2008–09 Orlando Magic season

2008–09 Orlando Magic season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachStan Van Gundy
General managerOtis Smith
PresidentBob Vander Weide
Owner(s)Richard DeVos
ArenaAmway Arena
Results
Record59–23 (.720)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Southeast)
Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(lost to Lakers 1–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioWDBO
< 2007–08 2009–10 >

The 2008–09 Orlando Magic season was the 20th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Led by 23-year-old center Dwight Howard, the team finished the regular season with a 59–23 record, the most wins since the 1995–96 season. The Magic would go on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the first round of the playoffs, highlighted by forward Hedo Türkoğlu's game winner in game four of that series. They followed it up by defeating the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in a tough, hard-fought seven-game series in the semi-finals. Finally, they defeated the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the conference finals, thanks to Howard's 40 points and 10 rebounds in Game 6, to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995, but would lose to the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

Following the season, Türkoğlu was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a three-team deal and Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee were all dealt to the New Jersey Nets. It was also Tyronn Lue’s last season as an NBA player, as 6 years later, he would return to the NBA, as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Key dates

[edit]
  • June 26: The 2008 NBA draft took place in New York City.
  • July 1: The free agency period started.
  • October 29: The Magic opened the season with a game against the Atlanta Hawks.
  • December 12: Because of a sore left knee, Dwight Howard missed the first game of his professional career, ending a streak of 351 consecutive games played in.[1]
  • January 13: The Magic scored an NBA record 23 three-pointers against the Sacramento Kings. Nine of the twelve Magic players who played that night scored at least one three pointer: Jameer Nelson (5), JJ Redick (4), Keith Bogans (4), Hedo Türkoğlu (3), Rashard Lewis (3), Courtney Lee (1), Anthony Johnson (1), Brian Cook (1), and Jeremy Richardson (1).[2]
  • February 2: Jameer Nelson left a game after dislocating his right shoulder. One day later, it was announced that he suffered a torn labrum, and would require surgery to repair it, meaning he would likely miss the rest of the season. A few days prior to the injury, Nelson had been named as a reserve in the All-Star Game.[3]
  • February 19: As part of a three-way trade, the Magic acquired Rafer Alston from the Houston Rockets.[4]
  • February 25: The Magic were assured a winning season after defeating the New York Knicks.
  • March 11: The Magic clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Chicago Bulls.
  • March 25: After beating the Boston Celtics, the Magic clinched their second consecutive division championship. With the win, they were also guaranteed of finishing the regular season with more wins than the previous season.
  • April 15: The regular season ended, with the Magic finishing one win shy of matching a franchise record.
  • April 21: Dwight Howard won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the youngest player to win the award as well as the first player of the Magic to do so.[5]
  • April 28: Rookie Courtney Lee was accidentally hit in the face by Dwight Howard during game 5 of the Magic's first round playoff series. The following day it was announced he would miss Game 6, suffering a fractured sinus.[6]
  • April 29: Dwight Howard was suspended for one game by the NBA for an incident in which Howard elbowed a Philadelphia 76ers player in the face the previous night in Game 5 of the Magic's first round playoff series.[7]
  • April 30: The Magic advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games.
  • May 17: In a Game 7 on the road, the Magic advanced to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 1996 after defeating the defending champion Boston Celtics.
  • May 30: The Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–2 to advance to the 2009 NBA Finals and made their first appearance since 1995.
  • June 9: The Magic earned their first NBA Finals game victory in franchise history. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 at Amway Arena by a score of 108–104. The Magic shot an NBA Finals single-game record 75% in the first half, and a record 62.5% for the entire game.[8] The Magic had lost their first six NBA Finals games (four in 1995 and two in 2009).
  • June 14: The Magic's season ended, having lost the NBA Finals in five games to the Lakers.

