Magic, Spurs Take Game 2

The Orlando Magic beat the Charlotte Bobcats 92-77 in Game 2, in another game that was never really close. The Bobcats started off terribly, only scoring 3 points in the first 8 minutes of the game. During that same time, they committed six turnovers. The Magic were up by 20 at the end of the third quarter. G Stephen Jackson's 27 points was not enough, and the Bobcats have to go back home down 2-0. However, they're going back home to an anticipated electric building that is seeing their franchise in the playoffs for the first time. Charlotte isn't new to the playoffs, as they saw the Charlotte Hornets in the playoff countless times before they moved to New Orleans.

The San Antonio Spurs evened up their series against the Dallas Mavericks by handling them from start to finish. The Mavericks never led in the game, and the Spurs lead was as big as 20 at one point. F Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, but only connnected on 9 of 24 field goal attempts. C Tim Duncan scored 25 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, and G Manu Ginobili scored 23 points. F Richard Jefferson broke out of his slump, scoring 17 of his 19 points in the first half. The series now moves to San Antonio, where the Spurs now have home-court advantage.

Obviously, Bobcats coach Larry Brown's message didn't get across to his team. Brown told his team that the Magic were playing around with them in Game 1. The Magic seemed as if they were having fun in Game 2 as well. The Bobcats have to figure out how to effectively guard C Dwight Howard, as C Theo Ratliff and C Nazr Mohammed had problems with him in Game 2. As for the Spurs, I expected this series to be the most competitive series in the playoffs. These two teams are rivals, and both would like to beat the other team.

Mark Cuban sparked new interest in the rivalry by saying that he hated the Spurs. This has probably sparked the Spurs performance in Game 2, as they were solid throughout. The Spurs will be sure to keep their mouths shut, so the Mavericks don't have to look for any bulletin-board material from them. As for the Bobcats/Magic series, this is easily the worst series of the playoffs. Both teams aren't that fun to watch, and it's clear the Bobcats aren't ready for the playoffs. They'll probably learn from this and come back next year with a better idea of how to execute.