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On behalf of myself, Ben, and Jon, we at Orlando Pinstriped Post wish you and your families a Merry Christmas.

Have a safe and wonderful day. 

Roughly a month ago in a poll, I asked the Orlando Pinstriped Post community to decide which newcomer on the Orlando Magic was their favorite. The returns showed that the people liked Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson the most out of the new players on the Magic.

But what about the mainstays for Orlando not named Dwight Howard? Between Marcin Gortat, Anthony Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, and J.J. Redick, which individual has become your favorite out of the group? Once again, there's no wrong answer.

Superman is omitted because he is the franchise player and, without a doubt, the most popular person on the team.

If you'd like, explain your choice in the comments section below.

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• Magic don’t think Celtics will be any easier to play without Paul Pierce
  Tania Ganguli explains that the Orlando Magic are going to have their hands full with the Boston Celtics, even though All-Star small forward Paul Pierce will be out two weeks with a knee infection.

  Stan Van Gundy: "I think that obviously the first places they’ll go are into the post more to Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace. I think you’ll see them in the post more and they’ll run a lot more stuff for Ray Allen. You’ve gotta find a way to score on them. They are a great, great defensive team and have been for three years. There’s still some defensive challenges. It seems like it’s very rare you have both teams at full strength."

• Taking Inventory at Christmastime
  Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop takes a look around the Association to see what's happening right now with the league's more interesting teams.

  Watching the Magic last night was a reminder that a good system is a powerful thing. Pieces can be added and subtracted without disruption. There's a possession about four minutes into the game where Rashard Lewis runs an early high screen for Jameer Nelson, who's making his first start since November 16. Nelson dribbles to his right, while Lewis runs a little flare cut along the left side of the arc around Dwight Howard, who steps in Luis Scola's path as Scola tries to recover. Lewis gets a wide open at a 3-pointer. He actually misses the shot (and all six of this attempts from beyond the arc), but it's a clean look. What's more impressive are the remaining options on the floor even Scola is able to recover or Chuck Hayes is able to close out on the shot. A quick skip pass to Vince Carter or Mickael Pietrus on the weak side would yield similarly good stuff.

• 5-on-5: Celtics-Magic on Christmas Day
  ESPN.com asks five questions to its five writers on the five games on Christmas Day. Here's an excerpt about the Magic and the Celtics:

  3. Better bench: Magic or Celtics?

  Abbott: The Magic are deeper. Ryan Anderson can really play and, as a shooter, fits their system perfectly. Marcin Gortat could start for most teams, J.J. Redick has his moments, Matt Barnes and Jason Williams could both start, Brandon Bass provides some shot-blocking and muscle and sometimes even noted defender Mickael Pietrus comes off the bench.
  
  Broussard: This is a tough one, but I'll go with Boston, again largely because the C's have proved they have what it takes to excel in big moments.
  
  Hollinger: Magic, hands down. Boston's bravado about having a better bench than its championship team now looks ridiculous -- Eddie House, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine are the same, and although Rasheed Wallace is an upgrade over P.J. Brown, there's no James Posey, no Leon Powe and (for now) no Glen Davis. Meanwhile, Orlando's bench basically carried it through the first third of the season.
  
  Sheridan: Magic. Gortat, Bass and Anderson would be starters on half the teams in the NBA, J-Will and Anthony Johnson are battle-tested and Redick is better and tougher than people think. Boston? Sheed and a healthy Glen Davis are pluses, but Marquis Daniels has been so-so at best, and Eddie House always runs too hot and cold. Not much else there.
  
  Stein: Orlando has the best bench in the league. The Magic have an astounding 12 guys who legitimately deserve NBA minutes. No one else in the NBA has that kind of depth.

• Boston Celtics-Orlando Magic Christmas Day matchup a biggie on many levels
  Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com previews the highly-anticipated matchup between Orlando and Boston. A must-read.

