The Fan Voice: "Sunburnt"

By Live or Die Magic | November 13th, 2007


Well, let’s get the ugly part out of the way first. Grant Hill was booed. Loudly and incessantly booed. He was booed during player introductions, he was booed every time he touched the ball, and he was booed each time he checked into the game. Fans even brought signs to the game that stated their justification for booing him.

Before the game, several Magic employees were speculating about whether Hill would actually get booed. I said that it would absolutely happen. I said that it would only take one person to get it started and then others would follow. However, even I was surprised at how loud and ferocious the booing was, especially during introductions. The arena seemed to erupt when the booing began. It wasn’t one person starting it, followed by others; it was everyone at once and it ran throughout the arena like a wave. Grant Hill, always calm and composed, kept any surprise he might have felt to himself. He never reacted to the boos, even when they continued into the fourth quarter.

I know that the typical Magic fan took some heat for booing one of the classiest men in the NBA. But the Magic fans weren’t just booing Grant Hill, they were booing the heartache and broken promises of the last seven years. They were booing the weight of Grant Hill’s 93 million dollar contract. Essentially, they were booing an abstract. As much as Grant Hill physically represented the franchise and remained the face of the Magic in the eyes of the rest of the NBA (even while on the IR), he also was a constant reminder of an attempt to salvage a franchise that was devastated by Shaquille O’Neal’s departure. Eight years ago the team gained cap space by making trades for expiring contracts. They got the hottest name in the league to be the head coach. They shot as high as they could, almost bringing Tim Duncan to Orlando. In the end, a hobbling Grant Hill and an emerging Tracy McGrady would have to do. But from the beginning, the decision to bring Hill here was questioned. He was a classy guy, a sterling role model, but not a player on the court. But negativity was never directed at the man off the court, it was always reserved for the all-star that was supposed to be on the court.

The Magic teams of the Grant Hill era never won more than 44 games. They made the playoffs four out of seven seasons, but never advanced past the first round. After season four of the Grant Hill era, both Doc Rivers and Tracy McGrady were gone, just in time to see Grant Hill finally play most of a season.

It could be argued that the booing was partly due to the fact that Grant Hill chose to leave the team that paid him all that money so that he could chase a ring. Or perhaps he was booed because he now appears to be completely healthy, averaging well over 30 minutes a game in a fast moving, points-happy offense. It might even be because he seems to have added a three-point shot to his arsenal, something he rarely demonstrated here. It could be all those things, but I choose to give the Magic fan the benefit of the doubt. I choose to think that the booing of Grant Hill was a cathartic release for Magic fans that had been waiting for seven years to collectively express any disappointment in what ended up being a costly move for the franchise.

It was a slightly crude way to say goodbye, once and for all, to an era that began with feelings of earnest hope, but ended in unmet expectations. And as with any break-up, no matter how amicable, there are always hurt feelings, and there are sometimes those moments where we just need a good shout!

I’m just glad that the Phoenix Suns only visit once a season!


Hit the Road?
So, how soon do the Magic go back out on the road? The Magic had four great road victories in a row, sandwiched between two blow out losses at home. All kidding aside, I think the losses had more to do with who the Magic were playing than where the Magic were playing.

The fact remains, the Magic have beaten the teams they should have and have lost to the teams that are clearly superior. A real test of this theory will come tonight when the Magic take on the winless Supersonics at the Amway Arena. On paper, the Magic should be sitting their starters by midway through the third quarter. This is the type of game that crept up on the team last season. The storyline of Rashard Lewis playing his former team should be the only drama tonight. The Magic should get the quick win and then hit the road where they will meet two teams that represent the “competition” for a solid playoff spot this season: the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Jersey Nets. Nothing would make this Magic fan happier than to see the Magic take a three game win streak into next Sunday’s big home matchup against the new look Boston Celtics.


Observations from Media Row: Magic vs. Suns

Is it just me or do you think that Mike D’Antoni would look really freaky if he shaved his mustache?

Hey, speaking of mustaches, who do you think works the “stache” better, D’Antoni or Stan Van Gundy? SVG has the classic porn stache happening, while D’Antoni has more of a trimmed, highway patrolman stache going on. Call it home cookin’ if you want, but I have to give it to Stan. D’Antoni has to spend too much time keeping his neat, and after all, does a stache even count if you can’t get food caught in it?

In the first quarter, the Magic lost a rebound out of bounds because Rashard Lewis and Keith Bogans were both fighting for it. I only played high school ball, but even I still remember that you’re supposed to yell “same team!”

The Magic got in from New York at 4 AM Saturday morning. By that time, the Phoenix Suns had been asleep in their Orlando hotel beds for several hours. After the game, I asked Magic Asst. General Manager Dave Twardzik if he thought getting in at 4 AM had anything to do with the team’s tired performance and he smiled and said that it is also a much shorter trip from Miami to Orlando! Just who was the road team anyway?

I wondered if the Magic had tired legs. I couldn’t tell for sure until the second quarter when it became obvious to me that the Magic were only getting one shot on each possession.

I have heard that the Phoenix Suns are the type of team we are trying to emulate. We want a more fast paced offense with a greater focus on the three point shot. But we don’t have the speed that the Suns have…Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa are so much more faster than anyone on our roster. But we do have good speed at the right positions and we definitely have the shooters. It will just take more time for us to ever be as fluid as the Suns are. Every player is adept at passing, making their ball movement almost effortless.

The real shame of the night wasn’t getting beat by Grant Hill or a much better Suns team. No, the real shame was wasting such a tremendous effort by Dwight Howard: 33 points and 18 rebounds.

Interesting stats: the Magic took 10 fewer 3 point shots than they have been averaging over the first 6 games but still hit over 42 % of them. Only three Magic players attempted free throws, with Howard shooting all but three of them.

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"

quote:

Originally posted by Live or Die Magic:
But the Magic fans weren’t just booing Grant Hill, they were booing the heartache and broken promises of the last seven years. They were booing the weight of Grant Hill’s 93 million dollar contract. Essentially, they were booing an abstract. As much as Grant Hill physically represented the franchise and remained the face of the Magic in the eyes of the rest of the NBA (even while on the IR), he also was a constant reminder of an attempt to salvage a franchise that was devastated by Shaquille O’Neal’s departure.

I choose to think that the booing of Grant Hill was a cathartic release for Magic fans that had been waiting for seven years to collectively express any disappointment in what ended up being a costly move for the franchise.

As always LOD, it seems as if you are living in my mind. Well done.

I think you nailed the booing thing right on the head. I admit I was one of the booers and have no problem with it.

But even if they were coming back I doubt I would do it again. I think Grant got the message that Magic fans thought he owed the franchise a little more for his $93 million.

To me he is the past now and the team was ready to move without him. Hopefully the fans can do the same.

I'm with bhnole on this one: it isn't that we were booing the 'classiest guy in the NBA' or anything like that.

We basically paid Hill 93 million (MILLION) dollars and a massive portion of our salary cap that we could have spent on any number of other players so he could rehab his knee and be healthy to play for the Suns.

That's effing weak. He treated the Magic organization like the Minor Leagues while he got healthy and could move on to a 'real' team.

That's reason enough to boo.