I have been a Magic fan since the team's first season, but I have lived out of the state for much of that time.  When I moved back here 3 years ago and started regularly attending the games, I was really struck and disappointed by the level of in-game fan support that the team gets. 

Yes, we sell out a lot of games now that we are really good again, and yes, the crowd was fantastic at certain points during the postseason.  I was at 8 of the 12 home playoff games this year, and there were some truly awesome moments.  Overall though, I am still disappointed.  The crowds need to be louder, and more importantly, they need to be more aware and sophisticated. 

3 recent examples:

I was at the games when each of the following happened:  1. Dwight gets announced as a member of the All-NBA First Team, 2. Dwight gets announced as the youngest ever NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 3.  Jameer Nelson returns to the home court for the first time in 4 months (2 months ahead of schedule) in the first quarter of Game 3 of the Finals against the Lakers.  Each time, there was nothing but a smattering of cheers.  No overwhelming reactions, no standing ovations, no "M-V-P" chants, no "Jameeeeer Nel-son" chants.  Nothing!

I mean, are we kidding??  Our franchise player gets named to the All-NBA First Team and becomes the youngest ever Defensive Player of the Year and he doesn't get a standing ovation????  Each of those ovations should have lasted 2 minutes and should have been accompanied by "M-V-P" chants (or something more original).  Those are REMARKABLE accomplishments, Dwight's presence has had a REMARKABLE impact on the level of sports excitement in this city and the fan reaction should be REMARKABLE in return.

That was the rant, now here is the plea.  During the Finals there was speculation about Dwight's future in Orlando.  He said "I'll be here as long as the fans want me to be here."  Can't we start showing him that love now?  Can't we make it harder for him to ever leave because he knows just how much we love and appreciate him and his play?  I mean, is there any more likeable, admiration-worthy superstar in the league than Dwight?  Of course not.  Just because we have been burned by our stars in the past, don't be afraid to commit.  Let Dwight heal those old wounds. 

Can't we bring some legitimate intensity to the game and the team, just because it's fun?  Can't we show our emotional leader (Jameer), when he returns to the court in the NBA freaking Finals 2 months early (rightly or wrongly) some serious love???  All of our talk on these boards is fun, but the place where we can really impact the team is by creating a top-notch environment at the games.  These are just the 3 examples that jump out at me most, but it shows up on many other occasions as well.

Just as the team is now stepping up, we need to step up as a fan base.  My favorite moment of the entire season this year was taking part in the ear-shattering "M-V-P" chants for Dwight at the end of Game 6 against the Cavs.  That was AWESOME!  A transcendent performance and a worthy response -- and Dwight commented on the response after the game.  He loved feeling the love.  Let's do more of that this year. 

We on this board are the energetic backbone of the fan base.  When you (yes, YOU) see a worthy moment -- maybe it'll be a Dwight triple double with pts, rebs and blks, maybe it'll be Rashard breaking the single-game record for 3's, maybe it will be Dwight winning the MVP award, who knows -- stand up and yell your head off, clap til your hands hurt, start a chant.  Make a sign.  And make the people you're with do the same thing.  Make the people in your section do the same thing.  Shame them into it.  We have a championship caliber team, it's time we take our support of the team (and especially its superstar) to a championship-caliber level!!!