Magic deserve praise not criticism
It was a great season for the Orlando Magic. Most people did not think Stan Van Gundy's team could beat the Celtics or the Cavaliers. They accomplished those two feats, but fell short in the championship round against a motivated and inspired Los Angeles Lakers team.
Instead of praising this franchise for a great run, too many media members down in Orlando took shots at the Magic. It is hard to believe.
I couldn't understand some of the things written or said on sports talk radio while I was in Orlando for Games 4 and 5 of the Finals. Dwight Howard is one of the top players in the NBA today, yet he was maligned and I just don't get it.
Is there really something wrong with an athlete having a good time while he is competing? Why would somebody ever criticize a player for smiling too much ... are you serious?
Howard is going to get better and better. I laugh at the remarks that all he does is dunk. I look at the stats and I see how he dominates on the glass, getting 16, 17, 18 rebounds in a game. He set an NBA Finals record with nine blocked shots in one contest. He is going to be a solid offensive player for many years.
OK, he does have to work on his free throw shooting.
Who wouldn't want a player like Dwight Howard in their line up. I can think of 25-30 other GMs that would be happy to get a phone call from the Magic offering the big man. Don't worry, my friends ... that will never happen!
I also couldn't believe the criticism of Van Gundy. It was total nonsense. I started to wonder if some people would have felt better if they lost earlier and didn't even make the Finals.
I saw several athletes and former players at Disney over the weekend. They didn't have to answer questions from the media. They didn't have to worry about the Lakers at that point. Are you telling me it is better to be on the sidelines watching instead of competing?
Nobody was writing about them or saying anything about those players.
The Magic deserve a lot more praise than criticism.
