed a four-year, $8 million contract with the Magic in 1999, but inked a two-year, $16 million extension last spring that boosted his pay to an average of $5 million a season.
"I loved the Knicks and I still think it's still the single-best place I played as a player," Rivers said. "I love New York, I love the fans there and I love the city. But I love where I'm at more. I love a lot of things about where I'm at so I'm going to stay here."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaq impact: Rivers is the first to admit that Shaquille O'Neal's monstrous shadow continues to hover over the Magic franchise that he jilted in 1996 with his free-agent defection to the Los Angeles Lakers. Rivers said that even though he wasn't a part of the Magic when O'Neal left, he is often asked by fans how the franchise could lose the 7-foot-1, 315-pound center. Rivers said the only way the Magic will ever get beyond the O'Neal loss is by winning a championship.
"People around here will always be injured and stung by that," Rivers said. "But there's nothing we can do about it now. You move on and we're trying to win a title here without him. The only way to really move on is to win a title here.
"But there will always be a 'How-can-you-lose-Shaq?' syndrome around here until we do something big. And really that's the only way it can ever be."
And if Shaq were still in Orlando? Rivers admitted things would be drastically different. "We'd have a new arena, we'd have a title and everybody would be happy," Rivers said."We'd have the arena, we'd be driving new cars and we'd like each other a lot more."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grant gone: Magic center Horace Grant missed Wednesday's game with an intestinal virus, forcing the Magic to start 6-foot-8 Don Reid against O'Neal. Grant played alongside O'Neal in Los Angeles, helping the Lakers win their second championship in as many seasons. As a joke, someone in the Lakers' lockerroom wrote a message on the blackboard directed at Grant. "Where's Horace?" the message said. "Shaq-o-ria."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Owner Shaq?: With Magic owner Rich DeVos putting the franchise up for sale, Grant was asked if O'Neal might be interested in possibly buying into the team someday. Grant said such a scenario isn't quite as far-fetched as it might seem because of O'Neal's sincere affinity for Central Florida. O'Neal still lives in his Isleworth mansion in the offseason and was back in Orlando earlier this month when he was suspended for three games for fighting.
"I think if the right person went to him and asked him to invest half and gave him all of the pros and cons he'd think seriously about it," Grant said. "He already sings and makes movies. Who knows, he might want to be an owner too."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to school: Magic stars Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller drove from Orlando to Gainesville for Tuesday night's college basketball game between Kentucky and Florida. Miller starred at the University of Florida for two seasons before jumping to the NBA following his sophomore season. McGrady verbally committed to Kentucky after high school, but later chose to bypass college and jump straight to the NBA.
"That might have been the first or second college game I've ever been to and it was kind of different because the fans were into the whole game," McGrady noted."It was kind of a different game to watch in person. I guess it looked kind of easy, but I wouldn't know because I didn't go to college."
And which team was McGrady pulling for? "I wasn't even watching the game," he joked. "I was looking for (actress and Kentucky fan) Ashley Judd."
Via
Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers
Read the Full Story
Discuss
Send Feedback
Buy Tickets
Magic Jan 2002 Archive
-
| Jan 31, 2002
John Denton of the Florida Today reports: With the New York Knicks struggling and possibly in the hunt for a new head coach this summer it was inevitable that Doc Rivers' name would eventually surface in rumors.
-
| Jan 31, 2002
Checking out the Gators
Tracy McGrady said he was little surprised at what he saw in Gainesville when he went to watch the Florida/Kentucky basketball game Tuesday night.
-
| Jan 31, 2002
His first blocked shot didn't come until the game was 43 minutes old, but Shaquille O'Neal's effortless swat of an Orlando Magic shot late Wednesday night was still symbolic.
-
| Jan 31, 2002
It was fun while it lasted, but it just didn't last long enough.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Shaquille O'Neal never will return to the Orlando Magic as a player, but he will consider coming back.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
Already burned two seasons in a row by Grant Hill's devastating ankle injury, the Orlando Magic are becoming increasingly concerned about the nagging back injury to standout guard Tracy McGrady.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
The annual visit from Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers is still an event.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
Magic host Lakers
Who: Orlando Magic (23-22) vs.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
The Los Angeles Lakers had just routed Orlando back in November, and as head coach Doc Rivers trudged from the locker room to the bus he encountered the primary culprit responsible for the Magic's doom.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
Tracy McGrady's first appearance in the NBA All-Star game was largely unremarkable, except for a block he made of Kobe Bryant's baseline jump shot during the early going.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
There is nothing wrong with the Los Angeles Lakers that the NBA all-star break next weekend won't cure.
