Remember my post from the last game where I said I have never left a game before the final buzzer. I was very close to leaving tonight but ended up staying after the sleeping pills wore off the Magic and the team showed up to play basketball. Dwight Howard was benched for a stretch of time in which the Magic made a run to get back in the game. I think Howard got the message and he finished with a decent game, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking 5 shots. Two of the block shots were critical Lebron moments that could have stopped the Magic's momentum in the late minutes of the game. The Magic avoid catostrophe by beating the Cavs 81-74 after a very slow start.
Again the glue of this team, Grant Hill, willed this team through another victory. When Hill plays the way he does tonight, this team has an entirely different attitude. He scored the first 8 points of the second half and the Arena was jumpin! J.J. Redick managed another 14 minutes tonight and even converted a 4 point play, much to the crowd's delight. As I said previously, you get the feeling Redick is one basket away from becoming a major contributor for this team. Redick was certainly more active and physical in this game than any other this year. When I see him tugging, pushing and fighting through screens to get free, I get a tear in my eye.
One last note, defense won this game. Plain and simple. The Magic controlled the tempo after the first quarter and Keyon Dooling did a tremendous job keeping Lebron out of his game. The Magic as a team kept the Cavs off the glass and prevented fast breaks. I think Coach could have pulled the trigger a littler earlier in the first quarter with the starters to get some energy players on the floor. I think Orlando has shown that the fans much rather see heart and hustle from role players than weak and sleepy from superstars.
Let's hope this win carries over and the Magic put a few more in the 'W' column.
