Game Six: Orlando Magic 114, Philadelphia 76ers 89

The Magic advanced to their second consecutive conference semifinals with a surprising 114-89 rout at the Wachovia Center in Game Six on Thursday night.

I thought Orlando would need a very focused and energized effort to pick up the win. And even then it would be a close game.

That prediction could not be more wrong as the Magic blitzed the 76ers from the beginning. They took a 30-15 lead after one quarter thanks to some nice hustle plays from Marcin Gortat and a great scoring effort from Rashard Lewis.

Lewis finished with 29 points and seven rebounds. Gortat had 11 points and 15 rebounds in Dwight Howard's place. The big news was how Rafer Alston and JJ Redick stepped up. Alston scored 21 points and dished out 10 assists and Redick added 15 points.

This was by far the Magic's most complete offensive effort. They shot better than 50 percent and hit 12 3-pointers in scoring more than 100 points for the first time all series.

Orlando worked hard without Howard and even played decent defense. Andre Miller scored 24 points and Andre Iguodala had 20 points but the team shot only 40 percent.

The Magic took care of business Thursday night. They finally played like the team that won 59 games this season.

The offense has definitely took the turn for the better in the last two games this series. It will be interesting to see how things carry over during the break before the second round.

Orlando pulled through in this series and got the job done. That is the bottom line.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Sixers Game 6

-Apparently, Dwight Howard should have been ejected for that elbow he threw at the beginning of Game Five. It is leading Henry Abbott of TrueHoop down some interesting ethical questions. There was lots of consternation and uncertainty about Howard's situation.

-Philadelphia coach Tony DiLeo complained in his postgame press conference about Howard camping in the land on offense and defense. To which, Stan Van Gundy replied: "Am I supposed to talk about game or am I supposed to come up here and lobby for the calls I want next game? Is that what it's about now? We're going to sit here a lobby for the calls that we want the next game?" As Woody Woomack of Orlando Magic Daily writes, now Game Six gets interesting.

-Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel reports JJ Redick and Mickael Pietrus are ready to go if Courtney Lee cannot play Thursday. They will get their chance as Lee was ruled out for Thursday's game Wednesday morning with a fracture sinus, The Orlando Sentinel reports.

-Brian Schmitz, of The Orlando Sentinel, expected Dwight Howard to be suspended between Games Five and Six and maps out what Marcin Gortat has to do in his stead.

-Rashard Lewis broke out in Game Five, Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily says, and is going to be very important for the rest of the series -- heck, the postseason.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel says no one should question Howard's manhood or toughness anymore. "And if it gets to a Game 7 in Orlando, look out."

-The 76ers general manager joined in the Dwight Howard debate calling for his suspension for Game Six, as Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel reports.

-The mood in the locker room was "chipper" according to Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily. That probably changed Wednesday when Howard was suspended for Game Six. It appears many in the Magic locker room would have disagreed with the decision.

-George Diaz of The Orlando Sentinel was the first to report (or tweet) that the NBA suspended Dwight Howard for Game Six. Thanks to J.E. Skeets of Ball Don't Lie and erivera7 of 3rd Quarter Collapse for re-tweeting it and getting the news out. Twitter is quite a beautiful thing.

-Blame the refs: the official excuse of a team about to lose. Woody Womack of Orlando Magic Daily got reaction from the Sixers after Game Five and the Tony DiLeo-Stan Van Gundy spat.
Blogger: The Curse of the Big Aristotle - Edit Post "What They're Saying: Magic vs. Sixers Game 6"

-Reaction to Howard's suspension from TrueHoop. More fallout from the Howard suspension from Kyel Hightower at The Orlando Sentinel plus Courtney Lee might not be available for a Game Seven and might even need surgery for the fractured sinus he suffered in Game Five.

-With Howard out, Rashard Lewis is going to have to earn his contract. As Ben Q Rock of 3rd Quarter Collapse puts it: "You're move, Rashard Lewis."

-Everyone forgets with Howard out that Courtney Lee will also miss tonight's Game Six. erivera7 of 3rd Quarter Collapse goes over the impact Lee has had on this team compared to his backups. Now Lee is officially undergoing surgery to repair his fractured sinus and will be out at least a week, maybe the entire postseason.

-Mike Bianchi explains why Magic fans should be thanking (that's right thanking) the NBA for levying the suspension on Howard in Game Six rather than ejecting him in Game Five. True, that would make things very different.

-Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel has reaction from the Philadelphia side of the Dwight Howard suspension.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily reviews the games the Magic played this season without Dwight Howard.

-Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the series would be going much better for the 76ers if they had Elton Brand responsible for Dwight Howard. Aimless speculation, indeed.

-The 76ers say the Magic "are a different team without Howard." It makes the return trip to Orlando a little easier to manage, Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News writes.

-Bob Ford writes in his blog on philly.com that Howard probably deserved not to be ejected from Game Five (but the suspension was warranted) because of the physical play Samuel Dalembert was using leading up to the incident.

-Samuel Dalembert has taken a lot of heat from Sixers fans and Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News thinks it is undeserved. Dalembert knew what he was up against in this series and is trying his best to slow down Superman. Plus, anyone remember when the Lakers lost Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but still completed the NBA Finals sweep at the Spectrum with Magic Johnson and Jamaal Wilkes?

-David Thorpe of Scouts, Inc. breaks down the adjustments for Game Six and predicts Orlando to defeat a tight, maybe overconfident Philadelphia team tonight.

-The Orlando Sentinel reports JJ Redick and Marcin Gortat will get the starts tonight.

-John Denton of ESPN.com writes about Stan Van Gundy and how his personality may or may not affect the team. I will have more thoughts on this as the offseason draws near, but your true colors are always shown in the postseason. That is all that needs to be said.

Game 6 Adjustments: Magic vs. Sixers

UPDATE: A lot of the below is kind of muted now that Howard has been suspended for Game Six. But a lot of it still applies. There is still plenty the Magic can do without Dwight Howard.

1) Continue the balance- Despite shooting less than 45 percent in Game Five, Orlando has to be encouraged with the offensive balance it achieved. Scott Anez, I believe, during the broadcast mentioned how the team becomes stagnant when Howard dominates.

It was nice to see some balance in the offense with Howard clearly imposing his will on the defense. The big change from Game Four was Orlando's attempt to set up Rashard Lewis in the post. This action toward the basket was very productive and has gotten Lewis more looks at the basket.

This has worked pretty well and has kept Howard involved too.

Without Howard now, Orlando has to find an offensive balance and keep Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu involved in the offense. Lewis and Turkoglu cannot anchor themselves on the 3-point line and must attack the basket. It will free up space for Rafer Alston, Mickael Pietrus and JJ Redick to get open on the perimeter. The addition of Tony Battie into the lineup should also pull Samuel Dalembert away from the hoop or get Battie some open jumpers.

Howard's absence adds new wrinkles to the offense for sure, but it will take good execution and balance to make it work at the level it does with Howard in the lineup.

2) Limit Willie Green's offense- the last two games 76ers shooting guard Willie Green has gotten better and found his shots within the offense. This has happened partly because of improved defense on Andre Iguodala. But Green's improvement, like Courtney Lee's emergence in the first couple of games, is a bad sign for the Magic.

He is one more body the team has to worry about. Green has done a good job taking advantage of his opportunities. But the threat of Andre Miller -- he has been awfully quiet -- means a better Green makes things more difficult in Game Six.

This is not a call to play tight defense on Green. He is the guy the Magic need to leave open. But they might want to stick closer to him. The Magic have done a good job on Iguodala lately -- his games have been very inefficient -- and part of that is leaving Green open. But the rotation needs to be better on him and make him a non-factor.

3) Play like you are down 3-2- the Wachovia Center is goingt to be rocking Thursday night and this Orlando team has struggled finishing off games. The Magic cannot sit back and bank on being at home for Game Sevent. They have to come after the 76ers and put them away quickly.

A strong first quarter is a good start. Philadelphia is going to throw everythign it has at Orlando and it has to be ready for just about everything and beat it. That is why Stan Van Gundy needs to tell his team that it trails 3-2 and needs a win in Game Six.

That is the kind of intensity Orlando is going to need to win Game Six on Thursday night. I expect Andre Miller to take more control of the offense and try to get Iguodala involved.

