ORLANDO -- Magic journeyman Anthony Johnson has been in the NBA 12 years, a former second-round pick from the obscure College of Charleston. He has scratched and clawed every step of the way, bouncing through 10 different teams with stops in the Development League and free agent summer camps in between.He has had 10-day contracts and minimum wage contracts, never far from being outside looking in. He has been traded more than once for a cup of coffee and future consideration. Nothing has come easy.
It's why he thought this NBA Finals was going to be the highlight, the crowning moment of his career, coming on the heels of his most consistent, most satisfying season.
Instead, it was turned into the biggest disappointment of his life.
"This is the toughest thing that's ever happened to me,'' Johnson said Saturday afternoon. "I've dealt with a lot of stuff through the years, but to help my team get to the Finals, the biggest stage in basketball, and then get told you're not going to play, that has been very, very difficult.''
"He (Nelson) looks like a guy who is a little rusty, but that's to be expected. He's doing the best he can after being away. He's a scorer, a shooter and the shoulder is very important,'' Johnson said. "From the sideline, you think on every possession, what you might be doing differently, but the truth of the matter is, I'm not out there. It is what it is.''
Johnson played 80 games during the season, first as a backup to Nelson and then as the backup to Rafer Alston, always providing the stabilizing force of a well-seasoned veteran. He averaged 18.5 minutes, 5.3 points and 2.5 assists. In the first three rounds of the playoffs, behind Alston, he averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 points and 2.1 assists.
He has not played in the Finals.
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Orlando Magic's head coach Stan Van Gundy (L) watches his team's workout from the seats near player Dwight Howard in Orlando, Florida June 13, 2009. The Magic face the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals Sunday. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)
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Orlando Magic's Rashard Lewis is besieged by reporters after basketball practice at the NBA Finals Saturday, June 13, 2009 in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant listens to a question during a news conference at the NBA basketball finals Saturday, June 13, 2009 in Orlando, Fla. The Lakers lead the Orlando Magic 3-1 going into Sunday's Game 5. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
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Head coach Stan Van Gundy of the Orlando Magic answers a question during a news conference for the NBA basketball finals in Orlando, Florida, June 13, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)
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Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol, from Spain, warms up before practice at the NBA basketball finals Saturday, June 13, 2009 in Orlando, Fla. The Lakers lead the Orlando Magic 3-1 going into Sunday's Game 5. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Head coach Stan Van Gundy watches his team during practice for the NBA basketball finals in Orlando, Florida, June 13, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)
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Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson helps the ball boys during basketball practice at the NBA Finals, Saturday, June 13, 2009, in Orlando, Fla. The Lakers lead the Orlando Magic 3-1 going into Sunday's Game 5. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Head coach Stan Van Gundy (C) of the Orlando Magic talks to his players Dwight Howard (L) and Adonal Foyle (R) during practice for the NBA finals in Orlando, Florida, June 13, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)
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Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson watches basketball practice at the NBA Finals, Saturday, June 13, 2009, in Orlando, Fla. The Lakers lead the Orlando Magic 3-1 going into Sunday's Game 5. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Head coach Stan Van Gundy of the Orlando Magic answers a question during a news conference for the NBA basketball finals in Orlando, Florida, June 13, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)
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Johnson, 34, actually has more Finals experience than anyone on the Magic roster. He was a backup to Jason Kidd in New Jersey when the Nets lost in the Finals both in 2002 and 2003, although his role was minimal.
"I was looking forward to having a more prominent role this time, having my play help determine whether we won or lost,'' he said. "I was really looking forward to that. It's why you work so hard in the summers and during the season. This has been tough.''
Although Johnson was probably thinking it, he wouldn't say that he would have made a difference in this series. After all, neither Alston nor Nelson have played particularly well. They have combined to hit just two of 16 3-point shots. They are averaging only 3 and 2.5 assists respectively. Coach Stan Van Gundy seems to have lost confidence in both of them.
Although he saw it coming in the days leading up to the Finals, he wasn't told definitively until the morning of Game 1 that he was losing his role to Nelson. No real explanation was given.
"I guess I would have liked to know more of the reason why,'' he said. "But maybe I'm not owed a reason or explanation. That's just part of the business. It's still tough.''
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
it sucks to be mr. what-if, but orlando was rolling with the rafer-AJ point guard combination. We can only imagine what could have been if an able-bodied player was guarding d-fish on any of those HUGE 3's in game 4
jameer the injured 5-9 guy has averaged 3.5 pts and 2.5 assists in 20 minutes through 4 games
Too bad,so sad.AJ is a scumbag puke anyway.
what do you mean? why is he a scumbag?
