May 31 from Orlando:

It's over.

After losing our first three games - and winning the next two - we were knocked out of the NBA playoffs with a 96-84 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday. It marked an end to an otherwise remarkable season that saw us win 59 games and have the second-best record in the league.

This was a series that had been decided based on who won the first quarter. Basically, whoever won the first quarter went on to win the game. When Boston won the first quarter, they were able to relax and just play the game. They always wanted to jump on us and put us in a hole as soon as possible. And, for the most part, we didn't do a good job in defending that.

Our effort in Game 6 simply didn't match the intensity of Games 4 and 5. Yes, we played hard, but it was just not at the level where it needed to be. That was very disappointing. In basketball, there are certain things you can't control (i.e. your opponent getting hot), but there are also things you can control, like how hard you play (not necessarily whether or not you're making your shots, but committing yourself defensively to the level in which your opponent is playing). And the Celtics were just playing at a much higher level. There is no doubt about that.

When you look at Games 4 and 5, it is like night and day compared to Game 6. We had spurts, but generally we weren't playing very well. Dwight Howard played well, but Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis didn't play a particularly good game. When three of your main players aren't shooting the ball well, you're always going to be at a deficit. And it also didn't help that we didn't play well defensively. Our rebounding was pretty bad as well. We were outrebounded by 10 (in Game 5, we outrebounded them by 17). Overall, we didn't have a counter to the punches Boston was throwing at us.

It's a bit early to really reflect and look back at what we did as a team this year. Like I said, we won 59 games and had the second-best record in the league this season. Everyone will say that this team wasn't as good as last year's team based on the fact that we didn't go back to the NBA Finals. Let me say this - this has been the most disappointing season of my career because, on paper, I think this is the best team I've ever been on, period! In terms of talent - from 1 to 14 - I believe (and continue to believe) that this is the best team in the NBA.

Nothing is ever guaranteed, so when there's a chance to win an NBA championship, you take advantage of it any way you can. We were fortunate to go to the Finals last season, but you never know what will happen from year to year. That's why it was important to make the most of our chances. Now, there are some questions that will need to be answered this summer. If you take a snapshot of our team right now, we don't know what's going to happen to certain guys on the team. Matt Barnes, J.J. Redick, Anthony Johnson, Jason Williams and myself are all free agents. We don't know what the future is going to hold, and that's what makes this more disappointing. We had a golden opportunity and, in many ways, we failed to accomplish our goal.

This summer, I'll be working extra-hard to finish my Master's Degree in Sports Psychology. I've handed in my thesis, but will now put in the hours to complete my practicum requirement. I am also taking my Athletics & Academics Camps to Trinidad & Tobago for the first time. We've now held 18 A&A camps in my home country of St. Vincent & the Grenadines (SVG) and it's exciting for us to replicate the program in a new country. This will also be the first year that I bring a select group of kids from SVG to the States for a learning experience that we are creating for them in Orlando. You can learn more about these programs on my foundation's website - www.kerosenelampfoundation.org. We still need to raise some funds to support these programs so please consider making a donation to my Kerosene Lamp Foundation.

I want to thank everyone out there for helping put together another special season for the Orlando Magic. I'm forever grateful for your love and support and hope you will check my website periodically this summer to see what I'm up to.

May 28 from Boston:

We're still standing.

We beat the Boston Celtics 113-92 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals and it's on to Game 6. We landed in Boston at around 6 pm on Thursday and it was straight to the hotel to rest up for the game.

I was really happy with the way we played in front of our home fans. The guys played so well. When you look at the first three games of the series, it's easy to point out the differences in our team since Game 3:

• Our effort in the last two games has been tremendous. There's no way I would continue blogging during this series if our effort hadn't picked up significantly from the first three games.
• We were a lot smoother offensively. This was very indicative of what happened in Game 5. When we run, we get better opportunities and we get easy opportunities to score. We clearly need more fast breaks which means there has to be stops at the other end. We were able to figure out where the offensive advantages were. and in Game 5, it was the fast break. We wound up with 14 fast break points (Boston had just five fast break points). So that was a very significant improvement.
• Rebounding. We've really lagged in rebounding in the first three games, but we've picked it up in the last two. In Game 5, we out-rebounded the Celtics by 43-26. That means we're getting the job done.
• We hit our threes. Our shots behind the arc were missing in the first three games. This goes back to our running game. When we run, we create opportunities. Jameer Nelson has been amazing in creating opportunities for others. And when the three is available, he takes it.
• Mental approach. I think our recent mental approach to the game has been staggering. Absolutely staggering.

Having said all that, we played a terrific game on Wednesday. We were dominant, we were physical, we were tough, we were aggressive, we did everything it took to win. We made some mistakes, but we didn't worry about them. We continued to move forward; we ran, we played defense and we simply kept moving.

Dwight Howard has been special defensively. That play where he ran down Rajon Rondo and blocked the layup was huge. He wound up with five blocks, but that one against Rondo really set the tone for the night.

Recently, Rashard Lewis revealed he's been playing with a viral infection. Obviously, I've known about this, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. This isn't an excuse for Rashard, and he would have never revealed it until after the season. But when you see someone getting an I.V. before a game to try to keep hydrated, people are going to ask questions. I spoke to Rashard in the early stages of this series, telling him he might need to rest, but he just wanted to play so badly. Regardless of how good you are as an athlete, when you're sick, it's going to be tough to play. No question about it. It's tough enough to play at this level with so much at stake. Now try doing it with a viral infection. Rashard is just starting to get healthy and he put together a pretty good game in Game 5. He still missed a few shots, but for the first time in this series, he took those shots with more calm. He realized he can simply just play the game and not worry about being sick or anything else. So I think we're going to continue seeing Rashard playing well.

