Code Blue? That's Orlando's attempt at a playoff slogan -- they're apparently indifferent to the fact it sounds like a new flavor of Mountain Dew. Or, as the guys over at Human Victory Cigar point out:
In a surprisingly candid move by a pro sports franchise, the Magic have adopted Code Blue as their motto for the playoffs this year. You may be familiar with this term, as Code Blue is used in hospitals to alert medical personnel when a patient has stopped breathing and has no heartbeat.
Touche.
Okay, scrimmage season is over, now the games start to count. The Pistons kick off the postseason with the Magic, a team they swept in the regular season. There's a good chance Detroit can make it eight straight, but I'll be surprised if the Magic simply roll over -- don't forget, three of Detroit's wins in the regular season were by five points or less.
We've already heard Jameer Nelson chirping, and now Dwight Howard and Grant Hill are talking big:
"It's nothing scary," Howard said. "It's all new to us, but any mountain we're faced with we can overcome." ...
"We've got to believe we can beat them," said Hill, who spent his first six seasons in Detroit. "They're beatable.
"They have experience. They've won championships. We know all that. But either you go out there and feel like you can win the series and give yourself a chance, or you're defeated before the series starts."
Admittedly, as bulletin board material goes that was pretty weak -- I wouldn't expect most players to really say anything different. Plus, I'm actually really excited to see what Hill brings to the table. There's been talk that this might be his final season, and if that's the case you have to figure he's going to leave everything on the court, especially considering he's going up against his former team.
Some links for you to peruse before the game: my FanHouse preview | Human Victory Cigar's preview | Darko Will Begrudgingly Play Today | 93 Million Dollar Questions
As always, leave your thoughts on the game in the comments.