There's nothing like the sense of attachment you feel in being a devout sports fan of any team. While you don't have a real vested interest like the players and personnel on the team do, you still feel their joy and pain just as they may experience it.
As a fan, you ride the peaks and valleys with your team, and there are plenty of them. It's easy to forget the bad times when things are good, and the opposite is just as true. Despite the ups and downs, the everlasting loyalty you give to your team is always present.
As a fan of the Orlando Magic, last season was one of the best ones in recent memory. Having been discounted by the NBA world as a team with a good record that wouldn't make it past Cleveland or Boston, many felt that the Magic simply couldn't compete at the level of these teams.
Despite their injury issues, many still favored the Celtics to surpass the Magic in their series. Between the home court advantage, the veteran experience in Boston, and the inexperience in Orlando, the Magic were written off early in the series. Against Cleveland, no one gave the team a chance, despite the fact that the Magic had won the season series against the Cavs. Orlando quieted the doubters with a run to the NBA finals, their second since the mid 90s.
Aside from the momentum that any NBA finals run brings, Orlando has bolstered its roster tremendously during the off-season. Vince Carter is one of the top players in the league, and the threesome of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Vince Carter will undoubtedly be one of the strongest in the NBA. Building around them, the team has made some nice moves, with the addition of Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson, and Brandon Bass, all of whom are capable of building around these All-Stars and strengthening the team all around. Rashard Lewis will sit out the first three weeks of the season due to a substance abuse violation, but the team remains strong as ever nonetheless.
In 2008-2009, the absence of Lewis would have been a major problem for the team; but with the addition of Carter and the other three players mentioned, the Orlando Magic have little to worry about.
With Lewis sidelined for almost an eighth of the season, the Magic seize a perfect opportunity to mess around with their roster and see who fits in well and where. It gives players like Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, and Marcin Gortat an outstanding chance to step up their game and not only help themselves in the long run, but the entire Magic team as well. Taking the Lewis situation as if it were an injury and the Magic can already honestly say that they have enough productive role players on their bench to fill the shoes of their starting All-Star without running into much of a problem whatsoever.
The fact that the loss of the team's second most valuable player (and an All-Star) won't have much of a perceived impact on the team's performance says it all about the state of Orlando basketball. This should be another one of those up years for the team's fans.
As a fan, you ride the peaks and valleys with your team, and there are plenty of them. It's easy to forget the bad times when things are good, and the opposite is just as true. Despite the ups and downs, the everlasting loyalty you give to your team is always present.
As a fan of the Orlando Magic, last season was one of the best ones in recent memory. Having been discounted by the NBA world as a team with a good record that wouldn't make it past Cleveland or Boston, many felt that the Magic simply couldn't compete at the level of these teams.
Despite their injury issues, many still favored the Celtics to surpass the Magic in their series. Between the home court advantage, the veteran experience in Boston, and the inexperience in Orlando, the Magic were written off early in the series. Against Cleveland, no one gave the team a chance, despite the fact that the Magic had won the season series against the Cavs. Orlando quieted the doubters with a run to the NBA finals, their second since the mid 90s.
Aside from the momentum that any NBA finals run brings, Orlando has bolstered its roster tremendously during the off-season. Vince Carter is one of the top players in the league, and the threesome of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Vince Carter will undoubtedly be one of the strongest in the NBA. Building around them, the team has made some nice moves, with the addition of Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson, and Brandon Bass, all of whom are capable of building around these All-Stars and strengthening the team all around. Rashard Lewis will sit out the first three weeks of the season due to a substance abuse violation, but the team remains strong as ever nonetheless.
In 2008-2009, the absence of Lewis would have been a major problem for the team; but with the addition of Carter and the other three players mentioned, the Orlando Magic have little to worry about.
With Lewis sidelined for almost an eighth of the season, the Magic seize a perfect opportunity to mess around with their roster and see who fits in well and where. It gives players like Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, and Marcin Gortat an outstanding chance to step up their game and not only help themselves in the long run, but the entire Magic team as well. Taking the Lewis situation as if it were an injury and the Magic can already honestly say that they have enough productive role players on their bench to fill the shoes of their starting All-Star without running into much of a problem whatsoever.
The fact that the loss of the team's second most valuable player (and an All-Star) won't have much of a perceived impact on the team's performance says it all about the state of Orlando basketball. This should be another one of those up years for the team's fans.
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