Offseason

[edit]

Draft picks

[edit]
Main article: 2008 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 22 Courtney Lee Shooting guard American Western Kentucky

Roster

[edit]
2008–09 Orlando Magic roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
PG 1 Alston, Rafer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1976-07-24 Fresno State
PF 4 Battie, Tony 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1976-02-11 Texas Tech
C 31 Foyle, Adonal 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1975-03-09 Colgate
PF 13 Gortat, Marcin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1984-02-17 Poland
C 12 Howard, Dwight 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1985-12-08 SW Atlanta Christian Academy HS (GA)
PG 8 Johnson, Anthony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1974-10-02 College of Charleston
SG 11 Lee, Courtney 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1985-10-03 Western Kentucky
PF 9 Lewis, Rashard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1979-08-08 Alief Elsik HS (TX)
PG 10 Lue, Tyronn 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1977-05-03 Nebraska
PG 14 Nelson, Jameer 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1982-02-09 Saint Joseph's
SG 20 Piétrus, Mickaël 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1982-02-07 France
SG 7 Redick, JJ 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1984-06-24 Duke
SF 32 Richardson, Jeremy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1984-02-11 Delta State
SF 15 Türkoğlu, Hedo 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1979-03-19 Turkey
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: March 23, 2009

Regular season

[edit]

The first half of the 2008–09 season went very well for the Magic. After 41 games, the Magic were 33–8, leading the Southeast Division, as well as having one of the top four records in the league. On January 13, 2009, they scored an NBA record 23 three-pointers against the Sacramento Kings. Nine of the twelve Magic players who played that night scored at least one three pointer. At the start of February, Jameer Nelson, their all-star starting point guard, went down with a shoulder injury which caused him to miss the remainder of the season. The Magic then began a stretch where they did not win or lose consecutive games for almost the entire month. The Magic did make a deal at the trade deadline with the Houston Rockets for Rafer Alston. Still having to deal with the absence of Nelson though, Orlando managed to maintain one of the top records in the league, secured a second straight winning season, and clinched a playoff berth in mid-March. The Magic defeated the defending champion Boston Celtics to capture their second consecutive division championship, and on the same night assured themselves of winning more games than the previous season. Finishing the regular season with a 59–23 record, it was the most games the team had won in a season since the 1995–96 season in which they had 60 wins.

Standings

[edit]
Southeast Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div GP
y-Orlando Magic 59 23 .720 — 32–9 27–14 14–2 82
x-Atlanta Hawks 47 35 .573 12 31–10 16–25 11–5 82
x-Miami Heat 43 39 .524 16 28–13 15–26 9–7 82
Charlotte Bobcats 35 47 .427 24 23–18 12–29 5–11 82
Washington Wizards 19 63 .232 40 13–28 6–35 1–15 82
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Cleveland Cavaliers 66 16 .805 —
2 y-Boston Celtics 62 20 .756 4
3 y-Orlando Magic 59 23 .720 7
4 x-Atlanta Hawks 47 35 .573 19
5 x-Miami Heat 43 39 .524 23
6 x-Philadelphia 76ers 41 41 .500 25
7 x-Chicago Bulls 41 41 .500 25
8 x-Detroit Pistons 39 43 .476 27
9 Indiana Pacers 36 46 .439 30
10 Charlotte Bobcats 35 47 .427 31
11 New Jersey Nets 34 48 .415 32
12 Milwaukee Bucks 34 48 .415 32
13 Toronto Raptors 33 49 .402 33
14 New York Knicks 32 50 .390 34
15 Washington Wizards 19 63 .232 47

Record vs. opponents

[edit]
2008–09 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MEM MIA MIL MIN NJN NOH NYK OKC ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS TOR UTA WAS
Atlanta – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Boston 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Charlotte 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Chicago 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Cleveland 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Dallas 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Denver 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Detroit 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Golden State 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Houston 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 – 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0 10–0
Indiana 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
L.A. Clippers 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
L.A. Lakers 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Memphis 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Miami 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Milwaukee 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Minnesota 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 0—0 0—0 0—0 0—0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
New Jersey 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 0—0 0—0
New Orleans 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
New York 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Oklahoma City 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Orlando 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Philadelphia 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0
Phoenix 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0
Portland 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
Sacramento 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
San Antonio 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0—0 – 0–0 0–0 0–0
Toronto 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0 0–0
Utah 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 – 0–0
Washington 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 —

