Orlando Magic Celebrate 15th Anniversary Of NBA Finals Appearance

Led by Dwight Howard, the Magic gutted their way through a gauntlet in the Eastern Conference. Orlando vanquished the Philadelphia 76ers in six games before emerging from an arduous seven-game series against the defending champion Boston Celtics.

On paper, the Cavs looked to be the most significant test yet. After securing the first seed in the East, Cleveland tore through the first two rounds, sweeping both the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks on its way to Orlando.

However, the trio of Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Türkoğlu dismantled the best team in the conference. Howard was dominant, leading the playoffs in blocks and rebounds.

Meanwhile, Cleveland was too heavily reliant on LeBron James to produce offense. The Magic held the Cavs below 100 points in three of the six contests and won two of the games by double figures.

Game 6 was a show of force by Howard. The 23-year-old showed flashes of former Orlando legend Shaquille O'Neal in a 40-point performance to send The King packing.

Howard and Co. met their match in The Finals, falling to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

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