Last-Second Loss Spoils Spectacular Comeback
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April 24, 2009
PHILADELPHIA -- This one had all the makings of an amazing Orlando Magic comeback.
There was the sensational rally: Orlando clawed back from a 17-point first-half deficit to gain the lead late in the fourth quarter.
There were the clutch shots: Dwight Howard – a career 60 percent shooter from the charity stripe – stepped up to the line and buried two pivotal free throws with 6.9 seconds left to tie the game.
Only one thing was missing; the win.
Thaddeus Young played the role of spoiler, fighting through a great defensive effort from Howard in the paint and sinking a game-winning layup with 2.2 ticks remaining to give Philadelphia a 96-94 Game 3 home victory on Friday.
"We took their first option out on the play, (Andre) Iguodala, and then Young loses the ball and we still end up with a loss," Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy explained about the last sequence of events in his postgame press conference. "So it was a tough one, but we'll come back on Sunday and try to even things up."
After allowing 60 points in the first half, Orlando regained its defensive composure in the second session, holding Philadelphia to just 36 points in the final two quarters.
It proved to be too little, too late.
"It's heartbreaking, especially when you lose at the buzzer like that," Magic All-Star forward Rashard Lewis reflected. "I think we dug a hole for ourselves early in the game and then tried to fight to get back in it. We tied the game up, but we still made a lot of mistakes on the defensive end."
It's an error he hopes the Magic don't make again in Game 4.
"We have to play for 48 minutes, like coach has been telling us," Lewis said following the contest. "You can’t only play for 18, 20 minutes."
Not only did the defeat put the Magic in a 2-1 series deficit, but it also spoiled a dominant effort from Howard.
Orlando's Superman put his team on his back and exploded for a career playoff-high 36 points.
It looked like a perfect finish to a magnificent night, when he blocked out the thousands of white thunder sticks waving in his face and buried two crucial free throws to knot the contest.
"It was big," Magic rookie guard Courtney Lee reflected in the locker room. "A lot of people give him a lot of trouble about his free throws. To go up there in an important game like this and knock them down shows a lot of character."
Unfortunately for Orlando, his superb effort wasn't enough.
