Magic Memories

A sense of deju vu pervaded the Wachovia Center, as the Sixers—trailing three games to two -- prepared to take on a powerful opponent that would be playing without its center, arguably the most dominant inside force in the game.

And just as it was 29 long years ago when a precocious rookie named Earvin Johnson took center stage while Kareen Abdul Jabbar stayed home with a severe migraine, this time the Sixers were crossing their fingers Magic wouldn’t strike again. Back then the Magic was in the name of the kid from East Lansing, MI, who would go on score 42 points, while less heralded Jamaal Wilkes quietly poured in 35.

Last night, with Dwight Howard banished for elbowing Philadelphia’s Samuel Dalembert early in Game 5—an act which should’ve had him ejected on the spot had it been spotted by the zebras—everyone was waiting to see who’d come up big for the Orlando Magic.

``Guys looking to step up need to play defense better, rebound and shoot better,’’ said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy before last night’s game. ``Obviously, we don’t have any margin for error.

``We can’t make as many mistakes as we could with Dwight back there. But this is not anything new to our guys.’’

As if having to go without Howard weren’t bad enough. The Magic also has lost guard Courtney Lee for the remainder of the series, after Howard inadvertently landed another stay elbow on Lee’s head, causing a concussion. That means they’re not only going without 2/5 of their starting lineup, but their top two scorers through the first four games.

``Not counting the five minutes he played in game five (before the injury) Lee’s been our second leading scorer and one of our top defenders,’’ said Van Gundy,. who decided to go with Duke’s J.J. Redick in Lee’s spot rather than Michkael Pietrus to avoid having having both Hedo Turkoglu and Pietrus risk foul trouble. ``Obviously, he’s been having an outstanding series and it’s a tough loss.

``But our main concern is with him physically. They said he’d be out a minimum 7-10 days, so it’s virtually impossible he’ll play in this series. ‘’

Knowing both Howard and Lee would be missing tonight, though, doesn’t make Sixers coach Tony DiLeo any more confident. ``I see other guys stepping up for them,’’ predicted DiLeo. ``I think they’ll be a dangerous team.

``It always happens when a star player goes down. They don’t have a lot of pressure on them.

For us it’s a situation we know where if we lose, it’s over. We’re not in position to be overconfident.’’

Perhaps that’s a lesson learned from the 1980 NBA Finals, the one where that rookie, better known as Magic Johnson, broke their hearts—without their big man-- and celebrated a championship on the Spectrum.floor.

Tonight, with the Magic back and everyone--except them--anticipating a Game 7,
it’s up to the Sixers to prevent another surprise celebration .