Strike up the band. Spike the eggnog. Buy a bunch of party favors. Call Mayor Buddy Dyer so he can sign a proclamation on behalf of all Magic fans residing in the City of Orlando:
"The Orlando Magic defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 2, 2012, using brilliant Hack-a-Howard strategy and ruining the day for all those California Cool egos who think we're a bunch of small-time yahoos. Na-na-na-na-boo-boo."
Seriously, it feels like a week-long party fest in Central Florida. Magic fans can't get over the fact that Orlando got over on the Lakers. It's like a Yugo beating a Beamer in a sprint down Rodeo Drive.
Much like the Little Engine That Could, the Magic kept chugging along, stopping only intermittently to hack Dwight Howard and send him to the free throw line, where things often go clunkity-clunk. Howard went 9 for 21 on free throws attempts against the Magic, and then missed eight of 16 on Tuesday night, as the Lakers blew a double-digit lead against the Houston Rockets.
Woo-hoo. These are giddy times in Orlando. I can't go to the RDV Sportsplex in Maitland without somebody wanting to talk about the Magic beating El-Lay and how much they loathe Howard for leaving. In-between bicep curls, I get the gist of the broken relationship dynamics:
Dwight says it's business.
Magic fans say it's personal.
You can't begrudge Howard for leaving the Magic, as both sides botched the internal conversations and turned them into a constant spin cycle on TMZ.com. Magic fans weren't privy to what was said and by whom. All they know is that Howard asked out and got traded to one of the elite franchises in the NBA.
They see a petulant child who got his way.
They see what looks like an easy path to multiple NBA titles.
They ask "why not us?"
It's going to be that way for a while. It is the nature of failed relationships, especially when you are the one getting dumped for an "upgrade." (See Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie).
Howard has it good, and he doesn't want to look back in regret.
Magic fans can't help but look back and feel they got jilted.
Any time the Magic beat the Lakers is big-time payback. The Magic aren't going anywhere this season. They are 100-1 shots to win the NBA title, the last time I checked into a Vegas sports book.
The odds of them beating the Lakers on a regular basis aren't that good either, so what happened Sunday night amounts to Orlando's playoff run for the 2012-13 season.
"Beat Howard" is as good as it's going to get for awhile, so take it, savor it, and let it sink in, Magic fans.
"It means a lot, honestly," Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said after the game. "We can all say it was just a basketball game, but we know because of things that happened in the past, especially for our fans, it means a lot more to come get this victory."
Howard, of course, will say otherwise about the dynamics of the fractured relationship with his teammates and the city he still claims to love.
"It wasn't emotional," he said after the loss.
Maybe he is telling the truth, that it was all about taking care of business, something the Lakers failed to do Sunday night.
Or maybe he was lying, trying to spin the obvious truth in a different direction to hide the hurt.
He is right about one thing:
The Magic still have some business to take care of with the Lakers -- March 12 at Amway Center to be more specific.
I suggest practicing your free throws, Mr. Howard. You'll be attempting bunches of them.
Read George Diaz's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego or e-mail him at gdiaz@orlandosentinel.com He is a regular contributor on the Joel Greenberg Show weekdays 4-6pm on 810 AM Yahoo! Sports Radio Orlando.
