I am Magically Disgusted

@ColleenBurns @jabberjim i woke up happy and then remembered why i cried myself to sleep last night #orlandomagic #fail

As perfectly tweeted by my fellow Magic friend Colleen this morning, the Magic made every fan cry last night. In an act usually reserved for college football season, i threw my Magic hat across the room in disgust. It truly was one of the most frustrating sports viewing expieriences in recent memory.

The Magic basically shut down with 5 minutes to go in a game they had well in hand. Why? I have to blame coaching. Simple as that. It literally seemed like the coaching staff just told the guys to wing it in the closing minutes. Don't worry about the fact they are facing the defending NBA champions who, despite missing Kevin Garnett, are still an expierienced, potent team.

The coaching staff also seems to forget they have an all-star center, who should be touching the ball. Even Dwight himself is scratching his head at the lack of touches he gets in the clutch. As Howard states in that article, a player needs the ball to get into an offensive rythmn. Case in point, Ray Allen, cold for most of the series, yet Doc Rivers still gets him the ball. Ray came through at a crucial point in the game, hitting a big 3. You HAVE to give your superstar time to shine. Yes they defended Howard well. Yes Howard missed some shots and is a liability on the foul line. But he has to have the ball. He is a good enough player to make something happen. Inexcusable you have the cornerstone of your franchise on the floor and he is relegated to a spectator. If Dwight Howard is to reach the levels of Lebron and Kobe, he needs the ball enough times during the game to work on his defender, to find a weakness and exploit it.

I will be watching game 6. But I will be nervous. Even if the Magic build a 30 point lead in the 3rd period, i will still not feel confident. They must learn to shut the door. This must happen with your superstars. The Magic had a legitimate shot at winning this series 4-1. Establishing themselves as a contender. The only thing they seem to have accomplished in this post season is establishing a reputation as a team who do not know how to close out games. That is a bad position to be in. They have the players, they have the superstar. Game 6 will show what kind of metal this team is made of.

I love the Magic... but man they piss me off.