Here are a few thoughts about the Finals.

1. Stan Van Gundy is going to catch some heat

I think the Lakers are a better team than the Magic, but it is true that the Magic could have easily been up 3-1 going into Sunday's Game 5 had a few bounces gone their way. The Lakers won Games 1 and 5 in a blowout. The Magic had a chance to win Game 2 if Courtney Lee's alley-oop layup would have gone down, won Game 3 after unbelievably shooting 63% from the floor, and then blew Game 4 with a whole boatload of missed free throws and a controversial decision not to foul Derek Fisher before he launched a dagger of a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Gregg Rosenthal and I had a discussion last night that many of you are having today. My take was that the Magic's inexperience killed them (and that they are coached by a maniac on the sidelines), while Rosey argued that the Magic were simply a team that caught a couple bad breaks/bounces.

It cannot be easy for SVG's players to remain calm under pressure when their coach is on the sidelines freaking out from tip to finish. I think Stan did a nice job of coaching for the most part, but his denial that his team's lack of experience didn't hurt his team is laughable. I also think it's funny that SVG was ripped to shreds by the media early in the Boston series, was called a coaching genius against the Cavs and is now a bad coach again after the Game 4 disaster. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Mike Brown made SVG look like the second coming of Red Auerbach, but there's no denying that Stan can coach a basketball team. Van Gundy and the Magic gained some much-needed experience this year and it will come in handy if and when they get back to the Finals. But unfortunately for them, that's easier said than done.

2. Hedo Turkoglu has choked before

In this blog, MrBator describes Turkoglu missing three out of four free throws while playing for the Kings against the Lakers in Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, helping the Lakers go to overtime and get a trip to the Finals (and another ring). Dwight Howard's missed free throws were a big story in Game 4, but we all know he is only going to hit half of his attempts going in. Turkoglu, on the other hand, is a career 80 percent free throw shooter, and missed three out of four down the stretch with Game 4 on the line. Again, maybe the experience will help him in the future, but it also looks like there's a pretty decent chance he might be playing elsewhere next season.

3. I don't know who the greatest coach of all time is, nor do I care

Phil Jackson now has 10 NBA Championships under his belt. Red Auerbach has nine. Phil's came with two different franchises and basically four different teams, while Auerbach won eight straight at one point with the same Celtics' team. Both coaches had great players, but coached in different eras. Is it harder to win now in a 'watered down' full of great athletes, or was it harder to win 'back then' with fewer teams in the league?

Don't know, and don't care. Both accomplishments are pretty amazing.

4. When in doubt, blame Skip.

I told a few buddies as the Finals were starting that the last point guard I would want running my team in the Finals is Rafer Alston. He's a solid basketball player and I've owned him in plenty of fantasy leagues. But his history in Toronto was plagued by controversy - crying in the locker room, constantly fighting with Sam Mitchell and threatening to quit the game. He loves to shoot the 3-point shot, regardless of whether it's falling or not, and is more of a shoot-first point guard. I'm not blaming the Magic's loss on Skip, but when you look at how he melted in the face of the controversial return of Jameer Nelson, combined with his shooting, I can make a case to do so.

"I'm not good at having a one-on-one meeting, because then I might blow up," Alston said of possibly clearing the air with SVG prior to Game 5. "He might tell me something that might not make any sense to me, and I may not like that." I don't even know what to say after a quote like that. I think it speaks volumes, and perfectly explains why I would not want him running the point with a championship on hte line. In addition, Skip was terrible in the Magic's losses in the Finals, and dynamite in the win.

Losses: FG 2-of-9, 1-of-8, 5-of-13 and 5-of-15.
3-pointers: 0-of-4, 0-of-4, 1-of-4, 1-of-6

Win: FG 8-of-12
3-pointers: 1-of-1

Blame SVG all you want for throwing Nelson into the mix and messing up Rafer's schwerve, but I imagine the situation could have been handled much better by Skip, or any other point guard.

5. Kobe Bryant is good

Is Kobe better than LeBron? I don't know, but it's hard to argue with his five rings, his 81-point explosion against the Raptors a couple years ago and his ability to create his own shot and score at will - including when the game's on the line. He's now become a true team leader and may win another championship next year. But from a fantasy standpoint, I still am not even sure he's worth a Top 5 pick this fall. Chris Paul, LeBron and D-Wade should all be taken in first, while Kevin Durant and Danny Granger could also be slotted in front of him. But in reality, Kobe has to be considered one of the best ever, and probably better than LeBron as of this moment.

That's a wrap on a very exciting playoffs and officially ends this season's NBA coverage. I'm already hard at work on the NBA Draft Guide and am pleased to announce there will be a hard copy available again this year (first time since 2006-07), so check it out in August.