It wasn’t a packed house. In fact, the Amway Center’s attendance was as low as the scoring board. But that didn’t stop the Orlando team from fighting until the last minute, or rather until the last 5 extra minutes of overtime, to bag a much needed win.
The third overall team in the southeast division had a point to make on Wednesday night. It wasn’t just about winning games; it was about working together to achieve a goal, the goal of a championship ring. They were facing an unthinkable home loss and knowing how imperative it was to bounce back from a 1-3 road trip. With both teams shooting in the 40 percentile range, it was a two point game the whole way, but with a couple of bizarre twists after the half.
“I’ve never seen two of them in one game in my whole life,” Orlando Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy said.
He means the reason Wednesday night’s match up will be replayed over and over again. Two four play conversions just minutes apart, one of them in overtime. Both of them by the Orlando Magic.
“That was about as crazy of a game as you will ever see right there,” Van Gundy said.
If the first half put fans to sleep, the second half put them on their feet. Point by point both teams fought the clock. Howard’s foul trouble was perhaps one of the most frustrating moments on the court. With one minute left on the fourth, things got interesting. 76rs Elton Brand had already fouled out and with one last technical, Howard was bouncing to the sidelines to sulk too. Now The Magic faced a potential overtime round with no superman.
With 46 seconds left on the ticker, the Magic were down by four. The Philadelphia bench started to get up and pick up their stuff, but it wasn’t over. With an amazing line up, J-Rich gets fouled behind the three point line with 17 seconds left. One, two, three, FOUR points and the Magic are now tied 90-90. Bad news for Orlando came in the shape of Lou Williams who had the last shot of the game. As he lines up to shoot for three, the ball lands in but rattles out and the game goes into overtime.
Overtime starts with Philadelphia picking it up. Once again The Magic is down by one point for the first couple of minutes of the game. But an incredible shot by J.J Redick at 1:45 plus a foul to boot made this game one of the most interesting finales in regular season history. Final score Magic 99, 76ers 98.
It was a game of shining bench superstars and incredible plays. Ryan Anderson came off the bench to score 20 points and 76ers Lou Williams scored 19 points.
“It was an incredible win, my head is still spinning,” Van Gundy said.
As for the two four point plays, there’s was just one thing left to say.
“We were able to make the plays, Jason’s four-point play. And then in overtime, it took the win,” J.J Redick said.
The Magic play the Toronto Raptors at home this Friday.
Here are your game leaders….
| Philadelphia | Orlando | |
| Points | L. Williams 19 | R. Anderson 20 |
| Rebounds | J. Holiday 8 | B. Bass 10 |
| Assists | J. Holiday 6 | J. Nelson 7 |
| Steals | J. Holiday 3 | H. Turkoglu 2 |
| Blocks | A. Iguodala 1 | D. Howard 2 |
By Fernanda Barros
