Magic Reverse Roles in Game 4
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April 26, 2009
PHILADELPHIA -- The cards finally folded in the Magic's favor.
After falling twice this series to Philadelphia in the final seconds, Orlando finally got its revenge.
With 1.1 seconds left on the clock, Hedo Turkoglu pulled up and dialed long distance for a game-winning trey over Thaddeus Young, giving the Magic an 84-81 Game 4 road victory over the 76ers and evening their best-of-seven first-round series at 2-2 on Sunday.
"It feels good," Turkoglu explained about making the final shot. "When they get two wins at the last second it really hurts. But, all around we had a great game. I was lucky to make the shot at the end."
The final moments of the contest had an eerily familiar feel to the Magic's Game 1 loss in Orlando.
Once again, the Magic squandered a double-digit second-half advantage and watched Philadelphia tie the contest in the final minute. And once again, they put the ball into the hands of Turkoglu to win the game.
Instead of heaving up an errant shot, this time around Turkoglu got a good look at the basket and buried a deep trey for the triumph.
"The (Sixers) did it to us twice," Magic All-Star forward Rashard Lewis said about turning the tables. "It feels good to do it back."
It's been a wild series for Turkoglu, who has been under the media's microscope since the start of the series.
From dealing with a sprained left ankle – that he would rather not talk about – to his missed shot at the buzzer in Game 1 to his 2-of-12 shooting night in Game 3, his performance throughout this series has been examined and dissected in every way imaginable.
But even though things haven't exactly gone his way, his head coach has never lost faith in one of Orlando's most clutch players.
"The coach had confidence in me," said Turkoglu of Stan Van Gundy. "He called a play for me and I'm just glad that I made it."
For Van Gundy it was an easy decision.
"It wasn't some genius thing you draw up," the Magic's head coach explained about his decision to put the ball in Turk's hands for the final play. "You get him the ball, you try to get him space on the floor and get shooters next to him; if they come, tell him you want the last shot and he raises up and hits it. It’s the same thing Andre (Iguodala) did on him in Game 1."
With the series now evened up at two games apiece, the Magic have reacquired the highly coveted home-court advantage.
Magic rookie Courtney Lee believes that will be an important factor in deciding the outcome of the series.
"It's definitely important," Orlando's rookie guard explained. "You have the crowd behind you, the momentum and your adrenaline is rushing once you come out and hear those fans cheering. So we just have to go home and handle our business."
Thanks to Turkoglu's big bucket, it’s now a lot easier to take care of the task at hand.
