of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series with the Orlando Magic on
Sunday but Hedo Turkoglu had other ideas.
Turkoglu, who had struggled in the first three games of the set, drilled a
game-winning three-pointer over Thaddeus Young with 1.1 seconds remaining,
helping the Magic even the series with an 84-81 Game 4 triumph over the 76ers.
It was the third game in this tightly-contested series to come down to the
final possession.
The Sixers came storming back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth
quarter to tie it on Samuel Dalembert's dunk with 14.8 seconds remaining.
Orlando called timeout and drew up a play for Turkoglu, who missed an off-
balanced trey at the buzzer in a Game 1 loss. The Turkish sharp-shooter didn't
let history repeat itself, rubbing Andre Iguodala off on a pick from Rashard
Lewis before rising over Young for the dagger with just over a second left.
"We don't have a lot of isolation guys, but Hedo's our best. He did a very
good job and left them very little time on the clock," Magic head coach Stan
Van Gundy said.
Iguodala's desperation heave from well beyond the three-point line glanced off
the front of the iron, and Orlando regained home-court advantage in the set.
Turkoglu, who has been limited in the series with a sprained left ankle, made
8-of-11 from the field for 17 points, while Dwight Howard recorded 18 points
and 18 rebounds for the third-seeded Magic, who made just 6-of-20 from three-
point range and 12-of-20 from the line in the win.
Lewis, who has been dealing with serious illnesses to his one-year-old
daughter and has been slowed by right knee tendinitis, finished with 17 points
and seven rebound sin the win.
Andre Miller paced Philly with 17 points, while Young and Iguodala chipped in
15 and 13 points, respectively. The Sixers shot better from long distance (8-
of-19, 42.1 percent) than from two-point range (23-of-61, 37.7 percent).
The Sixers are now in an eerily similar position to the one they were in a
year ago in the quarterfinals, when they took a 2-1 series lead on Detroit
before losing in six games.
These two teams have met in the postseason just once in 1999 when the Sixers
beat Orlando in four games during the first round.
Game 6 of the series is scheduled for Thursday in Philadelphia.
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