Game log

[edit]
2008–09 game log
October: 0–2 (home: 0–1; road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 October 29 Atlanta L 85–99 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (15) Anthony Johnson (3) Amway Arena
17,461 		0–1
2 October 31 @ Memphis L 84–86 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) FedExForum
16,139 		0–2
November: 13–2 (home: 7–2; road: 6–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
3 November 1 Sacramento W 121–103 Dwight Howard (29) Dwight Howard (14) Rashard Lewis (6) Amway Arena
16,704 		1–2
4 November 3 Chicago W 96–93 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
15,606 		2–2
5 November 6 Philadelphia W 98–88 Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu, Dwight Howard (8) Jameer Nelson (9) Amway Arena
16,407 		3–2
6 November 8 Washington W 106–81 Dwight Howard (31) Dwight Howard (16) Jameer Nelson (6) Amway Arena
16,911 		4–2
7 November 10 Portland L 99–106 Hedo Türkoğlu (35) Dwight Howard (19) Jameer Nelson (7) Amway Arena
14,210 		4–3
8 November 12 @ Oklahoma City W 109–92 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (19) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Ford Center
18,185 		5–3
9 November 14 @ Dallas W 102–100 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (13) Anthony Johnson (6) American Airlines Center
20,085 		6–3
10 November 16 @ Charlotte W 90–85 Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Tony Battie, Dwight Howard (7) Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Time Warner Cable Arena
12,639 		7–3
11 November 18 Toronto W 103–90 Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu, Jameer Nelson (22) Dwight Howard (9) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
16,353 		8–3
12 November 21 @ Indiana W 100–98 (OT) Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (17) Jameer Nelson (9) Conseco Fieldhouse
14,699 		9–3
13 November 22 Houston L 95–100 Jameer Nelson (21) Dwight Howard (9) Jameer Nelson (6) Amway Arena
17,461 		9–4
14 November 24 Milwaukee W 108–101 Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (13) Jameer Nelson (6) Amway Arena
16,245 		10–4
15 November 26 @ Philadelphia W 96–94 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Wachovia Center
14,985 		11–4
16 November 27 @ Washington W 105–90 Dwight Howard (26) Dwight Howard (14) Anthony Johnson (12) Verizon Center
13,295 		12–4
17 November 29 Indiana W 110–96 Dwight Howard (32) Dwight Howard (21) Anthony Johnson, JJ Redick (4) Amway Arena
17,172 		13–4
December: 12–3 (home: 6–0; road: 6–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
18 December 1 @ Boston L 88–107 Rashard Lewis (30) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu, Anthony Johnson (4) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624 		13–5
19 December 3 Minnesota W 100–89 Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (14) Rashard Lewis (5) Amway Arena
15,705 		14–5
20 December 5 Oklahoma City W 98–89 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (23) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
16,812 		15–5
21 December 8 @ L.A. Clippers W 95–88 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (22) Hedo Türkoğlu (6) Staples Center
15,222 		16–5
22 December 9 @ Portland W 109–108 Rashard Lewis (27) Rashard Lewis (9) Jameer Nelson (6) Rose Garden
20,642 		17–5
23 December 12 @ Phoenix L 112–113 Dwight Howard (19) Rashard Lewis (8) Jameer Nelson, Anthony Johnson (6) US Airways Center
18,422 		17–6
24 December 13 @ Utah W 103–94 Rashard Lewis (27) Rashard Lewis (9) Jameer Nelson (6) EnergySolutions Arena
19,911 		18–6
25 December 15 @ Golden State W 109–98 Jameer Nelson (32) Marcin Gortat (13) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Oracle Arena
18,844 		19–6
26 December 18 San Antonio W 90–78 Jameer Nelson (24) Dwight Howard (13) Jameer Nelson (7) Amway Arena
17,461 		20–6
27 December 20 L.A. Lakers W 106–103 Jameer Nelson (27) Dwight Howard (12) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
