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.