Orlando has to match that with an even more intense defensive effort and more focus on offense. There is no reason to be heading back to Orlando in this series. The Magic have to play like it is not an option.

Without Howard, the effort almost has to be doubled. Howard is the anchor on offense and defense. That means a lot of guys will have to be more accountable without the superstar center to clean up mistakes. This decreases the margin of error, but also means the team has to play harder to make up for it.

UPDATE: so what does Orlando do without Howard now? It changes a lot of its offense, but it also changes a lot of the way Philadelphia defends the Magic too.

Expect to see a lot more action going at the basket. And with Samuel Dalembert coming out to defend whoever is attacking the hoop it might free up Marcin Gortat for some easy put back or even bring people off the 3-point line. Expect when Tony Battie is in the game for him to set up for the mid-range jumper that burned Philadelphia in a late November matchup too.

Either way, Orlando will need big games from Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis as they are now the focal points of the offense and the safety cushion that is Howard will not be there. It creates an interesting matchup.

The Magic went 2-1 in games without Howard this year. The two wins came before Jameer Nelson got hurt and the loss came in a late-season title at Milwaukee (where Rashard Lewis also did not play).

I think Philadelphia has done a really good job staying on the shooters, but it also seemed like the Magic's shooters broke out of their slump. Slowly but surely they are coming back.

If anything, this makes point three above much more salient. Orlando has to play with its backs against the wall now. Without its superstar, the team will need a great effort from everyone to pull out the victory.

It is certainly still possible. But I would expect a much different tone to this game.

Philadelphia is going to want to run and attack at all times and the defense will have to be on its toes. I think if the Magic can slow the game down and control the boards, there is still a good chance they close the series out in Game Six.

Howard Suspended: What does it mean?

So it is official that Dwight Howard has been suspended for Game Six for the elbow he threw at Samuel Dalembert early in Game Five. The elbow earned Howard a technical for the game and probably should have gotten him ejected.

Either way he went on to score 24 points and grab 24 rebounds and was a big part of the Magic's crucial Game Five victory. Plenty of Sixers are crying foul over numerous things.

But the bottom line is Game Six can end the series. And that is how Orlando should look at it whether they have Howard or not.

Losing Howard is a critical blow for the Magic in almost every way. He is the anchor of the defense and offense and has been completely unguardable by Philadelphia.

But this can be a good thing. This has to be a do-or-die game for both teams. Maybe eliminating Howard will give Orlando the sense of urgency it needs to increase the level of its play and pull out what might amount to an upset victory.

The Magic took two road games at Utah and Golden State this season with Howard out of the lineup. True they had Jameer Nelson for both of those games. But it can be done.

What will it take?

Rafer Alston has to attack the basket and try to drive defenders off the 3-point line. This has worked very well with Howard occupying Samuel Dalembert's time. That may not happen, so it might actually be important for Alston to get Marcin Gortat involved early on penetrations and kicks.

Gortat is not known for having the best hands in the world, so Tony Battie might be the better choice to start since he can spot up and shoot a little better.

Philadelphia has done a fantastic job staying glued to Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis on the 3-point line. Both of those players will need to attack too in order to get their looks. Howard's absence means they may not have the luxury of setting up in the post too often, something Stan Van Gundy has added successfully in the offense the last two games to get Lewis going.

Howard's absence will mean the Magic have to double their effort. Hopefully it will be enough to match the backs-to-the-wall effort Philadelphia will have in the elimination game.

The defense is what worries me the most. Orlando has spent the entire series allowing the 76ers to drive and funnel to Howard to clear away anything. The defensive intensity first and foremost must increase. I have faith the Magic can score enough to stay in this game, but only if the defense tightens up.

The defense has vastly improved since the first three games of the series. To win, Orlando is probably going to have to shoot much better than the 76ers and get to the free throw line.

The potential for a win is definitely still there. But it will take a much more focused and prepared team to snatch it.

Game 5: Orlando Magic 91, Philadelphia 76ers 78

A 10-point lead with four minutes to go in this series has meant only one thing -- the prelude to a comeback. Philadelphia certainly made things interesting, cutting Orlando's lead to six.

This time though, it did not matter.

A 20-second timeout later and a few buckets by Rashard Lewis, and Orlando's lead ballooned back to 12 points as the Magic walked off with a big 91-78 Game 5 win.

Did not get to listen to a whole lot of this game, but generally I was happy with the defensive effort and the overall offensive effort. It seemed like the team was much more balanced offensively and matched it with a strong defensive effort.

Dwight Howard was a bull both figuratively and literally. He picked up a first-half technical foul for throwing an elbow at Samuel Dalembert -- and is admittedly worried that he will be suspended for Game Six, according to a tweet from 3rd Quarter Collapse's Ben Q Rock.

But Howard paced the Magic with 24 points and 24 rebounds. Rashard Lewis provided support with 24 points as well.

Turnovers were a concern early again, but Orlando did a good job in the second half and did what it needed to do to pull away. It was a gradual pull away (much like Game Two) and the Magic finally closed out a game.

Now they have to finish the series out Thursday night.

What They're Saying: Sixers vs. Magic Game 5

-So that is Hedo Turkoglu's secret. After struggling in the first three games, Brian Schmitz reports that Turkoglu did not check a pain-numbing shot in his ankle before his breakout Game Four performance.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily wonders why Orlando is electing to go small against the speedy 76ers. Tony Battie has had some very good performances against this 76ers team, but he did not even get into the game Sunday night. Interesting strategy from Stan Van Gundy, cannot argue with the end result but we will see how it works in the long run in Game 5.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel sets the table for Game 5. No doubt, Game 5 is a VERY important game. He also looks for the playoff blueprint that Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway left.

-Philadelphia has all of a sudden transformed into one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league -- at the same time that Orlando has plummeted from beyond the arc. This development has added interesting wrinkles to this series.

-Dwight Howard has been working on his free throws and the results have shown so far in this series. According to Howard, hitting those two free throws late in Game Three was like a dream come true for him and all big men.

-Jeff McMenamin of Philadunkia reviews the changes he saw in Orlando that evened up the series in Game Four. The big difference? The Magic got off the 3-point line and attacked the basket. He, like all 76ers fans, are probably worried that this strategy will leave shooter open beyond the arc.

-Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel reports that it was no coincidence the Magic looked to exploit Thaddeus Young on defense at the end of Game Four. Hedo Turkoglu got the switch to Young on a screen set by Rashard Lewis, enabling him to have the option to drive past the youngster or pull up and hit a 3-pointer.

-Brian of Depressed Fan breaks down Orlando's double-teaming attempts of Andre Iguodala from Game Four. It was effective enough to stymie the 76ers defense, but ultimately led to the game-tying dunk by Samuel Dalembert. Who will win this tug of war in Game Five?

-John Gonzalez of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if people in Philadelphia know who this 76ers team is? God knows, the people following the team all season have not been able to figure it out. But one thing is for sure, they have found their identity in this postseason.

-Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News fishes for some controversy in this already highly contested series.

-Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer also wonders aloud about Stan Van Gundy's decision to go after Thaddeus Young at the end of Game Four and whether it is a slight to the second-year player.

-David Thorpe of Scouts, Inc. breaks down the adjustments and X-factors for tonight's Game Five. Like most of the games this series, he calls for a Magic victory.

-Ric Bucher of ESPN.com (Insider only) comments on the 3-point shooting oddity of this series.

Game 5 Adjustments: Magic-Sixers

1)Don't forget Howard- the big thing that led to Orlando's 4th quarter collapses was its inability to get the ball to Dwight Howard. It was not even the inability to get the ball to Howard, it was the unwillingness.

In the final four minutes of the game, there were maybe two plays ran for Howard. The rest were pick and rolls for Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and even Courtney Lee. That is not efficient offense.

It is clear Philadelphia cannot guard Howard. Their attempts to double have left some guys open and really for the first time all series, the Magic took advantage of it.

But as always, the offense begins and ends with Howard. Orlando clearly does not need gargantuan 30-point efforts from him (they lost those two games). But the team needs him to be the focal point of the offense and be more of a threat than just a pick.

The 76ers have done too good of a job defending the pick and roll this series and too poor of a job defending him one on one to let them get away with it.

2) Attack the rim- Philadelphia's offense is predicated on getting out on the break. There is no doubt about this.