  Not only is this a matchup of the two top teams in the Eastern Conference, not only is it a nationally televised broadcast on perhaps the NBA's marquee day, but there are also leftover emotions from a memorable seven-game series in the Eastern Conference semifinals this past May that helped propel the Magic to the NBA Finals.
  
  "I do [think it's a playoff preview]," admitted Allen, who wasn't bashful about pondering potential implications for home-court advantage in the postseason, particularly with Orlando already boasting a win over the Celtics in Boston on Nov. 20. "We look at it as a game we want to win. When you get to the end of the year, these are the type of games you look back at [for motivation and strategy] before the playoffs."

• Show Time: Contenders Have Something To Prove On Christmas Day
  Sean Deveney of The Baseline writes that each of the contenders playing tomorrow has something to prove.

  Magic: The defense will be back. Orlando was one of the better defensive teams in the league last season, and it started off the same way this season. But that’s come apart in December, as the Magic have allowed 100.4 points per game for the month. The defense needs to toughen against the Celtics, perhaps the most efficient offensive team in the league. "We have to just be consistent," forward Mickael Pietrus said. "We know we can be a good defensive team."

  The Magic are 7th in defensive efficiency, for those wondering.

• The Numbers Game ... Christmas Day style
  John Schuhmann notes that Vince Carter is taking the lion's share of the shots in Orlando, and converting them at a low rate.

  Vince Carter is Orlando's leading scorer at 18.6 points per game, but he's shooting a career-low 39.8 percent from the field. Carter is also averaging his fewest field-goal attempts per game (16.1), but that's more than seven shots more than Dwight Howard. Even when you figure in Howard's frequent trips to the line, Carter's shooting more than the guy who ranks second in the league in field-goal percentage.

• Kobe leads way in second returns of All-Star Game voting
  Don't look now but Allen Iverson has surpassed Vince Carter. Which means that if voting ended today, Iverson would start alongside Dwyane Wade in the East.

  The guards in the Eastern Conference are paced by Wade (1,314,215), followed by the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson (635,084). While Iverson appears among Western Conference guards on the paper ballot because he began the season with Memphis, his votes count towards the Eastern Conference guards due to his signing with Philadelphia Dec. 3. James, a two-time All-Star MVP (2006, 2008), paces Eastern Conference forwards with 1,351,292 votes, followed by the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett (1,113,213), MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game. The Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard leads all centers with 1,252,786 votes; the Cavaliers' O'Neal is second among centers in the East (455,239).

  Which, in my opinion, would be ridiculous. Iverson doesn't deserve to be in the All-Star Game and quite frankly, neither does Carter (but the pick wouldn't be as egregious).

• So This is Christmas
  UPDATE: Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus previews tomorrow's game, which sees a different outlook for two elite teams in the NBA.

  Meanwhile, Orlando is just now getting a look at its full complement of players. Jameer Nelson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery days after Rashard Lewis' 10-game NBA suspension ended, and Nelson is just now working his way back in the lineup, starting and playing 29 minutes on Wednesday after one game off the bench. Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson played very well in Nelson's absence, but his return still should lift an offense that already ranks fifth in the league. The only weak link so far has been Vince Carter, sporting an ugly 42.9 shooting percentage inside the arc.

• The Orlando Magic own a 4-2 all-time record on Christmas Day entering Friday afternoon's game against the Boston Celtics.
  UPDATE 2: Josh Robbins looks back in the past to see how the Magic have fared in games on Christmas Day.

• Statement game against the Boston Celtics? Not for Stan Van Gundy
  UPDATE 3: Some thoughts from head coach Stan Van Gundy.

  Van Gundy’s biggest concern about the Celtics is with their defense.
  
  "They’re one of the few teams that both holds teams to a low field goal percentage and creates a lot of turnovers," Van Gundy said. "A lot of it comes down to their size. I think their defense really comes down to their size. Rondo’s very long. Then inside they’ve got a lot of quality big guys with great size so they’re very tough. If you do not move them around it becomes even tougher to score."

• Kevin Garnett will play for Boston against Orlando, and Big Baby might be activated
  UPDATE 4: More news on the Celtics.

