NBA - Magic Win the Series against the 76ers and Advance to the Second Round

The Orlando Magic, who finished at third place in the Eastern Conference for the regular season, defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the sixth game of the first round, wrapping up the series 4-2 with a score of 114-89. Despite the fact that the Magic lacked their superstar Dwight Howard and their shooting guard Courtney Lee – the first due to suspension and the second for sinus surgery - the Orlando Magic pulled off the victory convincingly. Philadelphia just didn’t have the fighting mentality and desire to win; the 76ers lacked defensive effort and had a poor shooting percentage during the game.

From the beginning of the game, the Sixers were down in the score. They ended the first quarter losing by nine points, even after a great contribution by their point guard Rafer Alston, who scored 12 points in that first quarter and gave a solid lead. During the second quarter, things became worse for the Sixers, who lacked team work, especially in the defensive end. The Magic scored easy baskets, giving them a lead of 14 points, finishing 48-62 at halftime.

For the third quarter, the 8 points scored by Howard’s substitute, Marcin Gortat, gave Orlando more confidence and extended their lead by one more point. The Magic ended that quarter winning by 15 points. In the final quarter, things were out of control for the Sixers, who couldn’t find a way to come back. The desperation and the lack of control led to a rousing moment with 6:24 remaining, as both Dalembert and Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu appeared to be fighting with their elbows. After that play ended, Turkoglu confronted Dalembert, who then stepped out to fight, but teammates and referees quickly separated them and both received a technical foul. However, because it was his second technical foul, Turkoglu was ejected. After this incident, the Sixers couldn’t focus to cut the lead and the Magic were fired up, winning in the end 114-89.

At the end of the game, the Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said that this was one of the best wins of his coaching career. Even though his team lacked two of his starters, his players pulled through and got their ticket to the second round, where they will play the winner of the Boston Celtics-Chicago Bulls series.

“The last thing I said to the guys leaving the locker room is 'Be great today’. This is definitely one of the best wins I've ever been a part of," stated Van Gundy.

On the other hand, the Philadelphia coach Tony Dileo was very disappointed by his team’s performance. He expressed his incredulity at losing against a team that was missing two of its most important players, and lamented his team’s lack of a fighting mentality.

The best scorers for the Orlando Magic were Rashard Lewis with 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists; Rafer Alston with 21 points and 10 assists; J.J Redick with 15 points; Mickael Pietrus with 14 points; Hedo Turkoglu with 12 points and 5 assists; and finally Marcin Gortat with 11 points and 15 rebounds. For the Sixers the best scorers were Andre Miller with 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists; Andre Iguodala with 20 points and 6 assists; and lastly Louis Williams with 17 points.