ORLANDO — It is vindication even if Stan Van Gundy won't say so.
It absolutely is.
And he knows as much somewhere deep down in his gut where angst can find dangerous harbor and gnaw away at a man. Van Gundy's a smart guy — he's a real smart guy — and far too intelligent not to know what leading the Orlando Magic into the NBA Finals means.
"I'll tell you something that does make me feel good," he said in an Amway Arena hallway as the series-clinching game with the Cavs ticked. "I've always believed in myself, but I've heard from a lot of former players telling me I'm a good coach. That kind of thing means something special. I'll admit that."
He was standing not far from the home court where he had just coached the Magic to its final win in a 4-2 elimination of Cleveland in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series.
He was saying he also had heard "almost daily" from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, a buddy who now holds the Miami job Van Gundy once had before the mess happened and Van Gundy left on his own terms or on someone else's, depending on which story you believe.
He was talking about messages received on a regular basis, too, from close friend and Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez, who one night in Philadelphia stayed up late with a few coaches and players to watch the end of a Magic game on television.
He was mentioning a phone call from Heat President Pat Riley, who told Van Gundy, "I'm proud of you."
It was Riley for whom Van Gundy served as a long-time assistant before succeeding him as Heat coach, only to be succeeded by him when the ouster or resignation came down. The Heat went on to win the NBA title in that 2005-06 season.
All of it, though, means something special mostly because one famous former player called Van Gundy a "master of panic" this season, and announced that the coach would let down the Magic come playoff time.
Shaquille O'Neal can shut up, now.
O'Neal's comments were resurrected during the postseason when one of Van Gundy's own players, star center Dwight Howard, questioned strategies and play-calling after a loss to Boston during a second-round series.
But it was Howard, basking in triumph, who made sure to praise Van Gundy as a great coach after the takedown of the LeBron James-led Cavaliers and say he had promised all along to be a reliable "soldier" in the playoffs.
Howard, who had 40 points and 14 rebounds in the series-clinching win against the Cavs, has been more than just reliable. His worth is obvious.
What about Van Gundy's worth?
It was Magic forward Rashard Lewis who said Van Gundy soon enough would be "right back cussin' at us" and he and his teammates would go right back to lovin' it even while frequently tuning him out. Van Gundy understands that part of the dynamic better than most coaches, and he seems to have a knack for knowing when to call a player on an issue and when to let things ride.
Van Gundy has a dead-pan comic's exquisite timing with a line, and it serves him well more often than not. He has a professorial command of the language, and that serves him well, too, more often than not. He's glib, sometimes to a melodramatic fault. He's an acquired taste is what he is, and acquiring a taste, by definition, takes varying amounts of time.
He's as no frills as his turtlenecks.
But the twisting road Van Gundy has followed to this place and time — an NBA Finals coaching showdown with Zen master Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers ought to be particularly cerebral — has provided its own lessons. Let's recall: Van Gundy, who has been in Orlando for two seasons, didn't even get the job until after Florida coach Billy Donovan took it only to change his mind and back out.
"Listen, I think of myself as a lucky guy in many, many ways," Van Gundy said, "and I try never to forget that. But, yeah, I'm confident about what I do. But that doesn't mean I'm a better coach now than I was when the playoffs started. That's a cliche, but it's true."
Orlando beat Philadelphia, defeated defending NBA champ Boston and then wiped out this season's winningest team in zapping Cleveland.
How's that for vindication?
"The people who have known me longest and the best have been there with great support," Van Gundy said. "That's good stuff, man. That's all."
That's all, at least, for public consumption.
But, please, allow the man more than a little private satisfaction.
Greg Stoda writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: greg(underscore)stoda(at)pbpost.com.