ORLANDO, Fla. -- After riding the dominating defensive presence of center Dwight Howard all season, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy sounded incredulous Wednesday when asked why two of the 122 voters for the league's postseason awards would have left him off their ballot for the Defensive Player of the Year.Howard won the award Tuesday by getting 110 first place votes and 10 votes for either second or third place.
"Those two people (who left him off completely) haven't watched the NBA this year. No, they haven't. Seriously, without getting into too much name calling, but you would have to be an absolute idiot,'' he said. "Either you haven't watched the NBA game, and shouldn't have a ballot, or you know absolutely nothing about basketball. Nothing.''
The voting panel includes sportswriters and broadcasters from the United States and Canada who regularly cover the NBA. Howard led the NBA in blocked shots and rebounding for the second consecutive season.
"He is, by far, the biggest reason we are one of the best defensive teams in the league,'' said Van Gundy. "Not the only reason, but certainly the biggest reason.''
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Van Gundy was more amused to hear about Charlotte coach Larry Brown's pre-practice talk Tuesday with the Bobcats. After a long film session, Brown gathered his team on the practice floor.
"Yesterday (while we practiced), Orlando took the day off,'' Brown told his guys. "That's how seriously they're taking us."
Van Gundy said his team did not practice Monday after Sunday's victory because he regularly gives his team days off late in the season.
"I read Larry's comments. I don't know what the right way is, but that's our way. We've always done it this way. I thought it (Brown's remark) was humorous,'' he said.
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