Playoff Quotes: The Magic’s Take on Playing the 76ers
Dwight Howard
On playing the 76ers...
"I’m just looking forward to it (the playoffs); you know it’s going to be a great series. Philly is a great team and they’ve been playing great as of late and the playoffs are just around the corner. We've got to be ready."
On if the Magic are ready for the playoffs...
"I’m ready. This is what we’ve been waiting for; playoff basketball. It’s time for us to really step our game up and try to build a legacy."
On the Magic not shying away from the goal of winning a championship...
"It is the goal. We are not going to shy away from it. That’s been the goal since I’ve been here; to win a championship. Every year I’ve said I want to win a championship. I believe we can do it. Everybody has laughed us off and said ‘oh the Magic are not ready,’ but if we play consistent basketball we can beat anybody."
On if this is the year the Magic take the next step in the playoffs...
"I think we are just ready to show people what we are capable of. We don’t get a lot of respect. People don’t see us as a team that can really contend. Everybody says ‘oh maybe next year or two years from now,’ but I think this is our time now. We have all the right tools. We are missing Jameer (Nelson) but we are still a great team. When we bear down on defense and move the ball on offense and everything is falling for us, we are a great team."
Rafer Alston
On playing the 76ers...
"They’re very energetic, very athletic. It’s not going to be an easy task. But again we’ve got to be ready for it. They’re a team that thrives in the open court and thrives off of other team’s turnovers."
On what the Magic have to improve on heading into the playoffs...
"Our readiness. I think we have to be ready. I don’t know how ready we are. We have some days in-between where we can get ourselves refocused and get going here."
Orlando Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy
On if Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu will be ready for the playoffs...
"Well Rashard thought he was going to play and then he went out and warmed up on it, shot on it and decided he couldn’t go. I think he will be and I hope he will be, but I just don’t know at this point. I think they’ll both be ready; I do. But, until it’s game time and they’re out there, I don’t know for sure."
On the Magic's bench and their ability to provide depth in the playoffs…
"Well there’s no question. It was good to see those guys play and they got some big minutes which I think helps them get into a little bit of a rhythm going into this weekend and depending on the health of guys, we may need a lot of minutes out of some of those guys. I think it was a good night tonight. Other than Dwight (Howard) who obviously makes a big difference in the first and third quarter, other than that, it was pretty much the same group that we had in Milwaukee but we played the game a whole lot better, so that was a nice improvement."
Anthony Johnson
On playing the 76ers...
"Things played themselves out tonight. With that being said, we feel very good about our matchup with Philly. I think we’ve beaten them 3-0 this year. Come playoff time anything that’s gone on the past six months goes out the window. It’s time to strap it up and get ready to roll. We are looking forward to it."
On what concerns him about the 76ers...
"I think the past two weeks we’ve turned the ball over quite a bit. They are a team that takes advantage of turnovers. They like to get out and run. That’s their strength. It’s going to be important for us to take care of the ball and get good quality shots. Those guys are relentless as far as attacking the paint and attacking the rim. We are going to have to play solid individual defense and team defense."
On the importance of having an electric crowd at Amway Arena during the playoffs...
"It’s very important. Home court come playoff time is an advantage that can really swing things in your favor. Hopefully the crowd will be loud and raucous here. It’s going to be important to have that good energy for the players to feed off of. And we have to give them something to cheer about as well. It’s going to go both ways. It’s important to have a loud rowdy crowd just to make things difficult for the opponents."
Dwight Howard
On playing the 76ers...
"I’m just looking forward to it (the playoffs); you know it’s going to be a great series. Philly is a great team and they’ve been playing great as of late and the playoffs are just around the corner. We've got to be ready."
On if the Magic are ready for the playoffs...
"I’m ready. This is what we’ve been waiting for; playoff basketball. It’s time for us to really step our game up and try to build a legacy."
On the Magic not shying away from the goal of winning a championship...
"It is the goal. We are not going to shy away from it. That’s been the goal since I’ve been here; to win a championship. Every year I’ve said I want to win a championship. I believe we can do it. Everybody has laughed us off and said ‘oh the Magic are not ready,’ but if we play consistent basketball we can beat anybody."
On if this is the year the Magic take the next step in the playoffs...
"I think we are just ready to show people what we are capable of. We don’t get a lot of respect. People don’t see us as a team that can really contend. Everybody says ‘oh maybe next year or two years from now,’ but I think this is our time now. We have all the right tools. We are missing Jameer (Nelson) but we are still a great team. When we bear down on defense and move the ball on offense and everything is falling for us, we are a great team."
Rafer Alston
On playing the 76ers...
"They’re very energetic, very athletic. It’s not going to be an easy task. But again we’ve got to be ready for it. They’re a team that thrives in the open court and thrives off of other team’s turnovers."
On what the Magic have to improve on heading into the playoffs...
"Our readiness. I think we have to be ready. I don’t know how ready we are. We have some days in-between where we can get ourselves refocused and get going here."
Orlando Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy
On if Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu will be ready for the playoffs...
"Well Rashard thought he was going to play and then he went out and warmed up on it, shot on it and decided he couldn’t go. I think he will be and I hope he will be, but I just don’t know at this point. I think they’ll both be ready; I do. But, until it’s game time and they’re out there, I don’t know for sure."
On the Magic's bench and their ability to provide depth in the playoffs…
"Well there’s no question. It was good to see those guys play and they got some big minutes which I think helps them get into a little bit of a rhythm going into this weekend and depending on the health of guys, we may need a lot of minutes out of some of those guys. I think it was a good night tonight. Other than Dwight (Howard) who obviously makes a big difference in the first and third quarter, other than that, it was pretty much the same group that we had in Milwaukee but we played the game a whole lot better, so that was a nice improvement."
Anthony Johnson
On playing the 76ers...
"Things played themselves out tonight. With that being said, we feel very good about our matchup with Philly. I think we’ve beaten them 3-0 this year. Come playoff time anything that’s gone on the past six months goes out the window. It’s time to strap it up and get ready to roll. We are looking forward to it."
On what concerns him about the 76ers...
"I think the past two weeks we’ve turned the ball over quite a bit. They are a team that takes advantage of turnovers. They like to get out and run. That’s their strength. It’s going to be important for us to take care of the ball and get good quality shots. Those guys are relentless as far as attacking the paint and attacking the rim. We are going to have to play solid individual defense and team defense."
On the importance of having an electric crowd at Amway Arena during the playoffs...
"It’s very important. Home court come playoff time is an advantage that can really swing things in your favor. Hopefully the crowd will be loud and raucous here. It’s going to be important to have that good energy for the players to feed off of. And we have to give them something to cheer about as well. It’s going to go both ways. It’s important to have a loud rowdy crowd just to make things difficult for the opponents."
