Orlando Magic Swept on NBA Playoff by HHA

The Orlando Magic has swept Charlotte in a very solid way, and even more important is the fact that Dwight Howard has an average of less than 30 minutes per game in the entire series. They are the first semifinalist in the east conference, just waiting for their next opponent which will be ether Atlanta or Milwaukee; both teams are tied in their respective series. This will provide enough time for Orlando for resting and checking the rest of the games of their possible opponents in the conference. The next game will be no later than Sunday 2.

Despite the fact Dwight Howard has had foul trouble in all the games of the series, the rest of the team has had excellent performances; even Vince Carter has a great night in the last game, after 3 struggling first games. Marcin Gortat has enjoyed a lot of playoff minutes, thanks to Dwight's fouls (22 fouls in all series and 2 foul out). A victory on Monday night could be granted by their performances.

Vince Carter (21 points), Jameer Nelson (18 points), and Mickael Pietrus were huge 3 pointers in the last quarter. Howard made only 6 points, but grabbed 13 rebounds in his 23 minute performance, before being kicked out for a foul.

Now Orlando has a winning games streak of 10, counting the last games played in the season and the first round of the playoffs, and a long break ahead if the Atlanta-Milwaukee series extends a long run. The Magic have a winning record against both of their possible opponents: 3-1 against Atlanta and 3-0 against Milwaukee. Against those teams Howard was the real menace, bringing the edge to his team.

Dwight has to stop the foul trend if Orlando plans to go all the way to the conference finals, and more importantly, to the NBA finals. The team needs him in the court, not on the bench. Maybe this free time will allow him to think about the struggling first round, since the Magic can't allow him to lose his mind in frustration on the next round.