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Vinsanity Returns Again in Orlando

By Tim Povtak 2/09/2010 2:15 AM ET

Vince CarterORLANDO -- This looked like an old Vince Carter highlight tape -- just without the dunks.

Carter, whose first season with his hometown team has been marked mostly by disappointment, finally delivered the game he had promised, exploding for a season-high 48 points while carrying the Magic to a 123-117, come-from-behind victory against New Orleans.

"That was vintage Vince Carter,'' gushed Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "He was incredible, unbelievable tonight. Most of his shots didn't even hit the rim.''

For Carter, it was his highest-scoring game since getting a career-high 51 points for the New Jersey Nets against Miami early in the 2005-06 season.

Carter, 33, was averaging just 15.8 points going into Monday night, heading for his first sub-20-point average since his rookie season.

His performance Monday, coupled with considerable improvement from January to February, has re-sparked talk that the Magic (35-17) indeed can defend their Eastern Conference title against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"With Vince playing like this,'' said point guard Jameer Nelson, "you just keep getting him the ball.''
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Collison Shines Quickly In Place of Paul

By Tim Povtak 2/08/2010 3:30 PM ET

Darren CollisonDarren Collison didn't improve his NBA Draft position by staying all four years at UCLA, but it certainly has saved the New Orleans Hornets this season, keeping their playoff hopes afloat.

This is no ordinary late-first-round pick.

Collison, chosen 21st overall in the 2009 Draft, has played surprisingly well for an unheralded rookie after replacing All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who is out another four weeks following knee surgery.

After Paul limped off the court Jan. 29 against Chicago, Collison replaced him with a 17-point, 18-assist performance in an overtime victory against Memphis. He followed with 16 points and 14 assists against Phoenix, becoming just the third NBA rookie in the last 20 years to have 14-plus assists in back-to-back games.

"He looks like a guy who has the confidence, and a strong understanding on how to play. He knows what his team needs from that position,'' said New Orleans coach Jeff Bower before playing the Orlando Magic Monday night. "He's a product of his experiences. He has the mentality, the maturity we needed.''

Collison is coming off a game-high 24 points -- including the game-clincher with 10 seconds remaining -- in a victory Saturday in Charlotte.
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If He Leaves Wizards, Butler Wants to Leave in Style

By Tim Povtak 2/06/2010 12:58 AM ET

Caron ButlerORLANDO -- Caron Butler sure sounded like a guy who was saying goodbye to the Washington Wizards Friday night, accepting the realization that a trade was coming soon.

He just made it a little tougher to let him go.

In his best performance of the season, Butler scored 29 points in the second half, including the game-winning basket with 0.5 remaining to beat the division-leading Orlando Magic, 92-91, Friday.

It was like he just nailed an audition. There certainly were a lot of teams watching him.

"Washington is home. I had a great time here. And I'll always love the city, but this is a business and I know anything is possible,'' Butler said after the game when asked about possibly being traded. "I had more success here than I ever had before. I feel like the city adopted me. But you have to take the bitter with the sweet. I'll try and have some magnificent moments before the deadline.''
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This Isn't What Magic's Bass Expected

By Tim Povtak 2/04/2010 7:10 PM ET

Brandon BassORLANDO -- When he signed as a free agent this summer, power forward Brandon Bass thought he would become the final -- and very integral -- piece to help the Orlando Magic win a championship.

He has turned into the missing piece, all right. As in, missing from the lineup. The defending Eastern Conference champions have been moving forward mostly without him.

"I felt in my heart this was the right place for me,'' Bass said Thursday after practice. "When I signed, it just felt right – but it's not going right, (right) now. I'm not playing, and that's bad.''

Bass signed a four-year, $16 million contract this summer, rejecting a more lucrative offer to stay in Dallas, and other opportunities in New Orleans, Charlotte and Portland.

But instead of contributing, he mostly has watched others, playing in only 28 of the 49 games, averaging just 13.3 minutes, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 rebounds in a much smaller role than he anticipated.

The Magic wanted him for front-court depth, giving them a physical presence to help center Dwight Howard, an option beyond a lineup with mostly 3-point shooters.

It just hasn't happened.
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Stackhouse: 'I Can Still Provide a Spark'

By Tim Povtak 2/03/2010 4:40 PM ET

Jerry StackhouseORLANDO, Fla. -- At this stage of his career, Jerry Stackhouse isn't trying to win a title anymore -- he missed a golden opportunity in 2006 with Dallas. He just wants to leave this game with his head high.

