Nelson Completes Miraculous Comeback
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June 4, 2009
LOS ANGELES -- A tattoo stretches across Jameer Nelson's back that reads "All eyes on me."
For a moment in Los Angeles, the world's eyes certainly were.
As Nelson trotted onto the court for the first time in over four months, a worldwide audience gasped in amazement.
On one of the biggest stages in all of sports, Nelson defied the odds.
He completed a successful return from surgery on his torn right labrum and came back to help his squad battle the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, a task that just a few weeks ago seemed nearly unimaginable.
Silencing media reports that even Thursday suggested he would not return, Nelson stepped on the floor and immediately adapted to the flow of the game.
On Orlando's first offensive possession, the Magic's All-Star point guard threaded the needle with a magnificent bounce pass through outstretched arms Pau Gasol and Jordan Farmar and into the hands of Marcin Gortat for an easy bucket and a two-point Orlando second-quarter advantage.
Nelson strutted back to the defensive end, awkwardly chomping away at his mouthpiece in his patent form, displaying no signs of rust.
He followed suit on the second possession by assisting Lewis for a 3-pointer and on the third, put himself on the scoreboard when he calmly drilled a nine-foot jumper.
"I thought he played well in the second quarter," Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy said of Nelson's six-point, four-assist effort. "I was happy. I thought he was getting in the paint on his pick and rolls. I thought he was making really good plays."
In an already sensational season, things appeared to be perfect for the Magic. They were in The Finals for the first time in 14 years and had an early lead in L.A. Their All-Star floor general was back in action and media members were already conjuring up stories that portrayed Nelson as the next Willis Reed.
But it was a dream that was short lived.
The Magic stumbled over the last two and half quarters, slipping 100-75 in Game 1 and in the process tarnished the makings of a storybook return.
The national focus switched in the blink of an eye from Nelson's miraculous recovery to Kobe Bryant's 40-point performance. The heroic comeback dashed from the headlines to a mere sidebar story.
However, to quantify Mighty Mouse's return as anything less than remarkable would fail to do it justice.
Nelson was fully aware that in order to complete his comeback, he would have to recover at a tremendous rate and hope that it coincided with a deep Magic playoff run.
Despite that knowledge, he tirelessly rehabbed at Orlando's RDV Sportsplex, never doubting his dream's chances at coming to fruition.
"Jameer is a fighter," Dwight Howard said of his teammate after the game. "I'm happy with what he did tonight. He came in and made some great plays on the offensive end."
While nearly everyone doubted his chances of pulling off such a feat, Nelson's competitive mindset and tremendous faith in his ability didn't allow any cynicism to creep into his head.
"I'm not saying I'm any tougher or stronger than anybody," Nelson said earlier in the week about his recovery process. "But I've been known to do some amazing things."
And after what he accomplished in Game 1, chalk up another amazing moment to that list.
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