NBA Finals: Orlando brings a magic touch to Game 3

Website design By BotEap.comGame 3 turned out to be a dramatic turnaround for the Orlando Magic in their NBA Finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Magic not only earned their first win in the series, they notched the franchise’s first win in a Finals game. The last chance the Magic had to win a Final was 14 years ago against the Houston Rockets.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Magic cruised to their 108-104 victory on Tuesday night in grandiose style, finally hitting their stride in the series. Game 3 was a far cry from Games 1 and 2 of the series: In Game 1, the Magic shot an abysmal 29% from the field, and in Game 2, just 42%.

Website design By BotEap.comIn Game 3, however, they seemed unable to miss a shot; indeed, Orlando set NBA Finals records for both first half and overall shooting. In the first half, the Magic made a staggering 75% of their shots. Although they slowed down a bit in the second half, the team still finished the game at 62.5% overall.

Website design By BotEap.comWith numbers like that, it’s a shock that the Magic only won by four.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Lakers were not far behind in the game. Had the Los Angeles team been able to make a few more free throws here and there, or grab a few more rebounds, we could be looking at a third win for the Lakers, and an 0-3 run for the Orlando Magic that few teams in the league sports history have been able to come out.

Website design By BotEap.comBut with Kobe Bryant wasting away in the first quarter and unable to lift his team down the stretch, the Lakers lost control of the series.

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, Bryant had a phenomenal first quarter. Content for the first 6 minutes of the game to play as a spectator, Bryant apparently decided at 5:41 that it was time to impress his fans (including Tiger Woods, who, sitting in the front row, recently professed his support for Los Angeles). . In just over 5 minutes, Bryant made nine shots that earned his team 17 points, finishing with a 3-pointer and foul for a four-point play. By the end of the first half, Bryant had scored 21 points.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Magic had to be in their prime to beat Bryant, and well, they were. Even with Bryant’s impossible 3-pointers, Orlando was out in front in the first half, going 24 of 32 from the shots.

Website design By BotEap.comIn the second half, the Magic were able to put up a wall between Bryant and the basket. Bryant managed to add just 10 points in the second half, missing 5 of 10 free throws and shooting 4 of 16 from the field after the first quarter. In fact, after his second quarter bye, Bryant would go scoreless on the Lakers’ next 32 possessions.

Website design By BotEap.com“I thought they really started to get tough on him,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson explained of Bryant. “[Dwight] Howard was constantly coming at him on shots, which made things difficult. He never got back into the groove quite the same way.”

Website design By BotEap.comCourtney Lee, who was blamed for missing a difficult layup in Game 2, was dedicated to defending Bryant, matching the superstar step-by-step and disrupting Bryant’s game.

Website design By BotEap.comThe rest of Lee’s team was not far behind either. Orlando had a great game, with five players scoring 18 or more. Dwight Howard (with 14 rebounds) and Rashard Lewis (with five rebounds and five assists) each scored 21 points; Hedo Turkoglu (with seven assists and six rebounds) and Mickael Pietrus each had 18; and “Skip” Rafter Alston returned to the game with 20 points.

Website design By BotEap.comAlston had a game that brought back nostalgic talk about his days in the playgrounds of New York City. Alston was 4-for-4 in the first quarter, making his first five shots and going 8-0f-12 overall; his performance put an end to any doubts that plagued his abilities as a point guard.

Website design By BotEap.comThe defining moment of the game came with just over 2 minutes to go, with a bucket from Pietrus breaking a 99-99 tie and putting Orlando ahead for good. Then Bryant went for a 3-pointer that he rolled through the rim. Alston took a free kick after a crowd; the point from him was followed by a bench shot from the Lakers’ Pau Gasol.

Website design By BotEap.comAlston got a pass to Lewis for two points that pushed the Magic’s lead to 104-101 with just over a minute remaining. Bryant was fouled and split his shots, bringing the score to 104-102. Then Bryant seemed to break down. He handed the ball to Pietrus and was then forced to foul. Pietrus hit both shots to give Orlando a 106-102 lead with less than 30 seconds left.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Lakers missed the next four 3-pointers, with Bryant missing two lengths himself. He managed to cut the deficit to two on a setback, but Lewis made two free throws that got the Magic within 108. The confetti began to fall; he won the magic.

Website design By BotEap.com“I’m used to getting ahead in those situations,” Bryant lamented. “The team trusts me to get out of those situations, and it just didn’t happen tonight.”

Website design By BotEap.comGame 4 is Thursday in Orlando.