-
| Jan 30, 2002
Going from a starter into a reserve role at the NBA All-Star Game could have been a little deflating for some guys.
-
| Jan 29, 2002
Philosophically, it makes the most sense.
-
| Jan 28, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: An interesting name -- and a topic sure to be discussed at length at the NBA offices in New York -- has emerged from the move by owner Rich DeVos to sell the Orlando Magic.
-
| Jan 28, 2002
Early start no factor
Horace Grant wasn't about to blame the early start time -- 2:30 p.
-
| Jan 28, 2002
Tracy McGrady and his teammates tried hard not to get caught up in the hype and hoopla surrounding his second return to Toronto.
-
| Jan 28, 2002
Vince Carter took pleasure in beating Tracy McGrady.
-
| Jan 28, 2002
NBA fans, it's time to move on.
-
| Jan 28, 2002
The first touch was a silky-smooth jumper, the second a delightful pass to Jerome Williams for an easy basket.
-
| Jan 28, 2002
The Toronto fans definitely affected Tracy McGrady yesterday, but not in the way you might think.
-
| Jan 27, 2002
Dick Scanlon of the Lakeland Ledger writes: They started accepting season-ticket orders in New Orleans this week.
-
| Jan 27, 2002
Jerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports: There's no way Tracy McGrady would miss this game, sore back and all.
-
| Jan 27, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (23-21) vs.
-
| Jan 27, 2002
The Orlando Magic will not benefit from the NBA's seemingly arbitrary system of justice Wednesday night when Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers make their only visit this season to the TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 27, 2002
Amare Stoudemire has lived a rough life.
-
| Jan 27, 2002
In our glorious country, there are many places your face can be seen if you really make it big.
-
| Jan 27, 2002
How does it feel, Orlando?
How does it feel, Florida?
How does it feel to know you live in the absolute worst professional sports state in the union? How does it feel to know that the only thing worse than your schools are your teams?
We're so bad, we're inhaling the fumes from Tennessee's tailpipe.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
It's easy to look at Tracy McGrady and be envious.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
For a half Thursday, Eddie Jones and the Heat continued their most inspired stretch of the season.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
A big reason why Pat Riley has become one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, Orlando Magic head coach Doc Rivers said, is his unique ability to motivate his players.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
'ZO, BUT NO EWING
The first meeting of the season Thursday night between the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat found Alonzo Mourning still in the Heat's starting lineup and Patrick Ewing still on the Magic's injured list.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
The Orlando Magic have grounds for a grievance against the NBA schedule-makers.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
T-Mac may skip exhibition
Bothered by recurring back spasms, Magic guard Tracy McGrady said Thursday night he may not play in the NBA All-Star Game on Feb.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
First came the magnificent reverse dunk in which tiny Orlando Magic guard Darrell Armstrong seemed to have been shot out of a cannon.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
Next season, watching NBA games on TV won't be the same.
-
| Jan 25, 2002
This one stopped way short of artistic brilliance, but for competitive flair and blue-collar intensity, the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat gave the in-state rivalry 48 minutes to remember Thursday night.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
WHEN: 7:30 p.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
Robert Johnson of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Time-share mogul David Siegel said he and Orlando Magic officials held a telephone conference Wednesday and "got the ball rolling" toward a possible purchase of the team by local investors.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
In many ways, the Magic have been a team of mediocrity.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
Jermaine Walker, the United States Basketball League's reigning scoring champion, has told the Brevard Blue Ducks he will play for them this season.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (22-21) vs.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
John Denton of the Florida Today reports: The Orlando Magic were hoping that 39-year-old Patrick Ewing could defy the odds and remain healthy the entire season.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
Pat Riley's basketball world has collapsed around him this season and the reasons are just as baffling as his actual fall from grace.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
The (AP) reports: Grant Hill usually bounces basketballs, but now he can bounce his baby daughter on his knee.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
Tonight: Miami Heat, 7:30
WHERE: TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 24, 2002
It would be easy now to dismiss him as inconsequential.
