It Always Comes Down to Free Throws
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May 24, 2009
ORLANDO -- It’s just like those days when you came home from school. You hit up your driveway, local park or friend’s house and practiced the most essential shot in the game of basketball.
You nailed down your routine; dribble, dribble, spin of the ball, eyes to rim, release and follow through. Your father would require you to make 10 in a row before you can head in the house for dinner.
It’s what the Orlando Magic reverted back to on Sunday at Amway Arena.
They practically lived at the charity stripe and benefited from the countless practice shots they have taken throughout their basketball careers.
In fact, the Magic shot a playoff franchise-most 51 free throws and connected on a club-best 39 of them (77 percent) during their 99-89 triumph in Game 3. It helped them take a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals series.
Dwight Howard, a career 59 percent shooter from the line, buried 14-of-19 attempts, including 8-of-10 in the fourth quarter. His reason for success; music and dancing apparently.
"I heard a song playing at halftime,” said Howard, who finished with 24 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minute. “I just kept thinking about dancing. If my free throws are going in, I might have to keep up that routine."
‘Superman’, nonetheless, wasn’t the only one taking advantage of Cleveland’s penalties. Hedo Turkoglu was 11-of-12, while Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus combined to go a perfect 11-for-11.
A big reason why Orlando was able to get to the line so much was its effort to get to the rim. Rather than settling for outside jumpers, the Magic attacked the basket. They attempted a 2009 playoff-low 17 3-point shots and accumulated 26 points in the paint.
The Magic’s aggressiveness also forced Cleveland’s interior players to get into foul trouble. Both Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao ended up fouling out, while every other Cavalier who played at least 15 minutes committed at least three personals.
“Both teams were fighting real hard,” Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It was very physical.”
LeBron James, meanwhile, who notched his second 40-plus scoring performance of this series with a game-high 41, also got to the line for Cleveland. He went 18-of-24, but missed a critical pair late in the fourth. The Cavaliers, as a team, were 26-of-35.
Orlando managed to overcome Howard’s foul trouble -- largely due to the productivity from backup center Marcin Gortat. ‘The Polish Hammer’ recorded four points, five rebounds and swatted away two of James’ shot attempts at the rim.
It will be very important for the Magic to sustain this kind of forcefulness on the inside when they take the court in Game 4 on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