  Celtics coach Doc Rivers held Garnett out of Tuesday night’s game against Indiana because of a bruised thigh, but Garnett practiced Thursday and "looked great," according to Rivers.
  
  "My main thing right now is just defense," Garnett said. "We have to take the Magic off the 3. They’re playing really well at home. [We need] to be ready to defend for 48 minutes."
  
  Rivers wouldn’t say who will start in Pierce’s place, though Tony Allen could be the guy. Regardless of who starts, Allen, Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House all figure to see more playing time.
  
  Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who has missed the entire season with a right thumb injury, might be activated before the game.

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Via the Orlando Magic:

Amway Arena will once again be taken over by Superman on December 25, as the Orlando Magic, Warner Brothers and DC Comics are teaming up to celebrate the holidays when the Magic face the Boston Celtics in a Christmas Day matchup at 2:30 p.m. Every fan attending the game will receive a one-of-a-kind Dwight Howard T-shirt with a Superman cape that will be exclusively available in Amway Arena for this special event.

 

The meeting between the Magic, who own a 4-0 home record on Christmas Day, and the Celtics will mark the seventh holiday contest for Orlando and the second consecutive season the Magic have shared the holiday with their fans.

 

In addition, The Magic’s good luck charm from last year’s playoff run, 7-year-old Gina Marie Incandela, will perform "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" at halftime.

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• Jameer Nelson will start at point guard tonight vs. the Houston Rockets
  Jameer Nelson will start for the Orlando Magic at point guard against the Houston Rockets tonight.

  Stan Van Gundy just completed his post-shootaround media availability at RDV Sportsplex, and the Orlando Magic coach said Jameer Nelson will start tonight against the Houston Rockets. Van Gundy added that he will not be under any medical staff-imposed playing time restrictions for Nelson.
  
  "I’m gonna start him tonight," Van Gundy said. "I can do whatever I want with his minutes, and that’s what I was waiting for. Whenever we got to that point, then I was going to start him. It’s just tough to start a guy when you’re only going to play him limited minutes."

• Postgame report: Rockets 108, Clippers 99
  Jeffrey Martin of the Houston Chronicle previews this evening's game.

  Orlando is entering Game No. 3 in a five-game homestand. The Magic is 21-7, and it's going to be a formidable task for the Rockets to prevail. Houston hasn't won four consecutive games this season yet, so that would be a first. Point guard Jameer Nelson played his first game in more than a month Monday, and he is expected to start against the Rockets. Of course, there's also Dwight Howard to deal with, and don't forget about Vince Carter, who is leading the Magic in scoring at 18.6 points.

• Wednesday Morning Shootaround
  Benson Taylor of The Baseline writes that the Rockets will have a severe size disadvantage against the Magic.

  With Yao Ming out for the season because of his foot injury, the Rockets knew size would be an issue—that’s the case when you’re left to start a 6-6 center (Chuck Hayes) and a 6-9 power forward (Luis Scola). Houston has had a better-than-expected season, but its lack of inside oomph has been a factor at times—such as Lakers big man Andrew Bynum averaging 19.0 points and 14.0 rebounds in two games against the Rockets this season.
  
  With that in mind, Dwight Howard might not even have to break out his Superman cape to dominate when Orlando faces Houston tonight (unless hacking Howard proves to be an effective Kryptonite).

• Can the Hawks win a championship?
  Austin Burton of Dime Magazine wonders if the Atlanta Hawks can win a championship this year.

  Still, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m watching a team that just doesn’t have enough to go all the way. I can’t explain it, but you know how there’s one or two NCAA teams every year that smash the competition throughout the regular season, but you just know in your gut all along they won’t win it all? Last year it was Oklahoma and UConn; in the NBA, it was the Nuggets.
  
  The Hawks (20-7) are that team this year. Blame the coach — Mike Woodson is one of those types who could win Coach of the Year in 2010 and be fired by 2012 — or blame the players, but I just don’t see this group winning a title, despite how well they’re playing right now. In a seven-game series against a Cleveland or Boston or Orlando, we’d be reminded that [Josh] Smith still can’t shoot, that [Mike] Bibby still can’t run, that [Al] Horford still can’t get any taller. And somewhere, some team will take advantage.

