Sixers-Magic Game Five, Second Half

Seeing how this is likely to be the last important game for my team this year, I'm going to micro-blog it for the memories. It's what I do; read or skip.

The Sixers announcing crew is convinced that Howard could get suspended for elbowing Dalembert in the ear in the first half. I'd be more hopeful about this if elbowing Sam was like elbowing a real NBA player, but who knows; maybe that's what the NBA does to ensure a Game 7.

Redick still in for Lee, hope still very much alive. The quarter begins sluggishly, with a good Miller steal not getting converted, but an Iggy running prayer goes. The half-court game is not causing much confidence. Sixers going with Ratliff right away, rather than Sam, and Iggy is doing what I've hoped for with a steal and a drive to the line. A make cuts it to four, but Rafer Alston hits a three to give them their largest lead, and it's made worse by a Howard dunk in transition. Another turnover for the black shirts, and this is that third quarter fade they did in the first two Orlando games.

Miller with a great steal from Howard, but he's called for a charge on the other end on a marginal call, and it's gutcheck time, especially after Thaddeus Young picks up his fourth foul while harassing Howard. DiLeo chooses to leave him in as Superman makes the second for their first double-digit lead. Iggy gets no zebra love on a drive, but Redick walks in transition. Green hits; he has 14 now, but it's answered by a ridiculous lob to Howard. Man, it must be nice to have a dominant big man. Young misses a bad three late in the clock, and when it looks Very Bad, Miller steals it *again* from Howard from the weak side, and Young makes the old-school three to cut it to 7. Huge play there; breaks the mood.

Alston makes a hard runner, and Miller turns it over; maybe that 3-point play wasn't so big after all. Lewis makes over Ratliff in the post, taking advantage of Green there; that can't be the right defensive sub. The lead is now 11, the game's largest.

Out of the timeout, an alley oop slam to Theo from Iggy, but again, the defensive boards don't come on the other end, and Miller is gimpy now. Two misses from Mikael Pietrus helps. Iggy draws Howard's third: useful. Iggy's makes bring it back to seven, and for as scary as this quarter has felt, that's not many. Alston misses, Lewis board and airs it, and on the drive back, Iggy scores and gets the Lewis foul call. Another make, and it's four. Wow. My Team Has Heart!

Theo picks up his fourth, and both centers have four now. Where's Matt Geiger when I need him? Mareese Speights might have to play, and that's probably not good. Howard misses on a good double-team, Miller can't make, but Lewis shuffles his feet on a catch for another turnover. Long quarter. Theo sits for Reggie Evans, and Green owns Redick to cut it back to four. That doesn't last long, as Howard tips in an easy one. Green misses on a drive, and Alston goes And One in the lane to make it eight. Iggy with a three that should have also gotten a call, but the Turk goes to the line again off a drive. Iggy now has 17 on 9 attempts. Useful.

Iggy finally misses a free throw, and it's 66-60 with two possessions to go... and if the Turk wants to make threes like that, the rest of this series isn't going to be very much fun. My team fights, but it's 69-60 at the end of three, and unlike the first three games of the series, the Magic appear to have a fully functioning Turk. Dammit.

Orlando has won every quarter tonight. Not cheery. Royal Ivey misses a three, but Iggy wills the board and gets Lewis to commit his fourth. Green's three finds a lid on the rim, and Lewis scores inside as both teams have gone small. Young does the same thing on the other end. Turk misses, Gortat blows an easy one, and that helps, but the subequent Iggy miss doesn't, and neither does a goaltend on Donyell Marshall on Gortat, who has six points for his career playoff high. He is, still, a breathtakingly ugly white boy.

Howard back at 9:35 to go. Iggy makes two to cut it to 9. Lewis gets a rattle roll on a deep 3, and for the first time this series, they are making those. The lead is a dozen. Magic have a 38-27 lead on the boards right now, and the home team is 8 of 17 from the arc. This is the way the series was supposed to go.

Miller turns. Lou Williams takes a contact foul. Howard makes from in deep, and we keep saying Largest Lead; it's 14, but Miller makes one of his equinox threes. Lewis makes a runner because the defense just isn't up to it right now. Crowd is sensing the kill shot now. Young misses. Miller steals the entry pass to Howard as Magic Fan howls for a palming violation. Miller gets to the line and makes the first; he has 15, and might be the only effective defender on Howard tonight. Iggy misses a three in transition badly; it's 80-68 with 6:36 left. Lewis tips it to the backcourt, and it winds up being a shot clock violation. Running out of time for mistakes now, and that's their 15th turnover.

The Turk draws his fifth on a drive, and he can't kill you late if he's on the pine with foul trouble. Stan van Gundy goes to Redick. Another really good defensive stand by Howard and Orlando stops Howard; on the other hand, Ancient Anthony Johnson gets a goaltend. That's this game in a nustshell. Dalembert hits over Howard for points Three And Four! Wow! Thanks, Sammy! Miller gets called on a post by Lewis. It's 82-70 with 4:47 left, and if they've got a run in them, I'm not seeing it right now. But I've been wrong about this team before...

Alston misses; Miller rolls in a sweet drive. The Turk returns with four minutes left, and Alston misses a deep bad three. Iggy gets to the line for attempts 12 and 13, and that's Howard's fourth. My team was sixth in the NBA in free throw attempts. Please, next year, make more... but Iggy gets both, and it's down to 8. The Turk misses a corner three, leading to a great Miller pass to Iggy at the rim, and that's an 8-0 run to cut it to six. My team has heart. Enough to make you weep, really.

Lewis gets deep and Sammy spikes it, but it's a clear goaltend. Dammit. Miller misses on an attempt to get to the line. Redick misses a quick bad three, but Howard erases the mistake, and a Lewis miss is followed by Howard's 20th freaking rebound, and Dalembert's fifth. 2:16 left, 8 point game, and the difference is Howard, Howard, Howard.

My children need to go to bed, but NBA commercials wait for no one. Lewis crushes Young, and he's posted the Sixers silly on his way to 22 points tonight. Another Howard board on an Iggy miss, and it's bed time for all. Redick with another early bad three. Iggy turns it. The Turk misses from distance as the Magic try to pad their stats. Miller misses, Howard another board. At least the game ended fast... and Miller commits a foul for no reason, down 10 with 33 seconds left. I'm going to miss the end of this.

The Magic finally lead this series, and can close it on Thursday. I think they will, but I think it'll be hard. And next year... well, that's for another day. Magic 3, Sixers 2.