Do we have a series?

Shaq certainly thinks so, and I’m not going to argue with the big man.

The Orlando came out strong in this one and looked like an entirely different team than in the first two games.  Want proof?  One stat really stands out, and highlights their improvement.  Just look at the two records they’ve set-

First, they set a record for the worst shooting percentage of any Finals Game One since the shot clock era- 29.9%.

Last night?  They set a record for the best shooting percentage of any Finals game ever- 62.5%.

This is the same team, playing the same LA Lakers, within a week of each other.  Home court can’t account for all of this, can it?  Let’s look at some of the reasons:

• First, there was the perfect storm of terrible, terrible Lakers defense, plus the Magic putting things together.
• Dwight Howard had only one turnover to go with 24 points and 16 boards.  solid.
• Rafer Alston, Mr Skip To My Lou himself, finally started hitting shots and rang up 20 points himself.
• Kobe, after going for 21 in the first half and looking as determined as ever to close this thang out, did something he rarely does: disappeared in the clutch.  He would go on to miss basket after basket (including five FTs) and score only 10 in the second half.

While I’m sure they’re not interested in moral victories, the Lakers can take one thing away from this- Even on a night where the Magic shot the damn lights out and Kobe faded away in the second half, they only lost by 4 in Orlando. It’s not anywhere near panic time yet for Lakers fans.  For everyone else though, this could be a good sign.  We  might at least see a competitive series.