We watched the tape of Game 1 yesterday and we didn’t even look like the same Magic team that had been playing so well the last couple of weeks. I can’t really explain it, but we just didn’t have the energy that we needed to win this kind of game.
We didn’t get loose balls, we didn’t rebound, we were late on our rotations and we just didn’t fight the way we should have. Our energy and effort just wasn’t there. We know how to play basketball an d it doesn’t matter who is playing against us. But as a team our effort wasn’t there. When we’re playing hard and aggressive, we can do a lot of different things.
We have to want it in Game 2. For whatever reason, we didn’t play like we wanted to win. It’s fun being here, but as a team, we’re not happy just being in the Finals.
We know what happened to the Lakers last year. A lot of their guys were just happy being in the Finals. We’re fighting for a championship here. I let the guys know last night that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Nothing is ever promised to anybody and we have to take advantage of this moment.
I think we’ll play a lot better tomorrow night. We’ve seen the tapes of what went wrong, especially on defense and rebounding, and everybody knows that we wi ll shoot the ball better. Kobe is going to make shots for them, but we have to close out harder to him and take away his rhythm shots.
One funny moment from yesterday was when a media dude asked me about the blue shooting sleeve on my arm and if it was why I was shooting free throws better. I had to laugh because I just wear the sleeve because I like how it looks. It has nothing to do with making shots or performance or nothing like that. I was wearing it in practice one day and it felt good so I thought I should wear it in the games because it might make my shot look better. To me, it was just funny that someone thought I’d shoot better because of a sleeve on my arm.
We have practice today at the Lakers Practice Facility, and we’ll work on some of the stuff that will help us tomorrow night. We’ll be a lot better. Ya’ll know we bounce back and that’s what I expect tomorrow night.
Aiiiight ya’ll, be easy. — DWIGHT
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Tags: 2009 NBA Finals, 2009 NBA Playoffs, Dwight Howard Blog, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Dwight i Know you going to bring that championship to Orlando do ya thing big dog
No one is expecting you guys to shoot around 30% again in Game 2. So it will be interesting how it plays out. Be watching to see how both teams adjust to each other’s changes.
Good luck tomorrow night! No regrets, onward and upward. You guys can do this. spirit, heart, magic. lets go!
D-12!! yall gota focus; dont be star struck by being on the big stage; this is your time; Kobe already has 3 of these; he doesnt need it! If u want it u gotta go get it; we cant slack off on this Laker team; they are too good…Let’s do this D-12!!! Bring the Ship Home!!!
Good luck tomorrow! You’re great, and I know you guys have it in you to play better! Thanks for letting us here your thoughts through your site!
Now thats wha ti like to hear
go magic!!!!
I’m the cheerleader you can’t see
you have millions of them
cheering,clapping and hi five-ing through the game so make us happy
Go Magic!!!!!
you may have lost tht fight..but the battle is not lost!!
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan
yea we still love you guys, go out and there tomorrow and show em why the East Coast is the REAL coast
gotta get hungry. now ya’ll are starving! wooo! ya’ll had 2 get the feel of it. I beleive. and u guys just get that finesse back. cant wait till 2morrow. GO MAGIC!!!!!! i love u Dwight<3
You alredy know this, but the intensity has to be high from “GO”…We can not go down 0-2!!! You all CAN DO IT!!!!!! GO MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most of the country is counting you all out already. Not me. I know how well you guys can play, regardless of the game before. GO MAGIC. GET GAME 2 AND WIN THE SERIES AT HOME!
Ima need u to start blocking more shots. when ppl drive tward jump to them after they jump and reject the shot. i bet my cousin $300 that yawl would win the championship. plz dont make me look like an ass
Dwight, your fans and the magic faithful believe in you guys! We know you can beat the Lakers! GO MAGIC!!! GO D-12!!
