The Orlando Magic were expected to just roll over the Philadelphia 76ers with ease. Who on the 76ers was going to be able to stop Dwight Howard? Turkoglu was going to have a shooting hey-day, whether hey-day is a word or not.

It has not worked out that way and that has caught the attention of many.

Now we have to start the blame game. Hmm, how about the coach? That Van Gundy guy, yeah, him. He gets a little worked up over a lot of nothing. It must be affecting his team.

But he can coach.

Will Coach Stan Van Gundy rip his hair out over the way the Magic are playing?

Nobody cares if he can coach; he is making the players nervous.

But he can coach.

How can you say that when the 76ers are hanging in there?

He is not the one shooting the ball or trying to hang onto it, but he ultimately may be blamed for what happens.

Van Gundys loud, in-your-face coaching style was particularly good for the Magic during the regular season, spurring an otherwise mellow roster to some clutch, cold-blooded victories. Winners of 59 games, the Magic have been among the leagues best road teams for two seasons, and twice beat the Lakers, Cleveland, Boston and San Antonio this season.

But its the playoffs that matter most, and so far Orlando has looked like anything but a dominant team capable of rolling through the Eastern Conference and contending for the NBA crown. A massive offensive slump, due in part to injuries, hit late in the regular season and carried into the playoffs, making a once-formidable inside-out attack look rather ordinary.

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It would really help if hyper coach Stan Van Gundy could put the 76ers away. To Van Gundys credit, he never admits to being perfect or even close to it.

Van Gundy has taken the criticism about his coaching antics in stride, admitting in classic self-deprecating style that he is hardly a coach without faults. He even joked last week that his kids played a game in which they tried to think of a person who had a less important job in society than their dads and couldnt come up with one. Cracked Van Gundy: ?They were humorous at first, but then it turned serious. & They finally conceded that at least I dont do anything illegal.

Photo source Newscom

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