Vince Carter has been struggling during this series. But I actually thought Vince played well in Game 5. The box score will say he just scored eight points, but he also created opportunities for other guys. And that's part of the job. Sometimes your shots aren't going to fall as willingly as they might in the past, so that's when you find other ways to contribute. What's also great about this team is that we are very deep. J.J. Redick had a great game, as well as Jason Williams.

This brings us to tonight's game. In spite of everything we've been through in the last five games, the focus remains the same. We must keep up the intensity and understand that the situation has been the same ever since Game 4 - all Boston needs to do is win one more. We're now at Game 6 and Boston still needs to win one more. Nothing has changed. We still want to make it back to the NBA Finals, we're still the defending Eastern Conference champions and we are still hungry for a world title. And it all starts with going out and getting this win and bringing the series back to Orlando for one last time. If we come out with the same urgency, the same passion and the same fire, I think we can do it.

May 26 from Boston:

We're not finished just yet.

We avoided a four-game sweep and returned home with a 96-92 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

All series long, I've talked about the need to put together a whole game. And from the start of the first quarter of Game 4, I knew we were going to win that game. What was so impressive was the level of effort. Seeing Boston make mistakes, combined with our effort really help us avoid elimination. Did we make mistakes during the game? Yes, but looking at the effort the guys put together, I knew we were going to win. I didn't know how it was going to end, but I knew it would result in a win. When we play at a very high level, we can beat anyone in the league. We played that way all year and it resulted in 59 wins. I was just so happy to see how we played because I finally recognized my team last night. This is the team with the second-best record in the NBA. This is the team that's playing like the defending Eastern Conference champions.

After the win, we returned to Orlando (our plane didn't touch down until 5 am, so we had the day off today). We will have a light workout just before Game 5. It's going to feel good playing in front of our fans again. We can't think about the idea of having to win three more games in a row. If we do that, we'll set ourselves up to fail. The best we can do is literally take it one game at a time. We have to approach Game 5 as if Game 4 never happened. We need to put together a good first quarter, a good second quarter, a good third quarter and a good fourth quarter. I've been saying this for a while now. If you win the first quarter, you get a really good idea of what the pace of the game will be like. You get a sense of hope and you have a nice cushion moving forward. And that's what Boston has fed off during the first three games of this series. Winning that first quarter also gives you more confidence when making the adjustments necessary for the rest of the game. Winning the first quarter is absolutely essential when it comes to playing against a team like Boston - a team that just wants to jump on you right away and put you away in the first five minutes.

Having said all that, the guys should be proud of their effort in Game 4. But it's just one game. Now, the focus is on Game 5.

May 24 from Boston:

Today, we face elimination against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The last three games have been below par and have resulted in three straight losses.

And I think I have all of this figured out.

What's happened is that a group of aliens had taken over our team (those of you who watched "Space Jam" know exactly what I'm talking about). These aliens had taken our guys' abilities and placed them in separate places. So we haven't been playing with our real team. I spent the past couple of days hunting these aliens down, and I'm proud to say that I have destroyed all of the aliens. I've restored my team with all of their powers and I feel they are now ready to go and get this win in Game 4.

On a more serious note, what's good about this team is that we understand that we have not played a good game yet. We have not put together a complete game to this series. And today would be as good a time as any to do it. I've seen it in the guys' eyes and I see hope there. They are going to go out and play an inspired game.

We are going to win this game because the aliens are all gone. What will come about is the team that I am used to playing with - the same team that won 59 games and played great in the first two playoff series. The guys are going to leave it all on the floor and are going to take this series back to Orlando. This team is certainly equipped to do it. No other team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. But if a team is going to make history, it might as well be us. We're going to simply work to win the first quarter, then the second quarter, the third and the fourth. And we'll go from there.

Wish us all luck.

May 19 from Orlando:

This was a much tougher pill to swallow.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, we had no energy and we didn't compete at the level at which we were used to playing. In Game 2, we played really, really hard - but not really smart at times. We tried to outman them by doing things we don't normally do. So we made a lot of mistakes and we just didn't play smart basketball.

We did play a lot better than Game 1. We had more intensity, but we still need play a lot smarter. We still had a lot of turnovers, we were stubborn, and we wanted to take one shot and drive to the basket instead of simply moving the ball. We're much better when we move the ball from one side to another.

We turned the ball over, we missed some assignments and we missed some shots down the stretch. We also gave up almost 10 fast break points and about 20 points from our 14 turnovers. In a close game like this, when you are playing your heart out, those are the things that will beat you every time.

After winning eight games in a row, we have now lost our last two - at home nonetheless. It is also the first time in Boston's storied franchise that they have won two road games in a row to start a playoff series. All the guys in the locker room have been really great at dealing with adversity. I think our guys are very resilient and we will recover from this. We will get better and we will get back in this series. I'm certain that's the attitude of everyone else in our locker room. We have played two games that have not come close to the level in which we normally play. Granted, there is another team on the court that makes sure that doesn't happen, but we have yet to play our best game in this series. Boston has been playing remarkably well. And despite not playing well these past two games, we were still in a position to tie or win the game in the final minute. So there are some areas in which we can feel very confident.