You can’t hear it but we are cheering out here in Orlando. The town has FINALLY got into it!!! You’ll do well tomorrow. Btw, I think it’s GREAT that you just wear the sleeve b/c it looks cool. haha. that rocks.
I belive in this team so much that I bought season tickets this week – when I really should have bought new tires for my car, haha. I’ll be there Thursday and Sunday screaming my face off from my new seat. GO MAGIC!
Exactly…WE can do this…ORLANDO has your back…Go in focused..Come out Winners!…Let’s Get It…CHEAAA!
The thing is Kobe made so easy baskets and he didnt really see any hard defense, Lee cant match-up with Kobe better give Hedo to him and defend Ariza with Lee and when Lee is out use Pietrus, just my 2 cents. Im pretty sure Orlando wont have this much hard time in offense but the thing is you gotta cover them better in defensive end. Dont forget Gasol is so sneaky he can force you to offensive fouls since most of spanish players have master degree in role making. Show them what its like to play with Magic
EVERYBODY HAVE THEIR DAYS.WE STILL STAND BEHIND YOU AN THE TEAM.LOVE YA
I was wondering about the blue sleeve too…lol. The media is going to spin it anyway and say it’s giving you an advantage somehow on the court.
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. ~Harriet Beecher Stowe
Take care we’ll all be watching tomorrow. Don’t let us down D-12
This is what made game 1 so hard to watch. It just wasn’t the team i have come to love.But one thing i do know, that you do have what it takes to bounce back from this.We already know that you all have the skill. we have been blown away by it already over and over again. I think the challenge now is a mental one.You just have to go in there , every single game, with that same fight we saw last week when we waved goodbye to the cavs. You all have to go out there convinced that losing is absolutely not an option.Love you all!! p.s. ( I am really looking forward to going in to work on Monday and being able to taunt by Laker lovin’ boss)
D.HOWARD!
It’s 1 lost and not the end of the world. The TRUE magic fans support you and the squad!! Keep the FAITH my brotha & know that you’ll be holdin that GOLD trophy up at the end of game 6.
let’s go orlando magic!!!
Yo dwight me and my brother have been season ticket holders for like 5 or 6 years now, and I know how you guys can play. Your ball movement during game one wasn’t bad, you guys just werent knocking down the shots you needed to. Keep making their defense rotate and run to the shooters like you’ve been doing all year and you’ll be fine big homie. You guys took down the defending champs and the number one team according to record this year, now its time to take down the real giants. Do work son, do work.
The true barometer of a Mans worth is not how he handles success but rather how he Handles Failure…
You got this.
Know this Homie,
You could loose the next 3 by 80 and will never be able to truly grasp the impact you as a 23 year old young man have had on a community and fanbase just waiting for something to come along and Believe in.
Thanks Man.
For real…
I believe the Magic can win the finals so much it’s like I can feel it. I see so much talent in the Magic, you have to win this championship. I really don’t see the Lakers winning this year. As long as you dominate the entire game, not just the paint, for 48 minutes, Magic will win the title. You watched the tape and saw your mistakes, now correct them and take the Lakers out. COME ON MAGIC LET’S GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Play like you have been playing all though the playoffs…and you will succeed. GO MAGIC!
Dwight !!
1.This is the first game so leave it in the past.
2.I know you guys are going to come way more stronger tomorrow night.
3. I believe in you guys !
4.Just stay positive.
5. Be a leader and let your teammates know that you guys can do it
because I know and a lot of people know that you guys can bring that championship to Orlando.
p.s. Always no matter what.
leave your heart in the court.
Later
and Good luck
Brothel.
I always thought, “I’ll bet he wears that sleeve because it makes his arm look like it’s bulging out the top.” (Yeah, chics dig it.) Nothin’ wrong with looking good too. Work it Baby……Bring that ‘SHIP home!
I know you guys can do it.
Just play your basketball and let me believe in magic!;-D
GO MAGIC GO~~!!!! from Japan.
