Wow, we just knocked off the defending champs on their home court. How about that?????? But really, I’m not surprised because I thought we were the better team, we just had to come and play with great energy and effort and do it for the full 48.
We played really well and got a lot of contributions from so many people. Turk was really aggressive finding people and making shots. Rashard was killing ‘em posting up, MP was knocking down shots and I told J.J. this morning he’d hit some big shots and sure enough he did. And I was out there doing my thing on the boards and rebounding because that’s where my focus has to be for us to win games like this.
We pretty much led start-to-finish and this time there was no comeback in the fourth quarter by Boston. I think that shows how we have matured as a team. We knew we had to bring it hard for the full 48, and that’s what we did.
Now, it’s onto Cleveland and we know those guys will be tough. They are rested and they have been killing teams in the playoffs. Bron-Bron has been incredible in the playoffs and we’ll have to play great on D to keep him in check – if that’s possible against that kid.
Cleveland, that’s a tough place to play and we had a tough loss up there late in the season. We did beat them twice in Orlando, so we won’t go into this series lacking any confidence.
I’ve been talking for two years about bringing a championship to Orlando and some people have laughed at me. But we really think we can win it all. We’re in the East Finals, but by no means are we satisfied now. We still want to bring that ‘chip to O-town.
Anything is possible as long as we keep playing with great energy and effort like we did against Boston. We feel we can beat any team out there.
Holla at ya’ll later this week.
– DWIGHT
Fans: Be sure to check out Dwight on Twitter and Facebook.
Tags: 2009 NBA Playoffs, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwight Howard Blog, Eastern Conference Finals, Hedo Turkoglu, J.J. Reddick, LeBron James, Mickael Pietrus, Rashard Lewis
I bashed the team after the collapse in game 5 saying they had no heart and that I had lost faith. Thank GOD I was wrong. Winning back to back elimination games, one on the road (the GARDEN no less), shows A LOT about a team. I’ve always felt that if Orlando could get by Boston they would make it to the finals. You guys just match up so well with the Cavs. Yeah yeah, they are playing great, but who have they really played? And neither team has anywhere near the defense Orlando does, OR a player like Dwight. I truly believe that if you guys play with the same intensity and poise you did tonight against Boston that you will get by the Cavs, I’m calling Orlando in 6.
I’m actually starting to like Orlando opening up on the road in the playoffs. You steal one game and it’s already a whole new series. I’m confident you guys can win one of the two to start things off. Good luck and remember what got you to this point, focus and playing a FULL 48 every game.
Dwight,Great game last night.The best of the playoffs for the magic. From now to the end, defense is most important thing.You honestly might be only player in the NBA that can stop Lebron on defense. This is going to be the first round The Cavs have had any competition.I really believe you guys can beat Cleveland its gonna be tough though. As Magic fan, the best day since we drafted you. I wish you and the Magic good luck! Beat the Cavs!
Awesome victory. Congrats. I knew it was only a matter of time before our offense would start clicking again like it had and for Hedo to start shooting at a higher percentage that he was capable of shooting. Everyone played the full 48 minutes, and even though Ray Allen finally started finding the bottom of the net, you could tell you guys wanted it more. As always, awesome night on the boards and on defense. Thanks for the shout out after the game to your fans, we appreciate that. On to Cleveland!
Yo dwight,
Told you that you would win the series. Just if yall would put some effort, like game 6 and 7, you win the NBA finals. You guys go win the confrence finals and be the champs.
AP
YEAH BABY!!!!!!!! GO MAGIC!!!!!!!!! That game was hot, like you said everybody participated, they got hot and stayed hot. That’s what you’re gonna need against the Cavs. I am so proud of the Magic team, if you can beat the defending champs at their house, you can beat Lebron James, yes King James, at his house and yours. All you have to do is play with the same intensity and effort you had in games 6 & 7. Thanks for the shout out to the fans, we’re here with you until the end, and the end will be the championship. YEAH BABY!!!!!! GO MAGIC!!!!!!!!
Dwighhtt!!!! Magic made it happen! Thanks 4 the W; damm them Celtics kept coming back!; thank u for putting them away; pummeled the hell out of them!!! 12 pts/16 rbs/5BLOCK!!!!!!! other than Rondo catching u sleeping for a slip in dunk; the entire squad did their thing; thats what we need to win the Larry O’ trophy! GO Magic and I’ll deff be at game 3!!
Byeeeeee Celtics!!!!!
Hernan “H” Gonzalez
What a game, what a game last night! So proud of you and all the team! I always believed in you guys when many thought that you couldn’t win the series aganist the Celtics (felt so good, rubbing it in there face this morning)! Now off to Cleveland!!! This series will be much tougher but still believing that you guys can do it! Like someone above said that you might be the only person in the NBA that can stop Lebron on defense . . . so that is what you gotta do! We have come so far and here is believing that we can go further! They have Lebron . . . but we have the better TEAM all round! So here is believing in the MAGIC!!! Lets get get get it babe!
