Denial is a powerful mental construct. If we allow ourselves to embrace it, we can easily forget difficulties in our lives, or forget grievances we’ve either given or received. In the case of a sports fan, it is the one and only sanctuary available once your favorite team has lost that last game and bid farewell until another season.
I’ll have you know that I am very accomplished at embracing denial. I only just found out yesterday that the Magic aren’t in the Finals. When they announced that Otis Smith had received a contract extension but made no mention of the preparations for the next game, it got me a little curious!
I’m sure many of my fellow Magic fans took a more proactive approach to dealing with our loss to the Pistons. In fact, I’ve been asked multiple times why I haven’t been posting blog updates, to which I gave rather testy responses. It is nice to see other Magic fans moving on...as evidenced on the boards, most of you have now moved on to discussing who we can get with the 22nd pick in this month’s draft. Depending on your feelings about the Magic’s draft history, we either can’t win or can’t lose with this pick. But, as bad as we do with non-lottery picks, just remember, we could be the Bulls and have a history of blowing top-5 picks. Yep, I think the Bulls are going to blow it again too.
But speaking of moving on...everyone’s favorite Magic Message Board blogger has actually been a little bit more passive in my recovery from this year’s ouster. I have tried to find other non-NBA things to occupy my time. I recently remembered that I have a family...their company sufficiently occupied my time for at least a week. Then I tried underwater basket weaving. It is much harder than they tell you. I also briefly tried to watch a Tampa Bay Rays game, but it only served to reinforce my complete and total lack of interest in the MLB (the only league more corrupt than the NBA seems to be). So, then I turned to horse racing, only to find out that it’s like two weeks between races and the races only last 2 minutes! Oh, and apparently if you lose, they kill you, right there on the track!! So, I decided to turn away from sports entirely and had a friend let me borrow his X-Files DVDs. This was not the move to make! Now I see conspiracies everywhere! I swear that all my neighbors are letting their dogs use my front lawn as their toilet. And it has only served to reinforce my feeling that the NBA did everything they could to get a Lakers/Celtics matchup. So, as a last resort, I found one thing to occupy my time...it was a novel thing actually, I believe some people refer to it as “work” but I’m not sure.
As for the series itself, it wasn’t so much the losing, it was the way we lost. The series was just full of “coulda, shoulda, woulda’s” – too many to deal with at once. If we had been swept by the Pistons but lost by a point in each game, it would have been frustrating, but at least we would have known that we fought them, hung with them, but just weren’t quite ready. But the games didn’t play like that at all. We were handed a gift opportunity and failed to capitalize. All indications so far this offseason point to a restructuring of this team. So we will never know just how good this current lineup could have been with a little more time together (yes, I know we need an SG and more beef up front!).
So, I suppose it is time to get over myself, throw off my self-pity, and take stock of the successful season my favorite team had. I think there is much to be proud of and yet much still to do in order to take another step next year. But we have the core group of players, the coaching staff, and now, for the near future, the GM committed to winning a title. Now that is an outcome for which there is no denying!
This message was not subject of approval by the NBA or the Orlando Magic. The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of the Orlando Magic or the NBA, but solely the writer.
"My life will go on, this much I know. Cars and games will come and go. But never once will I forgetta, the way we danced, dear Dick Bavetta." - from "I Left My Heart In Dick Bavetta"
Posts: 8095 | Location: Catching up with the OCTB. | Registered: February 09, 2006
Originally posted by Live or Die Magic: The Fan Voice: "Three Week's Withdrawal"
So, then I turned to horse racing, only to find out that it’s like two weeks between races and the races only last 2 minutes! Oh, and apparently if you lose, they kill you, right there on the track!!
hahahahahahaahaahahahahahahahahahahaha... good one...
"Michael, you are not quite the ladies man I had pictured. Hopefully, we will remedy that when we are in the spa spreading body chocolate on each other."
