Stan Van Gundy and Orlando Magic Find Good Karma

Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy suffers from a split personality.

He self-diagnosed himself on national television during one of those NBA-mandatory post-game interviews last week. Van Gundy came before the cameras wearing his heart on his sleeve after the Magic forced a Game Seven against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

In a moment of candor, in which he probably took a backhand swipe at Orlando's Mickey-Mouse fans and hometown newspaper, Van Gundy said he did not want to make much of the must-win victory against the Celtics.

"Too much is made of one game in the course of a series," he said. "One night you're a genius, but you're always one loss away from being an idiot."

Of late, Van Gundy is coaching with an IQ of 150. His team has been on a roll since that fourth-quarter meltdown in Game Five of the Boston series that put the Celtics up 3-2.

Following that crushing defeat, even the Magic's Superman, Dwight Howard, publicly questioned Van Gundy's decision making.

That proved to be a turning point for the Magic. By calling out his coach, Howard has stepped up as the team's leader with thunderous performances on both ends of the floor.

It also forced Van Gundy to reassert control of his team by taking a negative and turning it into a positive that has unified the Magic.

The Magic and their coach showed that resolve again by going into Cleveland and taking home-court advantage away from the Cavaliers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Van Gundy praised his team for being resilient and not wilting when it looked as if the Cavs were ready to blow them off the court in the first half. They took LeBron James' best shot, a 49-point effort, and remained standing.

At the same time, the Magic players are connecting with their resilient coach. They are on a mission to make him out to be a genius.