PS – Like everyone else said thanks for the shout out at the end of the game we are most def holding you down!!! Will definitely be hitting up one these final games to cheer you guys on again in person!
Hey D ~ Well….. U GUYS DID IT!!! Personally, I never lost faith in my team
It was great to see u guys all get out there and HUSTLE! That’s what it takes to win against a seasoned team like Boston. They’re good, but my Magics are GREAT!!! YES… Im off to work now to pop my colla & brag on the way yall brought it… all the way to the East-Finals!!! WHOOOO-HOOOO! As u said, it’s definitely not over and the Cav’s are a heck of a team. But you guys are maturing as a team and everybody is truly realizing their our part and position in making team MAGIC the best on the court, by far!! We can get em… no prob!!! Congrats!!! Now get ya mind right for this trip to Cleveland… see ya there!!!!!
Sandra!
Lock em up. Throw away the Key.
LOCK DOWN
Dwight,
Keep your team’s intensity level up. Show us how much you really want it! DOMINATE.
Ya’ll are really blessed. Keep up the good work.
We’ve not been here in 13 years. Play tight, play hard. Don’t give up a single inch, they WILL take a mile. Cleveland will not be as forgiving as Boston.
See ya Sunday & Tuesday
-Seth
hey dwight! woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!! we’re so excited!!!! you guys played great last night! can’t wait to see the next round! i love that you thanked god and your twitter fans last night, haha. i couldn’t have said it better myself! actually, i was wondering if you’d follow me on twitter as well. my name on there is britthappens. i don’t post stupid crap or smack talk… i’m just a stay at home mom with twitter time on my hands.
and a big fan! ♥ keep it up!
brittney jones
You all played great last night. ok so will clevland really have an advantage because they r rested? i mean seriouslly. I know yall just got finished playin but wont it b an advantage for u all seeing as though yalls momentum is up ? They have had over a week of rest and I knw that they have practice but practice isnt the real game.
What a great game!! I really love this team, let’s keep going for more D12!
Sup D-12!
Great game last night, easily the best of the postseason! No doubt about it, ya’ll kept your heads cool and slipped away with freaking great V! Last nights game showed me once again why I love Magic. Ball moving, post-ups and 3′eeees!
Next step Cavs and King Jenna Jameson lol Gonna be hard series, but I got my faith on you guys to bring it home!
Jesper – Finland..
congrats Dwight and the Magic.
Time to get to work.
LJ and his Cavs are on a mission. Its time for you and the Magic to reach down into yourselves to a place you havent been. Its time to show the Cavs you want it more. Its time to win.
Listen to Kanye’s Stronger on repeat if you haven’t done so already. Get inspired to not just think you are great. Get inspired to know you are great. Then go out and be greater than the Cavs.
Get the head and heart aligned, and everything else will fall into place guys. Your city is so proud, but the fight isnt even half over.
Good fighting.
supamanasteel
I feel so proud to be a Magic fan today! Finally some undeniable, hard earned respect! What a 20th season, and the best part is it’s just getting started. Thank you Dwight so much for playing such a hard fought season, and bringing our team together. I’ve watched the magic since I was 7, I even played junior Magic Ball as a kid and played on the court for the championship… last night meant even more to me as a true fan. What an effort! What a way to make history! Probably the biggest win in 20 years. Thanks for giving life to a town who usually runs at the first sign of adversity in a season. Hopefully our city will finally start believing the way you and our team deserve, the way true fans do. Good luck with the Cav’s were behind you.
Congrats! You guys deserve this. We match up well against the Cavs and if we play like we did the last games, we can go to the finals. We are so proud of you. The fans love you guys and the true fans never waivered from your side. Enjoy the moment and we will be watching Wednesday night.
Wow, you guys were amazing last night. The energy the whole team had was great. You are really the main reason I am watching the playoffs this season. I know you guys are probably considered the undergdogs against Cleveland, but you have heart and a great team to carry you through. Stay focused and remember, if you believe it you can achieve it.
Nice shotout to your twitter fans and the one who made you great, GOD.
I am new to twitter, it would be nice to have a few folks follow me. My name on Twitter is tamorac.
Big D,
Great team game last night. You guys came together last night for the first time in the playoffs. Looks like you guys are gelling and will be peaking at the right time. Use the momentum from games 6 & 7 to get one in Cleveland.
I think if you guys can win one of the first 2, (particularly Game 1) you will set the tone and win the series. I was at the April game here and LeBron was no factor that night, so I think those of us who follow, know you guys are the better team in this series as well.
Let’s go out and get Game 1 and send a message to the Cavs and the world, that you’re for real and plan on taking the title.
Enjoy it, get some rest and prepare to Dominate!
