Magic in control of Conference Finals versus favored Cavs
Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis celebrates after his three-pointer in the closing seconds gave his team the victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. (AP Photo/David Richard)
In the frantic final seconds, Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu found teammate and fellow forward Rashard Lewis beyond the three-point line. Lewis, a tremendous three-point shooter, recognized that Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao was guarding him. Varejao gave Lewis some space, guarding tentatively in case of a drive to the basket. This backfired, as Lewis gave Turkoglu his 14th assist of the game, and his Magic a win by draining a three-pointer from the right wing.
A Magic victory appeared inconceivable early, as the Cavaliers jumped out to an early 19-8 lead. Cleveland held this lengthy advantage and LeBron James had not even scored yet. His points would come in bunches, but Orlando stayed within reach.
Even though the Magic had life, they were in a fifteen point hole at halftime thanks to an improbable, buzzer-beating 50-foot heave from Cavaliers’ guard Mo Williams. They persevered, confident their talent would show up and avenge a poorly played first half.
Orlando began the third period as well as possible, scoring the first six points to cut the deficit to single digits. The Magic did everything necessary to climb back into contention on the road. Their core players–center Dwight Howard, Turkoglu, and Lewis–hit their usual array of shots possessing a devastating inside-outside presence that gave the Cavaliers fits. Howard, especially, was magnificent, dominating down low for easy baskets, including his forte, thunderous dunks. Orlando’s complementary players–rookie guard Courtney Lee, point guard Rafer Alston, backup point guard Anthony Johnson, and Mikael Pietrus, whom I have just become a huge fan of–were also impressive, giving their team a boost to strike fear into the heart of Cleveland.
The cocky Pietrus nailed a three-pointer, then followed it up with an equally effortless jumper near the end of the third quarter, dwindling the margin to just three. The Cavaliers crowd grew restless, while the Magic heated up. Orlando began the fourth period on a 7-2 run, taking their first lead on a three-pointer by Johnson that capped the run. The tide had officially turned.
From that point, with ten minutes and six seconds remaining, the Magic controlled the game. After a sluggish first half, a win was theirs for the taking. Turkoglu and Lewis combined to score the final seventeen points for Orlando. In the midst of their show, however, the lead was lost. Cleveland guard Delonte West canned a three-pointer to nab a one-point lead, then, after a jumper by Lewis, James score his 47th, 48th, and 49th points via a mid-range jumper and an ensuing free-throw.
This set the stage for Lewis’s heroics. Once his rainbow three-pointer fell through, Alston thrust his arms in the air. One defensive stand and the Magic would live up to their team name and improbably prove victorious.
James was hounded by Orlando on the left wing and, because of this, he lost possession. Luckily, he fell, simultaneously with Turkoglu, and forced a jump-ball. James clearly had the height advantage, leaping ability, and strength to win the tap. Problem was, one second remained. The Cavaliers would need a miracle to steal victory from the Magic’s grasp. They almost received it. James tipped the ball to guard Mo Williams, who was stationed directly behind him. Williams, in mid-air, hoisted mid-range jumper that was on line. On the sideline, Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy watched the flight, his body language shouting “Oh no, no…it can’t!” Much to the delight of Van Gundy and his team, Williams attempt bounced off the back of the rim and fell harmlessly to the ground. Immediately, the Magic bench thrust their arms in jubilation, as Alston had done minutes earlier.
Orlando, by winning Game 1, has complete control of the series. They are clearly a tough matchup for Cleveland. The Turkoglu and Lewis Show was dominant, using their size–at 6′10”–and outside shooting ability to spread the floor for relatively open shots. Though contested, Lewis and Turkoglu were able to score continuously. Though they were particularly impressive, especially late, the play of Howard set the tone. He torched slow-footed Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, scoring 26 of his 30 points in the paint. Because of this deadly inside-outside attack, there is no reason why the Magic shouldn’t feed off their momentum and win the series.
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