Magic vs. Pistons
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Can we unanimously agree that the Magic accomplished far more this season with Stan Van Gundy as coach than they would have with Billy Donovan? I know it. You know it. And, most of all, Billy Donovan knows it. 'As far as getting that team to take the next step, I don't think there's any question Stan Van Gundy was the right coach for the job,' Donovan said from his office in Gainesville. 'You have to have a level of humility in this situation and face facts. And the facts are Billy Donovan has never coached an NBA game in his life. There was obviously going to be a learning curve for me. The job Stan has done this year has been phenomenal, and the job he did with the Miami Heat doesn't get talked about enough.'"
- Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel: "Rasheed Wallace is in Detroit this morning, quietly laughing to himself. Dwight Howard has more technical fouls than Wallace does in this Pistons/Magic series, which is why it is expected to end tonight. Despite his history of coming unnerved, despite a well-deserved and career-long reputation for controversy, and despite opposing crowds that always try to incite him, Wallace has been the stabilizing influence for the Pistons in both this series, and in Detroit's long-running success."
- John Denton of Florida Today: "Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has seen the footage of Hedo Turkloglu's final shot in Saturday's Game 4 -- more than a few times to say the least -- and he's convinced that a foul would have been called had the play not come in an end-of-game situation. And what absolutely infuriates Van Gundy is that referee Mike Callahan, positioned along the baseline, seems ready to whistle Detroit's Jason Maxiell for a blocking foul for having one foot clearly inside of the restricted area, but inexplicably drops his arm and makes no call at all."
- Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press: "Prince's ascension this postseason is welcome news for the 6-foot-9 forward, who wasn't happy with the way last season ended. His numbers dwindled in each of the four consecutive losses to Cleveland, and in the season finale, he had just one basket in 10 tries, as LeBron James triumphed. 'The thing that has stayed with me is how we lost,' Prince said. 'I think we were too concerned with how we were going to defend LeBron and not what we were going to do on our offensive end. Going into these playoffs it's been on my mind to be concerned about what we have to do and make them have to defend us.'"
- Rob Parker of The Detroit News: "When Prince was asked Monday which clutch play in his career did he relish the most -- the 2004 block on Reggie Miller's shot in Game 2 of the conference finals or Saturday's winning basket in Game 4's huge road victory in Orlando -- Prince didn't hesitate. 'I'll take that block anytime of the day,' Prince said after practice. 'It's more special. I don't care if the block was Game 1 of 82 games, the last game of 82 games or in the playoffs. That's more important than anything to me. It's satisfaction to get a defensive stop to win the game.' It's for that reason Prince often is overlooked and not as big of a fan favorite as other players. Defense might win you championships, but fans always will take offense."
- A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: "Richard Hamilton is on the verge of becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer in the playoffs. Making the record all that more improbable is the fact he has been able to do it in just six postseasons. He needs just 10 points to tie Isiah Thomas' franchise record of 2,261 postseason points. 'To me, it's crazy,' Hamilton said. 'Zeke is Detroit. If you get an opportunity to pass him ... I don't even feel as though I've been here long enough. It's a great honor, a great accomplishment. I wouldn't be able to do it without winning games. That's the great thing about it.'"
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