Andre Iguodala's jump shot with 2.2 seconds to play helped Philadelphia rally for a dramatic 100-98 victory over Orlando on Sunday in the first game of their playoff series.
Philadelphia erased an 18-point deficit to shock the Magic in their Eastern Conference opener.
Iguodala had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Louis Williams scored 18 as Philadelphia beat Orlando for the first time in four attempts this season.
Hedo Turkoglu tried to win it at the buzzer for Orlando, but his three-point attempt missed.
Dwight Howard scored a career playoff-high 31 points with 16 rebounds, and rookie Courtney Lee scored 18 for the Magic, who host Game 2 in the best-of-seven series on Wednesday.
In the fourth, however, Philadelphia engineered an 8-0 scoring run, and tied the game at 91-91 with less than four minutes to play. A dunk by Howard put Orlando ahead 98-95 with 49 seconds left, but Donyell Marshall responded with a three-pointer and Iguodala made his jump shot.
"We won one more game than people thought we would win," said Iguodala, who stood at midcourt waving as his teammates joined him. "I was pretty amped up."
Iguodala's game-winner atoned for his two missed free throws with about a minute to play. "He really made up for it, didn't he?" Sixers coach Tony DiLeo said. "He's like our secret weapon."
It was the biggest lead Orlando had blown all season.
"This is a game that we should have won," Howard said. "But there's no need to panic. We just have to come out with a better effort."
In Atlanta, Josh Smith scored 23 points and every other Hawks starter was also in double figures as the hosts downed Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat 90-64 in their series opener.
Heat superstar Wade scored 19 points, 11 less than his league-leading regular-season average, and only one other Miami player scored in double figures. The Hawks matched a club record for fewest points allowed in a playoff game, while Miami were held to their fewest points of the season.
Game 2 is on Wednesday in Atlanta.
(AFP via China Daily April 21, 2009)