It is an offense that is difficult to defend. But the Magic have done a decent job so far. Each game though, the 76ers have gone on stretches where they get out on the break and simply dominate.

Cutting down turnovers will help. While Orlando struggled on the offensive glass, the team's reluctance to attack the offensive glass is part of this defense.

The one real way the Magic can shut down the 76ers attack is to get to the basket and get to the foul line. Orlando is a 3-point shooting team, but it is precisely these 3-point shots and jump shots that lead to the long rebounds that start the Philadelphia offense and gets the team running.

For the most part Sunday, the Magic attacked the basket and took good shots. It helps when you shoot 50 percent from the floor (they finished at 47.1 on the night) in stopping the break. But Philadelphia can score points in a hurry.

Attacking the basket is a sure way to 1) get to the free throw line and 2) prevent long rebounds that lead to outlet passes that kickstart the break.

Finishing is an entirely different issue -- Rafer Alston -- but it is the best way for Orlando to slow down the games.

3) Control the glass- the 76ers are an energy team. And nothing can give a team more energy and a second wind then an offensive rebound.

Philadelphia had several possessions where it missed shots and got the offensive rebound, giving the team a second chance. In the playoffs, no team will miss up on that opportunity.

The Magic are not attacking the offensive glass because of the fast break opportunities it might create for the 76ers, so every offensive rebound they give up is almost counted double.

It was a minor issue in Game One, but in Game Four it kept Philadelphia firmly in the game. The team grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and stayed competitive despite shooting only 38.8 percent.

Games Two and Three, Orlando controlled the glass pretty well. This needs to be re-emphasized for the Magic to pull out a crucial Game Five victory.

Orlando Magic 84, Philadelphia 76ers 81

Another blown lead created drama at the Wachovia Center.

And after a series of being invisible, Mr. 4th Quarter delivered again. Hedo Turkoglu and the Magic took the ball with 14 seconds left.

Turkoglu bided his time, sizing up Andre Iguodala -- much like Iguadala had done a week earlier -- pulled up and hit a fade-away 3-pointer to give the Magic a gut-wrenching three-point win in Game 4.

But the feeling was more relief than exuberance, like most of this series.

The Magic held a 10-point lead with about four minutes left when the jumpers stopped falling, the ball stopped going to Dwight Howard and the 76ers started getting out on the break.

To that point, Orlando probably had played its most complete game of the series. Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis were getting involved in the offense and the defense was clogging driving lanes. Outside of the turnover issues, it was a great effort.

The best part was the rotation starting with post ups by Howard or post ups of Lewis on Andre Miller.

For the first time all series, the Magic controlled the two Andre's and dictated the pace of play. The score indicated that.

But in the end, Orlando continued to struggle finishing. The team seems so used to finishing without getting Howard involved in the offense, that it just does not want to do it.

Howard finished with 18 points on six of 11 shooting. But very little of that came in the fourth quarter, especially as the Magic let their lead slip in the fourth quarter. It was incredibly frustrating to watch Orlando continue to feed Philadelphia's fast-break offense with missed jumpers.

The key to this series has and will always be to attack the basket, whether with Howard or not. When players miss jumpers it gets the speed of the game up and that is something Orlando must not do. As I said at the beginning of the season, Orlando had to control the pace of the series and be the ones deciding whether to pick up the pace or slow it down.

So far in this series, they have not done this and the struggles have been apparent.

Even after committing nine turnovers in the first half, Orlando was clearly still dominating and controlling the pace of play. This is more of what the team has to do in Game Five to be successful.

Every game of this series, Orlando has been playing more or less as the passive team, letting Philadelphia dictate what it wants to do.

The feeling, again, was more of relief than exuberance. Orlando has not played a perfect game all season. With three games possibly remaining in the series, the Magic have to find a way to dominate and finish.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Sixers Game 4

-Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel says Rashard Lewis needs to start earning his contract after Friday's Game 3 loss. Now Hedo Turkoglu needs to start earning the contract he will get next year.

-erivera7 of 3rd Quarter Collapse tells Magic fans not to panic in the wake of the Game 3 loss.

-Who is ready for a cheesy Rocky column by Mike Bianchi! I know I was not.

-Rashard Lewis has struggled a bit toward the end of this season. Part of the reason has been some health issues in his family. Lewis' mind certainly should be on his loved ones ahead of basketball. All Magic fans are wishing his daughter, who was in the hospital with a virus, continued health and a speedy recovery to his brother.

-Hedo Turkoglu has not been himself this series that is for sure. Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel talks to Turkoglu about what he can do to get back on track especially for his trademark fourth quarters the rest of this postseason.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel talks to the team about the importance of tonight's game. The Magic's 59-win effort is more or less on the line tonight. Win and it is tied with three games to play. Lose and things get much more difficult.

-erivera7 of 3rd Quarter Collapse as well as all Magic fans are trying to figure out what is wrong with Hedo Turkoglu. Some stats on 3rd Quarter Collapse show that Turkoglu is hurting his team right now and people are beginning to wonder if he should not be coming off the bench.

-Courtney Lee remembers a fallen friend every time he goes to Philadelphia. Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story of Danny Rumph who wore No. 11 at Western Kentucky before Lee and helped the young freshman adjust to college life. He died at 21 after collapsing on a basketball court in Philadelphia. Lee visits his grave every time he goes to the "City of Brotherly Love" and is friends with his family.

-The Sixers have done a fantastic job defensively, Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, because of a devious "scheme" to keep the Magic uncomfortable. Sometimes they double Dwight Howard, sometimes they leave him one on one. Philadelphia has decided to pick its poison and stick with it and it has the Magic running in place offensively.

-Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the 76ers are not dwelling on last year's 2-1 lead they eventually lost to the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.

Game 4 Adjustments: Magic-Sixers

1) Be the aggressor- it is pretty simple what Orlando has to do. The Magic are the better team in this series. The only problem is they do not play that way. Instead of getting after Philadelphia and taking advantage of the team's weaknesses, Orlando has sat back and let Philadelphia implement its game plan.

The Magic have given the Sixers a healthy does of Dwight Howard. They have successfully made Philadelphia pay for leaving Courtney Lee and/or Rafer Alston open. Now they only have to get Rashard Lewis involved.

Lewis seemed to get back into rhythm at the end of the game Friday. But it is still clear he is struggling to get open. The answer? Attack the glass.

This goes back to being the aggressor.

Orlando has seemed to sit back and try to impose its will. And it can do that, but it cannot expect to do that. This is the Playoffs and coach Tony DiLeo has done a fantastic job adjusting to the Magic and getting his players to play hard. Orlando simply has to match that.

When the Magic are the aggressive team, they have blown the Sixers out of the water. That is getting to the rim. Getting it inside to Howard and making the extra pass. All things Orlando has done the past 82 games... just not lately.

2) Mix it up- I am not going to lie. I have begun to question Stan Van Gundy a little bit and am beginning to give Shaquille O'Neal some credence. This is not the time to question your leader and he started to push the right buttons in Game 3. But the lack of effort in this entire series has bothered me. And it starts with Van Gundy.

Would having Jameer Nelson help? Absolutely. I think this series is over if the Magic have Jameer Nelson.

So what can Van Gundy now? He needs to mix things up a little bit. Something is not working and the Magic have tried nothing to fix it.

More than one player -- Howard and Marcin Gortat -- has questioned Van Gundy's methods. So he has got to change something. I am not asking him to stop yelling, that is part of who he is. And honestly, he is the best coach in Magic history.

But something has to change. When guys were struggling tonight, I thought he should have gone to JJ Redick. Mickael Pietrus was playing well, why wasn't he getting any looks instead of the struggling Hedo Turkoglu?

These are the kinds of things that Van Gundy might just need to try to mix things up and get this team to play harder.

Orlando looks real tense and tight right now. There is a lot of pressure on them to perform (did Kevin Garnett's injury put even more pressure on them with an easier path to the Conference Finals even?) nad it looks like it is getting to them.

Van Gundy needs to lighten the mood in the locker room and get them playing easier. I do not know how to get that done. But it needs to get done. Maybe Howard needs another one of those players-only meetings.

3) Don't panic- yes the Magic are the better team and have simply played horribly this entire series. But even with a Game 3 loss, it is no time to panic. This is still a five-game series and home court advantage can be retaken.