We travel to Boston on Friday. In the meantime, we all have good practices and get this stuff out of our heads. What's done is done and we're down 0-2. We are a good team on the road and it's very realistic to win in Boston. Our job is to simply play the next game better and win. And the guys know they have a difficult task in front of them. But I think it can be done. If we forget these last two games and focus on what's ahead, we'll be ok. But if we let these last two losses define us as a team, we're going to be in trouble.

Off to practice now. Be back soon.

May 17 from Orlando:

We suffered our first loss of the postseason with a 92-88 Game 1 defeat by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

I've always said in the past that if you can balance your intensity with getting a lot of rest, then you'll be OK. What had happened to us going into this series is that we lost the level of intensity with which we normally play. In the first round, Charlotte was aggressive and played really hard, but we were better than them in terms of talent. In Round 2, Atlanta was also talented, but we outplayed them the entire series. As we play in Round 3 against a team like Boston, we have to be better all around.

Our intensity was lagging, but more important than that, we were stubborn. Boston is a team that can close down the paint and force you to run more than just one play. We did not do a good job with our pick-and-rolls and our three-pointers were constantly being contested (we ended up going 5-for-22). We had 18 turnovers, which was the most problematic for us because that resulted in 21 points. That's 18 possessions where we didn't have a chance to shoot the ball. We didn't set a lot of screens, we didn't move the ball from side to side and Boston came up with about 20 fast break points. When you play against a good team and make as many mistakes as we made, you will get beat every time.

When we play well, our opponents never know who is going to score and have a great night. The fact that we were so predictable and didn't move the ball well in Game 1 allowed the Celtics to clog up the paint on one side and we didn't get easy shots. We've been very good all year where if you do things to us, we can give other people opportunities to beat you. In Game 1, we just didn't play the type of game we could have played.

Having said all of that, we were still able to erase a 20-point lead and nearly tied it up by the end of regulation. That says a lot about how good we are as a team, but we need to change our philosophy and really approach the game with the level of intensity that is indicative of the way we've been playing all year.

If you play the game the best way you know how, and you flat-out lose to a better team, surely you won't be happy, but you can live with that. What's so frustrating about this loss for us is that we made so many mistakes, and that's absolutely uncharacteristic of this team and the way we've been playing all year. We know we can play a lot better than we did last night.

We can't just hold the ball, try to make a play and expect to have an open shot. We need to move the ball, stay on the floor to make passes, and cut down on the turnovers. We have some of the best shooters in the game on our team, but they are no good if someone is constantly in their face while shooting contested threes. We need to penetrate and collapse the paint and get the ball to those shooters. We need to establish Dwight Howard so he can take care of the ball (he had seven turnovers). He needs to continue making his free throws and he needs to make good basketball decisions. If he does that, we will be fine.

In Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals, we got blown out because we simply didn't just "play the game." That's what we have to get back to doing. In Game 1 against the Celtics, I think the same thing happened - we were a bit uptight. We just need to relax and play the game like we've been doing all year. We felt like we carried the world on our shoulders after Game 1, but we'll be ok. We need to just relax and enjoy the ride. The series is early, and the Celtics delivered the first punch, now it's time to regroup and see if we can counter.

I'll be back again after Game 2. Talk to you then.

On another note, I'd like to urge everyone to make a donation to Dwight Howard's Fund for Haiti to help kids that were affected by the recent earthquake. He's giving away 2 tickets to meet him at the Eastern Conference Finals or a $500 Adidas Shopping Spree with Dwight (donate here). Deadline for the fundraising challenge is Thursday, May 20!

May 16 from Orlando:

Today is Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It is a battle between the league's last two East champions with a trip to the NBA Finals at stake.

We did beat Boston in the regular season series 3-1, but that doesn't mean anything. I keep repeating this over and over like a broken record - when it's the playoffs, all the other records go out the window. It doesn't matter that we have the best record among all NBA teams still alive in the playoffs, it doesn't matter we've won eight playoff games in a row and it doesn't matter that we knocked the Celtics out of the playoffs a season ago. After a game is over - with or lose - it's out the window because it's on to the next game.

Boston is a veteran team. They understand what it takes to make it to this level. They won the NBA title just two years ago and the nucleus of that team is still there. We made it to the Finals last year, but we didn't quite make it as far as we would have liked. We do know what it takes to get there though. So we have to go into this series with the same kind of attitude and really just play every possession. Don't worry about the outcome of the game, don't worry about getting to the Finals. Just take it one possession at a time. If we can play hard for 48 minutes, play for each other and really buy into what we're really trying to do, we'll be fine.

Last season, we beat the Celtics in seven games. But they did not have Kevin Garnett. At the same time, we also didn't have Jameer Nelson. So now, this is going to be a series featuring two healthy teams in full strength. This is our chance to get into the ring, trade punches and see what happens.

I'm intrigued by how competitive this series is going to be. Sweeping our first two opponents in the playoffs has been really nice, but this is going to be a really tough series for the Eastern Conference championship. Clearly, Cleveland had been the best team in the NBA all season, but the Celtics found a way to beat them in six games. They know how to beat good teams in a seven game series. So we're going to have our work cut out for us.

At the center position, Dwight Howard and Kendrick Perkins are going to beat each other up. They are going to be physical with each other down the block and I believe Dwight will have the better matchup. Kendrick is going to do all he can to push Dwight and irritate him. Dwight will need to keep himself in check and keep his eyes on the prize.

