Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic - Game-6 preview
Last time when the Atlanta Hawks took on the Orlando Magic in game-5 of their best of seven first round playoff series, they got drubbed. Magic dominated the game
right from start to finish and Atlanta couldn’t get anywhere near them. Orlando’s brilliant performance in the last game has thrown the series wide open.
So what went wrong for the Hawks in game-5? It might be pointed out that teams backed in a corner often spring a surprise win, but one fails to recall many games
with this much aplomb. Especially, when you consider the fact that star man Dwight Howard made a meagre contribution in the game. The reason for Atlanta’s spectacular demise was simple. They had been playing against Dwight Howard all series, on Tuesday night
they played against the Magic.
Orlando finally clicked as a team in game-5. They found there rhythm from beyond the arc and after averaging a poor 21.9 in the series previously, they went 42.3
percent from downtown. The backcourt finally came alive. Players like J.J. Redick, Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas finally got going in a series; in which they had struggled so far - Arenas being the exception with 20 points in the previous
game.
But it wasn’t about the players, it was about the team. The men from the South Beach finally played like a unit and more importantly shot with confidence and with
belief. They were back to being the Orlando Magic, the league knows; the same Orlando Magic that swept the Hawks in last year’s Eastern Conference semi-finals.
The important thing is that the Magic must not get carried away, come Thursday night. They are still 3-2 down in the series and have 2 must win games still to play.
Coach Stan Van Gundy knows they are still in a very precarious position and he wants to keep working hard and take nothing for granted, "The Biggest thing is we played with tremendous focus and intensity, really from the start to finish and that's what it's
going to take. It'll be much, much, much harder on Thursday and we'll need to play better than we did tonight to get a win there."
Atlanta on the other hand, must not let the loss shatter their confidence. They have been the better team in the series and have the firepower to bounce back. Even
in the last game, they got Howard into foul trouble, which is a positive they can take. But they have to work hard and keep doing what they have in this series, defend hard on the perimeter, get in the faces of the Magic players and get a hand up whenever
they take a shot.
Josh Smith was brilliant last game and if they can get Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson firing again, they can knock Magic out of the playoffs. Even if Orlando wins
the next game, they will still have to beat the Hawks in Atlanta.
However, the next game is going to be hard. A vociferous charge will be coming from the Magic and it is yet to be seen if Atlanta can withstand it. This series has
certainly turned into an extravaganza.
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