Posts Tagged ‘headed’

Stetson Professors, Students Headed Home From Japan

Stetson Professors, Students Headed Home From Japan
TOKYO, JAPAN — A group of students and professors from Stetson University finally headed home from Japan, Sunday night. Two professors and 13 students from the DeLand campus were in Tokyo when the massive earthquake hit Friday.

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NBA Finals Tickets ? Headed for a Rematch?

Last season the basketball world stood in shock after the Orlando Magic handled the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and bounced LeBron James and Company in five games.  The Magic went on to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, where they were unable to overcome the experience and size of the Lake Show.  Last season, most people weren’t ecstatic that <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/nba-finals-tickets/”>NBA Finals tickets</a> included a Magic team that they knew little about, but things have changed in the past year.

The Orlando Magic have cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs, winning each of their first eight contests with relative ease.  While some of that can be chalked up to the competition they’ve faced, it’s hard to argue that Orlando hasn’t looked like the cream of the crop in the East.  Regardless of who they face in the conference finals, the Magic should be able to reach the NBA Finals for a second consecutive season.  Perhaps that will earn them some respect.

The star power of LeBron James in Cleveland and the big three in Boston tends to overshadow a team whose best player’s greatest strength is defense.  Dwight Howard, while one of the more popular players in the league, just doesn’t get the kind of print that King James does, which leads people to assume that the Cavaliers are the better team.  We saw Orlando dismantle LeBron and Co. last postseason and I see no real reason that they couldn’t do it again.  With Cleveland trailing Boston 3-2 in the conference semifinals as of May 12th, they may not have to.  They match up well with the Boston Celtics, a team which Orlando can use their superior size, athleticism and depth to great advantage.  Orlando definitely seems to be the frontrunner to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

Out West we’ve got the Los Angeles Lakers positioned exactly as we expected they’d be and a Phoenix Suns team that was not supposed to be here.  The Suns gelled late in the season and have ridden team chemistry and a hot offense to the semis.  Despite their cohesiveness and offensive firepower, it’s difficult to see the Suns defeating the Lakers in a seven-game series.  The Lakers are just too long and will have the best player on the floor in Kobe Bryant.  They also match up very well with the Suns for the most part.  Lamar Odom’s versatility gives L.A. a big that can guard the Suns’ sweet-shooting frontcourt players, while Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol can patrol the paint and enforce things on the defensive end.

So, at this point, the most likely matchup we’ll see in the 2010 NBA Finals is the same one we had in the 2011 Finals, though there are some year-to-year changes to consider.  The Magic seemed outmatched last season and their inexperience definitely hurt them.  Any jitters that plagued them early in last season’s series will likely be gone this year.  The Magic also have Jameer Nelson, who was a shell of himself last postseason as he rushed back from an injury, and the point guard is playing some of the best basketball of his career.  Nelson should be able to exploit Derek Fisher on the offensive end.

As strange as this may sound, I expect Vince Carter to be a major x-factor in the Finals, should the Magic reach the series.  Carter gives the Magic a player that can create his own shot and take over games when he’s on.  If Carter can remain tough, both mentally and physically, he could be the difference between a title and another season that came up just short.  Dwight Howard will need to stay out of foul trouble as well and continue to be the defensive force that he’s been all season.  Guys like Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes will need to do what they can to slow Kobe Bryant down, but we know they can’t stop him completely.

I think everyone would be a little more excited to see an Orlando-L.A. Finals this season than they were last year, as the Magic have gained some legitimacy in the eyes of the average NBA fan over the course of the 2009-10 season and the playoffs.  It might be the most competitive series that we could get as fans, which is always a good thing.

Pow Wow, a $400 million travel industry bonanza headed Miami’s way

Pow Wow, a $400 million travel industry bonanza headed Miami’s way
By Ashley D. Torres Miami is in line to host the travel industry’s 2016 International Pow Wow, which could funnel the county about $400 million from future international visitors.

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