2008–09 Orlando Magic season

The 2008–09 Orlando Magic season was the 20th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Led by 23-year-old center Dwight Howard, the team finished the regular season with a 59–23 record, the most wins since the 1995–96 season. The Magic would go on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the first round of the playoffs, highlighted by forward Hedo Türkoğlu's game winner in game four of that series. They followed it up by defeating the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in a tough, hard-fought seven-game series in the semi-finals. Finally, they defeated the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games in the conference finals, thanks to Howard's 40 points and 10 rebounds in Game 6, to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995, but would lose to the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

2008–09 Orlando Magic season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	Stan Van Gundy
General manager	Otis Smith
President	Bob Vander Weide
Owner(s)	Richard DeVos
Arena	Amway Arena
Results
Record	59–23 (.720)
Place	Division: 1st (Southeast) Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals (lost to Lakers 1–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Florida Sun Sports
Radio	WDBO
< 2007–08 2009–10 >

Following the season, Türkoğlu was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a three-team deal and Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee were all dealt to the New Jersey Nets. It was also Tyronn Lue’s last season as an NBA player, as 6 years later, he would return to the NBA, as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Key dates

• June 26: The 2008 NBA draft took place in New York City.
• July 1: The free agency period started.
• October 29: The Magic opened the season with a game against the Atlanta Hawks.
• December 12: Because of a sore left knee, Dwight Howard missed the first game of his professional career, ending a streak of 351 consecutive games played in.^[1]
• January 13: The Magic scored an NBA record 23 three-pointers against the Sacramento Kings. Nine of the twelve Magic players who played that night scored at least one three pointer: Jameer Nelson (5), JJ Redick (4), Keith Bogans (4), Hedo Türkoğlu (3), Rashard Lewis (3), Courtney Lee (1), Anthony Johnson (1), Brian Cook (1), and Jeremy Richardson (1).^[2]
• February 2: Jameer Nelson left a game after dislocating his right shoulder. One day later, it was announced that he suffered a torn labrum, and would require surgery to repair it, meaning he would likely miss the rest of the season. A few days prior to the injury, Nelson had been named as a reserve in the All-Star Game.^[3]
• February 19: As part of a three-way trade, the Magic acquired Rafer Alston from the Houston Rockets.^[4]
• February 25: The Magic were assured a winning season after defeating the New York Knicks.
• March 11: The Magic clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Chicago Bulls.
• March 25: After beating the Boston Celtics, the Magic clinched their second consecutive division championship. With the win, they were also guaranteed of finishing the regular season with more wins than the previous season.
• April 15: The regular season ended, with the Magic finishing one win shy of matching a franchise record.
• April 21: Dwight Howard won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the youngest player to win the award as well as the first player of the Magic to do so.^[5]
• April 28: Rookie Courtney Lee was accidentally hit in the face by Dwight Howard during game 5 of the Magic's first round playoff series. The following day it was announced he would miss Game 6, suffering a fractured sinus.^[6]
• April 29: Dwight Howard was suspended for one game by the NBA for an incident in which Howard elbowed a Philadelphia 76ers player in the face the previous night in Game 5 of the Magic's first round playoff series.^[7]
• April 30: The Magic advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games.
• May 17: In a Game 7 on the road, the Magic advanced to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 1996 after defeating the defending champion Boston Celtics.
• May 30: The Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–2 to advance to the 2009 NBA Finals and made their first appearance since 1995.
• June 9: The Magic earned their first NBA Finals game victory in franchise history. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 at Amway Arena by a score of 108–104. The Magic shot an NBA Finals single-game record 75% in the first half, and a record 62.5% for the entire game.^[8] The Magic had lost their first six NBA Finals games (four in 1995 and two in 2009).
• June 14: The Magic's season ended, having lost the NBA Finals in five games to the Lakers.

Offseason

Draft picks

Main article: 2008 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	22	Courtney Lee	Shooting guard	American	Western Kentucky

Roster

2008–09 Orlando Magic roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From PG 1 Alston, Rafer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1976-07-24 Fresno State PF 4 Battie, Tony 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1976-02-11 Texas Tech C 31 Foyle, Adonal 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1975-03-09 Colgate PF 13 Gortat, Marcin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1984-02-17 Poland C 12 Howard, Dwight 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1985-12-08 SW Atlanta Christian Academy HS (GA) PG 8 Johnson, Anthony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1974-10-02 College of Charleston SG 11 Lee, Courtney 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1985-10-03 Western Kentucky PF 9 Lewis, Rashard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1979-08-08 Alief Elsik HS (TX) PG 10 Lue, Tyronn 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1977-05-03 Nebraska PG 14 Nelson, Jameer 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1982-02-09 Saint Joseph's SG 20 Piétrus, Mickaël 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1982-02-07 France SG 7 Redick, JJ 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1984-06-24 Duke SF 32 Richardson, Jeremy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1984-02-11 Delta State SF 15 Türkoğlu, Hedo 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1979-03-19 Turkey

Head coach Stan Van Gundy Assistant coach(es) Bob Beyer Steve Clifford Patrick Ewing Brendan Malone Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: March 23, 2009