2-1 is certainly not 3-1.

Orlando needs to play with urgency and play with their backs against the wall. But the series is far from over even with the Game 3 loss. There are still plenty of chances to take care of business and win this series.

If you have read to this point, you see that none of these points are strategic. I really do think that Orlando's problems are all mental. I am not worried with the Magic being able to beat the Sixers when both teams are playing their best. The problem is Orlando has not played its best this series.

Game 4 is certainly not the point to be starting, but the Magic are in a position where they can still win this series despite it.

Philadelphia 76ers 96, Orlando Magic 94

For two possessions, it looked like disaster had struck for whoever was on offense. After erasing a 17-point lead and trailing by two points with seven seconds to play, Orlando struggled to get the ball inbounds.

Hedo Turkoglu looked for Rashard Lewis, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston before finding Dwight Howard alone in the paint. He was wrapped by Willie Green, sending a 59 percent free throw shooter to the line for two game-tying free throws.

Howard proved he was up to the challenge.

Then with Philadelphia needing to get the ball in, the team found Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala covered. That is when Thaddeus Young cut to the corner. He drove in, lost the ball, gathered himself and scored the game-winning basket with two seconds left to give the sixth-seeded 76ers a 96-94 lead.

It was an incredible play and an incredible effort from Philadelphia.

But never in this game did it seem like Orlando was ever out of it. The Magic just did not have the fire to pick up the crucial Game 3 win and now face a virtual must-win Sunday night in Philadelphia.

The 76ers built a 17-point lead in the second quarter -- sound familiar? -- by knifing through the Magic's defense and getting whatever they wanted. On offense? Orlando looked uninspired and frustrated by a Philadelphia defense willing to let Howard do what he wanted as long as he did not pass it to the outside to open shooters.

It was a masterful defensive strategy.

The Sixers were getting out on the break and converting on every Magic mistake as their was little resistance defensively.

But agian, it was nothing spectacular and nothing that Orlando knows it could not correct. And like usual, the second half proved to be enough to spark the Magic to come back and make things very interesting.

By the end of the third quarter, it was clear Orlando was not going to be blown out. But every time the Magic came close, some little mistake seemed to rear its ugly head. At least it was clear the team that played 82 games this season was still around.

Howard was the only player that showed up for a full 48 minutes. He scored a playoff career high 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. In addition he shot 12 of 14 from the line, including two game-tying free throws. There should be no doubt that he is where the ball goes in the clutch now (as I have been arguing for a while).

Where was everyone else?

Hedo Turkoglu continued to be a step off. The ankle injury is clearly worse than he is letting on. He shot just two of 12 from the floor and finished with 11 points.

Rashard Lewis started to come around as the Magic erased the 17-point deficit in the third quarter. Lewis came up with some big plays. But he too struggled scoring 14 points on five of 13 shooting. Still a lot of work to do to get back into rhythm. Certainly made some steps forward.

Rafer Alston stepped up and became the guard that made the Sixers pay. He scored 17 points but on six of 13 shooting.

The bottom line is the Magic played just 24 minutes tonight. It was enough to give them a chance to win the game in the end, but not enough to win the game. If they had played even 36 minutes (like they did in Game 2), they probably would have won the game.

From the opening tip, the Sixers were the aggressors. They attacked the basket and took it to the Magic defense. Philadelphia deserved to hang on for the win tonight.

Orlando is clearly the better team. But the Magic have worked on the assumption that they can show up in the fourth quarter and win for a while now. That is not the case in the playoffs.

Yes, most expected Orlando to even still win this series in five despite heading to Wachovia Arena tied at one. But it is clear now Philadelphia will not go away.

The Sixers collapse last season against the Pistons is well documented (and this series is beginning to remind me of Orlando's series with Detroit in 2003... hope that does not become necessary). It may take that kind of an effort again to eliminate Philadelphia. But more likely than not the team learned from its mistakes.

It will take a much better effort to win this series. The Sixers have played a great series. They have been the aggressors all series.

There is no need to panic. A one-game deficit can be made up. Orlando simply has to play with some urgency and intensity to survive and advance.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Sixers Game 3

-J.E. Skeets of Yahoo!'s Ball Don't Lie has a pretty good collection of Game 2 reaction. A good place to start. erivera7 of Third Quarter Collapse also collected some reactions from Game 2.

-Dan Savage from OrlandoMagic.com writes that Courtney Lee never thought this is how his rookie season would play out.

-Come on, we were all starting to doubt Stan Van Gundy. But as long as the Magic keep winning, Van Gundy sure looks like a genius as Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel writes after Game 2.

-David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel warns that if this series were not against Philadelphia, Orlando might be in big trouble.

-Woody Womack of Orlando Magic Daily was inside the locker rooms after Game 2 and has a nice breakdown of Courtney Lee's big night. I think it is clear Philadelphia now respects the rookie from Western Kentucky.

-The Associated Press says just because Philadelphia re-took home court advantage does not mean the series has swung in the team's favor. They remind us, the Magic are a really good road team.

-David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel recants the sad tale of the Orlando Ballet Company dancers that were booed at halftime of Game 2 on Wednesday. Not going to lie, I would not be paying attention.

-Courtney Lee is making Otis Smith look good, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel says. Guys picked No. 22 are not supposed to be this good.

-erivera7 of 3rd Quarter Collapse makes sure we all know how important tonight's Game 3 is. Orlando has some stats in its favor... and some not. Using an article by John Hollinger, it is clear that whoever wins Game 3 has a better chance of winning the series, statistically speaking.

-Philadelphia has some serious decisions to make about coach Tony DiLeo after the season. If you remember, he is still technically the interim coach after replacing Maurice Cheeks early in the season. Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News puts his support behind the job DiLeo has done this season.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel points out that the Magic have done quite well at the Wachovia Center. He points out they have won six of the past seven in Philadelphia including two this year. Overall, Orlando is 23-17 in Philadelphia and lost two games on the road during the 1999 NBA Playoffs.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily says the Sixers strategy is not likely to change. Philadelphia is doing a great job getting the ball out of Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu's hands and forcing the guards -- namely Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston -- to do most of the scoring. Stan Van Gundy is going to have to find a way to get his forwards the ball more.

-X's and O's of Basketball breaks down the Magic's transition defense against the run-happy 76ers. The conclusion? Orlando needs to control the pace to truly dominate this series. That means not turnovers, no bad shots and definitely no laziness on defense.

-Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Sixers are quietly preparing to deliver some contact to guard Courtney Lee to try and throw the rookie off his game in Game 3. Wonder if Philadelphia has anyone physical enough to focus on one guy who mostly gets the ball on rotations and cuts rather than on drives AND close out on the shooters.

-Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philadunkia is just as confused as the rest of us over the results of Games 1 and 2. But he seems confident that the 76ers can still a pull a Game 3 upset, although it will take more than just going home for a few games.

-jsams of Liberty Baller keeps it simple: "Throw out all the stats and history. This game's going to be about adjustments and execution. The team who executes their gameplan more effectively will win the game -- simple as that."

-Tony DiLeo tells Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer the difference between Games 1 and 2 pretty simply: "I've said it all year, our team is our bench," said Sixers coach Tony DiLeo. "We need our bench to have the game they did in the first game." The 30-point difference in bench point for Philadelphia between the two games might have made a little bit of a diference.

-Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Sixers probably still have no chance to win this sieres, but it is fun to watch them make the Magic sweat. He also is clear to point out that without Jameer Nelson, Orlando is a team of jump shooters hoping that they go in. At this point, cannot argue with him.

-David Thorpe of Scouts, Inc., breaks down Game 3 and the adjustments both teams will need to make. But he does not believe Orlando will continue to shoot so poorly and despite an energized defensive effort from the home-standing Sixers, the Magic will prevail to take the 2-1 series lead.

Magic Wands: April 24, 2009

-When fouling the jump shooter is a good thing, according to David Thorpe.

-The first Arena Football League team has folded in the wake of the season's cancellation. Hopefully the Predators survive the canceled season.

-In the words of Captain Barbossa: "Our hope is restored!" As John Hollinger and TrueHoop points out with his nifty numbers that winning game one does not guarantee you anything in the playoffs.

