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'HOUSE OF PAIN; WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!!!
Topic Started: Dec 19 2005, 10:58 AM (376 Views)
adamosthegreek
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Kings of Europe
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/bask...rts-headlineswe m

Raptors give Magic hope for a better home game

Home games have been unkind to the Magic, but Toronto is here tonight and the Raptors are struggling.
Brian Schmitz
Sentinel Staff Writer

December 19, 2005

It's beginning to look a lot like (a Florida) Christmas . . . and the biggest homestand of the season for the Orlando Magic.

Heck, it's not a stretch to call it the most critical juncture of the season. That's if the playoffs are on the Magic's holiday shopping list, of course.

Critical? There's still 61 games left, you say.

True, but have you seen January's schedule? Ten of 15 games are on the road, including five back-to-backs and a trip West.

"It's a bear," guard Steve Francis said. "It's terrible."

Players are taught not to look ahead, take 'em one at a time, blah-blah-blah . . . drink the Kool-Aid served by the coaches in Clicheville.

But when the Magic peek around the corner, they realize the reverberating significance of these six consecutive games at TD Waterhouse Centre to close out the month.

"It's very important," forward Grant Hill said. "It's a chance for us to pick up some games and get to .500 and get a cushion going into January."

That's what the Magic want for Christmas: A cushion.

It's a tough order, although not impossible.

Sitting at 9-12, they would need to win five of the six games to emerge 14-13 heading into a Jan. 3 game against the powerhouse Pistons in Detroit.

Lose too many at "The House," and they might never catch up after their joust with January. The Eastern Conference could have just one playoff invitation available if five teams from the Central Division qualify along with the two other divisional champs.

The Magic face the Toronto Raptors tonight, then take on the New Jersey Nets, L.A Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Most teams such as the Magic hope to get close to breaking even on the road and make up the difference at home.

The problem is that the Magic can't rely on using their home court as a launching pad.

They are 5-6 at The 'House (after going 7-2 through 21 games last season). There have been only a few homecoming-type opponents.

Orlando has lost at home to defending champion San Antonio, Indiana, Memphis, Chicago and Cleveland -- all of whom appear to be playoff-bound. The Magic didn't have Grant Hill for those games, either.

They defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Wizards, and their quality victories came against the Heat and the Denver Nuggets.

But they fell to the struggling New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets -- a loss that dropped them to 3-6 and had Coach Brian Hill wondering about his team.

This home schedule is as not as daunting but, "What you have to guard against is that false sense of security just because you're playing at home [that] they're easy games. But that's not the case," Brian Hill said.

There are three common themes in the home defeats.

In five of the Magic's losses, they couldn't finish.

There were second-half flame-outs and one flop in overtime in a defeat to the Cavs. Maybe Hill needs to bring in Anthony Robbins for motivational speeches. Or Dr. Phil.

Turnovers undermined most losses, including 17 against the Hornets and 23 against the Bulls and Cavs.

Hill missed all 11 home games with a sports hernia, and the seven-time all-star is playing his first of the regular season tonight.

"We just need to be more focused," Francis said.

That was much of the problem last season when the Magic lost 16 games to teams with sub.-500 records, which, ultimately derailed a late playoff push.

They lost to Atlanta, then-expansion Charlotte (three times) and the Raptors (twice). Plenty reason to take the 4-19 Raptors seriously to start the homestand. They'll likely have to provide much of their own energy.

Monday nights, traditionally, have not been good at the turnstiles for the Magic. Few nights are anymore.

Once again, they rank near the bottom in home attendance, drawing 160,623 in 11 games -- an average of 14,602. Only the Trail Blazers have a worst average per game at home.

The home opener against the Pacers has been their lone sellout (17,283). They drew 16,619 against state rival Miami. The atmosphere was so electric that Brian Hill likened it to the hey-days of Shaq and Penny.

Players love crowd support, and the Magic understand that winning attracts fans. When asked if he felt a "vibe" at home, Francis twisted his face and shook his head.

"I respect that attitude: They want to see you winning. It's a matter of time, I think," Francis said. "It's tough at times when there's not a lot of people at the games. You go on the road to other arenas and it's pretty much sold out, but hopefully we'll be able to get there.

"If you don't get results, fans aren't going to come out. I guess if we start winning at home it will feel better."
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I'm still PO'd that we have the 2nd to last home attendance in the league (how the hell are we behind Atlanta????). :
At worst we need to go 4-2. But we really need to go 5-1.
COME ON ORLANDO!!! GET SOME SUPPORT GOING FOR OUR GUYS!!! :yes:
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Black and Blue
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Hopefully we can not suck at home with Hill back.
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MagicMadness
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It pisses me off that attendance is so horrible. I realize we aren't winning, but to be behind teams like Atlanta or Toronto in attendance just shows how s**tty our fanbase is.
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Tony
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Its pathetic how the Hawks have more attendance than us.....but they are starting to win. We need to win more and hopefully that would make our fan support raise.
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Black and Blue
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I dont find it surprising that the Hawks have better attendance. They added exciting players in the offseason. Even when we got Francis, it was at the cost of a much better player, so our fans havent had a big exciting move to get them in the seats.

I figure thats it.
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MagicMadness
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WE DID A GREAT JOB OF DEFENDING OUR HOMECOURT TONIGHT.

Way to go Magic.
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gomagic33
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It's really "HOUSE OF PAIN" . For the fans who are brave enough to attend that is.
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Cyclonus
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I don't know what's worst the New Orleans loss in the beginning of the season or this one. We had G. Hill playing in this one.

And people wonder why nobody goes to the games.
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doct3r dr3
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Yeah, Francis was complaning about the attendance in the postgame interview tonight. He said something along the lines of "Ever since I've been here I haven't felt a homecourt advantage in our home games."


Maybe if they could start winning every now and then...
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MAGICMANEVAN
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Yeah, Francis was complaning about the attendance in the postgame interview tonight. He said something along the lines of "Ever since I've been here I haven't felt a homecourt advantage in our home games."
wow. thats bad. thats... oh man thats dissapointing to the team and to the fans. i wish we could do something to get more people in the seats... well i guess the only thing we can do is wish for more wins. :unsure:
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adamosthegreek
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Since we're close to Tampa, we can bring some strippers over from there and have some stripper tailgating. :yes: :lol:
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iceveins333
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man i'll say that it costs a ton of money to go to the games I mean your spending about 75 dollars to go to the games if you want some decent seats and then they don't let you bring in your own drinks into the arena and you there for 3 hours so you have to end up buying their 4 dollar bottled water

if you go with two people then its just even worse
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efenell
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doct3r dr3
Dec. 19 2005 11:22 PM
Yeah, Francis was complaning about the attendance in the postgame interview tonight. He said something along the lines of "Ever since I've been here I haven't felt a homecourt advantage in our home games."


Maybe if they could start winning every now and then...

I'm glad I didnt hear that. I'm getting a little tired of Francis. Maybe we should trade him for artest :haha: :haha:
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MagicMadness
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Francis and the team have no excuse for losing at home. Attendance might be bad, but at least the majority of those people are cheering for the Magic.

When they go on the road, 90%+ are cheering against them.
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