Orlando point guard Anthony Johnson had played in 80 of the Magic's 82 regular season games along with 19 playoff games this season. However, with Jameer Nelson coming back from injury and Rafer Alston already the starter, Johnson has been told that the chances of him entering the game in the NBA Finals was slim to none.
"Playing most of the way and not being able to finish it off has been very difficult," Johnson says. "Especially being a competitor and a contributing factor to us being here.
"At the same time, we're three wins away from achieving a championship. I'm just allowing that to be our focus right now and trying to put aside" — he takes a deep breath — "the fact that I'm not playing. Trying to be a supportive teammate, a good teammate."