17,461 		21–6
28 December 22 Golden State W 113–81 Jameer Nelson (22) Dwight Howard (11) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
17,461 		22–6
29 December 25 New Orleans W 88–68 Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena
17,461 		23–6
30 December 27 @ Minnesota W 118–94 Hedo Türkoğlu (26) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rashard Lewis (7) Jameer Nelson (8) Target Center
17,003 		24–6
31 December 29 @ Detroit L 82–88 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (18) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 		24–7
32 December 31 @ Chicago W 113–94 Rashard Lewis (21) Dwight Howard (14) Jameer Nelson (5) United Center
21,861 		25–7
January: 10–3 (home: 5–1; road: 5–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
33 January 2 Miami W 86–76 Rashard Lewis (17) Dwight Howard (15) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena
17,461 		26–7
34 January 4 @ Toronto L 102–108 Dwight Howard (39) Dwight Howard (8) Rashard Lewis (9) Air Canada Centre
19,322 		26–8
35 January 6 Washington W 89–80 Hedo Türkoğlu (22) Dwight Howard (16) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
16,011 		27–8
36 January 7 @ Atlanta W 106–102 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (19) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Philips Arena
13,748 		28–8
37 January 9 Atlanta W 121–87 Hedo Türkoğlu (21) Marcin Gortat (11) Jameer Nelson (9) Amway Arena
17,461 		29–8
38 January 11 @ San Antonio W 105–98 Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (14) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (5) AT&T Center
18,216 		30–8
39 January 13 @ Sacramento W 139–107 Dwight Howard (25) Dwight Howard (15) Jameer Nelson (11) ARCO Arena
11,168 		31–8
40 January 16 @ L.A. Lakers W 109–103 Jameer Nelson (28) Dwight Howard (20) Jameer Nelson (8) Staples Center
18,997 		32–8
41 January 17 @ Denver W 106–88 Hedo Türkoğlu (31) Dwight Howard (20) Hedo Türkoğlu, Jameer Nelson (5) Pepsi Center
19,749 		33–8
42 January 22 Boston L 80–90 Hedo Türkoğlu (22) Dwight Howard (11) Jameer Nelson (3) Amway Arena
17,461 		33–9
43 January 24 @ Miami L 97–103 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (10) Jameer Nelson (7) American Airlines Arena
19,600 		33–10
44 January 27 Indiana W 135–111 Mickaël Piétrus (27) Mickaël Piétrus, Dwight Howard (10) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena
17,461 		34–10
45 January 29 Cleveland W 99–88 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (18) Rashard Lewis (5) Amway Arena
17,461 		35–10
February: 8–6 (home: 4–3; road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
46 February 1 @ Toronto W 113–90 Dwight Howard (29) Dwight Howard (14) Jameer Nelson (10) Air Canada Centre
19,800 		36–10
47 February 2 Dallas L 95–105 Dwight Howard (35) Dwight Howard (11) Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Amway Arena
16,551 		36–11
48 February 4 L.A. Clippers W 125–96 Anthony Johnson (25) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (6) Amway Arena
16,101 		37–11
49 February 6 @ Indiana L 102–107 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (20) Hedo Türkoğlu (11) Conseco Fieldhouse
13,559 		37–12
50 February 8 New Jersey W 101–84 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (16) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena
16,533 		38–12
51 February 11 Denver L 73–82 Dwight Howard (16) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena
17,461 		38–13
52 February 17 Charlotte W 107–102 (OT) Dwight Howard (45) Dwight Howard (19) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
17,461 		39–13
53 February 18 @ New Orleans L 85–117 Rashard Lewis (17) Marcin Gortat, Dwight Howard (8) Rashard Lewis (8) New Orleans Arena
16,651 		39–14
54 February 20 @ Charlotte W 92–80 Hedo Türkoğlu (24) Dwight Howard (16) Rafer Alston (8) Time Warner Cable Arena
19,244 		40–14
55 February 22 Miami W 122–99 Dwight Howard (32) Dwight Howard (17) Rafer Alston (9) Amway Arena
17,461 		41–14
