The Orlando Magic: Creating a Dynasty

[The GOAT]

When it came time for all of the NBA Anylast's finals picks, the Orlando Magic were overlooked in the past years of the NBA. To some, they were a laughing stock who just couldn't play. To others, they were the one-man-Tmac show. Then came a trade that sent the one-man franchise player away for a solid center, an all-star contender, and a man whose nickname speaks for itself - The Fanchise. The Trade - as it is now referred to - changed the face of this team forever. Now, it's time to prove all of the doubters wrong. Now, it's time to create a dynasty.

STARTING LINEUP
C - Tony Battie|6'11"|7 years pro
PF - Dwight Howard|6'11"|Rookie
SF - Grant Hill|6'8"|10 years pro
SG - Cuttino Mobley|6'4"|7 years pro
PG - Steve Francis|6'3"|6 years pro

BENCH
F - Hedo Turkoglu|6'10"|4 years pro
G - Jameer Nelson|6'0"|Rookie
F - Michael Bradley|6'9"|3 years pro
F - Pat Garrity|6'9"|6 years pro
F - Stacey Augmon|6'8"|13 years pro
G - DeShawn Stevenson|6'5"|4 years pro
C - Mario Kasun|7'0"|Rookie

INJURED RESERVE
C - Kelvin Cato|6'11"|8 years pro
F - Brandon Hunter|6'7"|1 year pro

C - Andrew DeClercq|6'10"|9 years pro
Dynasty Settings:
Quarter Length: 5 minutes
Difficulty: All-Star
Slider: Pared's
Games: 29
Schedule: Random
Playoffs: 3-3-3-3
Rosters: NLSC Rosters accurate through December 22, 2004

[The GOAT]

TRAINING CAMP RESULTS
Tony Battie - +1 Blocks, +1 Def. Rebound
Stacey Augmon - +0
Michael Bradley - + 1 Inside Scoring, +1 Def. Awareness
Kelvin Cato - +1 Inside Scoring
Andrew DeClercq - +1 Inside Scoring, +1 Blocks, +1 Def. Rebound
Steve Fancis - +0
Pat Garrity - +1 Def. Awareness, +1 Stamina
Grant Hill - +1 Jump
Dwight Howard - +1 FT, +1 Inside Scoring, +1 Block, +1 Def. Rebound, +1 Stamina
Brandon Hunter - +1 FG, +1 FT, +1 Strength
Mario Kasun - +1 Block
Cuttino Mobley - +1 Def. Awareness
Jameer Nelson - +1 FG, +1 Def Awareness
DeShawn Stevenson - +0
Hedo Turkoglu - +0

[Wormy10]

Glad to see that you picked the Magic

[The X]

I wanna see you use that bench extensively.....if starters ain't performing, yank them and throw in all the stars like Garrity and co....

[The GOAT]

Will do X
First 2 or so games will be posted tomorrow.

[ShivaSquad]

awesome intro. as i read the opening paragraph i jumped out of my seat, yelled "HOORAY!" and began to cry . lol. tears of joy, of course

also, i was gonna start a magic dynaty awhile back but i realized i didnt like them enough. but as a team in nba live, if u like them... they are a great pick. um also, jus a piece of advice wit the pics. if u want the pics to be even (the faces), then i recommend putting the pictures first, and then the text. that way they are all lined up and it looks cleaner

im lookin forward to recap!

[The GOAT]

I really didn't care about who I picked I just wanted a dynasty people would read. The idea is to build and shape your dynasty into a contender your own way so the way I look at it, it is better to pick a team you don't like that much. Just don't pick one you hate (I would never do a Pistons dynasty, Pacer fan )
@ the intro part I didnt think it was that good but I figured I would try. I think theres something wrong with you though

[ShivaSquad]

haha, take my advice wit the pics tho! every1 does that in their dynasty and it pisses me off. i need it to be str8. hey look wat i can do wit my lip

[The GOAT]

You're right it does look better

hey look wat i can do wit my lip

WTF?

[The GOAT]

OCTOBER 30, 2004


Preview: This will be a good matchup with Orlando the slight underdog. The key matchup to this game is Andre Miller and Steve Francis. Both are very talented Point Guards capable of scoring as well as dishing out the assists.

Summary: This was, as my preview said, an amazing game with two good teams battling it out. Though it did look like a blowout in the making with the Magic coming out of the gates with a 7-0 run, the Nuggets quickly responded with an 8-0 run of their own. From there, the game was back and forth with the lead switching almost every basket.With just over half a minute left to go and the score tied at 48, the Magic had possesion. It looked like we were heading into overtime when the Kenyon Martin of the Nuggets missed a layup in traffic and the ball was rebonded by Tony Battie. Then Battie threw a quick outlet pass to Steve Francis up the court, who served up a Jordan-style facial on a hustling Boykins on the other end to give Orlando a 2-point lead. But the Franchise show did not stop there. Francis stole it from 5'5" Earl Boykins and and you can guess what happened next. If you're reading this, you're probably thiking, he dunked it, so what? But this wasn't any ordinary dunk. Francis ran full speed, took off from just inside the free-throw line, and threw down a 360 monster jam to secure a 56-50 win. Even though Cuttino Mobley led all players in scoring with 20 points, this win was truly a team effort by Orlando. Every player scored, even if it was just a single freethrow.


Mobley pulls up for a three to put the Magic up 5-0 early in the first.


Tony Battie rejects Andre Miller's shot in the paint.


First quarter break.


Michael Bradley's first play off of the bench resulted in a nasty one-handed jam on a fast break.


