Magic’s Stan Van criticizes NCAA

Thursday’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals was not over in time for this edition.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Never one to shy away from a question, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy didn’t back down at all during his news conference before Game 4 of the NBA finals on Thursday.

Van Gundy called the NBA’s age-limit rule a “sham.” He said the NCAA is “the worst organization going,” and he told reporters he could predict what the story would be depending on the outcome against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Magic coach has always said he doesn’t like the NBA’s much-maligned rule that a player must be one-year removed from high school before he enters the league. That rule has only been magnified during the finals, with five of the 10 starters skipping college, including Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant.

But Van Gundy added a new twist about an hour before the start of Game 4.

“To me, it’s a sham,” he said of the rule. “But I don’t want to get going in this press conference on the NCAA because I think that’s about the worst organization going.”

Van Gundy told writers he knew what he would be reading depending on who wins and loses. Asked what the story would be after Game 4, he gave reporters a lesson based on the Lakers’ 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“Well, this one, the Lakers are 6-0 coming off [losses], so if they come back and win tonight, basically the story is if they win tonight you guys are all going to write the series is over,” he said, sarcastically.

“And if we win, it’s about our toughness and resilience, and you guys all knew this was going to be a series all along.”

Magic backup point guard Anthony Johnson has suited up for every game in the NBA finals, waiting for Van Gundy to signal that it’s his turn to play.

That call might never come.

As reliable a reserve as there is in the league, Johnson only missed two regular-season games and saw time in every game in the playoffs before the finals as a backup.

All-Star Jameer Nelson returned for the finals after a shoulder injury kept him out since February, and with Rafer Alston starting, that pushed Johnson to the bench.

Johnson, in his 12th season in the NBA, hasn’t complained or pouted. He’s just cheered his team from the bench, but he admits it’s been tough to accept.