Good win last night! I guess Pierce wasn’t the best player is world yesterday. My only complaint … you should not allow Rondo to dunk on you!! Good luck vs. the Cavs. Thanks for the shout out to your Twitter fans in your interview.
Hey Dwight that was a great win, I believe that you and the guys are the only ones that have a legit chance at beating the Cavs. I hope you guys come and play with heart and energy and i will be rooting for you guys! Go and win the Conference Finals. TAKE DOWN THE KING!!!!!!!!!!!!
Goodluck!
I don’t understand why people think Rondo dunked on Dwight. If Dwight goes up and blocks Rondo, he fouls out. Dwight was just playing smart, relax people.
You did not let anything bother you…refs, bad calls, or the pesky playing style of the celtic players. You played through and played hard.
Like a champion
Keep it up and you will dominate the next series.
You should stuff Lebron again…as a reminder
Hey Dwight,
You’re doing a great job at keeping your composure, don’t panic! There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Lebron wishes he was taking on the C’s instead. He’s nervous about your D. Play smart and keep that crowd silent! Good luck my friend. I’ll be wearing my Superman shirt on Wednesday night!
I knew you guys could pull it off! I rooting for y’all and Denver in the finals! I just bought a Howard t-shirt and it hasn’t come in the mail yet so if y’all lost last night I was gonna be a little p.o.’d but you came out and blew them away! I’m from Michigan so I don’t get to see many of your games during the season but I’m rooting for you and I’m happy to be able to be watching you now. I love you, Rashard, and Jameer.
I was listening to the announcers and heard about your dreams especially of the one where you shot a 3 to win. Haha, I would love to see that happen.
Good luck and kick some Cleveland a$$. I know y’all can do it!
Much Love,
Brittany
I’m soooo excited that won!!!! I knew from day one that you could beat them. I’m really excited about the match up between you and LeBron, and I really want you to win. Good luck!!!!! GO MAGIC!!!!!!!!!
We have been waiting for many many many years for this!! Go Magic!!!!
Yeah Ba-beeeeyyy! Locked ‘em down last night! I knew the Magic would win if you guys could keep the game’s pace fast enough b/c the Celts are no where close to the physical condition you guys are in. Y’all were fast and furious! Hedo incinerated the nets w/ his big 25 and you dominated on the boards and D. Everybody’s game was on…like a machine. Loved the ball movement, momentum, and determination! Congrats on the big win.
Now set your standards higher cause the Cavs truly play team ball w/ LeBron as ther mastermind playing smarter than anyone else in the league. It’s gonna be a test of wills and wit. Good luck in C-Town.
Congratulations Dwight! Good luck with the Cavs! Defense!!
Good job Dwight & Co.!!! I knew you could do it!
Dwight, always remember Philippians 3:14. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!
face up and use your quickness against big z,u are gonna have to b the second line of defense with lebron james, just make him shoot over u and encourage everyone else to the defensive boards.
[...] The Official Dwight Howard Blog: “Cleveland, that’s a tough place to play and we had a tough loss up there late in the season. We did beat them twice in Orlando, so we won’t go into this series lacking any confidence. I’ve been talking for two years about bringing a championship to Orlando and some people have laughed at me. But we really think we can win it all. We’re in the East Finals, but by no means are we satisfied now. We still want to bring that ‘chip to O-town. Anything is possible as long as we keep playing with great energy and effort like we did against Boston. We feel we can beat any team out there.” [...]
You def be on it boy, keep up the work, BRING IT HOME
wat up dwight… kno u prob wont read dis but i feel like im taking crazy pills….it drives me nuts to see the best center in the game get less than ten touches a night….yo honestly the only way u guys beat clevland (and i kno u guys do match up pretty good) is if u get twenty touches a night and u beast it down low….im from miami and i back orlando when da heat go down but i kno u guys are doomed wit da gameplan u guys got right now…..demand the ball cause i kno van gundy aint givin it too u… p.s that hands st8 up bullshit(prob wasn’t ur idea i kno) on D that ur doin now is not gonna work, refs are gonna call fouls on u anyway u gotta contest those shots against clevland dont give dem any easy buckets…
Congrats to the magics. You guys played very well and I’m impressed.. Cleveland is going to be tough to beat,but good luck to u guys…
GREAT JOB!! win the whole thing and ill be ur postgame haha
no one outside of home is even giving us a shot. let’s show them that they better start putting us on the list of elites cause its time! The Orlando Magic are back in the ECS and we’re HUNGRY and the only way to eat is through cleveland. we must slay all that oppose like tasmanian devils and give them HELL!
Dwight I’m proud of u and the Magic. You won a trophy this year; it was for defensive player of the year; we all know you’re more but, that’s what your team needs you to be right now. Dominate the paint, dominate the Cavs!!! See u in the finals.
Congrats to you and the team, you all make us proud! King Lebron is about to be overthrown! Orlando is where amazing happens this year, and we are looking forward to seeing our team in the final showdown.