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?
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