Atlantaholic

I consider myself a pretty hardcore fan of this team... but I saw this dudes name on the boxscore and was dumbfounded lol

If we lose we are done for. That much is certain. Josh Shot 12 free throws and 18 shots. He finished with 22 points... That's terrible. But his game was way worse than the numbers. Do we really need Josh taking multiple fade aways in a game. Those shots barely draw iron.

7 games? Really? Btw... Orlando is 10-5 this year when Howard scores thirty or more. That's way better than their overall winning percentage.

Where are those stats exactly? Not that it's much of a point, almost every great team wins with balance it's a five on five game after-all, but I actually doubt that THIS Orlando team plays better when Dwight isn't heavily involved, since everyone else is crap. I just checked his career splits. he averages approximately 1.5 more point and .4 less shots in wins than in losses.

Sorry to say but it's pretty obvious that the difference between this years series and last years is that Orlando just sucks a whole lot more.

"Woohoo... One game that sort of backs up my totally insane argument that Orlando is better without Howard, lets forget the other 6 seasons worth of splits that show that Howard is just as efficient (actually slightly more efficient AND productive) in wins than in losses." The starters played 27 minutes in this one. Are you seriously sitting there making the point that Howard is only good when he lets the bench blow out the other team???

W.T.F? Who the heck is this guy?

Horford and Smith have played like horse crap this series. Today, everyone else is joining them.

So basically you have an opinion (clearly extremely biased) based on nothing but your subjective qualitative analysis, and everyone else that follows the NBA gives you his Career stats, efficiency numbers, NBA All star apperances, All NBA first team selections, team performance history, playoff statistics etc. etc. etc. Hilarious that you call me out on "picking and choosing stats" when I'm giving you ALL the stats. What other stat do you want? what other non subjective measuring stick of his absolute dominance do you need? How about he is one of four players in NBA history to average 20 points and 13 + rebounds in the playoffs (Moses Malone, Bob Petitt, Wilt Chamberlain are the others). And your main point is that "all you have to do to stop Dwight is stop his teamates???" Do you know how stupid that sounds? That's only true for every star player that has played professional basketball. And when you are saying that people are saying he has no flaws you are clearly also trying to put words in peoples mouths that they never said just to detract from the weakness of your arguments. Howard has flaws. They are, in order of importance. -He shoots poorly from the line -He can't pass When you weigh it against what he can do. -Rebound better than anyone in the NBA -Block more than anyone in the NBA -top 10 in scoring in the NBA -Score more efficiently than anyone else in the top 40 in PPG -Win the best defensive player of the year award for three straight years (one of three players in NBA history to do this) -Lead a team to four straight 50 win seasons (When was the last time the Hawks have had four straight 50 win seasons... the 1950's??) -Lead a team to the NBA finals -Lead a team to five straight seasons of being in the top 6 in deffensive efficiency. ( a frontcourt of Rashard freaking Lewis and Dwight Howard finished first in defensive efficiency in back to back seasons and Josh Smith + Dwight wouldn't work... LMFAO You are a Dwight hater... that is basically your only argument here.

How can players that suck be a good fit??? I don't really understand this logic. The year they won 40 games Howard was 21, their second best player was posting a Per of over 16 and Darko Milicic was one of their most productive players... a god awful team that a young Howard was still able to take to the playoffs. This year's Orlando squad? The second highest Per on the team is Ryan Anderson who is an 8th - 9th man on that team and only played in 64 games. Nobody else on the team has a PER of over 16, no one. The vast majority have a PER of under 14 (league average is 15) and all the players they brought in have had absolutely dreadful seasons. This team wouldn't sniff 30 wins without Dwight, they probably would be battling out with Cleveland and Minnesota for league laughingstock honors. A total joke of a supporting crew, VERY comparable to the one that won 40 games in 2007. Dwight Howards improvement from 2007 to now btw 2011 22 Pp36 mins 13.5 Rp36 mins 616% TS% 2.4 Bp36 mins 26 PER 2007 17 Pp36 12 Rp36 619% TS% 1.9 Bp36 mins 21 PER The PERs of the top 5 (in minutes played) rotation players of each squad= 2007 Jameer - 13.9 Turk - 14.2 Grant Hill - 16.2 Darko Milicic - 13.9 Tony Battie - 9.8 Team Fg% 47 Team 3pt% 36 2011 Jameer - 15.4 Brandon Bass - 15.9 Jason Richardson - 13.2 Turkoglu - 13.5 JJ Redick - 12.8 Team Fg% 46 Team 3pth% 37 Obviously the difference isn't Howard becoming the best player in the NBA and the reigning NBA defensive player of the year three years running. It's the addition of J Rich and a bump of 1% in three point percentage. Get real, man.

Orlando is not trading Howard to us. That just isn't going to happen. Especially not after this series (antijinx antijinx antijinx). Unless their objective is to lose all fan support forever and move the team out of Florida, that ain't happening.

Horford is a perimeter PF. The dude gets to the line like 2 times a game for gods sakes, not to mention the only play we run for him are post ups (which end up in him taking face up jumpers or terrible hook shots) or pick and pops. Horford is not an "inside" offensive player. Howard and Horford would be amazing, better than Josh Howard. Either would assure us of at least 50 wins per season depending on supporting cast.

