Win or lose, in the playoff hunt or out, life grew sunnier Wednesday for the Orlando Magic. For their teammate. For a father. For a franchise whose family extends beyond the basketball court. Daria can breathe on her own again. Derek Harper’s little girl is getting better. Nothing else mattered, really. Not playoff chases or scoring averages or mega-contracts. Daria can breathe on her own after nearly drowning. She was taken off a ventilator, her condition upgraded from critical to good. A spirited rally by a 15-month-old. They found Derek Harper’s little girl floating in the Harpers’ family pool late Tuesday afternoon, limp and lifeless. It is every parent’s nightmare, every parent’s ultimate panic. It happens in Florida. It happens far too much, far too fast. A toddler, an unlocked door and a lapse in attention remain a dangerous combination. A swimming pool is a child’s watery playground one moment, a watery grave the next.
DEREK HARPER HAS HIS BEST DAY
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