Stackhouse, 35, is one of only two guards from the 1995 NBA Draft who still is playing in the league. He was signed late last month by the Milwaukee Bucks after Michael Redd was lost for the season with a knee injury.

In eight games, he has averaged 18.3 minutes, 6.8 points and 2.1 assists, still trying to find his place with a new system but impressing coaches with his surprisingly good conditioning for someone who hadn't played in a year.

It might not be a coincidence that the Bucks are 5-3 since he joined, hoping now for their first playoff appearance in four years.

"I want to go out on my terms. That was my motivation. I still have something to offer. I still have something left in the tank,'' Stackhouse said Tuesday night after the Bucks played the Orlando Magic. "I can still provide a spark.''
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NBA Power Rankings: Thunder Struck

By Brett Pollakoff 2/03/2010 2:00 PM ET


If the playoffs began today, the Thunder would be in the conversation. Kevin Durant is within percentage points of leading the league in scoring, and has led his team to wins over the previously red-hot Nuggets and Hawks in the past week. As such, Oklahoma City finds themselves moving all the way up to the six spot in this week's Rankings.

The Cavaliers, of course, are still on top, but there was plenty of movement otherwise. Read on to see where your favorites ended up this week.
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Vince Carter Ends Worst Slump of Career

By Tim Povtak 2/03/2010 12:00 AM ET

Vince CarterORLANDO, Fla. -- This wasn't exactly the Vince Carter of old, but it sure was better than the Vince Carter of late.

The Orlando Magic feel a little better now about the chances of defending their Eastern Conference title and staying within sight of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of this season.

The worst slump of Carter's career has been pronounced over -- at least for now.

"I can still do everything I used to do,'' Carter said confidently after getting 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in a 99-82 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday. "It might be that January just wasn't my month.''
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After 40 Years, Spencer Haywood Finally Gets His Thanks

By Tim Povtak 2/02/2010 2:00 AM ET

Spencer HaywoodSpencer Haywood will walk into a Dallas hotel ballroom filled with the 24 NBA All-Stars next weekend, and not a head will turn. Hardly anyone will know the face. Several may know his name -- if they get close enough to read the name tag he is wearing.

And that's a shame. They should be giving him a standing ovation, or parade him around the room on their shoulders like a conquering hero. For most of them, Haywood is the one who made this all possible.

It was Haywood 40 years ago who forced his way into the league by boldly challenging the NBA establishment, taking his demand all the way to the United States Supreme Court. He changed the rule prohibiting teams from using a player whose college class had not yet graduated.

His case sent a shockwave through every city in the league, forever changing the face of the NBA. And depending upon your view, he was either a trail blazing pioneer or the devil who was trying to wreck both college basketball and professional sports.
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After Cavs, Three Playing for No. 2 in East

By Tim Povtak 1/31/2010 12:14 AM ET


ORLANDO, Fla. -- After watching a weekend round-robin of Boston-Atlanta-Orlando -- three of the four Eastern Conference contenders -- one thing has become increasingly clear in this race:

These guys are all just playing for second.

That Cavaliers-Lakers NBA Finals that everyone wanted -- but didn't get -- last June is coming this time. Even with more than 30 regular season games and six weeks of playoffs remaining, it's hard now to imagine 2010 turning out any other way.

The Cavs and Lakers are on a delightfully unavoidable collision course. The standings don't lie.

There is nobody in the West within five wins of the Lakers. And the Cavs are six wins better than anyone in the East.

"Nobody in the East is playing close to the level Cleveland is at right now,'' said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy on Saturday night. "We've got a long way to go -- and funny things can happen in a series -- but if you're talking about who's playing at the highest level, it's clearly Cleveland.''
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Celtics Have Three All-Stars, but Fading Hopes

By Tim Povtak 1/29/2010 2:40 AM ET


ORLANDO, Fla. -- It was a strange day for the storied -- but fading -- Boston Celtics.

They celebrated the early announcement Thursday that Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce were joining Kevin Garnett on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Then they finished a game like none of them belonged there, fueling the belief that their day as a serious NBA title contender might be over.

They are living on reputation now.

The Celtics played well and inspired for more than three quarters against the Orlando Magic -- dominated the game -- then wilted like the aging, worn-out team that they are looking like, making defensive mistakes and mental errors down the stretch that All-Stars don't normally make.

They blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead by letting the Magic shoot 75 percent from the field in the last 12 minutes, something great teams don't do. The core is the same that won the 2008 NBA title, but this isn't the same team.

Time may have passed it by.
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