-
| Jan 23, 2002
The Atlanta Hawks were without starters Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jason Terry, both of whom were suspended Tuesday for their part in a fight Monday against the Houston Rockets.
-
| Jan 23, 2002
John Denton of the Florida Today reports: The Magic have received interest from 18 groups since announcing the team was for sale.
-
| Jan 23, 2002
There has been some Air, but mostly just Err to Michael Jordan's Third Coming to the NBA.
-
| Jan 23, 2002
The Atlanta Hawks showed up with just half their team Tuesday night, and a half-full TD Waterhouse Centre crowd was there to greet them.
-
| Jan 23, 2002
This could have been one of those television game shows:
"Who Am I?"
And the Atlanta Hawks would have stumped most everyone at TD Waterhouse Centre on Tuesday night.
-
| Jan 22, 2002
Robert Johnson of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Time-share king David Siegel said Monday night that he and the Orlando Magic have started talks aimed at his buying the team, along with two other investors, and keeping it in downtown Orlando.
-
| Jan 22, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (21-21) vs.
-
| Jan 22, 2002
He had beaten the odds and somehow climbed to basketball's highest level.
-
| Jan 22, 2002
The Orlando Magic haven't stood two games above the .
-
| Jan 22, 2002
Mike Miller, a white guy, was asked Monday what Martin Luther King Day represents to him.
-
| Jan 22, 2002
TONIGHT: Atlanta Hawks, 7:30
WHERE: TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 22, 2002
Orlando Sentinel grades based on preseason expectation vs.
-
| Jan 22, 2002
The season of soaring expectations has been reduced to a season of survival.
-
| Jan 21, 2002
Ray Allen knows it won't last forever, but he really is enjoying it now.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
The statistical line was indistinguishable from any other little-used, obscure reserve in the NBA: two points, three rebounds in nine minutes.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
With the Memphis Grizzlies having moved from Vancouver last year and the Charlotte Hornets filing Thursday to relocate to New Orleans after this season, the fear of the Orlando Magic being uprooted whenever Rich DeVos finds a buyer who meets approval with the NBA Board of Governors is understandable.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
Ken Hornack of the Daytona News-Journal has plenty of Magic news in his Sunday column.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Golden State reserve center Marc Jackson still has his sights on Orlando, hoping for a trade that could bring him to the Magic soon, but the reality is that the Warriors probably won't be cooperating.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
When their worst possible fears painfully resurfaced, the first half of the NBA season resembled some sort of never-ending nightmare haunting the Orlando Magic yet again.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
When Richard Siegel first heard that the Orlando Magic were for sale, he did what any self-respecting son of a multimillionaire would do.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
Never was the quality of Rich DeVos' ownership of the Orlando Magic more apparent than in the week he announced it will end.
-
| Jan 20, 2002
This was like driving on the Florida Turnpike on cruise control late at night — with the top down.
-
| Jan 19, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (20-20) at Memphis Grizzlies (23-13).
-
| Jan 19, 2002
Speculation swept through the Orlando business community Friday about who is part of the investor group that time-share king David Siegel says he is assembling to make a bid for the Magic.
-
| Jan 19, 2002
Perception never quite meets reality when it comes to sweet-shooting forward Pat Garrity.
-
| Jan 19, 2002
TONIGHT: Memphis Grizzlies, 9
WHERE: The Pyramid, Memphis.
-
| Jan 19, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Center Patrick Ewing had thought he was ready to rejoin the Magic this weekend -- he has been on the injured list since Jan.
-
| Jan 19, 2002
Rich DeVos can stop looking for someone to buy the Orlando Magic franchise.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
Tomorrow is the first day Warriors' center Marc Jackson is eligible to be traded.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
It hurt much worse, Martin concedes, to be tagged as fragile last March, when a fractured right leg halted what might have been a Rookie of the Year season with the Nets.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
Robert Johnson and Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Time-share mogul David Siegel is leading a group of local investors who may make a bid to buy the Orlando Magic and keep the National Basketball Association franchise here.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (20-20) at Milwaukee Bucks (23-13).
-
| Jan 18, 2002
They haven't played the Milwaukee Bucks since last May, yet the Orlando Magic still carry around the bitter memories of them like some 400-pound gorilla along for the ride.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
In one year, Troy Hudson has gone from being colder than week-old leftovers to as hot as a microwave.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
Tonight: Milwaukee Bucks, 8:30
WHERE: Bradley Center.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
The Milwaukee Bucks have been so dominant against the Orlando Magic, they probably should ask to buy the team.