The matchup at point guard is going to be terrific. Both Jameer Nelson and Rajon Rondo have been playing out of their minds the entire postseason. It's definitely one matchup I want to see because I'm interested in knowing what's going to happen. Seeing Jameer in street clothes last season and watching our series with the Celtics really ate him up inside. For him to come back and play the way he's been playing this postseason, I'm just really excited for him. I do think this series is going to depend on what happens between Jameer and Rajon.

I don't know who Boston plans to use to guard Rashard Lewis, but I like the matchup Rashard presents to the Celtics. Rashard can play against just about anyone on that Boston roster because he can go on the block and he can pull guys away from the basket. Vince Carter is going to cause some problems as well because he can shoot the ball deep and can penetrate to the basket. As for Matt Barnes, he's a tough guy that can guard just about anyone. We can't overlook our guys on the bench either. I like how deep our bench is and I think if we can win the depth battle, we'll be ok.

It's a big day and I can't wait until Game 1 gets started. I'll be back after the game - hopefully with a smile on my face.

May 14 from Orlando:

At the start of Thursday, we had no idea who we were going to play in the Eastern Conference Finals. It was our first day back at practice since sweeping the Atlanta Hawks and we ran a little scrimmage just to get the kinks out.

After having a few days off, we returned to practice and, as I anticipated, coach Van Gundy really wanted to run our legs to really maintain that competitive edge. We played about two quarters worth of basketball and lifted some weights afterward. Some of us stuck around for some extra shooting. But for the most part, it was a pretty basic practice.

During our time off, I caught up with some TV shows that were on my DVR. Dwight Howard had a movie premier on Tuesday for "Just Wright" featuring Common and Queen Latifah. The movie featured Dwight and other NBA stars. I thought about going to the movie premier. But I also had a Board of Directors meeting for my first nonprofit organization, Democracy Matters, that same night. Being an advocate is still very important to me. And if there's ever a chance to help change the world, no matter how small that change is going to be, I'll do it. So I'm constantly doing different things. All in all, I try to balance enjoying the time off with working hard on the court as well as off the court. I also try to mix in some fun as well.

Today, we're going to practice at noon. This time, we know exactly who we're going to play after watching the Boston Celtics eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. So our focus will be on grabbing our playbooks and really learn everything about this year's Celtics team. We want to know everything about them - what plays do they run, what do they have for dinner, and everything else in between.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals will be on Sunday at 12:30 pm local time (on ABC). During the next two days, we plan to practice hard and study everyone. We're going to see where there are kinks in their armor and ultimately try to find a way to win this series.

I know we've had plenty of time to rest, but make no mistake, we'll be ready to play. I understand that most people see too much time off as a negative thing. I completely disagree with that. If you have a team that understands the importance of rest, then you are able to have a good balance. Who are we kidding? The regular season alone is six months of basketball. If you make the playoffs, that's at least four more games. And who knows how many games you play after that. If there's a chance to rest your body after more than seven months of basketball, I will take that 100 times more than starting a series fresh off a seven game series. There is nothing gained out of tiring your body from a seven game series. I understand the idea of keeping the momentum going with playing more games. But that's just bologna.

While I will save player matchups for a future blog, I will say that we think we can create matchup problems for anyone. Having said that, I like how we match up with the Celtics. Boston presents a blue-collar mentality. They work extremely hard. They have the Big 3 in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. But it might as well be the Big 4 with the way Rajon Rondo has been playing. It's going to be difficult to play a full 48-minute game with them. So we have to be ready to complete with them.

Whether it was the Celtics or Cavaliers we were going to face next, I do believe that the remaining games for us will be challenging from here on out. This is where you earn your money. We're now facing the league's elite. So as I said before, we plan to work hard at practice and really study our opponents. That's what championship teams do.

Have a great weekend!

May 13 from Orlando:

There's no doubt we've been riding on a tremendous amount of momentum during these playoffs.

One of the most common questions people ask me is: "How do you compare your team this year to last year's team?" And the best answer I can say is that we we're just a different team this year. With Jameer Nelson out for most of last postseason, Rafer Alston did a great job filling that void and helping us get to the NBA Finals. And there's no denying that Hedo Turkoglu played a big role in our success. And we took a hit when we lost him to free agency. Everyone knew Turk had great chemistry with the guys; he's a point-forward who could distribute the ball and hit big shots. And that was evident because he was able to get a big contract from Toronto.

General Manager Otis Smith countered our loss by bringing in a guy who has been known throughout his career as a scorer in Vince Carter. Vince came in and showed that he can still put points on the board. It took him a while, but he really filled a much-needed void. Whether or not he could fill that void for the next 10 years or the next three years isn't really the point. The point is this team is built to win a championship right now and Otis thought the best way we could do that is to bring Vince in the mix.

Courtney Lee showed us great things in his rookie season last year as well. He's a young player with a bright future. But when you add guys like Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass, now you can see us as a team that just reloaded with firepower.

So we're definitely a different team from last year. But we will ultimately be judged by whether or not we can win the NBA title. So there's a lot of pressure on us, but that's the reality. That's how the media will judge us and that's how everyone else will judge us. If we do that, obviously everyone will say this is a far better team from last year's.

We'll see what happens.

May 12 from Orlando:

It took this franchise 21 years to record its first-ever four-game sweep in a seven-game series when we swept the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round.

It only took us the next series to record another sweep.

We defeated the Atlanta Hawks 98-84 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in what became the most lopsided playoff series in NBA history. We outscored the Hawks by an average of 25.3 points per win. We still haven't lost a game since April 2 and I upon coming back home to Orlando, I saw an ESPN poll that read most fans would pick us to win the NBA championship.

