It’s a sad state of affairs in the Eastern Conference when sixth ranked Orlando Magic barely held their head above water from beginning to end against the Washington Wizards who have only won 4 games this season. Maybe the lockout was too long and the players are tired? The fans were a bit lackluster in the Amway Center Wednesday night. Or possibly people were expecting the Magic to do their thing and beat the Wizards with one hand behind their back.

Live scoreboard at Amway Center – Magic vs Wizards Feb 1, 2012.
Monica Lehua

Is Anderson the next Howard?

I’m not sure but the comical antics of our surrounding fans were much more entertaining than most of the game. It wasn’t as if there weren’t a few good plays. Dwight Howard made a nice show-off of a slam dunk. However, even though he scored 21 points and 18 rebounds, the cheers were louder for Ryan Anderson whenever he stepped on the courts. Anderson was the high scorer with 23 and J.J. Redick, another crowd favorite mimicked Howards 21 points.

It’s possible that Orlando fans have decided they need to change who they are going to cheer for in the future since Howard has basically said he doesn’t want to be in Orlando. In addition, off the court and in the ear shot of reporters Howard is constantly quoted belittling his teammates – yea, way to go to boost morale, kick your teammates when they are already down. Basically Howard has a foot out the Amway Center door and his comments are loud and clear to Orlando fans – thus you can sense the loyalty of fans changing gears.

Orlando Struggles to Hold On

As usually the crowd began to leave the arena with just two minutes left in the game, Orlando had a tiny lead up by six. We weren’t going to try to beat the crowd, it was too easy for the Magic to make a mistake; they had been struggling all night. Fortunately both sides kept using their time outs and Hedo Turkoglu and Redick’s free throws added a few more points to seal the deal in the final minutes. Orlando’s defense held up and they broke loose from their losing streak. We’ll be holding our breath for Thursday’s game in Indiana at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse as Orlando faces the Pacer’s at 7 p.m. ET.

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By Jared E. Smith

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Jan 6, 2012 – The Chicago Bulls are hoping to continue their best start to a season since 1996-97 Friday, as they visit Eastern Conference rival, Orlando Magic, at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL (8 p.m. on ESPN). The Bulls (6-1) will be playing their second of three straight road games, while the Magic (5-2) are trying to remain unbeaten at home (4-0).

On Wednesday, behind a 17-point, 10-assists effort from point guard Derrick Rose the Bulls easily defeated the Detroit Pistons, 99-83. However, during the game Rose banged his elbow on the floor last in the fourth quarter. According to Rose, the elbow had to be wrapped and was sore, but X-rays were negative and he should be fine for Friday’s game.

Meanwhile, the Magic are coming off a solid performance Wednesday against the visiting Washington Wizards, who was blown out 103-85. In the contest, Orlando center Dwight Howard tallied a season-best 28 points and 20 rebounds, while Ryan Anderson added 25 points and 13 boards.

The last time these two franchise meet was back in April when Rose netted a 39 points in a victory in Orlando.

For more on the Bulls, visit the SB Nation blog Blog A Bull, while Orlando Pinstriped Post has everything on the Magic. Visit the SB Nation NBA homepage for everything NBA.

Read More: Dwight Howard (C – ORL), Ryan Anderson (F – ORL), Derrick Rose (G – CHI), Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls

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Rashard Lewis found himself in a familiar place Tuesday afternoon.

He practiced with his current team, the Washington Wizards, on the Amway Center practice court he once used with his old team, the Orlando Magic. Four of the banners that he helped the Magic win still hang on the walls. A few pictures of him still adorn the Magic weight room.

“It just brings a smile back to my face,” Lewis said afterward as he looked at the 2008-09 Eastern Conference championship banner.

Fans probably will see that familiar grin when Lewis’ Wizards face the Magic tonight at Amway Center. It will be Lewis’ first game at the arena as a player since he was traded to Washington for Gilbert Arenas on Dec. 18, 2010.

Lewis has adjusted.

Finally.

In an interview Tuesday, as he sat in his old team’s practice gym, Lewis revealed that it took him months to come to terms with the blockbuster trade. He went from a team with legitimate NBA title aspirations to a team headed for the NBA lottery. And although he had heard rumors that a trade was in the offing, the deal still caught him by surprise.

“At the time, when the trade happened, it was a blow,” Lewis recalled.