-
| Jan 18, 2002
Outside of the spring thaw and opening day of Summerfest, few arrivals in Milwaukee are greeted as enthusiastically as the Orlando Magic's biannual visit.
-
| Jan 17, 2002
Jerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports: In a move that could affect the up-for-sale Orlando Magic, the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday all but announced their intentions to relocate to New Orleans.
-
| Jan 17, 2002
Magic guard Mike Miller, the winner of last year's NBA Rookie of the Year award, will participate in his first 3-point contest during the NBA's All-Star weekend in Philadelphia.
-
| Jan 16, 2002
A potential move by the Orlando Magic would have a significant impact in Brevard County, said Chris D'Orso, the Magic's Director of Ticket Sales and Marketing.
-
| Jan 16, 2002
Hill or no Hill, the Magic should remain in Orlando
-
| Jan 15, 2002
ORLANDO, Fla.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
In one of the toughest weeks for the Magic since Shaquille O'Neal left the organization via free agency in the summer of 1996, the Magic finally had something to smile about.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
John Denton of the Florida Today reports: Today is the first day Golden State's Marc Jackson is eligible to be traded, and the Orlando Magic seemed poised to possibly trade for the second-year center.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Six people have inquired about purchasing the Magic since the "For Sale" sign went up.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Coming to a classified section near you:
WANTED — Billionaire or multimillionaire with disposable income to buy NBA franchise.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Despite his claims of having lost approximately $40 million the past four years, Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos already has six interested buyers in the franchise he has reluctantly put up for sale.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
The 1995 NBA title didn't happen.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
-- Health and estate planning concerns -- not any ill will over the inability to secure a new arena -- were cited Monday by Rich DeVos as the main reason why he is putting the Orlando Magic up for sale.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Two gigantic orange-colored moving vans were parked outside TD Waterhouse Centre on Monday night.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: NBA Commissioner David Stern said Monday that he has no intention of letting the next owner of the Orlando Magic play anywhere but in Orlando.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Magic coach Doc Rivers said Monday he believes the organization will strive to find an owner as committed to winning as Rich DeVos.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Welcome back
Magic rookie center Steven Hunter is excited to see Leon Smith, a high school friend and rival from Chicago who became a cautionary tale for high schoolers who jump to the NBA, back in the league.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
Horace Grant didn't join the Orlando Magic this summer to be a scorer, but a scorer he has become.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
It has taken them almost half the season, but the Orlando Magic say their true identity finally is emerging.
-
| Jan 15, 2002
The Orlando Magic were doing anything and everything on this night, so Mike Miller figured, “Why not?”
Yes, there was a 7-foot center standing between him and the basket, but why not? Miller jumped.
-
| Jan 14, 2002
Tim Povtak and Jon Steinman of the Orlando Sentinel report: Pat Croce, who bought the Philadelphia 76ers and brought them back to prominence in the NBA, thinks Rich DeVos can attract interested buyers for the Orlando Magic franchise.
-
| Jan 14, 2002
Here's a comparison between Orlando's TD Waterhouse Centre and two newer sports arenas:
TD Waterhouse Centre: home of the Orlando Magic, Orlando Miracle (WNBA) and Orlando Predators (AFL)
Opened in 1989 -- $110 million
17,248 seats for basketball games, including 26 sky boxes.
-
| Jan 14, 2002
Without Tracy McGrady, the Orlando Magic had virtually no chance of beating the Mavericks when they played last month in Dallas.
-
| Jan 14, 2002
While the future of the Orlando Magic is an obvious cause for concern, their present is a source of anxiety as well.
-
| Jan 14, 2002
Magic host Mavericks
Who: Orlando Magic (19-20) vs.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
The party is over in pro sports.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
Rich DeVos, 100 percent owner of the Orlando Magic since 1991, addressed the team prior to Saturday night's home game and explained his reasons for wanting to sell of the franchise.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
More than eight months have passed since the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks last met.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
DEVOS IN ATTENDANCE
Rich DeVos made his first public appearance at an Orlando Magic game Saturday night since team officials told the NBA he wants to sell part of his interest in the franchise.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
There was no weigh-in.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
"My body isn't what it used to be.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
It is the saddest day in the history of your Orlando Magic.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
Rich DeVos' plan to sell the entire Orlando Magic basketball franchise sent shock waves through Central Florida on Saturday night, but community leaders said they felt confident the team would remain in Orlando -- no matter who buys it.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
Will this be NY's second bad boy turn star?
