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5/12/2010 4:37:10 AM Old Timer

Orlando Magic Heading to the 2010 Eastern Finals

MAGIC SWEEP HAWKS; RETURN TO EAST FINALS

By Josh Cohen

The Orlando Magic resembled Mike Tyson during his heavyweight championship reign in the 1980’s. The Atlanta Hawks, however, were no Buster Douglas.

If the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the two teams was a movie, it would be called Groundhog Day (Yes, just like the Bill Murray classic). It felt like we were watching the same game over and over and over.

The Magic annihilated the Hawks in four straight games to earn their second consecutive sweep of the 2010 Playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season. It’s the first time Orlando has ever claimed two sweeps in the same season and it’s the first time it is 8-0 to start the playoffs.

The Magic set the NBA record for the largest average margin of victory in a four-game sweep (25.3 points).

"Everybody’s locked in on what needs to be done, from the beginning of the game to the end," said Vince Carter, who posted 22 points.

Their opponent in the conference finals will either be the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics, who are tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven series.

Jameer Nelson registered a playoff career-best nine assists for Orlando, which has won 14 straight dating back to the regular season. Rashard Lewis recorded 17 points.

The Magic connected on 16 3-pointers in Game 4 and 45 in the series.

Karma is the strongest thing is the universe

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5/12/2010 4:38:26 AM Old Timer

RE:Orlando Magic returning to the Eastern Finals

By Dan Savage

The Orlando Magic didn’t just sweep the Atlanta Hawks; they dismantled them.

With Monday’s 98-84 Game 4 win over Atlanta, the Magic completed a four-game thrashing of the Hawks, winning the series by a total of 101 points. In the process, Orlando set a new NBA playoff record for the largest margin of victory in a four-game sweep.

“It would have been tough for anyone to beat us the way we were shooting,” said Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy. “To sweep them the way we did, we obviously played well.”

Orlando rolled through a perfect Eastern Conference Semifinals with perhaps even more conviction than its flawless First Round series against Charlotte.

Either way, they became just the third team in league history to open up the playoffs with back-to-back four-game sweeps.

“Doing what we’ve done is a big accomplishment sweeping the first two rounds,” said Rashard Lewis. “But we know now that the level is going to get tougher and tougher.”

The Magic are now a remarkable 31-5 since the All-Star break, displaying perhaps the highest level of dominance the franchise has ever seen.

Matt Barnes may have said it best on his Twitter feed following the affair: “You either ride with us or collide with us.”

Karma is the strongest thing is the universe

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5/12/2010 4:40:14 AM Old Timer

RE:Orlando Magic returning to the Eastern Finals

EVEN BETTER THAN LAST YEAR

Although the Orlando Magic’s players and coaches will answer just about any question a media member throws at them, there’s one rhetorical that they will often refuse to answer: "Which team is better, this season’s or last year’s Finals squad?"

Their response to that hypothetical is usually, “We’ll leave that up for media members like you to decide.”

So upon their request, I’ll do just that.

Even though this team will ultimately be judged by the mass media on whether or not they make it back to the NBA Finals and win a championship, in my opinion they’ve already proven that they’re a superior squad. While the addition of a playmaker like Vince Carter, great depth from positions 1-12 and a healthy Jameer Nelson at point guard are among the main factors that the 2009-10 team gets the nod, it’s another reason that pushes them over the edge; superior focus.

While last season’s squad flexed its muscles when needed, this season’s team keeps its foot on the gas at all times. It’s the main reason they’ve swept both rounds of the playoffs thus far and that they’re 41-8 since Jan. 18 – really since the time they’ve gelled.

“It’s great to see how focused guys are in shootaround and before the game,” Carter said with amazement. “Everybody’s locked in on what needs to be done, from the beginning of the game to the end.”

While the 2008-09 Magic were great, that’s something you couldn’t always say last season

Karma is the strongest thing is the universe

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5/12/2010 4:41:29 AM Old Timer

RE:Orlando Magic returning to the Eastern Finals

CAVALIERS OR CELTICS?

By Josh Cohen

It’s arduous to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics series and conclude which team you want the Orlando Magic to play in the Eastern Conference Finals.

When LeBron James, on one hand, demonstrates his awesome athleticism with vicious slam dunks and unimaginable circus shots, you probably hope the Celtics march forward. When Rajon Rondo, on the other hand, is the acrobat and delivers flamboyant passes and tracks down implausible rebounds, you probably are rooting for the Cavaliers to advance.

Either way, the desire is for the Cavs and C’s to finish out a grueling, aggressive series so that the winner is exhausted heading into their matchup with the Magic.

"Now we can rest and let Cleveland and Boston beat each other up," Matt Barnes said.

Currently, Cleveland and Boston are tied 2-2 with Game 5 set for Tuesday night at The Q. It would seem exceedingly daunting for a road team to steal a game in Cleveland, normally.

But, the Celtics have already proved in this series that they can overcome that challenge. Boston crushed Cleveland in Game 2 and had the lead for the majority of Game 1 before James and Mo Williams stole the show in the fourth quarter.

This year’s series between two of the East’s best has played out much differently than the series they had two years ago in the East Semis. In 2008, the home team won every game with Boston advancing and ultimately claiming the NBA championship

Karma is the strongest thing is the universe

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