My Player (Season 2) East Finals Game 3 - Hapshoops32's Dynasty

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My Player (Season 2) East Finals Game 3 Stuck

Posted on January 24, 2011 at 01:41 AM.

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MIAMI DEFENDS HOME COURT, STILL TRAILS 2-1 IN SERIES

Miami, FL (AP) - Anyone hoping for this to be a quick series - don't hold your breath. After getting blown out in the first two games in Orlando, the Heat come home and defend their home court to get back into the series, and avoid the 3-0 hole that nobody in the NBA has ever come back from. This was a classic game, with both teams going back and forth like two heavyweight fighters. It was how most expected every game in the series to go. Miami would take a lead, only to have Orlando make a run and take the lead. The Heat would get back in front - again, only for the Magic to tie things up. Miami finally pulled ahead enough in the fourth quarter when Orlando just couldn't hit any shots.

Happel stepping into the passing lane for the steal, which leads to an easy basket the other way

Orlando forward Brian Happel was the star, once again, scoring 38 points. He was also approaching a triple-double, collecting 11 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. Gilbert Arenas also played well, adding 17 points and 11 dimes. And, Brandon Bass has really been emerging as a force down low, scoring 25 points and rabbing 8 rebounds on 11-16 shooting. After being held in check in game two, Dwayne Wade went off. He scored a team-high 35 points, hitting on 15 of 29 shots. LeBron James had a typical game, scoring 20, grabbing 8 boards and handing out 5 assists. Chris Bosh also stepped up for the "Big 3" by adding 18 points and 9 rebounds.

The crowd wasn't feeling any love for Happel after he drained a game-tying three

But, the big story in this one was the foul line. Miami spent a lot of time there, going 24-24. In contrast, Orlando only took 8 free throws the entire game. Both teams struggled from behind the arc, but the Magic took a lot more shots from long distance, only connecting on 7 of 30. "We live and die by the three," said head coach Stan Van Gundy, "When those three's and mid-range jumpers are falling, combined with Brian and Dwight dominating down low, we're hard to beat. But, when those shots aren't falling, we become too one dimensional and have to lean on Brian too much."

Happel tried to establish a physical presence early, here getting the hoop and the harm over LeBron and Bosh

Game four will be a very important one in this series. A Magic win gives Orlando a chance to clinch a spot in the NBA Finals at home. But, another Miami win ties the series up, and essentially makes it a best-of-three.

May 18, 2012 - ORL at MIA
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Orlando Magic (10-2)	25	19	21	29	94
Miami Heat (9-7)	25	21	23	32	101

Orlando Magic
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Gilbert Arenas	36	7-18	3-8	0-0	5	11	0	0	2	17
John Salmons	39	3-14	2-10	0-0	5	1	0	1	1	8
Brian Happel	45	16-23	2-4	4-4	11	6	1	2	2	38
Brandon Bass	38	11-16	0-0	3-3	8	2	1	0	0	25
Dwight Howard	41	2-7	0-0	0-1	11	3	2	2	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jameer Nelson	12	1-5	0-3	0-0	0	1	1	0	2	2
Marcin Gortat	8	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	1	2	0
Mack Bledsoe	10	0-5	0-3	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
DeJuan Blair	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Anderson	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Quentin Richardson	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Duhon	5	0-2	0-2	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		40-91	7-30	7-8	41	26	7	6	9	94

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
M. Chalmers	35	2-4	1-2	6-6	2	6	2	1	2	11
D. Wade	45	15-29	1-3	4-4	6	1	1	0	1	35
L. James	38	7-22	0-3	6-6	8	5	1	2	2	20
C. Bosh	37	7-14	0-0	4-4	9	1	2	0	1	18
Z. Ilgauskas	31	3-5	0-0	0-0	8	1	1	1	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
M. Miller	19	2-3	1-1	0-0	3	2	0	0	1	5
U. Haslem	13	1-1	0-0	4-4	3	1	0	0	0	6
P. Beverley	10	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	0
C. Nash	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
F. Garcia	5	0-2	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
C. Arroyo	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0
A. Flory	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		37-80	3-10	24-24	41	19	7	4	7	101