Magic making their mark
NBA FINALS, GAME 5
Venue: Amway Arena, Orlando Date: 15 June Tip-off: 0100 BST Coverage: Live on Setanta Sports 2, Five television and highlights on the BBC Sport website
Magic on the brink after losing Game 4
| By Ian Whittell |
Orlando may be known primarily as the vacation capital of the world, particularly to the thousands of Brits who holiday here every year, but events of the past two months in the NBA are putting the Florida city on the map for altogether different reasons.
A thrilling 99-91 overtime defeat to the LA Lakers in Game Four of the NBA Finals in the early hours of Friday put the Magic in a 3-1 hole in the best-of-seven series.
They face having to win three in a row to steal the NBA crown from the Lakers, starting with Game Five in Orlando.
But whatever the eventual outcome of the 2009 NBA title battle, a city whose main claim to a sporting heritage is the fact that Tiger Woods calls it home, is now firmly on the US sports map.
As they were when the Finals began, Kobe Bryant's Lakers are strong favourites to claim the crown - especially as they own home court advantage in two of the remaining three matches - but the Magic's gutsy underdog performance has captured the imagination of basketball fans around the world.
Dwight Howard, "Superman" to his adoring Orlando public, remains the closest thing to a bona fide superstar on the Magic team. But one of the most attractive features of the Magic line-up is its motley collection of journeymen players, many of whom had no reputation before landing in the land of make believe.
In keeping with international flavour that surrounds one of the world's premier vacation destinations, the Magic also enjoy key contributions from a Pole, a Frenchman and a Turk.
The Pole, Marcin Gortat, backs up Howard and made a couple of key first half baskets as the Magic built a 12-point lead they carelessly let slip after the break in Game Four.
The Turk, Hedo Turkoglu, led all Orlando scorers with 25 points and the Frenchman, Mickael Pietrus, added 15 as, for the second time in this series, the Magic lost a heartbreaker in overtime.
Given the fine line between success and failure in those OT matches, Orlando could just as easily be leading the Finals 3-1 as they are losing them but for basic errors, such as 15 missed free-throws.
The fact that it is Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in front is down to the experience of the current team, which lost the Finals a year ago to the Boston Celtics, and the franchise in general, which is now homing in on its 15th championship.
But in the battle for the sporting hearts and minds of America - and the wider world - the Magic are certainly giving their more illustrious opponents a run for their money.
Game 4 highlights - Plays of the day
The Lakers are the Manchester United of the NBA, their home games populated by beautiful California people and a host of Hollywood celebs. Apart from Tiger, who sat in his Magic season tickets seats on Friday, the list of Orlando's famous fans is decidedly B list, in keeping with the down-to-earth mood of coach Stan Van Gundy, his players and the club.
The Lakers tend to belong in the "love 'em or loathe 'em category" and, for that reason as well as Orlando's personality, the Magic are firmly the choice of the neutral in these Finals.
Thus, whatever the outcome of these games, the Magic - Orlando's first credible professional sports team - look poised to be a serious player for years to come, especially with Howard declaring he wants a long-term future in central Florida.
Much more of this, and the word Orlando will start meaning more than Mickey Mouse, Disney World and Universal Studios.
