Dwight Howard, Orlando Fall Short In Game 2 Versus Chauncey Billups, Detroit

AFTER dismissing Orlando handily in Game 1, the Detroit Pistons found themselves in a hotly contested match in Game 2. The Magic fought all game but fell to Detroit 100-93.

Orlando tried to hamper its cause by starting slowly in every quarter and then having to furiously fight back. Detroit tried to keep the pace slow, but Orlando was able to keep pushing the pace to come back. A steady stream of timely plays by Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups in the second half allowed the Pistons to hold on for the victory.

In the final period, both teams put the ball in the hands of their respective Mr. Fourth Quarter: Billups for Detroit and Hedo Turkoglu for Orlando. Midway through the quarter, Billups took a chance but nasty fall after a clean foul by Keith Bogans, but after collecting himself he made both free throws. It was a microcosm of the quarter as he made nearly every field goal and free throw he took. Turkoglu started the Magic's offense, but Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson ended up making as many plays as Turkoglu did.

In the end, foul trouble was the biggest story line for much of the fourth quarter with Antonio McDyess and Nelson fouling out and Rasheed Wallace, Jason Maxiell, Dwight Howard, and Turkoglu playing with foul trouble. Both teams were in the penalty by 3:20 to go in the game. Detroit took more advantage of that fact than Orlando did, attempting more free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

It was a closer contest than the 7-point margin would indicate. 

ONE of the main differences between Game 1 and Game 2 for Orlando was that Dwight Howard was able to carve some more space out down low for himself. He finished with 22 points and 18 rebounds, nearly claiming another 20-20 game. He was clearly bothered by Detroit's defense again, but he managed to be much more productive and even exert his will at times with tough rebounds and dunks.

The Magic's three point shooting was also much improved. After making just two from behind the arc in Game 1, Orlando hit 11 in Game 2. Orlando's second half runs were powered by the three; when the game slowed down late, so did its long-range shooting, though.

The third main difference was in point guard play. Nelson scored 22 points, 15 more than in Game 1. Billups still outscored all three Magic point guards, but only by two points this time thanks to Carlos Arroyo chipping in 4 points. So far in the playoffs, when Orlando's point guards have outscored their counterparts, the Magic have won; when they have failed to do so, the Magic have lost.

In the end, a flurry of turnovers doomed the Magic. They had 19 to the Pistons' 8, and turnovers down the stretch usually got converted into Detroit points. It's one thing to try to beat a 59-win team, it's another to try to do it while giving it extra chance after extra chance.

AN interesting postscript is that a controversial three by Billups at the end of the third quarter might end up changing a league rule. Detroit inbounded the ball with 5.1 seconds on the clock, but it froze at 4.8 seconds. After Billups's shot, it read 4.1 seconds even though the play took several seconds to unfold. TNT's telecast showed that more than 5.1 seconds had elapsed before Billups got the shot off.

The NBA rule is that officials cannot consult replay unless the clock is all zeroes when the disputed play is over. The refs guessed that there were .5 seconds to go after the shot, so it counted. Those 3 points not only turned a 1-point Magic lead into a 2-point Pistons lead at the end of the third, but it also swung momentum in the game. Had that shot not counted, the strategy in the closing minutes would have been decidedly different due to the game being so close.

I would expect a revisit of the replay rule this summer, perhaps allowing referees to use it at the ends of quarters or halves when the in-house game clock malfunctions.