The Atlanta Hawks had a great year. When you win 53 games in one season, you're a good team. They had the same schedule we had, so there was every reason to be concerned about this team when this series started. And when you're a team like Atlanta and come back from facing elimination to knock off the Milwaukee Bucks, that says something. Having said that, the Hawks, for whatever reason, did not play to the best of their ability during our series. They certainly are capable of playing to that ability. But that didn't happen in this series. For us, we had time to rest after sweeping the Bobcats and it was important for us to maintain our focus and keep the intensity to a high level.

Along with the much-needed rest, there were three key ingredients to our sweep. We wanted to take away every opportunity the Hawks might have to start a run. We also wanted to take away Atlanta's rebounding ability. Finally, we wanted to lock down Joe Johnson and make sure he doesn't get any free range to do whatever he wants offensively.

Although we hadn't lost a single playoff game yet, there are still plenty of things we're learning about ourselves along the way. For one, we have a pretty good team. Just like the Bobcats, the Hawks did a good job of trying to keep things away from Dwight Howard. But what we've continued to show is that when you double Dwight, you keep someone open. And we've been able to make teams pay when they leave one of our guys open. We have a tremendous amount of firepower who can hit shots. Rashard Lewis had a good series, Jameer Nelson continues to play on fire, and Mickael Pietrus and Vince Carter are hitting their strides. So if you want to take away from someone down low, you're going to create opportunities for three. So we're going to present matchup problems for a lot of people.

After the sweep, we returned home from Atlanta at around 3 am. Coach Van Gundy gave us Tuesday off and we're going to be off Wednesday as well. We'll get back to work on Thursday, and knowing coach, he's going to give us a good workout.

Be back soon.

May 7 from Orlando:

We're on our way to the ATL as we speak and we're taking our 2-0 series lead with us. We're coming off a 112-98 win against the Hawks and it was a much more competitive game than Game 1. We knew Atlanta was going to come out firing at the start of the game. One thing I immediately noticed from the Hawks (that I didn't see in Game 1) was that they were much better on the boards. Atlanta has always been a great rebounding team and they struggled in Game 1. This time, they did great job under the glass and we struggled getting rebounds when Dwight was on the bench. They also came alive shooting the ball really well. Atlanta was 6-for-11 from the three-point line and 30-for-31 from the free throw line. They don't shoot nearly as many threes as we do, but they do shoot threes. And in Game 2, they shot at a very high percentage.

Our most recent win keeps us undefeated in the playoffs. As much as TV analysts like to point that out, having not lost a game in the playoffs doesn't mean anything. The fact of the matter is, what has happened between our last defeat and now is irrelevant. That's the problem with punditry - people try to make irrelevant things relevant. I don't think anyone on this team has really thought about it and mentioned the fact that we haven't lost in a month. Nobody's really paying attention to that in the locker room. All we care about is how we did in the last game, and what we need to do to win the next one. Maybe sometime during the summer, we can reflect and think about how fun that ride was. But not right now.

Atlanta is going to be a tough to beat at their house these next two games. They really feed off their crowd and the last thing we want to do is give them any sliver of hope to get back in this series. You saw what happened when Milwaukee couldn't close the series out. So if we keep Atlanta from jumping on any opportune chances, we're going to be successful.

With that said, it's time to go to the airport. Have a great weekend. I will be back next week.

May 5 from Orlando:

We're coming a 114-71 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was one of the most crushing victories in our franchise's history. And on top of that, we were awarded the 2012 All-Star Game in our new arena. It was a great day for the city of Orlando.

As well as it may have looked on the box score, I didn't think we played as well as we could have, Particularly because we were off for an extended period of time. These past few days off were very difficult balance for us. We came off a four-game sweep against a very tough opponent and then we had a lot of time off. During that time, the guys practiced hard and it translated to Game 1, where everyone just played recklessly.

Dwight Howard returned to form with his first double-double of the playoffs. He picked up a foul early and could have been thrown off for the rest of the night. But he hung in there. After the game, I told him that I was very proud of him - not because he put up big numbers, but because of how he responded to his fouls. He could have made a big deal about the fouls and he could have been passive for the rest of the night. Instead, he just played the game. He played his game and realized that if he fouls out, the rest of the guys will have his back. All in all, I think the guys were just happy to be back on the court and not practicing. They wanted to go out there and take it to an opposing player instead of each other with coach Stan Van Gundy blowing the whistle. It was just fun to be back out there.

Having said all that, there's no way we're going to have this type of time with a team like the Hawks. They're way too good and they're a team we can't take for granted. Everyone thought they were out of it when the Milwaukee Bucks won Game 5 in the first round. All of a sudden, the Hawks won a road game and then took the series. They didn't think about the 'what ifs' and just played the game. You have to keep in mind that Atlanta just came off an emotional seven-game series and haven't spent too much time at home since then. They've also been known to come off blowout losses and win a few games before everything was said and done.

One thing we're keeping in mind (and I'm sure the Hawks are as well) is that this was just one game. It doesn't matter if we win by one point or 60 points. The reality is, it's just a 1-0 series lead. If Atlanta comes back and wins Game 2, the series completely turns on its head. So until this series is done, nothing is set in stone. If anything, Game 1 could be a trap game for us. If we go into Game 2 thinking this is going to be a piece of cake, we will lose. So I anticipate the Hawks getting over this game quickly and getting back to work.

And we'll be ready for them.

May 3 from Orlando:

The stage is set for Round 2 and we've now turned our focus on the Atlanta Hawks.

