There’s no better way for the Orlando Magic to open their new arena than with a statement making win. Sure it might have just been preseason, but the club looked sharp and ready to go for the regular season with a 135-81 rout of the New Orleans Hornets Sunday evening.
“I did say in the locker room, very briefly right before we were heading out, that it was a very big night for a lot people in our organization,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “And we need to honor those people by playing very, very hard. That’s all we talked about.”
The Magic got contributions from all their big name players – Rashard Lewis, J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson scored 23 points apiece in the 54-point win.
“If it takes a new arena to get Stan to wear a suit,” Orlando’s Dwight Howard(notes) said, “we’re going to have to get one every year.”
Peja Stojakovic had 20 points and Emeka Okafor added 13 points for the Hornets, who lost their second straight preseason game. “Anytime you get beat by 50, it is not a good look,” New Orleans forward Trevor Ariza said.
The Magic took a 17-point lead in the first quarter, went ahead by 28 at halftime and 55 in the fourth quarter.
“I’m sure the fact that it was a new building, they want to get used it,” Okafor said. “A lot of buzz in the air. The crowd was into it. It all helped them out.”
The new arena in Orlando has 18,500 seats and almost three times the square footage of the old playground. It also houses the teams practices facilities, two levels of luxury suites, wine bars, beer bars, indoor restaurants, outdoor cafes and even a nightclub.
Now if the Magic can complete the job and bring home a title, the building of the new palace will be all the more worth it.
Magic Open Their New Home With 54-Point Rout Of New Orleans
There’s no better way for the Orlando Magic to open their new arena than with a statement making win. Sure it might have just been preseason, but the club looked sharp and ready to go for the regular season with a 135-81 rout of the New Orleans Hornets Sunday evening.
“I did say in the locker room, very briefly right before we were heading out, that it was a very big night for a lot people in our organization,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “And we need to honor those people by playing very, very hard. That’s all we talked about.”
The Magic got contributions from all their big name players – Rashard Lewis, J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson scored 23 points apiece in the 54-point win.
“If it takes a new arena to get Stan to wear a suit,” Orlando’s Dwight Howard(notes) said, “we’re going to have to get one every year.”
Peja Stojakovic had 20 points and Emeka Okafor added 13 points for the Hornets, who lost their second straight preseason game. “Anytime you get beat by 50, it is not a good look,” New Orleans forward Trevor Ariza said.
The Magic took a 17-point lead in the first quarter, went ahead by 28 at halftime and 55 in the fourth quarter.
“I’m sure the fact that it was a new building, they want to get used it,” Okafor said. “A lot of buzz in the air. The crowd was into it. It all helped them out.”
The new arena in Orlando has 18,500 seats and almost three times the square footage of the old playground. It also houses the teams practices facilities, two levels of luxury suites, wine bars, beer bars, indoor restaurants, outdoor cafes and even a nightclub.
Now if the Magic can complete the job and bring home a title, the building of the new palace will be all the more worth it.
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