56 February 24 @ Chicago L 102–120 Dwight Howard (26) Dwight Howard (12) Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston (5) United Center
21,902 		41–15
57 February 25 @ New York W 114–109 Hedo Türkoğlu (33) Dwight Howard (21) Rashard Lewis (4) Madison Square Garden
19,763 		42–15
58 February 27 Detroit L 85–93 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (13) Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena
17,461 		42–16
59 February 28 @ Philadelphia W 106–100 Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu (23) Dwight Howard (8) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Wachovia Center
19,703 		43–16
March: 12–2 (home: 7–0; road: 5–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
60 March 3 Phoenix W 111–99 Rashard Lewis (29) Rashard Lewis (12) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena
17,461 		44–16
61 March 6 New Jersey W 105–102 Dwight Howard (26) Dwight Howard (15) Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena
17,461 		45–16
62 March 8 @ Boston W 86–79 Dwight Howard (18) Dwight Howard (15) Rafer Alston (8) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624 		46–16
63 March 9 @ Detroit L 94–98 Dwight Howard (27) Dwight Howard (14) Rafer Alston (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills
20,039 		46–17
64 March 11 Chicago W 107–79 Tony Battie (18) Marcin Gortat (15) Rafer Alston, Anthony Johnson (6) Amway Arena
17,461 		47–17
65 March 13 @ Washington W 112–103 Mickaël Piétrus (21) Dwight Howard (13) Dwight Howard (7) Verizon Center
18,152 		48–17
66 March 15 Utah W 105–87 Dwight Howard (28) Dwight Howard (20) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena
17,461 		49–17
67 March 17 @ Cleveland L 93–97 Rafer Alston (23) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Quicken Loans Arena
20,562 		49–18
68 March 18 @ Milwaukee W 106–80 Dwight Howard (28) Dwight Howard (12) Dwight Howard, Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Bradley Center
13,819 		50–18
69 March 21 New York W 110–103 Rashard Lewis (27) Marcin Gortat (8) Hedo Türkoğlu (9) Amway Arena
17,461 		51–18
70 March 23 @ New York W 106–102 Dwight Howard (29) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (3) Madison Square Garden
19,763 		52–18
71 March 25 Boston W 84–82 Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (21) Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena
17,461 		53–18
72 March 27 Milwaukee W 110–94 Rashard Lewis (19) Marcin Gortat (11) Dwight Howard, Rafer Alston (5) Amway Arena
17,461 		54–18
73 March 30 @ Miami W 101–95 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (18) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rafer Alston (5) American Airlines Arena
19,600 		55–18
April: 4–5 (home: 3–2; road: 1–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
74 April 1 Toronto L 95–99 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (9) Hedo Türkoğlu (6) Amway Arena
17,461 		55–19
75 April 3 Cleveland W 116–87 Rashard Lewis (22) Dwight Howard (11) Rafer Alston (10) Amway Arena
17,461 		56–19
76 April 4 @ Atlanta W 88–82 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (5) Philips Arena
19,608 		57–19
77 April 7 @ Houston L 83–93 Rashard Lewis (22) Rashard Lewis (12) Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Toyota Center
18,389 		57–20
78 April 8 Memphis W 81–78 Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Dwight Howard (13) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
17,461 		58–20
79 April 10 New York L 95–105 Hedo Türkoğlu (24) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rafer Alston (5) Amway Arena
17,461 		58–21
80 April 11 @ New Jersey L 93–103 Hedo Türkoğlu (16) Dwight Howard (8) Rafer Alston (8) Izod Center
17,123 		58–22
81 April 13 @ Milwaukee L 80–98 Courtney Lee (17) Marcin Gortat (18) Rafer Alston (4) Bradley Center
14,683 		58–23
82 April 15 Charlotte W 98–73 Tony Battie (21) Dwight Howard (12) Mickaël Piétrus (5) Amway Arena
17,461 		59–23
2015–16 season schedule