I’m glad you talked about the lack of effort, Dwight. That was simply not the Magic team we’ve seen throughout the playoffs. It was the first time in a LONG time that I turned the game off before the 4th quarter even started, because if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s guys putting their heads down and not fighting.
Props to you for manning up and calling yourself and your team out for the lack of hustle. You saw the tape of Game 1. Kobe had the angry, determined, intense look in his eyes the whole game. We had it for one quarter. That’s not going to stand.
To win the next game, you have to come out with the attitude that you are not going to lose this game because you simply aren’t going to let it happen. You have to have that look in your eyes, even if things go poorly at first. If your team has that intensity and resilience, you can bounce back from anything.
Go out there, get nasty, and dominate this game. You win this one, and what happened in Game 1 doesn’t mean a damn thing. We believe in you and we believe in Magic.
Please stay out of foul trouble. Dont let them rouse you. Stay calm, stay focuse. Oh and get Andrew Bynum in foul trouble
and if you can, Gasol too! LOL. But stay out of fould trouble PLEASE. I know you guys can do it! I saw you take down the cavs and I believe you guys have a great chance. Continue to believe in your ability and your teams ability and as you said, God will take care of the rest. Stay blessed and prayerful and play the best game you can! Lets go Magic, Lets go *clap, clap, clap* LOL.
Signed,
Serious Dwight Fan
Dwight and Magic Team,
You’re right in saying that You have to want it more. It’s easy for all the critics and those who have never been there to throw out unwanted opinions.
Huddle together and pick each other up. I believe that you CAN do it together; no doubt.
You know what to do; let’s take care of business!!!
TRUST IN YOUR GOD!
TRUST IN YOUR TEAMMATES!
TRUST IN YOUR COACH!
TRUST IN YOUR GAME!
TRUST IN YOURSELF!
TRUST IN YOUR FANS! DON’T EVER GIVE UP!!!!
GO!!!! MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~I have complete faith that U guys will come out 2morrow; play Magic basketball & WIN. This is the MAGIC”s season.
~LOLZ @ the sleeve question, I actually thought that there was some icy hot or something in it…my guess was little more sensible, but still off lolz
~Games 2-5; all W’s for Orlando. MAGIC 08-09 Champions!!!
Praying & Believing
God Bless,
Love♥
Lets get it!!!!!!!! Man I cant stand that people doubt the minute that yall have a bad game. Every team in the playoffs has had a blow out. This is u guys first blowout n they’re ready 2 jump on the lakers bandwagon. As always Orlando is underated n u guys really have 2 prove them wrong. Skip Mike Wilbourn and all those other negative analyst. Go out there n make it do what it do. And I also think its really nice that u allow ur fans to have this close of a look into ur life
-Natalie
You got this BIG-D. bring it home. Nelson+Dwight=KOBEKILLERS
Dwight, you guys can totally beat the Lakers. Show them what tough East Coast basketball is all about!
LOL! me and my wife always new thats why you wear that sleeve.We Know you guys didn’t do your best come out and show the world silence the magic haters!!!!!!!!!!
What’s up Dwight? Just wanted to say “Go Get em” to you and the rest of the team. This is your distant Cuz from Ga (Xavier’s Dad) over here in Japan in the Air Force. You got fans holding you down in the military here. I will be up in the morning with my #12 Jersey on cheering Yall On. 13 hours ahead over here, but regardless i am looking forward to watching you do your thing. Take care and “Go Magic !”
I could sense the Lakers were a bit worried early on in game 1. They were getting in foul trouble, Kobe was only 3-9 in the first quarter and they were down about 5 points through a quarter and a half, and you had only made one shot. I’m not really sure what happened after that, but it was not Magic ball. Play Magic basketball for 48 minutes and you guys should win this game. Looking forwart to it. Let’s get this one and bring it back home evened up at a game each! Gooooooooooo Magic!!!!