Greg Logan tells us:
The Knicks are one of four NBA teams in serious pursuit of troubled former first-round draft pick Leon Smith, a 6-10, 250-pound center who plays for the Gary (Ind.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
A crowd of 14,555 showed up TD Waterhouse Centre Saturday night clearly intent on booing New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin for his flagrant foul and subsequent fight with Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady a week earlier.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
The DeVos family, the Grand Rapids-based founders of the Amway Corporation and owners of the Orlando Magic, is taking the initial steps toward getting out of the NBA business.
-
| Jan 13, 2002
They were waiting and waiting, but the show never seemed to happen.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
DeVos pulls a better 180 than McGrady
-
| Jan 12, 2002
When Rich DeVos and his family decided it was time to explore the option of selling part of the Orlando Magic, his first call this week went to NBA Commissioner David Stern.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
The Orlando Magic, in the midst of their finest stretch of the season, tried to dispel the notion Friday that the potential sale of the franchise will become a distraction to the team.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady will get his first shot at exacting some revenge on New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin tonight, their first meeting since last Friday's brawl.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
ROUND 2?
Tracy McGrady wasn't looking past the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night but is making no attempt to downplay the emotional build-up to the Orlando Magic's home game tonight against the New Jersey Nets.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
A report Friday that Rich DeVos wants to sell off part of his interest the Orlando Magic caused a disruption in the team's general approach the morning of a game.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
Payback time
Tonight's game against the New Jersey Nets is taking on more than the normal interest for two Atlantic Division teams.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
Tonight: New Jersey Nets, 7:30
WHERE: TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
Orlando Magic coach Doc Rivers worried all day Friday that the news of the franchise's potential sale would become a distraction and disrupt the finest run of the season.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
The Orlando Magic weren't distracted.
-
| Jan 12, 2002
Lights.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Rich DeVos and his family, who have owned 100 percent of the Orlando Magic since 1991, informed the NBA on Thursday that they want to sell part of the team.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
Orlando Magic president Bob Vander Weide met with NBA commissioner David Stern on Thursday in New York, the team confirmed.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: With only 11 players on the active roster, the Magic are expected to add a frontcourt player on a 10-day contract this weekend.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
Suddenly, 36 doesn't seem so old anymore.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
Tonight: Portland Trail Blazers, 7:30
WHERE: TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
The Portland Trail Blazers, it seems, are the George O'Leary of the NBA.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic vs.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
The Magic haven't been getting smaller by choice, but so far it has worked out well.
-
| Jan 11, 2002
WHO: Orlando Magic vs.
-
| Jan 10, 2002
-
| Jan 10, 2002
John Denton of the Florida Today reports: The Orlando Magic placed veteran center Patrick Ewing on the injured list Wednesday because of tendinitis in his right calf and Achilles' tendon.
-
| Jan 10, 2002
Tracy McGrady wasn't about to come out of this game.
-
| Jan 10, 2002
Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Allen Iverson isn't happy with his team.
-
| Jan 10, 2002
Ask any member of the Orlando Magic, now winners of six of their last seven games, if they are finally putting it together, finally becoming a good team, and the response is the same.
-
| Jan 9, 2002
A three-game winning streak has lifted the Orlando Magic back to the .
-
| Jan 9, 2002
Magic at 76ers
Who: Orlando Magic (18-18) vs.
-
| Jan 9, 2002
The Orlando Magic head into tonight's nationally televised showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers having won three games in a row and four of their last five.
-
| Jan 9, 2002
TONIGHT: Philadelphia 76ers, 8
WHERE: First Union Center.
-
| Jan 9, 2002
It's time for Mike Miller really to put all those nice-looking new muscles to work.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
Where will Marc Jackson be this time next month?
