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| Bob Rosato /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images |
Orlando held a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals as it got set to host the Cavaliers in an important Game 4 on May 26, 2009. After stealing Game 1 in Cleveland, the Magic had retaken the series lead with a 99-89 victory over MVP, LeBron James, and the Cavaliers in Game 3.
As was the case for much of the series, James was nearly unstoppable and his desire to even the series was evident early on. The Cavaliers built a 58-50 lead at halftime, but by the end of the third quarter, that lead was down to one.
The Magic trailed 79-78 entering the fourth quarter, but a 3-pointer by Mickael Pietrus just over a minute in gave Orlando its first lead of the second half. The Orlando lead would grow to as many as eight in the final period, but a late 8-1 run spearheaded by James had the Cavaliers clinging to a 98-97 lead with time winding down.
After a team offensive rebound with less than seven seconds remaining, head coach Stan Van Gundy and staff drew up an inbound play for Rashard Lewis. On a catch-and-shoot from deep, Lewis delivered with a 3-pointer to put the Magic in front, 100-98. But with less than a second to play, James had an answer by getting a generous foul call and knocking down a pair of free throws to force overtime.
A 3-pointer by James with more than three minutes to play in the extra period put Cleveland ahead 105-104, but the Magic answered with a 7-0 run behind a pair of baskets from superstar center Dwight Howard and a trey from Pietrus.
Four straight points from James and a triple late in the extra period pulled the Cavaliers to within one at 115-114 with four seconds to play. James had hit a buzzer-beating triple to win Game 2 of the series, but after Lewis split a pair of free throws, his desperation heave from near midcourt went awry and Orlando prevailed.
James scored a game-high 44 points to go with 12 rebounds and seven assists, but it was not enough. Mo Williams added 18 points for Cleveland in the loss.
Howard finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks while knocking down 10 of his 16 field goal attempts and seven of his nine free throws. Rafer Alston made six 3-pointers en route to scoring a career playoff-high 26 points. Lewis and Pietrus each scored 17 points for Orlando while Hedo Trukoglu added 15 points to go with a game-high eight assists.
As a team, the Magic shot 50 percent from the field and made a franchise playoff record 17 3-pointers in the victory. Cleveland shot 45 percent from the field and held a healthy advantage at the foul line, going 30-for-36 as a team.
The Cavaliers would bounce back to stave off elimination in Game 5 back in Cleveland, but Orlando managed to close it out at home in Game 6 and return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 14 years. The Game 4 victory was just the third playoff win for the Magic in overtime in franchise history. It came on this day 10 years ago.
Mike Ferguson is the founder of Magic Memories. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.
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