Playoffs

[edit]

The Magic drew the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. With the series tied at two wins for each team, Game 5 saw Vivani an incident in the 1st quarter involving Dwight Howard throwing an elbow at 76ers center Samuel Dalembert. Howard was assessed a technical foul but was not ejected from the game. The NBA reviewed the play and suspended Howard for Game 6.[7] A second incident involving an elbow from Dwight Howard happened in Game 5 not long after the elbow to Dalembert. This time however, Magic rookie Courtney Lee was the recipient of the hit from his teammate. Lee left the game and did not return. Suffering a fractured sinus, it was announced that Lee was expected to have surgery and could miss the remainder of the postseason.[9] Neither player's absence would prove costly to Orlando in Game 6, who won the series with a blowout on the road, and Lee returned to action in the next series wearing a protective face mask, such as one worn by Richard Hamilton.

In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Magic faced the defending champion Boston Celtics. Facing a 3–2 series deficit, the Magic tied the series with a home game victory in Game 6 and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals by winning Game 7 on the road, ending Boston's 32–0 undefeated record when leading the series 3–2. Assistant Coach Patrick Ewing had guaranteed a win in Game 7.[10]

Returning to the conference finals for the first time since 1996, the Magic's opponent was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who compiled the league's best regular season record led by the season's MVP, LeBron James. That didn't stop the Magic as they closed the series out at home in Game 6, winning 103–90 as Dwight Howard scored 40 points, a career high for him in a playoff game. The Magic won the series 4–2, the Eastern Conference championship, and the right to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.

After dropping the first two games in the series, the Magic finally won their first ever game in the finals in Game 3. With the franchise losing their first six finals games 1995 and 2009 combined, it was the second most games a team had lost in the finals before earning their first win.[8] However, in Game 4 the Magic lost to the Lakers 99–91 in overtime; the Lakers took a 3–1 series lead and won again in Game 5, thus ending the Magic's longest playoff run in team history and ending up 1–8 in the finals.

