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.