Magic Ex Marcin Gortat Reflects on 'Great' Orlando Finals Run in 2009
ORLANDO - It's been 15 years since the Orlando Magic reached the NBA Finals, and the 2008-09 team is still celebrated in the city to this day.
Marcin Gortat, a second-year player for the Magic that season, recently spoke to HoopsHype about his career, where he shared great memories about the teams he played for in Orlando.
"A lot of great guys," Gortat said via HoopsHype. "Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, and JJ Redick. We had off the bench JJ Redick, Ryan Anderson, me, and Rafer Alston; the second unit could have made a nice NBA team just the second unit. And imagine the starters. Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Hedo, Courtney Lee, Mickael Pietrus, Keith Bogans, we were fine."
That team made the NBA Finals in 2009, where they lost to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The team returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the following year, but without the exact right group of guys, they fell to the Boston Celtics, who also fell victim to the Lakers.
Gortat revealed the mistake he believes was made in hindsight.
"Reflecting on it now, looking back at the Finals, we were a great team," Gortat said. "If I recall correctly, there was a situation where Hedo Turkoglu signed with Toronto, and we brought in Vince Carter. Two or three years later, Hedo came back, and I was traded to Phoenix. We made a decision that, in hindsight, was a bad organizational choice. We should have given [Hedo Turkoglu] the money he deserved, kept the team, and tried for another run. Unfortunately, it is what it is."
The Magic hasn't won a playoff series since 2010, but the team currently brewing in Orlando hopes to break that drought someday soon.
