| 28 April 2009
This game wasn't particularly interesting and it never really felt like the 76ers had enough to make a run so let's get the particulars out of the way before we get to the real issue at hand.
Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis carried this Orlando team that struggled in one of the uglier games we've seen all post-season. Both Howard and Shard had 24 points apiece as they were the constant steadying force for the guys in blue all night. Rafer Alston was able to just about neutralize Andre Miller's effort and Orlando benefited from Thaddeus Young being in foul trouble for much of the game and as a result having very few aggressive plays in trying to score the ball. The Magic never really pulled away and dominated this game at any point. They just stayed the course during the game, and chipped away at the clock with a "good enough" offensive performance. By the time the third quarter started, Orlando had a nine-point lead and just had to weather the final run that Philly would make (which they did). A solid defensive effort in a pretty sloppy game resulted in the Magic taking a three games to two series lead.
But what everyone will be talking about Wednesday morning is whether or not Dwight Howard should be suspended for throwing an elbow. After all, it did take teammate Courtney Lee out of this ball game after six minutes. Wait...what? THAT'S not the elbow that is causing such a stir? Oh, it's the other elbow that's in question. It's the one he threw at Samuel Dalembert a couple of minutes into the game. Well, let's get into that then.
Dwight Howard got tangled up with Sam Dalembert less than three minutes into the game and after a made basket, he decided to untangle himself from Sammy by violently swinging his arms free of the entanglement and then catching Dally with one more just for good measure. It was a slight moment of frustration that Philly backed down from and Howard received a technical foul from. Issue over? Not even close. Philadelphia fans will ultimately look for this as a reason to suspend the Superman impersonator so that they have a chance to extend the series and see what happens in Game Seven. And you know what? That's a load of crap. Dwight Howard should not be suspended. He received his penalty for the elbow. If it was that bad, he would have been kicked out of the game. The Sixers are going to have to man up in Game Six and beat the Magic WITH Howard. An in-game elbow is not the same as throwing a punch (at least in NBA law).
Why the Magic Won This Game
Let's just say it starts with a "D" and ends with a "wight Howard." Dwight Howard set the tone early with his malicious and horrifying elbow on Sam Dalembert and continued to force his will on the rest of the Sixers. Last season when he was putting up 20-point, 20-rebound games against the Pistons in the playoffs, I kept claiming how much of a man he was and that he had re-invented the Hugh Downs game (a 20-20 effort). Well, now after a 24-point, 24-rebound effort, maybe he's now invented the Jack Bauer game. Because he was dominating the competition and foiling the terroristic crime attempts of all types of evil people trying to ruin freedom. That's how good Dwight Howard was in this game.
Why the Sixers Lost This Game
I think it's safe to say that the Sixers weren't very effective on offense because Thad Young was unable to be a factor scoring the ball. He only took nine shots during the entire game, which resulted in nine points. He made it to the free throw line one time and was rarely aggressive. Without him scoring the ball, it was all up to Andre Iguodala to win this game for the Sixers. The result? A sub 80-point game for Philadelphia. The reason? You can't win a playoff series with Andre Iguodala as your best player.
Heading into Game Six
Game Six is pretty simple. If the Sixers can get a good effort out of Thaddeus Young and have it be more of an effort than what Rashard Lewis can give the Magic then Philadelphia will be in a position to win this game and head into Game Seven. Andre Iguodala has completely shut down Hedo Turkoglu. And if Courtney Lee can be bottled up, it won't matter what Dwight Howard does in the paint. Thad plays to his potential and the Sixers season won't be done.
Prediction: Orlando closes out the series
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