ORLANDO – At one point in Tuesday’s second quarter, Orlando Magic rookie Stephen Zimmerman tried spinning baseline and got shoved away, tried going back to the middle and was chucked again before flipping up a hook shot as he was whacked across the arms by Miami’s Michael Carrera.
Before he went to the free throw line, Zimmerman – a string-bean center by NBA comparisons at 6-foot-11 and 234 pounds – turned back to glare at Carrera. The 19-year-old big man didn’t utter a word, but the snarl on his face said plenty. He didn’t appreciate the physical play and he wanted it known that he wouldn’t be intimidated one bit by it.