Halftime Report.


Key Players at the half.


Battie is able to block Boykins' shot with his elbow


Third quarter break.


Francis dunks it on Boykins with 32 seconds left to go to put the Magic ahead 50-48.


Francis' 360 to seal the win.


Game Summary

Cuttino Mobley: Player of the Game.

CURRENT RECORD: 1-0

Next game: November 4 at Boston.
KEY MATCHUP: Paul Pierce and Cuttino Mobley (more to come in next update...)

[kibaxx7]

Shawn Bradley's first play off of the bench resulted in a nasty one-handed jam on a fast break.

It's Michael Bradley

[The GOAT]

oops

[The GOAT]

NOVEMBER 4, 2004


Preview: Two evenly matched teams. There is no underdog in this game. any team could win on any given play at any given time. This will be another nail-biter. The Key Matchup tonight is Cuttino Mobley and Paul Peirce. Though Mobley plays a shooter's game and Peirce plays a slasher's game, they are both amazing guards who can go for 20 any night (as we saw from Mobley last game). I would give Peirce the edge in this one, Mobley will need to do a good job containing him or he will score all night long.

Summary: The Celtics jumped out to an early 12-4 lead, but the Magic quickly rallied for a 9-3 run to narrow the lead to 2.The second quarter was action-filled, with many steals including a nice interception by Hedo Turkoglu, who bounced back from yesterday's 1-point game by scoring 7 points. by the end of the half Dwight Howard lead the Magic with 6 points and the score was tied at 23. In the third the Magic gained their first lead of the game when Dwight Howard hit both of his free throws when he was fouled at the buzzer, totaling his points at 14 and taking the lead at 37-36. The fourth was back-and forth. Then, very late in the quarter, the score was 49-50. Dwight Howard dunked it hard over Raef LaFrentz to give the Magic a 1-point lead. Gary Payton missed a mid-range shot and Battie go the rebound and threw it upcourt to Cuttino Mobley. It was one on one: Mobley vs. Payton. Mobley fakes the drive, steps back, and shoots the three with Payton's hand in his face. The floater went up and didn't come down for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, there was that comforting sound. That sound you hear and know everything is okay - the sound of an all-net shot. Mobley's three gave Orlando the boost they needed to beat the Celtics in a great game.


Howard hangs on the rim after the dunk for extra drama.


First quarter break.


Turkoglu intercepts a pass for a steal which led to some fast break points.


Howard backs down a Celtic.


Key players at the half.


Halftime Report.


Howard had a perfect 1.000 free throw percentage.


Third quarter break.


Mobley hit a three with Payton contesting his shot to put the game out of reach for the Celtics.


Tony Battie was named Player of the Game


Game Summary


Box Score

Next game: November , 2004 vs. the T'Wolves
Key Matchup: Cassel and Francis

[ShivaSquad]

good recaps. the pics look much better

[PiksS]

i told u,Magic is da team,Francis,mobley and howard

[tc]

Good job on this, I like it, although the scores are pretty low. I know it's five minutes but I like higher scoring, good job nonetheless.

[Jing]

hm... the player shadows are a bit interesting, all white, but thats not huge.
great job on the intro, and yeah, though scoring a bit low, still decent

[The GOAT]

My game has white shadows how do you fix it?
Thank you for the positive feedback.

[ShivaSquad]

also, kelvin cato is off the IL u should play him

[The GOAT]

I know I just switched him he will be starting again against teh T'Wolves

[The GOAT]

I made an update, typed it all up, and then my brother closed Firefox
Expect 2 updates tomorrow.

[The GOAT]

NOVEMBER 9, 2004



Preview: These are two very good teams, but one team is better. That team would be the Magic. Today they have Kelvin Cato back in the lineup and rookie Mario Kasun has been moved to the IR. Cato is a big part of this Magic team, as he brings his presence on defense in the blocks category, offense where he will put up a few points, and the rebounds category on both ends. He will be the difference for the Magic this game. Key Matchup: Cassel and Francis. These are two very gifted players, but Francis obviously is the better player. Cassel will have a job ahead of him defending the Franchise tonight.

Summary: This game started out back and forth right away, with Mobley hitting 3 straight 3's for the Magic while when the ball was in anybody else's hands they would almost always miss the hole by a mile. Despite the hot steak in the first quarter, the Magic were down 51-13. Mobley would not score again for the rest of the game. When the second quarter came the Mafic's woes only continued, putting them behind by double digits. This was because Kelvin Cato injured his leg while getting hacked on a layup. Information about when he will be back is unknown at this time. Meanwhile, the Magic continued to struggle, behind by no less than 8 for the rest of the game. Garnett dominated, scoring 10 points and earning Player of the Game honors. The heartbreaking loss on the first home game of the season will hope to be made up for against the 0-1 Spurs tomorrow.


Garnett made his presence known early, swatting Dwight Howard's shot in the first play of the game.


First quarter break.


Dwight Howard came back with a block of his own.


Key Players at the Half.


Haltime Report.


Francis tried to keep the Magic in the game, hitting both of his freethrows.


Third quarter break.


Player of the Game: KG


Game Summary.


Orlando box score


Minnesota box score

Next game: November 10, 2004 vs. Spurs (0-1)
Key Matchup: Duncan and Howard

[Dogg]

nice, very nice...too bad you lost.what's up with those white shadows?

[The GOAT]

I don't know

[The GOAT]

The reason I lost is because the first 2 wins were too easy so I moved the difficulty up to Superstar. If I lose double-digit to the Spurs then I'll change it back.