Game log

[edit]
2009 playoff game log
First Round: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 19 Philadelphia L 98–100 Dwight Howard (31) Dwight Howard (16) Rafer Alston (5) Amway Arena
17,461		 0–1
2 April 22 Philadelphia W 96–87 Courtney Lee (24) Dwight Howard (10) Rashard Lewis (6) Amway Arena
17,461		 1–1
3 April 24 @ Philadelphia L 94–96 Dwight Howard (36) Dwight Howard (11) Courtney Lee (5) Wachovia Center
16,492		 1–2
4 April 26 @ Philadelphia W 84–81 Dwight Howard (18) Dwight Howard (18) Rafer Alston (5) Wachovia Center
16,464		 2–2
5 April 28 Philadelphia W 91–78 Howard, Lewis (24) Dwight Howard (24) Alston, Türkoğlu (4) Amway Arena
17,461		 3–2
6 April 30 @ Philadelphia W 114–89 Rashard Lewis (29) Marcin Gortat (15) Rafer Alston (10) Wachovia Center
16,691		 4–2
Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 4 @ Boston W 95–90 Rashard Lewis (18) Dwight Howard (22) Rafer Alston (7) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624		 1–0
2 May 6 @ Boston L 94–112 Lewis, Piétrus (17) Dwight Howard (12) Anthony Johnson (7) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624		 1–1
3 May 8 Boston W 117–96 Rashard Lewis (28) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Amway Arena
17,461		 2–1
4 May 10 Boston L 94–95 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (17) JJ Redick (7) Amway Arena
17,461		 2–2
5 May 12 @ Boston L 88–92 Rashard Lewis (19) Dwight Howard (17) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624		 2–3
6 May 14 Boston W 83–75 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (22) Alston, Lewis, Türkoğlu (3) Amway Arena
17,461		 3–3
7 May 17 @ Boston W 101–82 Hedo Türkoğlu (25) Dwight Howard (16) Hedo Türkoğlu (12) TD Banknorth Garden
18,624		 4–3
Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 20 @ Cleveland W 107–106 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (13) Hedo Türkoğlu (14) Quicken Loans Arena
20,562		 1–0
2 May 22 @ Cleveland L 95–96 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (18) Howard, Johnson, Türkoğlu (4) Quicken Loans Arena
20,562		 1–1
3 May 24 Cleveland W 99–89 Dwight Howard (24) Hedo Türkoğlu (10) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
17,461		 2–1
4 May 26 Cleveland W 116–114 (OT) Dwight Howard (27) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena
17,461		 3–1
5 May 28 @ Cleveland L 102–112 Hedo Türkoğlu (29) Dwight Howard (10) Rafer Alston (4) Quicken Loans Arena
20,562		 3–2
6 May 30 Cleveland W 103–90 Dwight Howard (40) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena
17,461		 4–2
NBA Finals: 1–4 (home: 1–2; road: 0–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 June 4 @ L.A. Lakers L 75–100 Mickaël Piétrus (14) Dwight Howard (15) Jameer Nelson (4) Staples Center
18,997		 0–1
2 June 7 @ L.A. Lakers L 96–101 (OT) Rashard Lewis (34) Dwight Howard (16) Rashard Lewis (7) Staples Center
18,997		 0–2
3 June 9 L.A. Lakers W 108–104 Howard, Lewis (21) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena
17,461		 1–2
4 June 11 L.A. Lakers L 91–99 (OT) Hedo Türkoğlu (25) Dwight Howard (21) Rashard Lewis (4) Amway Arena
17,461		 1–3
5 June 14 L.A. Lakers L 86–99 Rashard Lewis (18) Howard, Lewis (10) Lewis, Nelson (4) Amway Arena
17,461		 1–4
2009 playoff schedule

Player statistics

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Anthony Johnson PG 80 12 1,481 147 200 46 5 421 18.5 1.8 2.5 .6 .1 5.3
Rashard Lewis PF 79 79 2,859 453 205 81 51 1,401 36.2 5.7 2.6 1.0 .6 17.7
Dwight Howard C 79 79 2,821 1,093 112 77 231 1,624 35.7 13.8 1.4 1.0 2.9 20.6
Hedo Türkoğlu SF 77 77 2,815 410 375 64 19 1,294 36.6 5.3 4.9 .8 .2 16.8
Courtney Lee SG 77 42 1,939 178 91 76 14 646 25.2 2.3 1.2 1.0 .2 8.4
Tony Battie PF 77 3 1,202 278 31 26 25 372 15.6 3.6 .4 .3 .3 4.8
JJ Redick SG 64 5 1,111 109 73 21 1 382 17.4 1.7 1.1 .3 .0 6.0
Marcin Gortat PF 63 3 794 286 14 18 53 239 12.6 4.5 .2 .3 .8 3.8
Mickaël Piétrus SG 54 25 1,329 176 65 31 24 510 24.6 3.3 1.2 .6 .4 9.4
Jameer Nelson PG 42 42 1,309 145 226 51 3 702 31.2 3.5 5.4 1.2 .1 16.7
Keith Bogans† SG 36 15 787 111 31 23 2 189 21.9 3.1 .9 .6 .1 5.3
Rafer Alston† PG 29 28 856 83 148 51 3 348 29.5 2.9 5.1 1.8 .1 12.0
Brian Cook† PF 21 0 146 27 4 3 0 62 7.0 1.3 .2 .1 .0 3.0
Tyronn Lue† PG 14 0 129 11 14 2 0 42 9.2 .8 1.0 .1 .0 3.0
Jeremy Richardson SF 12 0 93 14 3 0 0 37 7.8 1.2 .3 .0 .0 3.1
Adonal Foyle† C 9 0 59 26 1 0 8 17 6.6 2.9 .1 .0 .9 1.9

