The Orlando Magic got a sorely needed victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Super Bowl Sunday as Nikola Vucevic stepped up as a hero once again.
But it did not have to be that way.
By that, we mean the Magic easily could have avoided a close finish altogether. Orlando played top-notch basketball for three quarters and looked especially good defensively in the first and third quarters.
The fourth quarter was just a meltdown, but one whose bitter taste was sweetened by the game-saving heroics of Vucevic. The Hawks trailed by 11 entering the game’s final period, but the Magic allowed several substantial Hawks runs.