-Good news for next year, maybe. According to The Orlando Sentinel's Hal Boedeker, Orlando's game one ratings were significantly better than last year's game one rating. No more NBATV after this year?

-For all those that Twitter, the Magic now have a Twackle. I think that is a collection of Twitter accounts. But now you can be friends with Stuff, and who does not want that?

-DwightTV (click on DwightTV) presents highlights of the Defensive Player of the Year and some karaoke.

-Sad to see an all-time great go out this way. But Dikembe Mutombo knew his career was over as laid on the floor at the Rose Garden on Tuesday. TrueHoop has a nice tribute to the man and the player. And Mutombo still goes out on top.

-Whit Whatson, twitter pioneer.

-Chris Bosh is a Toronto Raptor now, but could he be in the Magic's future in 2010? His name is getting bounced around, but I do not see this as realistic. Jessica Reuter of the Bleacher Report says it is financially feasible and talks like this season is already a failure.

-What is the deal with the NBATV doubleheader Tuesday night? I thought the NBA wanted all their games to be seen. I guess not, Magic-Sixers will be 7:30 p.m. ET on NBATV followed by Blazers-Rockets Game 5 at 10 p.m. ET. Enjoy your expanded cable packages everyone.

-The Painted Area notes the high quality of offense in the NBA right now... at least for the last few years.

Game 3 Adjustments: Magic-Sixers

1) Let the offense flow- it is clear Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are a step off. Something is off and it is hard to put a finger on it. As Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily noticed, Turkoglu is not attacking the basket and his passes are getting tipped.

They are not right. And Courtney Lee is very very right, right now. So what is the solution? Maybe go away from Turkoglu and Lewis and let Lee take some shots. Philadelphia is clearly willing to let Lee shoot as much as he wants. And as long as he shoots 10 of 17 and averages 21.5 points per game, let him shoot away.

That seemed to be part of the strategy tonight. Lee took the most shots on the team tonight and when Orlando needed Lewis and Turkoglu in Games 1 and 2, for the most part, they got them.

2) Howard... again- so where was Dwight Howard tonight? It seems like the strategy has always been to get the ball inside early and slowly go away from him as the chances of him losing a game on the free throw line increases.

So, again, where was Howard tonight?

He shot only six times, made four of them, and scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He was still a force defensively (Donyell Marshall I believe called him as good as Ben Wallace was in his heyday). But Howard proved in Game 1 he can possibly be a destructive force on offense.

Orlando needs Howard to be a force offensively. That is probably the difference between the seemingly dominant win the Magic were supposed to have in Game 1 and the inevitable pulling away that came in Game 2.

Lee may not have as much left in the tank to carry Orlando offensively through this series. Howard needs to be the best player on the court.

3) Composure- the first game on the road can always be a difficult game. Orlando lost its only game in last year's first round in Game 3 at Toronto.

Losing this year's Game 3 is probably not an option. The Magic have to retake control of the series as quickly as possible. Remember, survival is key.

Philadelphia seems to be controlling the pace of this series and Andre Miller is proving to be the player Orlando most have to worry about. He and the rest of his team are going to re-energize with the trip home to the Wachovia Center.

The Magic have to match whatever energy the 76ers have early in the game. The first quarter has been tricky for Orlando, the team has to be in control early in the game to be successful in this game.

Game 2: Orlando Magic 96, Philadelphia 76ers 87

It does not have to be pretty. Sometimes with this Magic team it isn't. And when you have your backs up against the wall, for all intents and purposes, you probably want it to look and feel better.

How often though does Orlando win when Dwight Howard fouls out and is held under 20 points and scrapes only 10 rebounds? When they are outshot and struggle to stay over 40 percent shooting? And Courtney Lee, of all people, leads the team in scoring?

How often do the Magic lose when holding an 18-point lead late in the third quarter and Howard turns in a 31-point, 16-rebound effort?

Things could not be any more confusing for the Magic right now.

Lee scored 24 points and Rashard Lewis paced Orlando with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists to even the best-of-seven series at one with a 96-87 win on Wednesday.

This seemed like an odd game. I was stuck at work and had to listen to it on radio (thanks NBATV).

But I still have some thoughts on this game. It seemed to me Orlando was still letting Philadelphia control the pace in this one, especially early. It was kind of a break-neck game. As I think we all know, though, Orlando is the better team and they did the little things they have been doing the last two years to gut out a win.

I would like to see the ball going to Dwight Howard more. He was key in this one for sure. By halftime, all four of Philadelphia's big men were in foul trouble.

Even though Philadelphia seemed to control the pace, Orlando still seemed to be the agressors and outwork the 76ers. The Magic won the rebounding battle 30-28 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. That makes things easier for the win.

Orlando also got to the line 30 times, which helps. The defense was much better and it was made clearer by the Sixers' inability to get anyone beside Andre Miller or Thaddeus Young scoring in the first half. It was a pretty solid job, but the Magic still could not pull away to any extent in this game.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out on the road -- maybe the pressure will be off.

Speaking of pressure, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu still appear to be rusty. Lewis had the better overall game, scoring 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. But that was all on four of 14 shooting. Not so great.

Turkoglu was not much better. He also had 16 points and added six rebounds, but shot three of 10. They both will have to be better for Orlando to regain advantage in this series.

Despite how poorly they are playing, Courtney Lee has been simply magnificent. He had another fantastic game with 24 points. He was the big aggressor in this game. He was 10 of 17 from the floor and was really the only reliable offensive option all night. He has certainly proven he can do this every night with a great Game 1 as well.

Again, it was not the prettiest game. But Orlando has always been able to pull out these ugly games. They certainly have a better chance of winning these type of games than Philadelphia. The Magic might need to make games ugly to really shut out the Sixers. When they cannot get on the break, they lose.

Since I had incomplete coverage, be sure to check out these recaps of the game:

-Orlando Magic Daily Postgame thoughts
-Orlando Magic Daily Full Recap
-The Orlando Sentinel

What They're Saying: Sixers vs. Magic Game 2

-Congratulations Dwight Howard on becoming Defensive Player of the Year. I can think of one good way to celebrate.

-Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Sixers blog Philadunkia knows his team will have to come out with the same ferocity as it did in the fourth quarter if it wants to steal another game from a surely more determined Magic team.

-Some controversy brewed during the three-day layoff. Marcin Gortat apparently echoed Shaquille O'Neal (and to a certain extent Dwight Howard) on Stan Van Gundy's panicky-ness. Things seemed to have smoothed over though. But as David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel argues, Van Gundy's urgency might be a good thing for Orlando right now. But don't worry, they smoothed things over... I think.

-Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel says Game 2 is a must-win, statistically speaking of course.

-Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel says the Sixers are leaving guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston open rather than Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Bad call as Lee's scoring outburst in the second quarter helped Orlando build the lead. But the pressure is on both to perform again in Game 2. This time, hopefully in a winning effort.

-According to Dante & Galante's Twitter page here are your referees for the evening: Steve Javie (ugh!!!), James Capers, Greg Willard.

-Philadelphia has pretty fickle sports fans and Andre Iguodala is the subject of their sometimes adoration and sometimes disgust. Right now, Iguodala is pretty popular as he tries to break the A-list of NBA stars in this postseason, Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily chats with Philadunkia blogger Carey Smith about thoughts from Game One and a preview of Game 2.

-Philadelphia Inquirer beat writer Kate Fagan had a live chat with readers about the series.

-Even though Philadelphia won Game 1, the chess match is on writes Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News. There are still lots of things the 76ers need to fix to pull out the series win.

-Rich Hoffman of the Philadelphia Daily News catches up with Philly-native Jameer Nelson. According to his report, Nelson is an active inactive giving advice to coach's and encouragement to players. On the rehab side of things, Nelson says he has full range of motion back and is constantly working out and rehabbing. It still sucks to be missing the postseason. And the Magic certainly miss him.

-Dwight Howard offers his thoughts in preparation for Game 2.

-Steve Aschburner of Sports Illustrated congratulates Dwight Howard on winning Defensive Player of the Year, but like everyone else is waiting for his offensive game to come around. That might be how he is judged this postseason and what will eventually make Howard a titan of the league's history.


-It will be great when this is not news, but Kyle Hightower of The Orlando Sentinel reports Game 2 is nearing a sell out.