“It was a huge blow. My main focus was to try and win the NBA championship for the city of Orlando. We got close one year. We’d been to the Eastern Conference finals the year after that. It was nothing but good times here when we were winning ballgames, and I put everything into trying to bring a championship for this city and for this team. It just seemed like it came crashing down all in one day.”

On Dec. 17, the day before the deal, the Magic organization hosted 55 families from a nearby youth center for a holiday party at Amway Center. Players gave the kids brand-new, gleaming bicycles. The team set up activities on the arena grounds. Everything seemed just fine.

The next morning, everything felt different when the team gathered for its shootaround to prepare for that night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I woke up that morning and I kind of heard the rumors of a trade, but you always hear rumors of a million different trades or a million different things that go on in the NBA,” Lewis said. “I didn’t talk to the coach about it. I didn’t talk to the GM [Otis Smith]. Nobody told me nothing.

“I came to the shootaround in the morning, and the vibe was weird. It was different at that shootaround that morning. Some guys were laughing and upbeat; maybe they knew about the trade, I don’t know. It was just a different vibe.

“Then, when I left to go home, I ate my pregame meal and took a nap. My phone started ringing while I was asleep; I woke up and looked at my phone and I saw it was Otis calling. I pretty much knew what happened just by seeing him call.”

Lewis didn’t answer his phone right away.

He wanted to speak to his agent, Tony Dutt, before he talked with Smith.

It was official. Lewis had been traded for Arenas.

And, in a separate deal, the Magic sent Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, a first-round draft pick and cash to Phoenix for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark.

Lewis said what made it tough was that he didn’t have time to prepare. He had no inkling that he was on the trading block.

Thousands of fans are expected to flock to downtown Orlando Monday night as the Magic hit the court for the first home game of the season.

Last week’s preseason game at the Amway Center brought in a sellout crowd and Monday’s game is expected to be no different as the Magic take on the Houston Rockets.

Workers at restaurants and stores that surround the Amway Center have known for a long time this season would be a slow start, but they said they are ready to get to work.

Meanwhile, rumors continue to swirl about star center Dwight Howard leaving the team in some sort of trade deal, which is what he’s requested. But Howard has previously said it won’t affect his game.

The season may have gotten off to a slow start at the Amway Center, but now it’s really picking up steam. There will be three games at the center in the next seven days alone.

The Magic will go into their home opener on a sour note coming off their loss to Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night.

The magic started off looking great with Howard just hanging on the rim after a dunk that put them up by seven.

But Orlando lost it on defense with 18 turnovers in the game. The Thunder won 97 to 89.

Tip off is set for 7 p.m. Monday.

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Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is defended by Atlanta’s ZaZa Puchulia and Kirk Hinrich in the second half of Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA playoffs at the Amway Center in on April 16, 2011 Orlando, Florida.  (Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel)

To see more pictures from the game, click here.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: MAGIC VS. HAWKS

Series schedule

(Best-of-7)

Game 1: Tonight at Amway Center, 7 p.m., Sun Sports/ESPN

Game 2: Tuesday at Amway Center, 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Florida/NBA TV

Game 3: Friday at Philips Arena, 8 p.m., Fox Sports Florida/ESPN2

Game 4: Sunday, April 24 at Philips Arena, 7 p.m., Sun Sports/TNT

Game 5*: Tuesday, April 26 at Amway Center, Time TBD, Fox Sports Florida/Natl. TV TBD

Game 6*: Thursday, April 28 at Philips Arena, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/Natl. TV TBD

Game 7*: Saturday, April 30 at Amway Center, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/TNT

* — If necessary.

Radio coverage on WDBO (580 AM), WRLZ (1270 AM, Spanish).

Regular-season records: Magic 52-30, Hawks 44-38.

Regular-season series: Hawks won, 3-1.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks are slated to play Game 1 at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

We’re one day from the start of the NBA playoffs, meaning we’re in official playoff preview mode. In today’s links we have all sorts of previews for the Magic-Hawks series, the Amway Center’s noise level is discussed and Jameer Nelson says something to irk the Hawks.

1. Homecourt disadvantage? Magic players hope Amway Center is loud for playoffs, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The Amway Center was quieter than the old Amway Arena during the regular season. Will the playoffs be any different?

2. Atlanta Hawks playing better defense than last season, Zach McCann, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The Hawks are longer and better at defending three-pointers this year compared to last.

3. Magic mantra: Eastern Conference finals or bust! Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Bianchi says the Magic reaching the Eastern Conference Finals would make this season a success.