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Via Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel:

Players genuinely like Van Gundy. He's good for a joke, flexible and more accommodating than you'd imagine. He tolerates their laughter on the team plane after a galling loss. He somehow didn't combust when Lewis opted not to go into a game recently. And he sometimes leaves practice scheduling up to players (Howard and Anthony Johnson arranged for a later start time on Monday after the team's two off days).

 

But Van Gundy's antics were wearing thin.

 

As Lewis said of Van Gundy's new approach, "It's helped a lot. You scream and yell ….and sometimes guys will shut it down on you. He continues to coach the game. He gets on us when he has to, but not all the time. It gets old after a while." [...]

 

"It helps me," [said Van Gundy.] "I get focused on what's next a little better. I'm not as composed as a lot of guys, but I'm getting better. I don't know how much I've changed; I've changed some."

This is well-written piece because it sheds light on how Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy has made a concerted effort to tone down on the negativity and how his players have responded positively to the change. As the article stated, the Magic are 13-4 since Dwight Howard and Van Gundy spoke to each other before the team faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 18th at the Amway Arena. Seems so long ago.

Nevertheless, a must-read.

And I hear Dwight does a great impression of his coach.

Classic. 

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• Orlando Magic notes: Stan Van Gundy calls Dwight Howard "anybody I've been around" defensively
  Dwight Howard receives praise from his coach, particularly about his defense.

  Stan Van Gundy has coached some excellent interior defenders, including P.J. Brown and Alonzo Mourning.
  
  But Van Gundy says Dwight Howard, the NBA's reigning defensive player of the year, is on a different level.
  
  "He's a better pick-and-roll defender, probably, than Alonzo was and a better shot-blocker than P.J. was," Van Gundy said. "There's just not much he can't do defensively. I think as a big guy he's as good as anybody I've been around."

• The Orlando Magic, nine other teams will debut new shooting shirts on Christmas
  Josh Robbins shares apparel news concerning the Orlando Magic.

  If you attend or turn in to the Orlando Magic-Boston Celtics game on Christmas Day, don’t be surprised if you see the Magic dressed just a bit different during warm-ups.
  
  The Magic, the Celtics and the eight other teams playing on Christmas will debut new adidas shooting shirts.

• Carter Slides as Redick Rises in Orlando
  Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse talks about J.J. Redick's emergence.

  Van Gundy has rewarded Redick's improved play with more playing time recently. He has responded by scoring in double figures in five of his last seven games. His defense is better, too. His assists are up, and his understanding of the game is as good as anyone else on the team.
  
  "He's playing with great confidence, and with good reason. Success breeds confidence,'' Van Gundy said. "He's so focused, so on top of everything. He's got great confidence in himself now, and we've got confidence in him.''

• Hanging with my man C-Booz
  Dwight Howard posts on his official blog today and states how he and Carlos Boozer were able to hang out while the Utah Jazz were in town.

  When Booz came to the house on Sunday, we hung out and watched a lot of the NFL games on TV. Of course, everybody was asking me if we talked about playing together since he’s going to be a free agent this summer. Of course, that would be a dream come true for both of us, but we’ll have to see what happens. Booz will have to make a decision on his own and do what’s best for him and his family. That has to come first in any decision.

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There's one player on the Orlando Magic roster who's been turning heads lately - no, not Dwight Howard - and his name is J.J. Redick. Last night against the Utah Jazz, Redick came off the bench and torched Jerry Sloan's defense to the tune of 20 points. And Redick did it in an extremely efficient manner (7-9 FG, 2-2 3PT, 4-4 FT). Efficiency is the name of the game in the NBA and for Redick, he provided a textbook example of how to not waste possessions on offense. Nearly every time Redick attempted a shot in yesterday's contest, he put points on the scoreboard. Thing is, Redick has been doing this all season - he leads the Magic with an Offensive Rating of 125.2 (3rd in the Association and ranked better than some guy named Steve Nash). That's excellent.

