<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">In hopes of making Magic fans feel better today, we'll start with a few observations about the Miami Heat. The Pistons will kill them in the playoffs. Shaq's knees will be 57 years old next season. The potential worldwide oil shortage could force Pat Riley to finally get a new hairstyle. If those thoughts don't help, you can always turn your anger into something positive. Show up at tonight's home finale against Chicago. There's still a reason to, even if it's not to see the Magic continue their impossible playoff dream. That died Sunday afternoon, about the time Riley decided to let Larry Csonka play point guard against Chicago. It's one thing to go through the motions, but did Dwyane Wade really have to get a pedicure on the bench during the fourth quarter? To be fair, Riley's first obligation is to get his team ready for the playoffs, not to get Orlando into them. He had every right to plop Shaquille O'Neal's aching body on the bench. But losing by 24 at home? If the Heat maintain that intensity, they'll get swept by the Detroit Shock. Reasonable people will point out it's not all Miami's fault the Magic didn't make the playoffs. Orlando could have avoided Sunday's disappointment if it hadn't stunk up the first two-thirds of the season. This is sports, however. We don't have to be reasonable. We can focus on one bad guy and fantasize about all the potential fun we missed. The Magic could have beaten the Bulls tonight in front of a rocking arena. One or two more minor miracles and they'd have been in the playoffs. The sports world would have suddenly realized one of the NBA's biggest jokes had become a feel-good special. Now you'll hear the argument that the Magic are better off not making the playoffs. Don't believe it. Yes, the last time they blew a 3-1 lead to Detroit and started the next year 1-19. So much for playoff experience helping a young team's maturation. But that T-Mac/Weisbrod edition was never going anywhere except an asylum. How are the Magic doing it? I'm still not sure, though you can probably point to the fact they are something like 25-0 since trading Steve Francis. The Pistons probably would have crushed our little club in the first round. But wouldn't it have been fun to see if Dwight Howard could pull another Wilt Chamberlain impersonation? You think Jameer Nelson wouldn't have benefited from chasing Chauncey Billups around the playoffs? Better yet: Darko Does Detroit. Unlike the last playoff misadventure, there's reason to believe this Magic team has a future. The experience would have helped, and any success would have been a bonus. As it is, the last couple of weeks have revived a buzz not felt around here in a long time. You can feel it at the arena. You would have really felt it tonight, if only the Bulls hadn't beaten Miami High Sunday. Again, not that the Magic have anyone to blame except themselves for how things ended up. It just would have been nice to see Chicago have to beat an ex-Magic center to get into the playoffs. And we don't mean Michael Doleac.</div> Source