We were 3-1 against the Hawks this year and we've been pretty good against them over the past two years. But when it comes to the playoffs, you never know who will have the momentum.

Up until Sunday, we didn't even know who we were going to play in the second round. We were watching the Atlanta-Milwaukee series very closely. One day, we're preparing for the Bucks, the next day, we were preparing for the Hawks. As soon as their Game 7 was done, it was off to practice. So I like to say that we're ready for this series.

Of course, we've had a significant amount of time off. So that can always be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. You just don't know. We will obviously come into Game 1 with a lot of energy, but I'm always afraid of possibly coming out with too much energy. So, for the next couple of days, we really need to burn off some of this stuff we've been building up while we had the time off. If we have the right frame of mind, this time off will be a good thing. It's time to start revving up the engines again.

The Hawks are in a groove now. Facing elimination, they overcame some serious adversity and won Game 6 in Milwaukee. Then they come back and play out of their minds in Game 7 to clinch the series. So they're flying sky-high right now. For us, we just have to go into our house and compete. It's not going to be easy because the playoffs are never easy. Sure, we won 3-1 in the season series, but the playoffs are not about how you did in the record books. In the regular season, you're playing back-to-back games, you're on a long road trip, you're not in one place for a long time and some guys may be injured. In a seven-game series, you have some time to settle with your surroundings and really study your opponent. And you're playing at the highest level of competition you can possibly play. It's a lot purer in the sense of you getting the best game from everyone.

Having said that, I know we're a good team and we can continue to dominate this team if everyone shows up to play. But as you've watched from game to game (with the Atlanta series or with the Lakers-Thunder series), once you have a night off, you're in a hole. If we come out and play defense and control the boards and control Atlanta's fastbreaks, we will win.

Because the Atlanta-Milwaukee series went the entire seven games, there were some things we were able to spot that will help us in the second round. The Bucks ran a lot. Milwaukee was a much better team when they ran the ball up and down the floor, playing defense and closing down the paint. Atlanta had trouble shooting the ball, so Milwaukee closed the paint and forced them to score outside. But what the Hawks did great was really pounded the Bucks on the glass. So just from a casual perspective, it looks like we really need to get some stops and run. If we can do that and if we don't allow the Hawks to set up their plays, we'll be fine. You can't deny Atlanta's athleticism. So the important thing we can't do is allow them to get loose on the open floor. We have to close down the lanes and we have to put our bodies in front of them. In the playoffs, you have to be willing to hit the floor. At the end of the day, that's how defense is going to help you. And if we can play good defense, get in front of them and force them to jump over us, and rebound - and keep Dwight out of foul trouble, we're going to have a good series.

It will be good to see our fans again after the layoff. I'll be back after Game 1.

April 30 from Orlando:

It feels really good that it's the end of April and we're still playing basketball.

As excited as I am seeing our team advance to the second round, I've been truly intrigued by the other series around the league. To see what's going on between the LA Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder has been remarkable. I though Oklahoma City was going to be a dangerous team, but I didn't think they would command the stage the way they have against the defending world champions. The Thunder are a team that's young, formidable - and crazy enough not to think of the pressure and really take it to the champs. It's kind of weird seeing the Lakers a bit frazzled considering the Thunder were just getting their hands dirty making the playoffs for the first time in a while. But when I think of what we did at Golden State, having played the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in 2007 and really handle them in six games, I know anything can happen in the playoffs. Right now, the Lakers are up 3-2. We'll see if they can close it out on the road.

Watching Portland and Phoenix and seeing Brandon Roy come back early for the Trail Blazers was inspiring. Having to play outmanned and outgunned, Portland is really holding their own against Phoenix. There's no telling what Portland could have done if they had everyone healthy. That was just a great series in the west.

With Dallas and San Antonio, I didn't really expect that series to be as one-sided as it was. Everyone thought the Spurs were just dead and done with Tony Parker missing a lot of time in the regular season. But to see him come back and do what he's been able to do in the playoffs, it's amazing. And you think Manu Ginobili is at his peak, but he continues to surprise everyone with what he can do. He has just taken himself to a whole new level in terms of attitude and toughness. George Hill is a special player, too. With Parker out for so many games, that really gave Hill a chance to show just how special he really is. The Spurs are alive and well. And they are a team to be reckoned with. We'll see what they can do against Phoenix in the second round.

With the Utah-Denver series, you have the Jazz, who always play a ho-hum fundamental game. And you have the Nuggets, who have just as much a chance as anyone to go to the NBA Finals. But now, they're on the verge of elimination. So every series in the west has been truly remarkable. At one point, we were potentially seeing a Western Conference semifinals featuring Portland, San Antonio, Utah and Oklahoma City. Talk about toughness outshining glamour. So I've been pleased with how the playoffs in the west has been so compelling for so many different reasons.

In the east, the series between Miami and Boston, I thought, was going to be one that was going to go six or seven games. And then BOOM, Miami is out in five games. But before that series ended, Dwyane Wade put together his best playoff performance as a player who might not even return to Miami next season.

With Atlanta and Milwaukee, I thought this was going to be a series that was going to go four games. With Andrew Bogut going down just before the start of the playoffs, I didn't think the Bucks would have enough to hang with the Hawks. But they've shown that they can give Atlanta lots of trouble and this is something we need to pay attention to if we wind up playing them in the second round. Atlanta is still loaded with talent and athleticism, but Milwaukee is playing out of their minds behind a rookie point guard. Who would have thought this series was going to go as long as it has been?

