Thursday, May 20, 2010
This was supposed to be a happy time in central Florida.
Orlando was going to be the center of the universe, at least in the world that is the National Basketball Association.
The Magic, who dispatched Charlotte and Atlanta in eight games in the first two rounds of the playoffs, were going to waltz through the Eastern Conference Finals, leaving only Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers standing between Orlando and its first NBA title.
Invitations to the victory parade in downtown Orlando already had been addressed and were waiting to be mailed out. Venerable Amway Arena, home of the Magic since the franchise's inception in 1989, has been spruced up in anticipation of national television audiences who would witness Orlando's coronation via the digital airwaves.
Nothing could scuttle the dream. The Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy was Orlando's for the taking.
They just had to play out the string and the region would have its first major sports title, not counting minor-league baseball championships and those win in gimmick sports, like Arena Football.
Somebody, apparently, forgot to tell the Boston Celtics that everything was set, the champagne was on ice and they couldn't rain on the party.
But they did. The Celtics unleashed an old fashioned "frog strangler" on the Magic, sending the teams to Boston with Orlando drowning in an 0-2 series (sink)hole.
A sweep that seemed so unlikely is now a very real possibility.
Fans who had already set aside a few bucks to buy T-shirts inscribed with "Orlando Magic, 2009-10 NBA Champions" have likely begun to spend that money on other things, like amusement park tickets or hotel rooms at the beach.
Even "The Amway," now looks like it was prepared for a final viewing and burial -- since the Magic will move down the street into the new Amway Center next season -- instead of being home to the NBA Champions.
Where did these Celtics come from?
They weren't supposed to be this good.
They were ancient in basketball years.
They couldn't handle the Magic in the regular season (losing three of four games), so why should the playoffs be any different.
All true, perhaps, but they still have those little green leprechauns hanging out, helping them out when things get tough.
That must've been why J. J. Redick couldn't call timeout with seven seconds to play. The leprechauns were holding his hands down.
Perhaps that also explains why the Magic have been so lethargic for the first three quarters in the series' first two games, both losses for Orlando. The little green-garbed men were on the backs of the Magic players, forcing Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and the rest to drag them up and down the court.
Certainly the leprechauns sat on the backboard in the final minute of Tuesday's game and swatted away both of Carter's crucial free throws.
All good excuses and I'd love nothing more than to use any of them to explain away the Magic's predicament, but I can't.
None of us can.
Of course, only one reason can explain what's happened to the Magic.
Boston is a better team.
The Celtics' veteran-laden roster has plenty of playoff experience and players know the NBA's 82 game regular season is a grind and pacing is a key element to maintaining their energy level in the postseason. All the Celtics battled injuries this season and they're finally healthy at the right time of year.
When both teams walked off the floor Tuesday, the Magic looked like a worn-out team. They didn't look like a club that had nearly of week of rest between games.
Boston was fresher and played with more energy, despite having closed out Cleveland in the conference semifinals just three days before the series opener against Orlando.
Orlando's still searching for an answer to Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. Redick, Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes took turns Tuesday trying to slow down Pierce. All three failed in matchups that resembled a high-school player trying to stop Michael Jordan.
Redick did manage to score 16 points and was a factor down the stretch in the Magic's come back from an 11-point deficit. However, an inability to slow down Pierce negated any virtually all of the trio's offensive contributions.
Rondo's performance was even more impressive. The 6-foot-1 point guard from Kentucky dissected the Magic. His whirling dervish drives and smooth jump shots left his Orlando counterparts, Jameer Nelson and Jason WIlliams, reaching for air.
Can the Magic bounce back and win the series? Well, it has happened before.
Three teams in NBA history have come back from 2-0 deficits after losing the first two of a series on their home floor. The first time was in 1969 when the Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West-led Lakers dropped the first two games against the San Francisco Warriors, but won the next four.
The last time occurred in 2005 when Houston beat Dallas in Games One and Two, before the Mavericks rebounded and took the series in seven games.
It's not going to happen in 2010, though. Orlando looked and sounded thoroughly beaten after Tuesday's game.
That's a bitter dose of truth serum for this Magic fan.
I want Orlando to beat Boston. That victory parade down Orange Avenue would be a sight to behold. Seeing Howard and Carter hold up the O'Brien trophy would be an emotional moment for fans -- many of whom began supporting the team in 1986, when current Senior Vice President Pat Williams began working the community for support and lobbying the league for a franchise.
That's all gone now. Boston's going to wrap up the series, possibly in four games.
And then I'll move on. The NBA Draft is about a month away and league training camps open in less than four months.
There'll be plenty of reasons to be happy again.
