Okay for all you Star Wars deadheads, the Riley/Van Gundy mentor path isn’t quite that extreme, but a lot is being made of it (ESPN.com rates it as a top 10 Grudge Match) . The reason is simple, a lot of people know that Van Gundy is a pretty good coach and he was stepped on by his former mentor for a championship run with Miami.

Van Gundy did everything right at Miami coaching wise. The team improved each season, they went the the Conference Finals and then the team was taken away by a greedy Pat Riley. Don’t get me wrong, Riley is a great coach, but that wasn’t his team anymore and he was out of the spotlight. So Van Gundy being a character coach didn’t want the backlash from challenging his mentor and gave the team control over (he still won’t say anything negative about Riley).

Well a couple seasons later and Van Gundy might just get his reward in a matchup with his former team.  The Orlando Magic look like a legit contender in the East while the Miami Heat look like a shell of their former selves. Orlando has the dominant center in Dwight Howard that resembles what Miami’s Shaq used to be.

Riley may have gotten the ring, but I’m sure that Van Gundy wouldn’t trade rosters or places right now. Good things do come to those that wait and nice guys don’t always finish last!