-Nickel Steak of The Puns are Starting to Bore Me echoes my sentiment that Orlando needs to just get Dwight Howard the frikkin' ball in crunch time, regardless of his free throw shooting. At the rate Howard shoots free throws (even on a bad day), Orlando's offense is good enough to be most teams.

-Philadunkia returns the favor by talking with Zach McCann about the Magic.

-Brian of Depressed Fan has his to-do list for Philadelphia in Game 2. Additionally Ricky from Sixers 4 Guidos has his tips for the 76ers to win Game 2.

-jsams of Liberty Ballers is worried like most Sixers fans of history repeating itself. But he is convinced that Philadelphia has grown from last year's experience with Detroit and can make this year's first round series a lot more interesting.

Game 2 Adjustments: Magic-Sixers

Still trying to wrap my head around what happened Sunday night in Orlando. The Magic had a perfect opportunity to knock the 76ers right out of this series and make it a rout. Instead they probably gave a young team loads of confidence and will have to fight it out over six or seven games.

Which leads me to my first point:

1) Dominate the first six minutes- it is no secret Orlando has been a second half team, really all season. The team likes to let teams hang around and then turn on that switch. It is clear that was what was happening in the second and third quarters of game one. But when the Magic went to turn that switch back on in the fourth, it did not work and the 76ers became the aggressors.

Now Philadelphia should have a lot of confidence on the road and should feel like it can impose some of its will on Orlando. That is not so and I think the Magic know that.

How do they prove it? Take a 10-point lead in the first six minutes. Use the first quarter as a statement that the fourth quarter of game one was a complete fluke. Show that you will not be pushed around in your house.

Perhaps we were all a little jaded with the Sixers. Except for the first meeting in Orlando, Philadelphia played Orlando very close in both games. It should not have been a surprise to see a tight battle. But it was also clear that the Magic can blow the 76ers out.

That is what they need to do in Game 2. Blow them out from start to finish.

How do they do that? Well...

2) Believe in Dwight Howard- I said this in my preview, but I think Howard is in for a big series. He did not disappoint with a monstrous 31-point, 16-rebound effort in game one. But where was he in the fourth quarter? Even as Philadelphia completed their run, Orlando regained some control of the game by getting the ball to Howard.

When Howard does not touch the ball. Bad things happen. Bad things like blowing an 18-point lead on your home floor. Bad things like Howard grabbing only six rebounds (only) in the second half.

Howard needs to be involved in the offense. When things go wrong, you get the ball to Dwight Howard. It should not have to be said any more times. He frees up the 3-point shooters even if he does not get up a shot. He does not have to score 31 points every game in this series, but he can if he has to.

The third quarter lead was built up because of Howard's presence in the paint and the unselfish passing around the perimeter. I wonder how many hockey assists Howard had Sunday night. He officially finished with two, but it seemed like he was creating a lot more scoring opportunities.

Yet in the fourth quarter, it seemed like he disappeared. I had to yell at my TV at the Magic not to "stop (insert explitive)'ing around and get the ball to Howard" as the lead slowly crumbled. This team needs to work inside-out. Orlando will not shoot this poorly from the 3-point line again -- unless Hedo Turkoglu's injury is worse than he is letting on which might be so thanks to his struggling six points on two-of-eight shooting.

3) Control the glass- the one thing that has to concern Stan Van Gundy was the work on the defensive glass by Orlando. It literally cost them the game. Donyell Marshall's game-tying 3-pointer came off an offensive rebound.

Philadelphia grabbed seven in outrebounding Orlando. With a guy like Howard in the paint, the Magic have to focus on rebounding and might even have to be more willing to send more than Howard to secure rebounds.

Philadelphia is a team that takes advantage of your mistakes and simply tries to outwork you by running the fast break and scavenging on the glass. Orlando has to try and limit those opportunities. One way is to secure every defensive rebound and limit this poor jump-shooting team to just one shot on every trip.

Prediction: It is clear that Orlando now has to play with some Playoff urgency. The Magic have been sitting around and waiting for Sunday for about a month now and have not played any meaningful games in a while. When push came to shove, it was clear Orlando was a step behind Philadelphia, a team that was fighting for its playoff lives for the last month.

That playoff urgency should be back in Game 2. I do not expect the Magic to come out and steamroll the Sixers like I think they should. But I expect a much more focused effort. And as Cleveland learned, a focused Orlando team is very difficult to handle. The Magic will win Game 2 and send the series back to Philadelphia tied.

Finding Orlando's clutch player

It was clear in Sunday's loss that the biggest question mark for Orlando is going to be readily apparent throughout its playoff run (however long it might be).

With 40 seconds left, Orlando had a chance to take the lead. The ball rotated to Rashard Lewis. He pump faked and took a dribble toward the hoop, taking the wide open mid-range jumper off the back iron. Philadelphia grabbed the rebound with about 24 seconds left and effectively the last possession.

Where did Philadelphia go? There was no doubt.

Andre Iguodala stood at the top of the key and waited for the right moment to attack. Even with Hedo Turkoglu draped over him, his fall-away jumper with 2.2 seconds left was enough to complete an improbable Game One comeback.

With 2.2 seconds left, where would Orlando go with the ball?

This has been the question for the Magic all season. Who gets the ball when the team desperately needs a basket. Sunday, Orlando elected to get the ball to a struggling Hedo Turkoglu on the run from beyond the 3-point line.

The answer all season has been mixed. Turkoglu has hit his fair share of big shots -- see Portland or Boston. Lewis has hit big shots when needed -- see Philadelphia over Thanksgiving week. And of course, Jameer Nelson has also had his game-winners -- see Los Anglees Lakers, Detroit and Phoenix.

Notice how Dwight Howard is not mentioned as an option late in games. One day, one day.

But when push comes to shove, who gets the ball late in games? Orlando has been looking for its clutch shooter all season.

I came across this article from 3 Hoop Fans a while ago and it seemed interesting. It goes through some of the elements that help determine which players are clutch. The point needs to be driven in more after last night's ending.

Where should Orlando go late in games?

It is clear they need a clearer go-to option. I think that option is ultimately Jameer Nelson. But he obviously does not work for this series. Orlando really missed his steadying presence as the lead crumbled yesterday.

But if this situation arises again, Orlando needs to go to the hot hand. The multitude of options can actually be a good thing. It means the Magic can go more ways and be more unpredictable late in games. It makes the inevitable harder to predict, so to speak.

What should the Magic have done in game one? With the way he was shooting his free throws, they probably should have worked to get Howard open in the post and trusted him to make free throws. Sounds silly, but I think it would have worked.

Game 1: Philadelphia 76ers 100, Orlando Magic 98

Hedo Turkoglu was draped over Andre Iguodala, making him reset his move twice. When he pulled back for a fall away jumper with 2.2 seconds left, Turkoglu's outstretched arm covered as much of the basket as he could.

It was not enough as Iguodala drained it and Turkoglu's subsequent game-winning 3-point attempt bounced off the backboard giving Philadelphia the upset win in Game 1.

Until the end of the third quarter this was a fantastic effort from the Magic. But instead it is going to be remembered for the 18-point lead that they blew and the missed opportunity to really push the 76ers out of the series.

That is perhaps the biggest loss to come out of this game. It was inevitable that Orlando was going to lose a game in this series -- I think that is simply the way the team is built with so much dependent on 3-point shooting and Dwight Howard. But to lose this way in game one can only be a boost to a young and hungry Philadelphia team.

The first six minutes of game two will tell us a lot about this team's mindset. Perhaps more carried over from the end of the season than we would like to take on. As a friend just suggested to me, Howard might need to call another player's only meeting. At least he and Stan Van Gundy have three games to figure it all out.

Again, though, for three quarters, Orlando played flawless basketball. The one thing they did right? Get the ball inside to Howard.

Howard had a monster game on the inside scoring 31 points and grabbing 16 rebounds while shooting 11 of 13 from the floor and 9 of 12 from the foul line. He was simply a beast inside and covered up some of the holes.

The Magic took control in the second quarter thanks to 13 points from rookie Courtney Lee and help in the third quarter from aggressive play by Rafer Alston and Rashard Lewis. In the end though, those two guys struggled from the floor and could not be Orlando's saving grace.