Regular season

The first half of the 2008–09 season went very well for the Magic. After 41 games, the Magic were 33–8, leading the Southeast Division, as well as having one of the top four records in the league. On January 13, 2009, they scored an NBA record 23 three-pointers against the Sacramento Kings. Nine of the twelve Magic players who played that night scored at least one three pointer. At the start of February, Jameer Nelson, their all-star starting point guard, went down with a shoulder injury which caused him to miss the remainder of the season. The Magic then began a stretch where they did not win or lose consecutive games for almost the entire month. The Magic did make a deal at the trade deadline with the Houston Rockets for Rafer Alston. Still having to deal with the absence of Nelson though, Orlando managed to maintain one of the top records in the league, secured a second straight winning season, and clinched a playoff berth in mid-March. The Magic defeated the defending champion Boston Celtics to capture their second consecutive division championship, and on the same night assured themselves of winning more games than the previous season. Finishing the regular season with a 59–23 record, it was the most games the team had won in a season since the 1995–96 season in which they had 60 wins.

Standings

Southeast Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
y-Orlando Magic	59	23	.720	—	32–9	27–14	14–2	82
x-Atlanta Hawks	47	35	.573	12	31–10	16–25	11–5	82
x-Miami Heat	43	39	.524	16	28–13	15–26	9–7	82
Charlotte Bobcats	35	47	.427	24	23–18	12–29	5–11	82
Washington Wizards	19	63	.232	40	13–28	6–35	1–15	82

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Cleveland Cavaliers	66	16	.805	—
2	y-Boston Celtics	62	20	.756	4
3	y-Orlando Magic	59	23	.720	7
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	47	35	.573	19
5	x-Miami Heat	43	39	.524	23
6	x-Philadelphia 76ers	41	41	.500	25
7	x-Chicago Bulls	41	41	.500	25
8	x-Detroit Pistons	39	43	.476	27
9	Indiana Pacers	36	46	.439	30
10	Charlotte Bobcats	35	47	.427	31
11	New Jersey Nets	34	48	.415	32
12	Milwaukee Bucks	34	48	.415	32
13	Toronto Raptors	33	49	.402	33
14	New York Knicks	32	50	.390	34
15	Washington Wizards	19	63	.232	47

Record vs. opponents

2008–09 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NOH	NYK	OKC	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Boston	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Charlotte	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Chicago	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Cleveland	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Dallas	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Denver	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Detroit	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Golden State	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Houston	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	–	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0	10–0
Indiana	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
L.A. Clippers	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
L.A. Lakers	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Memphis	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Miami	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Milwaukee	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Minnesota	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	0—0	0—0	0—0	0—0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
New Jersey	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	0—0	0—0
New Orleans	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
New York	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Oklahoma City	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Orlando	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Philadelphia	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0
Phoenix	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0
Portland	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
Sacramento	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0
San Antonio	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0—0	–	0–0	0–0	0–0
Toronto	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0	0–0
Utah	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	–	0–0
Washington	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	—