You make no sense whatsoever. The Orlando Magic´s rise has everything to do with Howard turning 22 years old. You act like Howard was in his prime when Orlando was missing the playoffs but that is not the the case at all. Since Howard has become the player he is today the Magic have been flat out dominant (52, 59, 59, and 53 wins... a finals appearance and a conference finals appearance), and if it werent for him having the worst supporting cast in the history of playoff basketball they would be smoking us once again. You are blaming Howard for Turkoglu, Richardson, and Jameer shooting a combined 30% from the field? Really? We are daring Howard to beat us and by all intends and purposes he is doing exactly that .He has a ridiculous PER of 30 and we have barely eeked out two of our three wins against them. Howard took a team without anything even remotely resembling another star and he beat a 60 + win team that had destroyed us to make it to the finals. The next year he was the centerpiece on the team that set and ALL TIME NBA PLAYOFF record against us. Lay off the crack pipe. If you put Howard in our team for either Josh, Horford and we are a much better team. Howard leads the universe in Free throw attempts, TS% (among players that actually attempt a high volume of shots), and is the undisputed best defender in the NBA for three years running. On a bad week Howard is an improvement over Horford. I guess Lebron, Russel Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Wade, Steve Nash,Deron Williams etc are all fatally flawed offensive players since they have high turnover rates right? Get real. Also, how many championships has Shaq won without a first ballot hall of fame all world teammate? Duncan had Ginobli, Parker, David Robinson etc. All players that have made multiple all star teams. The Magic have Jameer Nelson, and... an over the hill VC? Hedo "20% from the field" turgoklu, Grant "25 knee surgeries later" Hill, Rashard "worst contract in the history of professional sports" Lewis. Really, I mean, you are really off base on this one.

Dwight Howard has a better career TS% than anyone currently on the Hawks, and probably better than anyone in Atlanta Hawks history. For reference, he blows the hell out of Bob Pettit's and Dominique Wilkins TS%. So I'm not sure how you can call Howard the most offensively flawed player in the NBA. Is that some sort of joke comment? The guy is putting up 33 points against us, if it weren't for him this Orlando team would have won 14 games, seriously. I understand he turns the ball over but you do understand that 33 points on an absolutely ridiculous out of this universe 70% TS% outweighs turnovers, yes? At least it merits him not being mentioned one of the most flawed offensive players in the league... we are talking about a dude who has freaking Hedo Turkoglu and Gilbert Arenas as teamates after all. Seriously, put one decent marginal star on that team along with Dwight and we have no shot at taking this team further than game 5. We have played one against five this whole series and have won only one game convincingly. Dwight and Josh Powell would be a deadly frontcourt for chrisakes. Implying that Josh Smith and Dwight wouldn't work is ridiculous. And yes, having two shotblockers is better than having one. Of course it is. Maybe it wouldn't be the best defensive frontcourt in the history of the NBA but it would be better than Josh + Horford.

Dwight Howard and Lebron James are the best players in the NBA. It's not even close imho. This guy who we supposedly are throwing off his game is putting up the best numbers out of anyone in the NBA not named Paul right now. I know everyone is saying Rose is the mvp this season, but that's just a result of Chicago's record and media hype. Rose is fantastic, don't get me wrong, and he is certainly a spectacular player to watch which makes it understandable that people would overrate his impact... but Howard is just flat out dominant at BOTH ends of the floor, easily more so than Rose. Lebron is probably better than both of these guys, as much as I hate to admit it because he is such an insanely massive douche, but as long as he has to share the rock with Wade he will always be a more limited version of himself. So, to sum it up. Howard is probably the best player in the NBA right now... Lowest you could put the dude is top-4, seriously there is absolutely no freaking way you can name 4 better players than him. Your post is insane.

Marvin is a nice 8th or 9th man. Good to see him fill that role this series.... Of course we could just cut the guy and keep Wilkins who could fill that role just as well, and save his 7-8 million dollar contract.

If we had lost today... would this thread exist? Everyone seems a bit better after a game 4 win.

Can you blame him though? Imagine if YOUR job depended on Hedo Turkoglu.

Travis Hansen action figure - esque... maybe.

25% from the field, below 15% from three point land. And averaging 37 minutes a game. He makes Bibby look like Ray Allen in his prime. Matt Frieje-esque is the closest I can come up with and that's still pretty unfair to Matt.

I'll take this Joe Johnson over the Joe Johnson of the last two playoffs. What were Joe's numbers against the magic last playoff series?

Hedo Turkoglu. All Hawks fans should be sending thank you cards to Otis Smith, I mean where would the Hawks be this series if any SF in the NBA other than Hedo was suiting up for the Magic? Tonight with Hedo on the bench the Magic tied the game up and as soon as the dude goes in we win the game. As long as Crawford keeps up this shooting and Hedo keeps getting minutes this series is in the bag.

Josh Smith should be flying around the lane all game long. The fact he doesn't average 10 rebounds and 2 blocks a game is a travesty. But whatever, even a half-retarded self limiting Josh Smith is better than most PF's in the game, so as long as we are winning I guess we put up with this nonsense from him.

When asked what his game is Jamal Crawford responded "Ball hog". LMFAO When he is on a groove let the man take whatever shot he wants. The main reason the game was close was because Orlando was getting bailed out by the refs the whole first half and we couldn't make our free-throws.

Jamal Crawford is guarding Reddick and Quentin Richardson because he sucks at defense. He gets taken out in the most important defensive possession of the game because he sucks at defense. We make our 6-7 SG/SF chase around PG's because Jamal sucks at defense. You do know that Reddick and Richardson get their points off of Howard double teams right?, they have never in their careers been able to take anyone off of the dribble, so if your proof that Crawford is playing great defense in this series is that he has been shutting down two spot up shooters who aren't getting any plays called for them, then you have low standards. Larry Drew has been managing around Jamal's defensive shortcomings all series, that's why he took a hot Joe Johnson out of the game in the first half in favor of Crawford instead of leaving him in and sitting Hinrich. We can only get away with a JC + JJ backcourt for spurts at a time.