With Cleveland and Chicago, I thought this was one of the more predictable series. But it still wasn't easy for the Cavaliers. For the most part, the Cavaliers had their way with the Bulls. Chicago came out fighting, but at the end of the day, the better team won this series.

Thinking about all these first-round series, and thinking about us actually sweeping our series really speaks for our maturity and how far we've come as a franchise. So it's been hard to avoid any of these other games going on around the league. It's been great fun on so many levels for so many different reasons. Anyone watching the playoffs this year would be hard-pressed to think of anything else that's equally exciting to see unfold.

May 27 from Orlando:

How "sweep" it is.

We were the first team to advance to the second round by sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round. It was also the first time this franchise has swept an opponent in a seven-game series, so I'm very happy about that.

I was most pleased about closing the series out in Game 4. Anytime you play a team that's down to their last game, you know they're going to give it their all. And to do that in front of a hostile crowd in Charlotte, that was a difficult thing to do. The Bobcats were hungry, Michael Jordan was sitting by the bench, this was a team that just never gave up. They really embodied the personality of coach Larry Brown. To see a young franchise really come alive and have their fans embrace them in just six years of existence, it was a terrific scene and I think they're going to be around for a very long time.

As I mentioned before, this wasn't an easy series. Just because we didn't lose any games in the series doesn't mean those wins came easy. They were very physician and I think they even outscored us in the paint. The one thing we saw early on is that the Bobcats wanted to take Dwight Howard out of this series. And they did a remarkable job in frustrating him. They were very physical and they didn't give him anything in the paint. When a team's blueprint is to take you out of the game, there's nothing you can really do. And if you try to do something, you get into foul trouble (which is what happened to Dwight). Charlotte's ability to go zone, doubling up on Dwight and denying him the ball was a very smart thing for coach Brown to do. But as often as he was on the bench, he still made a big impact defensively with his blocks and rebounds.

With Dwight going in and out of the game, it opened opportunities for other guys on the team. And there was no doubt that this series belonged to Jameer Nelson. Jameer was our best player in this series, no question about it. I know I always talk about how we have a team with so many players who can come alive. And nothing was more evident than how Jameer responded whenever Dwight couldn't score. And then you have guys who can come off the bench and really step up. So yes, you can take someone out of the game, but it creates an opportunity for someone else to be great. And seeing him not play until we reached the NBA Finals last year, I was really happy to see Jameer have a series like that. We also showed that we have a tremendous amount of firepower from the three-point line. If Dwight is going to be double-teamed, someone's going to be open behind the arc.

One great thing about sweeping a team is that we can now get a little rest. We have the next two days off and will return to practice on Thursday. And after playing more than 80 games, I think we can use it. Some people will say it's a bad thing to have time off while we're waiting to see who we play next. But anytime you can close out a series and rest your body, that's always a good thing.

We're definitely going to watch what's going on between Atlanta and Milwaukee. But this time off also gives us a chance to see what's going on in the other series. I'll be back to talk about what else is going on in the playoffs. This time off will probably be the only time I'll get to do that.

Talk to you soon.

April 25th at Charlotte:

We're coming off another tough game against the Bobcats, but we did enough to win Game 3 and take a 3-0 lead in the first round. Nothing about the game (or this series, for that matter) has been a surprise. Charlotte is giving us their best game every night, and we're what we need to do to maintain control of the series. And to have a playoff game in Charlotte for the first time since 2002, it was that much tougher to come away with the win.

Charlotte has always been a great NBA city. The entire state of North Carolina is a great basketball state, but this city has fond memories for me. The NBA draft was in Charlotte in 1997 and that's when I was drafted by the Warriors. It's a booming city with great places to hang out when you're in town. It's truly unbelievable. Since they've received an NBA franchise in 2004, this place has grown tremendously. So, even though we're working hard to take care of business, I plan to enjoy myself while I'm here.

I don't expect a whole lot to change during practice. Whatever it is we've been doing, it's translated to three straight wins. At the same time, coach Stan Van Gundy likes to continue working on things until it eventually becomes second nature. So we're going to continue watching film, learn from it and just keep putting ourselves in a situation to get better. Stan's thing is that "you can always be better". If it means having one less turnover in the game, it could be the difference.

I'll be back after Game 4.

April 22nd at Orlando:

Game 2 was a much more balanced game in terms of scoring from our starters. I felt really good about how the guys came out attacking the basket.

I did think the first quarter was pretty lousy for both teams. We got off to a good start, but for a while, nobody was able to hit any shots. We kind of waned a bit, but they waned as well. We were able to change things up early on and got going.

As I said before, we have a great team. And what's great about this team is that we don't know who is going to step up and have a big night. Sometimes, that can be a problem as well. Having said that, we also have a great deal of depth on our roster. So there are plenty of guys who can step up and come up big for this team - whether he's a starter or coming off the bench. Vince Carter is capable of scoring 30 or 40 points and Mickael Pietrus is capable of scoring 25 off the bench. Jameer Nelson showed in Game 1 that he can be an unbelievable scoring machine. And of course, Dwight Howard can have a monster game both offensively and defensively. Then, you have guys who can just flat-out shoot the ball. Ryan Anderson can shoot and J.J. Redick is playing lights out. So we have a team that's made up of a lot of guys with tremendous firepower. And that's a tremendous thing offensively. So we have a lot of confidence right now.

