NEW YORK, May 20 (AFP) - Ten days after being named the National Basketball Association's top reserve, Orlando guard Darrell Armstrong was named the league's Most Improved Player. Armstrong, whose club was knocked out of the NBA playoffs last week by Philadelphia, received 54 out of a possible 118 votes in a media poll. He is the first player to win both the most improved and top reserve awards. "It took a lot of hard work and I never let anyone tell me I wasn't going to make it," Armstrong said. "Every year, I just kept getting better and better." Philadelphia 76ers guard Eric Snow was a distant second with 15 votes, one more than Dallas forward Gary Trent. The Magic went 33-17 to match Miami and Indiana for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Armstrong averaged career bests of 13.8 points, 6.7 assists and 2.16 steals in 30 minutes while coming off the bench in 35 games. Armstrong, who has played in Spain and Cyprus, played a total of only 16 games from 1994 to 1996 and missed much of last season with rotator cuff surgery.  