The word quit doesn't seem to exist for the Sixers so far in these playoffs. Down by 11 to the Magic in the third quarter, the Sixers came all the way back to tie the game with just 14 seconds to play. Tonight though, Hedo Turkoglu made sure that it was 14 seconds that the Sixers would regret leaving on the clock. His three pointer with just 1.1 to play gave Orlando a pivotal 84-81 win in Philadelphia. Now, the Magic have home court advantage back in what has become a best of three series.
Orlando used a well balanced attack tonight, as all five starters scored in double figures, led by Dwight Howard and his 18 points and 18 rebounds. Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis each had 17, and Courtney Lee dropped 15 of his own. The Sixers played a solid game, though their shooting betrayed them for long periods of time. Andre Iguodala, who has been the lynchpin for the Sixers so far in the playoffs, only went 4-13 from the field tonight with 13 points, though he did add a playoff career high 11 assists. Andre Miller went 6-18 from the floor and Thaddeus Young added a 6-17 effort tonight, which was more than enough to doom the Sixers.
This is still a series, though. Even though they lost this game, Philadelphia showed a lot of heart once again by coming back from a double digit deficit against the Magic. Andre Iguodala didn't have the best shooting night, but his 11 assists helped other players get the ball in the basket, which is exactly what you want from a guy who is supposed to be leading your team. After being silent in the last two games, Lou Williams came back with an 11 point effort off the bench, and scored several times in big moments during the Sixers' comeback. All is not lost yet for Philadelphia. In a best case scenario, they would win Game 5, setting up Game 6 in Philadelphia as a must win for the Magic on the road. If they can't do that, they've guaranteed at least one more game in the Wachovia Center this season, and while a win at home isn't a sure thing, the Sixers would feel a lot more comfortable facing an elimination game at home than down in Orlando.
Game 5 is Tuesday night, and hopefully by then the Sixers will have fixed some of their shooting woes, because I don't think they can get another effort from behind the arc like they did tonight.
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