Our job was to win both games at home. Charlotte's job was to steal one. So we accomplished our mission and the Bobcats are in an 0-2 hole. The task switches now to trying to steal some wins in their house. That's not going to be easy because this will be the first playoff game in their franchise's history, and the first time Charlotte fans will see an NBA playoff game since 2002. So what do you think that arena's going to be like in Game 3? Make no mistake the Bobcats are going to be jacked and will be feeding off their crowd. So I don't expect anything less of them playing out of their minds in Game 3. Our job is to go out there, do what we do best and try as hard as we can to steal some road victories.

We did a great job winning our first two games, but we can lose sight of the fact that we need two more wins to advance. Anything can still happen. So we'll have to work even harder to accomplish the task at hand. It's not too late to have one of those games that can simply change the momentum of the series. We're still going to play games where Charlotte is going to make big runs. And it's up to us to withstand all of that.

All in all, we've been playing well these past two games. But now, we have to go in their house and be ready for their best game yet. That's all for now. I'll be back soon - reporting from Charlotte.

- Adonal

April 19th:

We were able to take care of business and beat the Charlotte Bobcats in Game 1. But the win didn't come easy. Charlotte staged a big comeback, but we were able to hold them off when it mattered most.

The Bobcats did a really good job denying Dwight Howard the ball and trying to frustrate him. At the same time, I thought Dwight played one of his best games defensively. After the game, I told him that he has the ability to really change the complexion of the game without scoring a single point. Not a lot of players in the league can do that. That's pretty extraordinary to have a guy like that change the game without a whole lot of scoring. In Game 1, he didn't put up a lot of points, but what he did do was what he does best - annihilate the opponent defensively.

We did have an opportunity to really put Charlotte away early in the game, but we didn't. The fact of the matter is, in the playoffs, everyone is going to make a run. It's almost inevitable. I think we've given them some confidence in terms of being able to play with us. So we'll need to go into Game 2 and really play harder and really keep chipping away at this team. As I mentioned before, this isn't going to be an easy series. The Bobcats are a very good team. They want to win badly, they're well-coached and they have some good players. They're going to give us their best game every night. And when we go to Charlotte, it's going to be that much tougher. As I mentioned in my first blog, this wasn't one of the team's I wanted to face in the first round. But we do have the talent to win this series. The question becomes whether or not we can concentrate and really believe that we can do this. And I think the guys understand that.

The playoffs are also about making adjustments. The Bobcats didn't get the W, so they're going to make some changes and try something different in the next game. For us, we know what we didn't do right in the first game, so we have to go into Game 2 and try to get better at those areas. We anticipate Charlotte looking at film and seeing what they did well against us. They're going to take that and do even more of that. We're going to be seeing a lot of these guys, so you're going to see a lot of adjustments being made throughout this series.

- Adonal

April 17th:

The playoffs are here!

And I couldn't be more excited. It was a long regular season and we can't wait to finish what we started last season. We finished better than last year with the second-best record in the NBA and a second-seed in the Eastern Conference. If we can make it back to the finals, we would have homecourt advantage. But the road back won't be an easy one. There are some great teams in our path, and in order to be the best - we have to beat the best.

Our first round opponent is the Charlotte Bobcats. It is their first playoff appearance in franchise history, so we know they're going to be jacked for this series.

The Bobcats represent difficult matchups for us. We beat them three out of four times this season, but they were close games. So it wasn't like we dominated them all year. All Larry Brown teams are well-coached and he knows how to get them to achieve great things. Everywhere Larry Brown has gone, his teams have seen success. Most recently, he led the Detroit Pistons to a championship in 2004 and he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the finals in 2001.

We're a team that's young, plays hard, has a good set of guards, can shoot from the perimeter and can run. When you have a team like Charlotte who's young and has a great coach on their site, it's not going to be an easy series. So we're not going to take them lightly. We just can't. The playoffs is a new season, where people have time to rest, study their opponent and really go hard after it. Teams are going to give you their best game night in and night out.

There are some intriguing matchups in this series. Tyson Chandler can always be tough on defense when he's healthy. So Dwight Howard could have his hands full. At power forward, Boris Diaw could be a difficult task for Rashard Lewis. Rashard has the ability to spread the floor, but Boris is a big body who can do a lot of damage in the paint. He's also an excellent passer and can create opportunities for his teammates.

At point guard, you have two really good guards in D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton who are going to be able to run just as good as Jameer Nelson and Jason Williams.

Then, there's Gerald Wallace. That guy can run all day. He's a slasher at the utmost level. He's very athletic and he gets into the passing lanes. So Vince Carter will have to take it to him.

The matchup I'm most interested in seeing is Stephen Jackson vs. Matt Barnes. Both were my teammates at Golden State when we knocked off the Dallas Mavericks in the first round in 2007. So they know each other very well. Stephen has the most playoff experience on the Bobcats and won a championship with San Antonio. So not only does he know what it takes to play at a higher level, but he will provide tutelage to his young teammates. Matt is a better defender than he's getting credit for. He's versatile and can guard anyone. And if you need him to score 18-20 points, he can do that too.

Something not to be overlooked is that Charlotte is loaded with big men who can rotate, play all night and give Dwight different looks. That, in itself, could create some issues.

I know everyone is saying that this should be an easy task for us. But of all the teams I wanted to face in the first round, Charlotte was not one of them. Our key to success is taking away every opportunity they have to be successful. Charlotte is excellent at running, so we have to get back on defense right away. If we can do that, we will always be in the game. But by no means do I believe this is going to be an easy series.

Wish us luck for Game 1. I'll be back soon - hopefully, with some good news.

- Adonal

Return to top ^