You would think that the Magic would stick with the combination that got them to the finals. Obviously the change has not worked. Nelson was just being selfish and wanted to play on the biggest stage in the world even though he didn't get his team there.
Stan needed to say No to Jameer. Alston and Johnson were doing just a fine job running the point. Mr. Nelson was selfish to comeback this season. I blame this on the coach.
The Magic has had to good of a season to allow this adversity to creep in. They are still one of two of the best teams in the World
stan screwed up on this one
Stan surely is the master of panic, he thought the Alston-Johnson backcourt wouldn't be good enought to face the Lakers. Well looks like the experiment failed so far. Sucks though, Stan tried to derail the train that got them to the finals, bad move..
Well from the looks of it, Johnson will be able to say, "I had very little to do with the Magic's loss to the Lakers."
Tony ought to know better than to be confused between being crushed at losing and being crushed by being benched. But I agreed with the writer, before the series started, Jameer, listed at 6`1 I think, not 5`9, but still not big by nba standards, should not play, except if the score was lopsided, Johnson should continue to back up, Nelson should scrimmage, unless Nelson was dominating Alston and Johnson in practice. He has not played well in the games, I doubt he has played well in practice. So it isn`t just his conceeding Fisher a 3 which led to OT and defeat which has shown all along Nelson shouldn`t have been force fed back into being the closer. I hope Howard is right the Magic will win at least one more vanity game, #5, before probably being closed out in 6, or maybe but not likely 7. A moot point really. The Magic have been badly out worked in both overtimes. Tyron Lue not getting to play against his former team, being on the taxi squad is reasonable, but sad for him. Foyle doesn`t play, but looks better on the bench as a 4th center instead of a 4th point guard. I hope Pietrus and Alston start at guard, preseason, next year. Magic need maybe a pair of young Lewis/Turkoglu types added to the second string if they can get them.
van grundy is a horrible coach...jameer sealed your fate magic fans by lousy play on the fisher 3 pointer...can't believe van grundy didn't trust his players to hit a free throw in the final seconds...whoops stupid me...orland CAN'T hit free throws in the final seconds... van grundy is a genius! my apoligies. superboy SUCKS!!!
I knew when is was being mentioned of Nelson coming back that it would disrupt the flow of the Magic. Jameer has given nothing on offense and he blew the defensive assignment in game four. First and foremost Rafer should have been on the floor or even Johnson with his height could have disrupted the shot. Stan has made some very questionable moves during these finals.
i'm always entertained when a player that is a definite playoff liability has a good regular season.
unless he's wishboning the other team's best player, his uses in the playoffs are extremely limited. i thought it was stupid to try to rush nelson back after the roll the magic were on. i was right.
THE LOSS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO PLAYED OR DIDNT PLAY THE SO-CALLED SUPERMAN COULD'NT MAKE 1 FREE THROW SHOT THAT'S WHAT DID THEM IN IF HE WANTS THE BALL SO MUCH MAKE A SHOT DONT TRY TO DRIBBLE TO THE BASKET 1 BOUNCE N SHOOT
At first I wanted Orlando Magic to win but screw em.It's funny How an organization could have absolutely no faith in a player.Anthony Jonhnson has been putting in work playing the back up pt for the Magics hasn't he earned the right to play in the finals? What happened to being fair? It's only right that he get some playing time. The Orlando organization as far as I'm concerned do not deserve a chip because they lack loyalty to their players.
well we can watch the MAGIC give LA the trophy TONIGHT..simply put ...when you have a combination that works change it during the end of the racw. ITS EGOS. pure and simple AND A COACH that thinks he knows what works...MAYBE ONE DAY IF HIS TEAM EVER GETS BACK TO THE FINALS HE CAN REMEMBER IS SCREW UP..i just feel sorry for some of the guys on the team that WORKED so hard to get here..BUT FAILED. now PHIL, & KOBE can have the ring and CHAMPIONSHIP AGAIN..
first of all stan has been making mistakes on who he subs and when he subs them.He should of never taken jonhson off the roster big mistake, the whole flow of the game changes now on offense also defense.He hasn"t been playing for a while so they should of stuck with rafer and jonhson.Alot lot of times he looks confused on defense and not contributeing on offense except for his assist which is not enough.
They really should have stuck with what got them to the finals. No disrespect to Nelson, but he has not played in a very long time. However, I don't think Johnson should be speaking about this right now. His team is still trying to win.