Against the Jazz, Redick scored in a variety of ways (via Hoopdata):

*Assisted Field Goals Made

In the second quarter, Redick got things going with a jumper off the dribble after Utah's rookie Wesley Matthews, the player defending him, gave him too much space to work with. A few possessions later, and with the shot clock winding down, Redick made a very difficult, off-balance three to beat the buzzer after the Jazz played perfect team defense for 23 seconds. Can't be too surprised that Redick made the shot, given that he's been on a shooting tear lately. With the period winding down, Redick once again operated off the dribble and was able to penetrate into the lane for a layup. What's interesting about this particular play is the fact that Redick was clearly looking to pass before he, at the very last minute, decided to put up the attempt. Whatever works.

Redick didn't re-enter the game until the start of the fourth quarter and it didn't take him too long to score again, as he was able to make a jumpshot off the dribble along the baseline after being set up by a screen from Dwight Howard. A 2/5 pick & roll, in other words. After a few minutes, Redick was able to make another layup off the dribble after being aggressive and attacking the basket. Redick followed that with a three in the corner off a pass from Anthony Johnson on the fast break. 

Confidence.

That's the word that perfectly explains why Redick has been playing so well on offense since the start of the regular season. Redick is developing some swagger, too. 

There's one more play that epitomizes the confidence Redick has been displaying on offense. For the first time since I've been writing at Orlando Pinstriped Post, I'm going to go breakdown this possession frame-by-frame. 

FRAME 1: Orlando sets up in a 4-out/1-in offensive set. With Howard posted up, Utah decides to double-team him with Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams. There's a few things to notice in this screenshot. Despite being double-teamed, Howard has an unobstructed angle to potentially pass to Redick and they both know that (look at Redick's posture; he's getting ready to make a move). C.J. Miles, at the same time, is looking directly at Howard and not keeping an eye on either Redick or Johnson in the corner.

FRAME 2: Howard passes the ball. As such, Miles gambles and sprints to Johnson but makes the wrong decision. Miles realizes, albeit a little too late, that Redick is cutting to the basket.

FRAME 3: Redick is left unimpeded in the lane ...

FRAME 4: ... and scores.

If there's one thing to take away from the Magic's game against the Jazz, it's that Redick is proving to be more than a spot-up shooter. Redick can score off the dribble and opposing defenses are going to have to start realizing that.

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Via the Orlando Magic:

The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Dec. 14, through Sunday, Dec. 20. It marks the second time this season and the ninth time in his career that Howard has earned the league's top weekly honor.

 

Howard recorded four double-doubles on the week, averaging 17.0 points and league highs of 17.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks, as the Magic went 3-1. On Dec. 14, Howard tallied 21 points, 23 rebounds and four blocked shots, as Orlando defeated Indiana 106-98 at Amway Arena. He recorded a season-high eight blocks Dec. 16 in a 118-99 home win over Toronto.

 

Here is a recap of the week for Howard:

 

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Dec. 14 vs. Indiana: Posted 21 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks in a 106-98 win over the Pacers.

Dec. 16 vs. Toronto: Scored 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds and eight blocks in a 119-99 win over the Raptors.

Dec. 17 @ Miami: Tallied 17 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in a 104-86 loss to the Heat.

Dec. 19 vs. Portland: Recorded 12 points, 20 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in a 92-83 win over the Trail Blazers.

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Well, 72 hours have passed and we have a winner in Orlando Pinstriped Post's forty-third "create a caption" competition. Given the circumstances surrounding Marcin Gortat's situation with the Orlando Magic, choosing the winning submission was easy.

Please Otis, trade me!

OPP member blumad is the winner in the competition, garnering 80% of the votes.

We'll do this again soon! For those that participated, thanks. If you didn't win the contest this time around, you'll have another crack at garnering precious glory later this week, on Friday. Stay tuned.