4. Magic mania revs up as playoff season arrives, Jon Busdeker, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The community’s supporting the Magic and showing it on their faces.

5. Jameer Nelson’s ‘comment’ irks Hawks, Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Nelson accidentally gave the Hawks some bulletin board material last week against the Bulls.

6. Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks Playoff Preview: Jason Collins’ Defense vs. Dwight Howard’s Offense, Evan Dunlap, Orlando Pinstriped Post

The Buzz: Here are the numbers you need to know heading into the playoff series.

7. How they can win it all: The Orlando Magic, Matt Moore, CBSSports.com

The Buzz: The Magic winning it all is possible, but a lot has to go right.

8. Previewing the Orlando Magic’s first round series with Synergy, Matt Scribbins, MagicBasketball.net

The Buzz: If you’re wondering how to attack the Hawks, check out the numbers in this post.

9. (4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks, Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated

The Buzz: Here’s the SI preview for the series.

10. This would be good time for Hawks to knock somebody down, Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buzz: The Hawks will have to dig deep to defeat the Magic.

The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks are slated to play Game 1 at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

We’re one day from the start of the NBA playoffs, meaning we’re in official playoff preview mode. In today’s links we have all sorts of previews for the Magic-Hawks series, the Amway Center’s noise level is discussed and Jameer Nelson says something to irk the Hawks.

1. Homecourt disadvantage? Magic players hope Amway Center is loud for playoffs, Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The Amway Center was quieter than the old Amway Arena during the regular season. Will the playoffs be any different?

2. Atlanta Hawks playing better defense than last season, Zach McCann, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The Hawks are longer and better at defending three-pointers this year compared to last.

3. Magic mantra: Eastern Conference finals or bust! Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Bianchi says the Magic reaching the Eastern Conference Finals would make this season a success.

4. Magic mania revs up as playoff season arrives, Jon Busdeker, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: The community’s supporting the Magic and showing it on their faces.

5. Jameer Nelson’s ‘comment’ irks Hawks, Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Buzz: Nelson accidentally gave the Hawks some bulletin board material last week against the Bulls.

6. Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks Playoff Preview: Jason Collins’ Defense vs. Dwight Howard’s Offense, Evan Dunlap, Orlando Pinstriped Post

The Buzz: Here are the numbers you need to know heading into the playoff series.

7. How they can win it all: The Orlando Magic, Matt Moore, CBSSports.com

The Buzz: The Magic winning it all is possible, but a lot has to go right.

8. Previewing the Orlando Magic’s first round series with Synergy, Matt Scribbins, MagicBasketball.net

The Buzz: If you’re wondering how to attack the Hawks, check out the numbers in this post.

9. (4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks, Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated

The Buzz: Here’s the SI preview for the series.

10. This would be good time for Hawks to knock somebody down, Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Buzz: The Hawks will have to dig deep to defeat the Magic.

The Orlando Magic will play Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at 7 p.m., league officials announced Wednesday afternoon.

The schedule for the rest of the games between the Magic and the Hawks was announced Wednesday night. In addition to Game 1, the Magic will host Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 5 and Game 7.

The schedule is as follows:

Game 1 — Saturday, April 16, 7 p.m., Sun Sports/ESPN (Orlando, Amway Center)

Game 2 — Tuesday, April 19, 7:30 p.m., Local TV TBD/NBA TV (Orlando, Amway Center)

Game 3 — Friday, April 22, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/ESPN 2 and ESPN 3D (Atlanta)

Game 4 — Sunday, April 24, 7 p.m., Local TV TBD/TNT (Atlanta)

Game 5 — Tuesday, April 26, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/National TV TBD, (Orlando, Amway Center), If necessary

Game 6 — Thursday, April 28, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/National TV TBD (Atlanta), If necessary

Game 7 — Saturday, April 30, Time TBD, Local TV TBD/TNT (Orlando, Amway Center), If necessary

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.

It looks like Milwaukee Bucks coach is in deep thought. Something tells me he won’t be so contemplative tonight when his team plays the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. (Benny Sieu/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles probably won’t be hanging his head much tonight, unless the Orlando Magic play contrary to recent form.

But it’s always fun to see the former Orlando Magic star in town, even if he’s coaching for another team. I’ll be joining you live from the Amway Center media loge for tonight’s chat, and we will have plenty to talk about (particularly if Gilbert Arenas sees some limited PT).

The chat will go live around 6:45. I’ll see you then, please and thank you