With an 18-point lead nearing the third quarter, Philadelphia began to make its run. It started with the fast break and that is how it ended. The 76ers outscored the Magic 35-19 in the final quarter and controlled the pace of the game.

Orlando's vaunted defense from the regular season and the middle two quarters dissipated as shots failed to fall and Philadelphia got out and ran.

In the end, the stat I look at is 3-point shooting -- something that oddly was not in the Magic's favor. Orlando shot five of 18 from beyond the arc while Philadelphia shot seven of 12, including a game-tying dagger by Magic-killer Donyell Marshall with about 40 seconds to play.

This is a stat I see reversing itself as this series goes on, but it is unsettling in game one to see it happen.

The question now becomes how does Orlando react? Does this team have the maturity to pick itself up and dominate the rest of this series? Or will the Magic have to fight and claw their way out of the first round? Can they be the aggressors or will they let one setback knock them off their goals?

What They're Saying: Sixers vs. Magic Game 1 4/19

-Dwight Howard was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week for their NBA Playoff preview. The headline: "Too Much Fun: Can the Magic's Dunk Machine Get Serious for a Moment?" has caused some stirring within the Magic organization to defend their fun-loving behemoth in the middle. Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated does a very good job describing Howard and how he does not quite fit the mold of the typical dominating center, but yet cannot escape the shadow of the previous dominating center, Shaquille O'Neal.

-But back to the headline. Stan Van Gundy has slammed it, but The Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi says the Magic should embrace it. Who says a guy who smiles cannot win a title? Look at Magic Johnson.

-Whether he likes it or not, this postseason is going to be a big judgment of Dwight Howard. He is the presumptive Defensive Player of the Year, an Olympic gold medalist and the leading vote getter for the All Star game. But as Ballard mentions in his article on Howard, none of it matters unless he wins in the postseason. Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel sets the table for what could be the Playoffs of Dwight Howard.

-Not speaking of Howard, JJ Redick has gotten coach Stan Van Gundy's confidence. He has played more minutes this season than in any other of his career. But his trademark shooting has been, well... not so good. Redick knows he is going to have to be better this postseason for his team. As he tells The Orlando Sentinel, maybe he should watch his Better Basketball shooting videos.

-David Whitley of The Orlando Sentinel says it is time to party like it is 1995! And after Boston struggled in an overtime loss to Chicago yesterday, why not believe the Finals are realistic for this team?

-Frank Seravalli of The Philadelphia Inquirer enumerates the many different options the Sixers have at defending Dwight Howard. And none of them look promising. But they have to give it the old college try.

-With Derrick Rose going off this afternoon, it is clear rookies are going to have an impact on this postseason. Courtney Lee's impact might be muted, but he certainly deserves more respect than a certain Sixers fan gave him. Ben Q Rock of 3rd Quarter Collapse quietly reminds Philadelphia fans not to sleep on the rookie from Western Kentucky.

-I suggest you scroll through Orlando Magic Daily for the past couple days. Zach McCann and all the guys over there have done a great job previewing this series. Included in the preview: a position-by-poistion matchup breakdown and interviews with NBA experts including former Magic beat writer Tim Povtak. He also talks to some Philadelphia bloggers to clear the misconceptions about our opponents.

-Bill Simmons of ESPN, not so much a fan of this series.

-Sixers blog Depressed Fan (sounds like us... hmm) makes an interesting point about the Magic's record. 59 wins sure is impressive. But the 23 wins in 36 games does not impress him that much. Especially since Orlando went 9-8 against playoff teams in that stretch. Philly? The Sixers went 8-9.

-Jeff McMenamin of Philadunkia details the Sixers struggles with perimeter defending. That is something very important entering the series today.

-Sixers coach Tony DiLeo told Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "I think the team is ready to play. You can see it in their faces. They're ready to play." Lets get it on.

-Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer assures Philadelphia fans that there is some hope their team can pull off an upset.

Three keys to Magic-Sixers

-Inside early and often: it is no secret that Dwight Howard is going to be the biggest force in this series. Philadelphia simply has no one to guard him. Samuel Dalembert, Marreesse Speights and Theo Ratliff will try their best, but ultimately they only have 18 fouls to spend on Howard.

Howard, though, has not necessarily torched Philadelphia this season as he should. He averaged only 15.7 points and 10.0 rebounds against the 76ers and took only 25 shots in three games. He will clearly need to do more for Orlando to have the kind of dominating success it should have against this Philadelphia team.

I can see Howard having another dominating first round like he had last year against Toronto. But he is going to really need to focus in on this one. I expect Philadelphia to send constant double teams at him. His passing is going to have to be sharp because all the attention given to him is going to leave holes open on the outside.

But even if Howard is not scoring, it is important for him to still get his shots and get the ball. Because without Howard touching the ball, the Magic become a jump-shooting team which feeds Philadelphia's fast break. Howard cannot be left out of the offense for long for Orlando to succeed in the series.

-Don't get caught running: Orlando can and should play fast. But that is exactly what Philadelphia likes to do. It may seem uncharacteristic for a team like the Magic, but they need to find a way to slow the pace of the game and pick their spots to run.

This might be one of the few matchups where the Magic face a team that is more athletic than them. The 76ers thrive on running the fast break and have the kind of point guard in Andre Miller that can control the pace of play. Bet that Philadelphia's strategy to eliminate the effectiveness of presumptive Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard is to beat him down the court on a foot race.

By slowing these games down and picking the spots in which the team runs, Orlando can keep Philadelphia on the perimeter. It is no secret the 76ers struggle from beyond the arc -- and really from outside the paint. They do not really have anyone to challenge Howard inside offensively so he is going to be roaming the pain and cleaning up any perimeter breakdowns.

This is not saying Orlando could not win a fast game against Philadelphia. But I think the Magic need to always be in control of the pace of the game in order to keep the 76ers at a distance.

-Survive and advance: TNT's motto for the NBA Playoffs is: "Win or Go Home." That might be true for some of the lower seeded teams. But for teams with their eye on the prize, each round is more: "Survive and Advance."

That is what Orlando must do. They must get in and out of this series as quickly as possible and with as little incidence as possible. I said that it was a blessing to get such a late series start. It will afford Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu some much needed rest for their injuries.

But it is clear that neither is going to be 100 percent for this series. That may not matter now, but in the next round it will. That is why the Magic must be sure to get out of this series quickly and prepare for the wars ahead.

Stan Van Gundy plays his starters a lot of minutes. And that is only going to increase with the stakes raised. The only way to be sure they still are not sore entering the conference semifinals is to make sure they do not have to battle physically in this round.

Luckily, Philadelphia is not a very physical team and Orlando should be able to impose its will. But the longer the series goes, the better chance something catastrophic could happen.

Think Dwight Howard's chest injury last year. Even those little injuries build up. You would not want something like that happening in this series and not have the time to rest it before the next.

Matchup to Watch: I think the most intriguing matchup is going to be at the point guard position. Andre Miller has had some solid games against Orlando and is probably the better point guard at this point in the season (remember at the trade deadline the rumors that the Magic were interested?).

Rafer Alston has don more than adequately to replace Jameer Nelson. But he is a fast-paced guy and he is going to have a lot of responsibilities this series. If the Magic can effectively take Miller out of the game, they should win.

The offense does not run through Miller, per se. But with a fast break team, taking out the point guard is like cutting the head off a snake. It just wriggles around for a little while before it dies.

That is Alston's responsibility. The Magic are a veteran team to run their offense, but the concern has to be if Alston gets drawn into a running game. Alston wants to pick up the pace offensively. That is what he is good at. But he has to be smart when he does it (as I mentioned above). Philadelphia wants to run.

Alston has to be willing to slow the pace down and grind it out. The Magic are a much better team than the Sixers if they do that.

-Prediction: In the end, I think the Magic know exactly what they have to do to win this series. They are the better team all around and they have the dominating force inside that the Sixers do not have. Howard, I think, is going to have another big series and that will prove to be the difference.

Philadelphia likes to run. But Orlando is the type of team that knows how to control the pace of the game and really mix up how it plays. The Sixers are still relatively young and I do not think they can hit enough jumpers to make up for the fact they will be contending with Howard all series in the paint.

I see one game where Howard gets in foul trouble and Philadelphia is able to go out and attack all out in the paint. But even then, I think Orlando can keep up. I have Magic in five and moving on to the second round.

