|

As Zoolander would say, the Magic can turn left. Last night Orlando improved to 1-6 all time in the NBA Finals with a 108-104 win against Kobe and the Lakers. Here are our reactions:
The Big Train:
You could say that there is no way Orlando will shoot 62.5% from the field again, much less over 70% in a half. You could say there is no way Rafer will play as well as he did, and Pietrus will hit some of the shots that he did. You could also say that there is no way that Kobe will miss 5 of 10 free throws and turns the ball over in the final minute. I'd even allow you to say that there is no way the Magic will have 5 guys score at least 18 points. But you can't say the Magic will be swept. You can't say that this team doesn't have heart. You can't say that we don't have a hell of a coach. And finally, you can't say that we have players that don't want it as much as the other team. Even Hedo Turkoglu.
I 3 Freely:
Let me tell you about a man named Courtney "I Got Kobe" Lee. If someone asked me to choose between Lee playing in your face defense on the best one-on-one player in the game for the entire series, or making one game winning shot, it would be a tough decision. Lee may have been the one starter that didn't fill up the box score last night, but the defense he played on Kobe in his 20 minutes of play (especially a brilliant stretch in the 3rd quarter) is what really stick out for me. In the locker room afterward, Lee was almost nonchalant about it. He acknowledged that his matchup with Kobe was intense and heated and that this is exactly what is expected. I still can't believe this guy is a rookie. Otis, thanks very much for Mr. Courtney Lee.
Maxwell Effort:
Yesterday I asked Rafer Alston to arrive to the Finals and he arrived in grand fashion. His numbers and leadership were extremely impressive as the Magic finally got big games from their backcourt. The way the game was going the Magic had to play an absolutely flawless game on offense and that is what they did. Not only did the Magic set a NBA record for field goal percentage but they shot a ridiculous 70% on two point attempts. Logic tells you this will not happen again but for this one night we can revel in what was a great effort from a great team and enjoy the first Finals win in team history.
Supply and Demand:
Was that Kobe the player and puppet I saw cracking under the pressure last night? It took the Magic a record 62% shooting night to break through and get their first franchise Finals win, but my guess is we will be seeing a couple more before Monday. Orlando has the talent to beat this Laker team and now appears to have shaken off the Finals stage fright that had them playing out of character. As long as the Refs keep the Kobe “star calls” to a minimum, this is going to be the hard fought series we all expected. We are only a missed lay-up from being up 2-1!
El Fantasma:
Wow, what a night. I mean I tried to get tickets and got screwed by Ticketmaster and their lottery system. Tried the Ticket exchange and "fans" where charging $250 for $50 tickets. Scalpers out in the arena wanted $400 for row T tickets, yeah the $10 tickets(during the regular season). But its all good. The Magic is back in Orlando. Stuff The Magic Dragon is much funner while drunk. Everyone is excited, the city hasn't been like this since...well never. Its not over. We will not be swept. We will fight hard every night. The Lakers are an amazing team. Phil Jackson is arguably the best basketball coach ever. Kobe Bryant has to be in the top 10 best players ever. We are living at this time. We are watching NBA Legends at their best. We will tell stories to our grand kids about this, how good Kobe was. How great were Jackson and Stan Van Gundy. How Dwight Howard became and even bigger superstar in this league. How Rashard's contract suddenly doesn't seem so big. Heck even how Hedo Turkoglu might be worth signing back on this offseason. The Magic might not win this series. Odds are they will lose. But they sure are making it exciting. Ladies and Gentlemen we have a great series in town. Enjoy the Magic.
Paul Ego:
At the end of the night, premature confetti and all, Dwight has given us something Shaq never could, a win in the Finals.
|