Magic-Lakers: Stan Van Gundy Shoots Self In The Foot

Instead of seven-year-old Gina Marie Incandela singing the National Anthem for Game Five of the NBA Finals, the Orlando Magic should instead roll out the red carpet at Amway Arena for the Fat Lady.

And Magic Coach Stan Van "Grumpy" could easily join Fat Lady in a duo.

Sounds harsh? You betcha!

This series should be tied 2-2 right now.  Instead, Van Gundy's stubborn decision to leave rusty point guard Jameer Nelson in the game through the crucial minutes of the fourth quarter, and all of the overtime period has pushed the Magic to the brink of elimination.

We all know the results of keeping Nelson in the game. He made several ugly turnovers, failed to score, gave no flow to the offense, and on defense, Nelson gave Derek Fisher the space to flick a trey in his face that tied the game in the waning seconds.

It's been obvious to anyone watching (except Van Gundy) that Nelson is not ready after being out since February with shoulder surgery. By forcing Nelson into the line-up, Van Gundy skewed the Magic's momentum heading into the Finals.

Magic point guard Rafer Alston said the big minutes Nelson got in Game One threw his timing off.

Also, Nelson's ill-timed comeback has kept back-up point guard Anthony Johnson, who provided a spark to the Magic throughout the playoffs, on the bench during the Finals.

There was no apology forthcoming from Van Gundy for his mental meltdown in keeping Nelson in the game during crunch time. Unlike Van Gundy's mea culpa when he failed to have the right defensive scheme on the floor when LeBron James' buzzer-beater with one tick on the clock shocked the Magic, there was no remorse from the coach this time.

According to ESPN, Van Gundy said that other than asking his team to play harder on defense, there was nothing he would have done differently with the Magic up by three and 11 seconds left in regulation.

Really, coach? You could have sat Nelson and brought in your best front-court defender, Courtney Lee, to smother Fisher. Another option would have been JJ Redick. Have you forgotten, coach, what a great job JJ did in shutting down Ray Allen during the series against the Boston Celtics?

Unfortunately for the Magic, Van Gundy is suffering from short memory. How quickly he forgot the great job Alston did running the offense in winning Game Three against the Lakers.

Alston was doing a decent job in Game Four too—until Van Gundy banished him to the bench midway through the fourth quarter and forgot all about him the rest of the game. Coach, you got a bad case of amnesia.

I don't think Dwight Howard and crew are about to throw in the white towel despite having to do battle against a formidable opponent and their own coach, who appears hell-bent on shooting himself in the foot.

Few give the Magic any chance to rebound now that they are down 3-1 and with the Fat Lady rehearsing her swan song. Yet, anyone following this series is aware that the Magic could just as easily be up 3-1.

Magic players should no longer feel any pressure about expecting to win this series. The pressure now is all on Kobe Bryant and his crew to close the deal and help Phil Jackson surpass Red Auerbach as the coach with the most NBA titles.

When you have a team as talented as the Magic playing loose, closing them out is easier said than done.

Oh, for the record, I like Stan Van Gundy. I'm not calling for his head. I'm just pleading with him to use it.