Posts: 5687 | Location: "No dejes q este tren se pare, Yo quiero q tus manos a mi me reparen, Ayudame a llegar a tu estacion, Seguir hasta que explote el corazon" | Registered: February 27, 2006
We don't need to hit a home run with our picks, we don't need to find an allstar, we just need to find a solid contributer to take care of our weaknesses. That is a little comforting, when we had Tracy we needed to find the next Boozer or Michael Redd in order to have any hope for the following season, that isn't the case now.
You know what I hate most about the season ending? Now we have that LONG stretch of time between basketball and the start of football where the only thing on is baseball and NASCAR. I'm going to join a paint drying league to pass the time.
"So who would win in a fight: Darko Fanatics, Arroyo Maniacs, Hedo Worshipers, or JJ Lovers? Answer? Gortat. Bring on your armies, the Warlock is prepared. And by prepared, I mean in existence."-TheRevTy
Posts: 9511 | Location: Trying to figure out why the Fan Voice Blog gets 10 views and JJ/Carlos/Jameer/SVG sucks threads get a million views | Registered: February 15, 2006
I think I am going to start painting...artistic stuff...but I am not too good, so this should be fun an interesting...
"Michael, you are not quite the ladies man I had pictured. Hopefully, we will remedy that when we are in the spa spreading body chocolate on each other."
Posts: 5687 | Location: "No dejes q este tren se pare, Yo quiero q tus manos a mi me reparen, Ayudame a llegar a tu estacion, Seguir hasta que explote el corazon" | Registered: February 27, 2006
Originally posted by davcivic: I think I am going to start painting...artistic stuff...but I am not too good, so this should be fun an interesting...
Just be careful....these new hobbies can be murder. I got two ear infections from the underwater basket weaving.
"My life will go on, this much I know. Cars and games will come and go. But never once will I forgetta, the way we danced, dear Dick Bavetta." - from "I Left My Heart In Dick Bavetta"
Posts: 8095 | Location: Catching up with the OCTB. | Registered: February 09, 2006
My withdrawls are over! And picking up new hobbies? No way! With all of this possible roster movement from a Magic fans perspective I'm diving deep into more Magic news and info, I hope. Ha-Ha.
Posts: 6522 | Location: Hangin' with the Kentucky Boyz...Bogans and Lee!!!!! | Registered: January 16, 2006
Originally posted by ball junkie: My withdrawls are over! And picking up new hobbies? No way! With all of this possible roster movement from a Magic fans perspective I'm diving deep into more Magic news and info, I hope. Ha-Ha.
Junkie...I have no doubt that as we get closer to draft time, the news and info will definitely start piling high and deep, if you know what I mean!
"My life will go on, this much I know. Cars and games will come and go. But never once will I forgetta, the way we danced, dear Dick Bavetta." - from "I Left My Heart In Dick Bavetta"
Posts: 8095 | Location: Catching up with the OCTB. | Registered: February 09, 2006
I swear that all my neighbors are letting their dogs use my front lawn as their toilet.
That is no conspiracy. I've been collecting dogs and transporting them to your neighborhood just so they can take big dumps in your yard. Ha-Ha.
I've decided to give hockey a second chance. It seems more exciting that it used to for some reason.
I KNEW it!!
Hockey? They still play that?
"My life will go on, this much I know. Cars and games will come and go. But never once will I forgetta, the way we danced, dear Dick Bavetta." - from "I Left My Heart In Dick Bavetta"
Posts: 8095 | Location: Catching up with the OCTB. | Registered: February 09, 2006
Originally posted by Live or Die Magic: The Fan Voice: "Three Week's Withdrawal"
So, then I turned to horse racing, only to find out that it’s like two weeks between races and the races only last 2 minutes! Oh, and apparently if you lose, they kill you, right there on the track!!
hahahahahahaahaahahahahahahahahahahaha... good one...
LMFAO I am still laughing at that one, ahhh good stuff good stuff lmao!!!!
Posts: 5716 | Location: North Pole | Registered: January 06, 2006
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