Against the Heat, the Magic are Tragic

You’ve probably heard of the monster mash, but have you heard of the King Swing? Tonight the urban legend came to the Amway Arena looking for more than a victory, he invaded the court looking to squish the competition like a bug. With Orlando’s defense inactive, will the Magic be able to handle the heat and the heavyweights they bring?

Side note: Pregame highlight came when Andrew staged himself center court, bent on one knee, and asked Natalie if she would. Needless to say, a quick kiss spied her response.. guess you had to be here. Enough of the powder puff, let’s get to the real game.

The first few minutes held a playoff game atmosphere as the fans were vocal and the mood was gearing for a fight. With AC/DC beating Thunder along the airways, it was apparent from the tip neither team would accept anything less than full throttle… begging the question: which team would be thunder struck?

Bosh received the ball in low to begin the game. A sudden foul by Howard drew plenty of boos. Lebron hit net for the first lead. Richardson tied with a nice ten footer. Second possession resulted in a second foul for the Magic. Bosh to the line, dropped two. After a Magic turnover, Bosh back to the line as Anderson was caught for his second foul in less than two minutes. Bosh hit both. Rarely used Earl Clark entered for Ryan.

Another rapid turnover and another foul by the Magic; fourth team foul in three minutes. James to the line, netting two. From my angle, the Magic seemed to be struggling to find a go-to player. Going against the ultimate go-to player, Orlando best discover someone in a hurry.

Orlando called time out at the 4:48 point, finding themselves trailing 16 to 10. The concluding few minutes of the quarter found Lebron James unable to miss (so it seemed).

At the end of 12 minutes the Heat commanded the moment 30 to 26:
*   Lebron controlled, owning 23 points and hitting nine for nine from the field
*   Howard held his ground, leading Magic scorers with 10

Second quarter lifted with the same intensity as the first and, lucky for the Magic, James sat out. Not to worry if you happen to be a Heat fan, Eddie House came to play and swished a three to push the lead to seven. If you happen to be a Magic fan, Howard remained in the game to stamp out lane intruders.

Lebron re-entered the game at the six minute point, hitting without missing step. Second possession, two points by James. Heat up 45 to 35. Third possession, a miss… no this was not a typo.

First half highlights:
*   Magic trailed 55 to 45 (yet to be in the lead from jump)
*   Lebron ended the half with 29, Bosh a distant second with 9
*   Howard (on the court for the full 24 minutes) counted for 16, Hedo stood nearby with 11
*   Heat shot 60% from the field, smashing 21 out of 35 throws

Orlando stomped the third with an attitude but found themselves down by 13 after two minutes of play. Twenty seconds later, Wade snuck in for a layup only to find Howard bricking the way. Hitting ground, the Heat called a time out for a shake the webs out moment. After a five-minute recess, Dwayne approached the charity line with a wobble. Two points later and the Magic slipped, securing a spot 12 points down.

Not feeling the groove, the Magic relied on three-point attempts to get back into the game. Unfortunately for Orlando, this tactic was missing one element: solid three point shooting. As the end of the third neared (and Howard without a rest), the Magic pushed hard to make it a game. With two minutes remaining in the third, a chasm of 15 points shrunk to 8. By the time the final two minutes played out, the Magic fell back to a 16 point deficit… and as quickly it was to catch up, it was even quicker to fall behind.

Third quarter qualifiers:
*   Dwayne out with a low back contusion, a fourth quarter return remains questionable
*   Lebron led all scorers with 40 (need I say more?)
*   Orlando trailed from original tip

Hearing cloud-free thunder nearing, the Magic borrowed 11 minutes in order to turnaround a 16-point deficit. As part of a shocker, Wade began the final quarter. Howard has yet to take a breather.

Magic called timeout seconds after House hit a three-pointer from the far side. Down by 19 (84 to 65), it looked like no better time than the present to call for an intervention. Securely positioned in a Magic safe zone, I’m obligated to tell it like it is: like it or not, the Magic cannot handle the Heat. There… I said it.

By the end of regulation, Orlando offered no defense against Bosh, Wade, and Lebron. Quite bluntly, the Magic were thunder struck.

Final score: Orlando lost 104 to 100 (and no, the game was not really this close).
p.s. Lebron finished the game with an impressive 51 points (just thought you should know)

Time for me to call it an evening as the bus is in the lane,

dhuffman