Hawks' Dejounte Murray Gives 'Love & Respect' to Magic Coach Jamahl Mosley
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks have been in some dogfights this year.
In three meetings between the division rivals, each game was decided by one possession or overtime, including last night's 106-104 loss for the Magic where Dejounte Murray hit a game-winner at the buzzer.
It's the second time Murray has hit the game-winning shot to go ahead for the Hawks this year against the Magic. The tight battles the teams have faced has earned Murray's respect for Orlando.
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"They're a great team," Murray said postgame. "I got nothing but love and respect for their coach. I see the way he coached the whole 48 minutes every single night. They got a bunch of young talented guys so there's no surprise they're an up-and-coming team."
Orlando is 22-19 after last night's loss, placing them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. However, the team has lost eight games by two possessions or less. If the Magic would have won even half of those games, they would be in the top four in the East, and if they had won all of those close affairs, they would be right behind the first-place Boston Celtics.
The target on Orlando's back is growing as they continue to garner respect around the league, and it's only a matter of time before they are seen among the Eastern Conference's best.
The Magic are back in action tomorrow night when the Philadelphia 76ers come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET from the Kia Center.