That was probably the best game LA could have ever played and the worst one I’ve seen from the Magic all season. No way that happens again. If Kobe wants to continue to force some of those BS shots in double/triple coverage, then that’s fine; he’s not going to make those every night. And if Orlando goes back to playing Magic basketball (running in transition, faster rotation on D, crashing boards and going back to their inside-out 1/2 court) no team can stop them. The Magic always bounce back after losses and LA should be scared right now. Crank up that intensity and go get that championship!
Thanks for cheering us up Dwight. I feel like you are part of us, the fans, we are sooooo behind you. My house is decorated, lights and flags and signs, my car is decorated and I will be come Tuesday. Just play Magic Basketball, I’m glad it wasn’t a “buzzer beater” I couldn’t take one of those again (unless of course, we did the buzzer beater and left L.A. helpless) Go Magic
game 2 is yours!!!!
GO MAGIC!!!!!!!
We all know you’ve got this, Dwight. I believe in you guys completely, when you guys are on your game you can beat anyone. Stay focused and win your ring!
D, mount up on wings of Eagles with the talent and gift God has blessed you with.
You Magnify, God will Manifest.
Take time to taste the Honey (You made it to the Finals, only thing left is to WIN)
Give Praise to the Promise, because Praise Is What You Do!
LaJoi P.
“38″ Angels of Heaven, Mexico
OKAY YOU GUYS DID HAVE A BETTER EFFORT LAST NIGHT I DO BELIEVE THE COACHES HAD DO A BETTER JOB BECAUSE LEE SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN THE GO TO MAN-WHAT THE HELL WAS VAN GUNDY THINKING…DWIGHT YOU WERE PRETTY QUIET AND YOU NEED TO BRING BACK YOUR VOICE NOT TO THE REFS BUT TO YOUR TEAMMATES THEY NEED YOU TO TALK…WHEN YOU TALK PEOPLE LISTEN…YOU GOT TO BE THE LEADER YOU ALWAYS BEEN EVEN WHEN IT IS GOING AGAINST VAN GUNDY YOU CAN DO THAT BECAUSE WE DID GAIN MOMENTUM I KNOW THAT GAME 3 WE WILL SEE THE MAGIC WE ARE USE TO SEEING….DWIGHT DON’T LEAVE IT UP TO THE COACHES YOU DID IN THE PAST AND YOU DON’T NEED TO IT NOW…THIS SERIES IS YOURS TO HAVE…I GOT TIVE LEWIS AND TURKOLU THEIR PROPS THEY AND YOU KEPT THE MAGIC CLOSE…VAN GUNDY NEEDS TO DECIDE WHO HIS GURAD IT AND GO WITH IT….I THINK RAY SHOULD START AND NELSOM COME OFF THE BENCH BUT RAY NEEDS TO KNOW HE IS STILL THE MAN AND NOT LEE THIS IS NIOT THE TIME TO BE TESTING AND CHANGING SEEING IF A GUY CAN GO STICK TO WHAT GOT YOU HERE….”S” YOU GOT TO BE MORE VOCAL…I REALLY LOVE THE HEART YOU PLAYED WITH LAST NIGHT….DON’T LET THOSE BIG GUYS FRUSTRATE YOU BY DOUBLE TEAMING YOU THINKING THERY CAN PUNK YOU…”WHAT” PUNK SUPERMAN WE ARE NOT HAVING IT SO LET’S GO SHOW THE WORLD MAGIC GAME…I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS….LIKE THE LORD SAID I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU….I AM WITH EVEN IN THE PITS OF HELL….BE LIKE THE THREE AND WALK UP OUT OF THT FIRY FURNANCE ON TO VICTORY!!!! TAKE NO THOUGHT IN WHAT OTHER SAY DON’T LISTEN TO THE LAKERS ARE FAVORITE…LISTEN TO WHAT GOD SAYS AND DON’T LISTEN, TRUST ME! CAN’T WAIT FOR TUESDAY IN ORLANDO!…..IT IS MY PRAYER IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS!