Magic Refuse to Quit, Win Game 1 Thriller

By Josh Cohen
May 20, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Tip of the night: never fall asleep on a team with unrelenting spirit and audacity.

It’s a school night, understandably, so if your mother or father demanded you to go to bed to be ready for your algebra test tomorrow, you get a pass. Or for all you hard-working adults out there who have an early business meeting, we’ll cut you a break this time.

Hopefully, though, no Thursday obligations caused you to miss one of the greatest playoff comebacks and finishes in Eastern Conference Finals history.

Trailing by as many as 16 in the first half and 15 at halftime, the Orlando Magic stormed back and ultimately stunned the No. 1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, 107-106, in Game 1 on Wednesday night.

Rashard Lewis, who finished with 22 points, buried a game-winning 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds remaining.

It would have been easy to shut the lights off and wait until Game 2 on Friday to see a bounce-back performance. But as we have learned throughout this season’s playoffs, it’s never over until the refs leave the court.

The Philadelphia 76ers overcame an 18-point hole in the first round to stagger the Magic in Game 1 before Orlando eventually won the series, 4-2. The Boston Celtics, similarly, conquered a 14-point fourth-quarter gap in Game 5 before the Magic dethroned last year’s champs in seven games.

Wednesday’s showdown was reminiscent of a heavyweight championship boxing fight. The Cavaliers, on one hand, played the role of Apollo Creed. They started out fast and furious -- earning a few knockdowns in the early rounds.

The Magic, on the other hand, played the part of Rocky Balboa. They found their energy and power in the late rounds to ultimately score a knockout in the final stages.

So what exactly changed from the first half to the second: pretty much everything.

Hedo Turkoglu, who registered 15 points and 14 assists, and Lewis found the touch. They combined for 21 of Orlando’s 29 points in the fourth quarter.

Despite eventually fouling out late, Dwight Howard was absolutely sensational. The All-Star center and NBA Defensive Player of the Year posted 30 points and 13 rebounds. He even caused the shot clock to collapse after slamming home a vicious dunk in the first quarter.

“Everyone is always counting us out as a team ,” Howard said. “We believe if we play Magic basketball for 48 minutes, we can beat anybody.”

And how about the supporting cast. Mickael Pietrus, just as he did against the Celtics last round, connected on several critical shots and finished with 13 points and veteran Anthony Johnson hit a crucial 3-pointer that gave the Magic their first lead of the game early in the fourth.

The only item on the list that the Magic couldn’t check off after Game 1 is stopping the league MVP.

“When we double-teamed him, he made the right play every time,” Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said about LeBron James, who erupted for a playoff career-best 49 points. “When we didn’t double team him, he made every jump shot he took it seemed like. He is unbelievable.”

Orlando became just the third team this season (regular season or playoffs) to beat Cleveland at The Q and the first team to defeat the Cavs this postseason.

Now, the Magic will prepare for Game 2, which tips off on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.