Nobody gave the Orlando Magic any sort of a chance when they began their series with the Milwaukee Bucks. They stunned the NBA world in game one but came back to reality in game two. The Bucks were able to even up the series at 1-1 with their 111-96 win and they did so in a rather convincing fashion.
But I'm actually more convinced now after the Magic's game two loss that they can pull off this upset.
The Magic are a streaky team and they showed that Thursday night. After shooting 49% from the floor in game one, they came out in the first quarter of game two and shot 3-24 from the floor including 1-11 from three. Rather than giving up, the Magic scratched and clawed their way back in the game. At one point they were down 23 but got it all the way down to nine before losing by 15.
Even though Giannis still had 28 points and 20 rebounds, they were able to frustrate him. The Magic made other guys beat them as the Bucks got 20 points from Brook Lopez, 15 off the bench from Pat Connaughton, and 11 points in 11 minutes from Donte Divincenzo. Khris Middleton was again held in check, scoring only 2 points on 1-8 shooting.
I wasn't expecting the Magic to come out and shoot the ball the way they did in game one, but that first quarter in game two was atrocious, yet they still had a chance late in the game to win. Vooch had a second consecutive 30-point double-double and continues to lead this team after his playoff disappearance last year. Despite some lapses in game two, the defense has actually played really well in this series.
Thursday's game turned a lot of people off on the Magic but to me, that game showed that they are capable of hanging with the best team in the Eastern Conference.
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