Game 3 turned out to be a dramatic turnaround for the Orlando Magic in their NBA Finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Magic not only earned their first win in the series, they also posted the franchise’s first win in a Finals game. The last chance the Magic had to win a Finals was 14 years ago against the Houston Rockets.

The Magic cruised to their 108-104 victory Tuesday night in grandiose style, finally getting into their groove in the series. Game 3 was a far cry from Games 1 and 2 of the series: In Game 1, the Magic shot an abysmal 29% from the field, and in Game 2, just 42%.

In Game 3, however, they seemed unable to miss a shot; in fact, Orlando set NBA Finals records in both the first half and overall shooting. In the first half, the Magic made a staggering 75% of their shots. Although they slowed down a bit in the second half, the team still finished the game at 62.5% overall.

With numbers like that, it’s a shock that the Magic only won by four.

The Lakers were not far behind in the game. Had the Los Angeles team been able to make a few more free throws here and there, or grab a few more rebounds, we could be looking at a third win for the Lakers, and an 0-3 series for the Orlando Magic that few teams in the sports history have been able to get out.

But with Kobe Bryant wasting himself in the first quarter and unable to lift his team in the final stretch, the Lakers lost control of the series.

However, Bryant had a phenomenal first quarter. Content for the first 6 minutes of the game to play as a spectator, Bryant apparently decided at 5:41 that it was time to impress his fans (including Tiger Woods, who, sitting in the front row, recently professed his support for Los Angeles). . In just over 5 minutes, Bryant made nine shots that gave his team 17 points, finishing with a 3-pointer and foul for a four-point play. By the end of the first half, Bryant had scored 21 points.

The Magic had to be at their best to beat Bryant, and well, they were. Even with Bryant’s impossible 3-pointers, Orlando was ahead in the first half, making 24 of 32 shots.

In the second half, the Magic were able to put up a wall between Bryant and the basket. Bryant managed to put up just 10 points in the second half, missing 5 of 10 free throws and shooting 4 of 16 from the field after the first quarter. In fact, after his second-quarter break, Bryant would go scoreless on the Lakers’ next 32 possessions.

“I thought they really started to get tough on him,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson explained of Bryant. “[Dwight] Howard was constantly coming at him on the shots, which made things difficult. He never got into a groove the same way again.”

Courtney Lee, who was blamed for missing a tough layup in Game 2, set about defending Bryant, matching the superstar step by step and throwing Bryant’s game off.

The rest of Lee’s team was also not far behind. Orlando had a great game, with five players scoring 18 or more. Dwight Howard (with 14 rebounds) and Rashard Lewis (with five rebounds and five assists) scored 21 points each; Hedo Turkoglu (with seven assists and six rebounds) and Mickael Pietrus each had 18; and “Skip” Rafter Alston returned to the game with 20 points.

Alston had a game that brought back a nostalgic chat about his days in New York City playgrounds. Alston was 4-for-4 in the first quarter, making his first five shots and going 8-0-12 overall; his performance put an end to any doubts that plagued his abilities as a point guard.

The defining moment of the game came with just over 2 minutes to go, with a bucket from Pietrus that broke a 99-99 tie and put Orlando ahead for good. Then Bryant went for a 3-pointer that he rolled to the rim. Alston made a free kick after a crowd; his point was followed by a bench shot from Pau Gasol of the Lakers.

Alston got a pass to Lewis for two points that pushed the Magic’s lead to 104-101 with just over a minute remaining. Bryant was fouled and split his shots, bringing the score to 104-102. Then Bryant seemed to fall apart. He handed the ball to Pietrus and was then forced to commit a foul. Pietrus made both shots and Orlando took a 106-102 lead with less than 30 seconds left.

The Lakers missed the next four 3-pointers, with Bryant missing two long ones himself. He managed to cut the deficit to two on a setback, but Lewis made two free throws that brought the Magic to 108. Confetti began to fall; he won the magic.

“I’m used to getting out of those situations,” Bryant lamented. “The team trusts me to come through in those situations, and it just didn’t happen tonight.”

Game 4 is Thursday in Orlando.