Stan Van Gundy and Pat Riley’s paths an interesting tale of the tape

SCOTT JACOBS

You’ve got to love sports. The way two pasts somehow interact, sort of like the movie Crash has the day Pat Riley retires, reverted to a side bar, because the Orlando Magic are the first team in the 2008 playoffs to advance. The day one coaching great steps aside, a rising star who once got shafted by the coaching great, finally gets his chance in the spotlight.

In case you’re confused, I’m talking about Stan Van Gundy. Orlando defeated Toronto today in game five, and they’re advancing to the second round for the first time since 1996! And who got them there? Well besides Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Hideo Turkoglu, how about some credit to the same guy who never got a fair chance in Miami?

Van Gundy is a very good coach. He’s a tough minded, hard nosed coach, who is both likable and fierce. Finally, he’s going to get a real shot to succeed. Of course, he wasn’t even Orlando’s first choice last summer when the Magic coaching vacancy opened up. Billy Donovan was. But Van Gundy was more then happy to be option #2 when Donovan freaked and jumped back to his cozy UF gig. Orlando quickly hired him, and the Magic won their first Southeast Championship in 2008, becoming the first team other then Miami to claim that title.

And Van Gundy, who was a dedicated Miami Heat employee, doing whatever it took, accepting reigns of the Heat just days before Riley abruptly reigned in 2005, was the guy who led Miami out of the gutter. Now he’s taking the Magic, who struggled to make the playoffs in 2007, to the second round.

It’s no mirage, nor is it a coincidence.

Van Gundy knows his hoops. He’s not fun or flashy, like Riley was, but he doesn’t lie. Something Riley did.

Van Gundy was forced out of Miami after the Heat got off to a slow start. He never griped, never vented, even convinced the media (or tried to convince the media) that he choose to be with his family, rather then his Heat.

But everyone knows it was Riley who say the opportunity for glory, and was thrilled to take it, after Van Gundy did his dirty work.

So, even as a Heat fan, it’s sort of nice to see Van Gundy taste success and advance to round two, on the same day the embattled Heat coach calls it quits. It’s just one of those things that doesn’t help Riley’s case. He should have let Van Gundy do his thing. He should of. And Riley led the Heat to a title, but not without alienating a lot of people, who felt he stuck his hand in the cookie jar, but only after the mouse traps had been taken out.

Now the Heat are dead last, dumped in the NBA cellar after injuries destroyed their team and bad moves killed their window of opporunity. The Magic on the other hand are soaring with SVG on their bench.

On the day that Riles called it quits, two men continued their opposite switch.

Riles is done. Van Gundy with the world as hs oyster, and Dwight Howard as his big man is just beginning.

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