Magic Remain Confident in Finals

By Josh Cohen
June 9, 2009

ORLANDO -- It will be difficult, but if you know the Orlando Magic, it won’t be impossible.

Sure, only three teams in NBA history have overcome an 0-2 series deficit in the NBA Finals. The 2009 Eastern Conference champions, however, are not like most other teams.

They are, in descriptive adjectives, fervent, conquering, spirited and resilient.

You can justly say Orlando is a squad that overcomes last-second heartrending defeats (just ask LeBron James, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young or Glen Davis), erases seemingly insurmountable deficits (just ask the Cleveland Cavaliers) and plays with extraordinary passion at Amway Arena (7-2 during the 2009 playoffs and 11-3 the last two years in the postseason).

The Magic will try to beat the naysayers for the fourth straight playoff series when they host Game 3 of The Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

It’s very clear to the Magic that if they want to capture their first NBA championship in franchise history, they will need to shoot better from 3-point range.

“Amway’s good,” J.J. Redick said while analyzing the best arenas in the NBA for long-distance shooting. “I try not to think (when shooting). I’ve shot clearly millions of shots. I just try to let my instincts take over.”

Orlando shot a combined 18-of-53 from beyond the arc in Games 1 and 2 at STAPLES Center. Remember though, it tied a record for most triples made in a six-game playoff series when it buried 62 of them in the conference finals.

The Magic will also hope for additional spectacular performances from Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. The two forwards were absolutely sensational in Game 2 when they combined for 56 points.

The other key factor for Orlando offensively, moreover, is point guard play. Jameer Nelson, who astoundingly returned to The Finals after suffering a torn labrum in his dislocated right shoulder in early February, and Rafer Alston will look for big bounce-back efforts.

“Stay confident, stay positive,” Alston said about his agenda for the rest of the series. “I continue taking the same shots every night. It’s about making them.”

Courtney Lee, meanwhile, says he is not affected after missing the potential game-winning shot on Sunday.

“I talked to some of my teammates and they said don’t worry about it,” Lee said with self-assurance. “My phone has been ringing off the hook. I've been getting a lot of text messages saying stay positive and keep your head up.”

Unlike Game 1 when he erupted for an NBA Finals career-best 40 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists, Kobe Bryant was not his usual self in Game 2.

The former MVP and 11-time All-Star was limited in the first half and was often denied down the stretch. Turkoglu, furthermore, rejected Bryant on L.A.’s last possession of regulation that helped force overtime.

It’s important for the Magic to continue focusing on their goal to win the title because if they do that, ‘magic’ will happen in this series.

“We’re a tough group,” Redick said. “We’ve dealt with this before. We’re confident we can do this.”