Magic Poised to Make Another Comeback
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June 7, 2009
LOS ANGELES -- If you're hitting the stop button on the Orlando Magic playoff bandwagon, go right ahead, it's been pounded before.
Down 2-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers, people hopped off at the first stop.
Trailing 3-2 against the Celtics, all hope was thought to be lost. Boston was a perfect 32-0 in the postseason when it possessed such an advantage; Orlando couldn't break history, right? The doubters foolishly left in droves.
Burned at the buzzer by LeBron James in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the panic-stricken once again jumped ship, lacking faith that the Magic could overcome such a heartbreaking defeat.
And after a 101-96 Game 2 overtime road defeat put them in a 2-0 Finals hole to the Los Angeles Lakers, there's likely a line at the exit.
Don't join them. You're bound to miss a heck of a ride.
While there are probably people standing on the edge outside of the organization, everyone on the Magic's roster remains calm with their confidence fully intact.
They've been down this road before.
"We were down to Philadelphia 2-1 and were down to the Boston Celtics and went on to win the series," said Magic All-Star forward Rashard Lewis, who exploded for 34 points on Sunday. "This is nothing new for us."
Although a 2-0 disadvantage can discourage even the most faithful fan, based on the setup of the NBA's postseason schedule, the series is statistically exactly where it's supposed to be.
Los Angeles won its first two games on its home floor. Now it's time for Orlando to sweep its home docket and steal one on the road at a later date.
"The Lakers did a good job of protecting their home and now it's our turn to do the same thing," Dwight Howard explained. "We've been in some tough situations, we've just got to fight our way out."
Orlando would not be the first team to execute such a comeback.
In NBA history, three other squads battled back from the same Finals deficit: the 1969 Celtics, 1977 Blazers and 2006 Heat.
And the Magic firmly believe they can be the fourth.
"We feel like we can beat anybody," J.J. Redick said after the game. "I don't think we would be in The Finals if we weren't a confident bunch and didn't feel like we could still beat the Lakers."
Their head coach has seen it done before.
"I was still in Miami in 2006 when they lost both games in Dallas and then were way down in the third quarter in Game 3 at home, came back and won that one and Dallas never won another game," Stan Van Gundy explained. "You know a series can change. You've got to take it one game at a time."
The Magic will take the first step on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
Don't be surprised if they find a way to bounce back.
Comment and ask questions to Dan Savage by following him on twitter at http://twitter.com/dan_savage.
For more Game 2 analysis, turn to Josh Cohen, who examines the outstanding performances by Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.