-
| Jan 8, 2002
ORLANDO, Fla.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
RLANDO, Fla.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Monday was the first day that NBA teams were able to sign players to 10-day contracts, but things were quiet with the Magic and a lot of other teams.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
Orlando Magic standout guard Tracy McGrady finally got to watch the television replay of last Friday night's incident in which New Jersey's Kenyon Martin knocked him to the floor with a vicious forearm.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
Garrity gets the start
Forward Pat Garrity got his first start of the season -- and third in three years with the Magic -- when Coach Doc Rivers decided to shake up the lineup against a Celtics team that doesn't have a true center.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
Even if Horace Grant hadn't vomited twice during the game, it would be fitting to claim the Orlando Magic gutted out a 98-87 victory Monday night over the Boston Celtics at the TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
Darrell Armstrong stole the ball -- again, and again, and again -- and stole the game from the Boston Celtics.
-
| Jan 8, 2002
Kenyon Martin knows he did wrong when he fouled Orlando forward Tracy McGrady hard when McGrady attempted to shoot.
-
| Jan 7, 2002
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Marc Jackson knows he'll be traded within days.
-
| Jan 7, 2002
Tracy McGrady has a bit of advice for New Jersey Nets forward Kenyon Martin, whom he will see again Saturday night during a rematch at TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 7, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (17-18) vs.
-
| Jan 7, 2002
TONIGHT: Boston Celtics, 7:30
WHERE: TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 7, 2002
It's enough to make all those championship banners start to flutter again.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
If Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller fail to make a basket in the second half and Darrell Armstrong shoots 3-for-13, you would have to figure the Magic's chances of winning are slim.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel reports: The Orlando Magic had a strong interest in Golden State center Marc Jackson during the off-season, when he was a restricted free agent.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
John Denton of the Florida Today reports: Orlando head coach Doc Rivers was furious Saturday night upon finding out that New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin was suspended just two games for clubbing Magic star Tracy McGrady in the head a night earlier.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
FLAGRANT FALLOUT
Orlando Magic coach Doc Rivers was happy to have Tracy McGrady available Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors but couldn't believe New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin wasn't suspended for more than two games for his flagrant foul Friday night on McGrady.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
Something is missing.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins could have gloated when the Detroit Pistons came to Orlando in late December to take on the Magic.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
Tracy McGrady finished nine points below his season scoring average and missed 12 of his 17 shots, including the final nine tries.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
A game in which neither Tracy McGrady nor Mike Miller scored a basket after halftime would ordinarily spell disaster for the Orlando Magic.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
The roller-coaster man is on a roll.
-
| Jan 6, 2002
New Jersey Nets forward Kenyon Martin was yesterday suspended for two games and fined $15,000 by the league for his flagarant foul then attempted punch at Tracy McGrady during the Nets/Magic game on Friday.
-
| Jan 5, 2002
Magic host Warriors
Who: Orlando Magic vs.
-
| Jan 5, 2002
TONIGHT: Golden State Warriors, 7:30
WHERE: TD Waterhouse Centre.
-
| Jan 5, 2002
Kidd for MVP
Magic Coach Doc Rivers reiterated Friday that if the season ended today and he had a vote for league MVP, he'd cast his for New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd.
-
| Jan 5, 2002
Kenyon Martin is developing a reputation as a dirty player, and his latest transgression -- a flagrant foul against Tracy McGrady -- might lead to his second suspension in less than three weeks.
-
| Jan 5, 2002
It was heaven and hell on the same play, precisely what the Orlando Magic love about Tracy McGrady -- and undoubtedly what has them cringing whenever their star feels he is wronged.
-
| Jan 5, 2002
Kenyon Martin will miss tonight's game at Charlotte
-
| Jan 4, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (15-18) vs.
-
| Jan 4, 2002
TONIGHT: New Jersey Nets, 7:30
WHERE: Continental Airlines Arena.
-
| Jan 4, 2002
Tracy McGrady is trying to develop a defensive reputation, which would be the final touch of polish on his game and a much-needed boost for the Orlando Magic.
-
| Jan 3, 2002
Williams up to the task
Playing a limited role, reserve forward Monty Williams has given the Magic good minutes the past two weeks.
-
| Jan 3, 2002
The opportunity turned out to be just a reprieve.
-
| Jan 2, 2002
Who: Orlando Magic (15-17) vs.
-
| Jan 2, 2002
Tonight: Boston Celtics, 7
WHERE: FleetCenter.
-
| Jan 2, 2002
Too many times this season, the Orlando Magic have batted their eyes at momentum and walked away before it could ask for a dance.
-
| Jan 1, 2002
Mike Miller was about as low as he could get.
|
