With no due respect to the Detroit Pistons, we know that their are three championship contenders in the NBA Eastern Conference. Those teams are the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic.
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy knows his team is trying to get to the summit (an NBA championship) this year. They may not be the favorites, but that makes games versus upper echelon teams more meaningful. Yet Van Gundy has denied that game between the Celtics and Magic means anything tonight. That is why our b.s. detector is buzzing.
“I’ve said all along, and I honestly think it’s true: If they’ll give us two wins for the Boston game, then I’ll make it bigger than the other games; Otherwise, it’s not.” Van Gundy said.Guess what Van Gundy, when you are playing your fellow top teams, those games are two game swings. So honestly (but not in your case) those games are worth two games. If your team loses you will be two games back of where you would have been with a loss. Not to mention, your team will lose a potential tie-breaker game. So these games are worth even more than two games and are bigger. So just stop trying to muse us with fake modesty.
Jameer Nelson, who is averaging 6 more points a game than he did last year is the x-factor. Nelson is steadying a team that looked soft in their five game exit to the Pistons in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals. Nelson's improvement has taken the pressure off of their star wings Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis as well as star center Dwight Howard, who struggles late in games.
The Magic added guards Michael Pietrus and Courtney Lee. Pietrus is consistently excelling now that he is out of the log jam of guards at Golden State. Lee is looking smooth for a rookie.
Lee is joined on the bench by J.J. Redick , Keith Bogans, Tony Battie and Marcin Gortat. All of those players are understanding their roles more and more and will be able to make more significant contributions during this year's playoffs.
Although the Magic lost their first game of the year against the Celtics, the Magic swept their home and home season series with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are favored by most experts to win the Western Conference. Van Gundy knows that evening the season series with the Celtics would be a huge boost to his teams' mindset.
Besides the fact that wins verse upper echelon teams will help the Magic get home court advantage in the playoffs, Van Gundy knows that such wins create the belief necessary to be winning games in May and June. So if you are reading Van Gundy, you have had your B.S. called.
Picture: Stan Van Gundy, Orlando Magic coach
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