Playoffs

[edit]
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Rashard Lewis PF 24 24 986 153 70 25 13 455 41.1 6.4 2.9 1.0 .5 19.0
Hedo Türkoğlu SF 24 24 934 109 116 18 4 378 38.9 4.5 4.8 .8 .2 15.8
Marcin Gortat PF 24 1 271 76 3 9 15 78 11.3 3.2 .1 .4 .6 3.3
Mickaël Piétrus SG 24 0 618 62 14 18 13 252 25.8 2.6 .6 .8 .5 10.5
Dwight Howard C 23 23 903 353 43 20 60 467 39.3 15.3 1.9 .9 2.6 20.3
Rafer Alston PG 23 23 740 56 94 33 4 281 32.2 2.4 4.1 1.4 .2 12.2
Courtney Lee SG 21 16 550 39 27 19 3 169 26.2 1.9 1.3 .9 .1 8.0
Tony Battie PF 21 0 128 20 2 0 3 45 6.1 1.0 .1 .0 .1 2.1
Anthony Johnson PG 19 1 280 26 39 11 0 82 14.7 1.4 2.1 .6 .0 4.3
JJ Redick SG 16 8 327 19 31 8 1 96 20.4 1.2 1.9 .5 .1 6.0
Jameer Nelson PG 5 0 90 7 14 1 0 19 18.0 1.4 2.8 .2 .0 3.8
Adonal Foyle C 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 .5 .0 .0 .0 .0
Tyronn Lue PG 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 4.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 5.0
Jeremy Richardson SF 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Magic only.

Awards and records

[edit]

Records

[edit]
  • Orlando broke the 3-point record with 23 made 3-pointers on January 13, 2008, in Sacramento.
  • Rashard Lewis led the league in 3-point field goals.

Transactions

[edit]

Trades

[edit]
July 11, 2008
 To New Jersey Nets----Keyon Dooling[11] To Orlando Magic----Cash considerations
February 5, 2009
 To Milwaukee Bucks----Keith Bogans To Orlando Magic----Tyronn Lue
February 19, 2009
 To Memphis Grizzlies----Orlando 1st round pick (2009)
Adonal Foyle (re-signed with Orlando)
Mike Wilks 		To Houston Rockets----Kyle Lowry
Brian Cook 		To Orlando Magic----Rafer Alston

Free agents

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Magic beat Jazz despite Dwight Howard missing his first game as a pro
  2. ^ "Orlando Magic News Headlines". NBA.com.
  3. ^ "Magic's Jameer Nelson to have shoulder surgery, likely out for season". Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  4. ^ "Magic Make Deal For Rafer Alston in Three-Way". Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  5. ^ "Magic's Dwight Howard wins NBA Defensive Player of Year". Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  6. ^ Lee injured after getting elbowed
  7. ^ a b Howard out for Game 6
  8. ^ a b Hot shooting, balanced scoring lift Magic in Game 3
  9. ^ Lee could miss rest of playoffs
  10. ^ Golen, Jimmy (May 18, 2009). "Magic Moment: Orlando beats Boston to advance". Yahoo.com. Associated Press.
  11. ^ "SLAM! Sports - Basketball". Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "SLAM! Sports - Basketball". Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ "SLAM! Sports - Basketball". Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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