Magic Wands: April 17, 2009

-ESPN's NBA super scout David Thorpe thinks Courtney Lee is one of the top defenders of his draft class. Proves that the right situation can help immensely late in the draft. And Lee is really really good.

-During the weekend, ESPN writer Marc Stein released his awards ballots. The winners? LeBron for MVP. Stan Van Gundy for Coach of the Year. And Dwight Howard for Defensive Player of the Year. Plus he makes the argument that Howard, not Dwyane Wade, should be third on the ballot as the vastly underrated MVP of the year.

-Orlando Magic Daily has posted some wonderful highlights of everyone's favorite player from Poland against the Cleveland Cavaliers (includes his first 3-pointer!!!!). Now he just needs to post video of him dunking from the free throw line.

-Hedo Turkoglu's injury scare had some people thinking catastrophe -- like back when Nelson went out. But Zach McCann at Orlando Magic Daily, now part of the TrueHoop Network of blogs, gives us reasons why we need to re-sign Hedo.

-Isiah Thomas is apparently going to be head coach at FIU. Good thing they don't have a salary cap or draft picks to give away... I think.

-Dwight Howard is the reason you cannot, say, "cut the cheese" at Magic practice. Thanks a lot Dwight. More to come hopefully on the Sports Illustrated cover boy. And by that I mean, no SI curse (he was also on the cover of the season preview issue).

-The horrible irony of all this is that Jameer Nelson will not be able to play a playoff series in his hometown. Hopefully next year Jameer will get his chance.

-Always the odd connections entering a playoff series. Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel details how the Philadelphia 76ers had an integral part in shaping the Orlando Magic.

Basketball's citizenship crisis

Hopefully I will channeling my late season thoughts into some blog posts over the next couple days. They may or may not have anything to do with the Magic.

But I ran into this story on ESPN the other day. Milwaukee's Charlie Villanueva was released by USA Basketball on April 11. That means he is free to go play for the Dominican Republic. Villanueva has Dominican parents and the article says that he is not doing this because the U.S. is ignoring him as a player. It seems genuine.

I am in no way calling out Villanueva for what he is doing. But basketball has reached something of a citizenship crisis (now might be the time to fix it without any major basketball competitions on the schedule). It seems as if players can declare ancestry and join new countries for their sports citizenship.

This is not the way things were meant to be. Chris Kaman had no ties to Germany, yet he suited up for the Germans in the Olympics. Word is now that Trevor Ariza is also looking to join the Dominican team.

Yes, it is difficult to make the American squad. But trying to pick and choose a country you may have ancestors from is not the answer. Some players are meant to play for their international teams and others are not.

I do not doubt the genuineness of Villanueva's effort. But why did he make the switch now rather than when he first started his career? If you have to appeal to make the switch, you probably should not be making that switch to begin with.

Playoffs set -- it will be Philadelphia

A quick take on the upcoming series with Philadelphia. I will have a detailed preview of the series coming up Friday or Saturday.

First off, the schedule. The series will start Sunday at 5:30 ET in Orlando. Very nice to have home court (NEVER take that for granted) and the relatively late start Sunday is perfect for guys like Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis to get ready.

Game two is Wednesday on... sigh... NBATV. I had a feeling we would get stuck as the series doomed to NBATV for the third straight year. Always frustrating trying to find a Slingbox that gets NBATV. Pretty much a struggle.

Game three is Friday and Game four is Sunday. I am not planning past that at this point.

But this series sets up very well for the Magic. Without Elton Brand, the 76ers are a running team. But it also means they do not have a post presence that can handle Dwight Howard. And we all saw last year what kind of level he took his game in the postseason.

I am expecting another big series from Howard. And he will be the difference. Samuel Dalembert and Marreesse Speights cannot contain him. More importantly, Rashard Lewis has a favorable matchup at power forward. That is something you will not see often in the postseason.

There will probably be one game where Howard gets in foul trouble (it happens) but even then I would not be surprised if Orlando wins.

I think the Magic will win this one in five games in very similar fashion to last year's playoff series.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place

You hear this argument more with football teams. Should we rest our starters or keep them fresh and focused for the postseason?

It ultimately boils down to the on-off switch argument and the decision is largely based on the type of team you have.

For that reason, you cannot envy the position Stan Van Gundy is in. His Magic have been one of the top offensive and defensive teams in the league all season. His key players have stayed relatively healthy and they have (early) postseason experience.

Until the last two weeks.

Ever since Orlando traveled to Miami and topped the Heat on Alonzo Mourning night, Van Gundy has seen quite a different team. He has seen a team content to turn the switch off for 36 minutes and on for 12. On some nights it worked. But lately, the team has gone into full panic mode as that method of play is not working and the effort and focus has waned.

It is tough to keep your focus for 82 games in a season. It is a long time. And the Magic have certainly proved everything they need to prove -- especially now that they are locked into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

It seems Van Gundy's clear decision is to rest his starters, like he has done with Rashard Lewis and should be doing after Hedo Turkoglu's injury scare, and prepare for the postseason behind the closed doors of practice.

But these last seven or eight games have been concerning. The team has completely lost its focus and even Dwight Howard, who tells himself to dominate before every game, cannot seem to get motivated.

There is certainly no worry that the Magic will get a wake-up call come Saturday or Sunday's first round game. This is a team that has been able to focus when needed -- see the Cavaliers and Hawks wins on back-to-back nights during this recent malaise.

But is Orlando the type of team that can coast its way into the playoffs. Van Gundy certainly is not the coach that would like to see his team to do that. And fans would love to see their team performing at its best entering the postseason.

The answer to this difficult question for the Magic might be found in its leaders. When push comes to shove, this is a veteran team laden with playoff experience. Howard will not let his team lose focus entering the playoffs (that is, after Wednesday's regular season finale). Lewis and Turkoglu have been to numerous playoffs, they know what it is about.

Van Gundy is making the right decision in making sure his players get some rest and get healthy. He plays them heavy minutes and they deserve the rest and will need it entering the grueling postseason.

Plenty of higher seeded teams have limped into the postseaosn against hotter, lower-ranked opponents. And plenty, if not most, of those higher seeded teams have easily won their first round matchup (that is why they are best out of seven now, right?).

It would be nice to see the team playing better and it seems like the team gets it needs to take these games a little more seriously. But ultimately, their eyes on a bigger goal.

What They're Saying: Magic vs. Bucks 4/13

-Last road game of the season and the Magic are an impressive 27-13 on the road, a win will top last year's mark 27-14 mark. Quite impressive to put back-to-back years like that on the road.

-The Magic are admittedly in a "funk" right now and know they have to break out of it to gain some momentum heading toward the playoffs, according to The Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz. It is a precarious balance between getting healthy, which the team looks like it needs to do, and getting mentally ready for the postseason.

-Injury updates from Brian Schmitz in Milwaukee: JJ Redick and Rashard Lewis appear to be out for tonight's game. Rafer Alston is questionable after missing the morning shootaround with a migraine. And Hedo Turkoglu reported no swelling in his ankle after spraining it Saturday in New Jersey.

-Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily will now calm you down about the end of the season. He notes the struggles of recent title teams in their final games. How you finish the regular season is not necessarily how you finish the postseason.

-Bucks rookie Joe Alexander has had a difficult season living up to the expectations the do-everything small forward had on draft night, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel said. Look, losing to Rudy Fernandez to get into the dunk contest is not THAT big of a deal.

-Magic radio man Scott Anez blogs about which teams might be heading to Orlando this weekend for the playoffs. It will either be Philadelphia, Chicago or... gulp... Detroit.

-Guess it is time to be scoreboard watching. As I said, the 76ers and Bulls are now tied for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference with the Pistons one game back. That will completely change tonight. Chicago is in Detroit tonight (at 7:30 ET on NBATV). At least Philly will be in the six spot at the end of the night.

-The Bulls are not a good road team, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune says. That will need to change.

-K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune also talks of the redemption of former Gator Joakim Noah. He is thrilled to be back in the postseason.

-Detroit is not guaranteed of even moving out of the eight seed if they beat Chicago, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports.. The Bulls have a better conference record and could win the tiebreaker. The Pistons have a long road to face the Magic in other words.