The sting of dropping two straight at home to open the Eastern Conference Finals will sure to linger for Magic fans. So too will the nightmarish sequences in the final minutes of Tuesday’s 95-92 loss.
Memory Of Magic Mistakes In 95-92 Loss To Celtics Not Soon To Disappear
Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation’s Magic blog, summed it up best, calling the loss “arguably one of the most crushing defeats in franchise history.”
The Magic’s rally late in the fourth quarter was derailed by mistakes by Vince Carter and J.J. Redick. Mistakes that will be remembered for a long time.
Barring a miraculous comeback to win this series, their gaffes will go down as one of the most glaring in Magic history.
Carter’s two missed free throws with 31.9 seconds remaining when Orlando trailed by three points, 95-92, further cemented his reputation for falling short in the clutch.
…I expect several national, mainstream media columnists to paste him in the papers and on the internet tomorrow for failing to come through. They will mention his decision to attend his college graduation the morning of a Game 7, which he concluded by missing what would have been the game-winning shot. They’ll compare him to Kobe Bryant and talk about unfulfilled potential. They’ll invoke the term “legacy.”
The game was potentially the final contest for the Magic in Amway Arena, its home since its inception in 1989. It’s safe to say that is not how Magic fans wanted the game to be remembered.
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