Game log

2008–09 game log
October: 0–2 (home: 0–1; road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 29 Atlanta L 85–99 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (15) Anthony Johnson (3) Amway Arena 17,461 0–1 2 October 31 @ Memphis L 84–86 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) FedExForum 16,139 0–2
November: 13–2 (home: 7–2; road: 6–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 November 1 Sacramento W 121–103 Dwight Howard (29) Dwight Howard (14) Rashard Lewis (6) Amway Arena 16,704 1–2 4 November 3 Chicago W 96–93 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 15,606 2–2 5 November 6 Philadelphia W 98–88 Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu, Dwight Howard (8) Jameer Nelson (9) Amway Arena 16,407 3–2 6 November 8 Washington W 106–81 Dwight Howard (31) Dwight Howard (16) Jameer Nelson (6) Amway Arena 16,911 4–2 7 November 10 Portland L 99–106 Hedo Türkoğlu (35) Dwight Howard (19) Jameer Nelson (7) Amway Arena 14,210 4–3 8 November 12 @ Oklahoma City W 109–92 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (19) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Ford Center 18,185 5–3 9 November 14 @ Dallas W 102–100 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (13) Anthony Johnson (6) American Airlines Center 20,085 6–3 10 November 16 @ Charlotte W 90–85 Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Tony Battie, Dwight Howard (7) Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Time Warner Cable Arena 12,639 7–3 11 November 18 Toronto W 103–90 Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu, Jameer Nelson (22) Dwight Howard (9) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 16,353 8–3 12 November 21 @ Indiana W 100–98 (OT) Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (17) Jameer Nelson (9) Conseco Fieldhouse 14,699 9–3 13 November 22 Houston L 95–100 Jameer Nelson (21) Dwight Howard (9) Jameer Nelson (6) Amway Arena 17,461 9–4 14 November 24 Milwaukee W 108–101 Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (13) Jameer Nelson (6) Amway Arena 16,245 10–4 15 November 26 @ Philadelphia W 96–94 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Wachovia Center 14,985 11–4 16 November 27 @ Washington W 105–90 Dwight Howard (26) Dwight Howard (14) Anthony Johnson (12) Verizon Center 13,295 12–4 17 November 29 Indiana W 110–96 Dwight Howard (32) Dwight Howard (21) Anthony Johnson, JJ Redick (4) Amway Arena 17,172 13–4
December: 12–3 (home: 6–0; road: 6–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 18 December 1 @ Boston L 88–107 Rashard Lewis (30) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu, Anthony Johnson (4) TD Banknorth Garden 18,624 13–5 19 December 3 Minnesota W 100–89 Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (14) Rashard Lewis (5) Amway Arena 15,705 14–5 20 December 5 Oklahoma City W 98–89 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (23) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 16,812 15–5 21 December 8 @ L.A. Clippers W 95–88 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (22) Hedo Türkoğlu (6) Staples Center 15,222 16–5 22 December 9 @ Portland W 109–108 Rashard Lewis (27) Rashard Lewis (9) Jameer Nelson (6) Rose Garden 20,642 17–5 23 December 12 @ Phoenix L 112–113 Dwight Howard (19) Rashard Lewis (8) Jameer Nelson, Anthony Johnson (6) US Airways Center 18,422 17–6 24 December 13 @ Utah W 103–94 Rashard Lewis (27) Rashard Lewis (9) Jameer Nelson (6) EnergySolutions Arena 19,911 18–6 25 December 15 @ Golden State W 109–98 Jameer Nelson (32) Marcin Gortat (13) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Oracle Arena 18,844 19–6 26 December 18 San Antonio W 90–78 Jameer Nelson (24) Dwight Howard (13) Jameer Nelson (7) Amway Arena 17,461 20–6 27 December 20 L.A. Lakers W 106–103 Jameer Nelson (27) Dwight Howard (12) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 17,461 21–6 28 December 22 Golden State W 113–81 Jameer Nelson (22) Dwight Howard (11) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 17,461 22–6 29 December 25 New Orleans W 88–68 Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena 17,461 23–6 30 December 27 @ Minnesota W 118–94 Hedo Türkoğlu (26) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rashard Lewis (7) Jameer Nelson (8) Target Center 17,003 24–6 31 December 29 @ Detroit L 82–88 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (18) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 24–7 32 December 31 @ Chicago W 113–94 Rashard Lewis (21) Dwight Howard (14) Jameer Nelson (5) United Center 21,861 25–7
January: 10–3 (home: 5–1; road: 5–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 33 January 2 Miami W 86–76 Rashard Lewis (17) Dwight Howard (15) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena 17,461 26–7 34 January 4 @ Toronto L 102–108 Dwight Howard (39) Dwight Howard (8) Rashard Lewis (9) Air Canada Centre 19,322 26–8 35 January 6 Washington W 89–80 Hedo Türkoğlu (22) Dwight Howard (16) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 16,011 27–8 36 January 7 @ Atlanta W 106–102 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (19) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Philips Arena 13,748 28–8 37 January 9 Atlanta W 121–87 Hedo Türkoğlu (21) Marcin Gortat (11) Jameer Nelson (9) Amway Arena 17,461 29–8 38 January 11 @ San Antonio W 105–98 Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (14) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (5) AT&T Center 18,216 30–8 39 January 13 @ Sacramento W 139–107 Dwight Howard (25) Dwight Howard (15) Jameer Nelson (11) ARCO Arena 11,168 31–8 40 January 16 @ L.A. Lakers W 109–103 Jameer Nelson (28) Dwight Howard (20) Jameer Nelson (8) Staples Center 18,997 32–8 41 January 17 @ Denver W 106–88 Hedo Türkoğlu (31) Dwight Howard (20) Hedo Türkoğlu, Jameer Nelson (5) Pepsi Center 19,749 33–8 42 January 22 Boston L 80–90 Hedo Türkoğlu (22) Dwight Howard (11) Jameer Nelson (3) Amway Arena 17,461 33–9 43 January 24 @ Miami L 97–103 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (10) Jameer Nelson (7) American Airlines Arena 19,600 33–10 44 January 27 Indiana W 135–111 Mickaël Piétrus (27) Mickaël Piétrus, Dwight Howard (10) Jameer Nelson, Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena 17,461 34–10 45 January 29 Cleveland W 99–88 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (18) Rashard Lewis (5) Amway Arena 17,461 35–10
February: 8–6 (home: 4–3; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 46 February 1 @ Toronto W 113–90 Dwight Howard (29) Dwight Howard (14) Jameer Nelson (10) Air Canada Centre 19,800 36–10 47 February 2 Dallas L 95–105 Dwight Howard (35) Dwight Howard (11) Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Amway Arena 16,551 36–11 48 February 4 L.A. Clippers W 125–96 Anthony Johnson (25) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (6) Amway Arena 16,101 37–11 49 February 6 @ Indiana L 102–107 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (20) Hedo Türkoğlu (11) Conseco Fieldhouse 13,559 37–12 50 February 8 New Jersey W 101–84 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (16) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena 16,533 38–12 51 February 11 Denver L 73–82 Dwight Howard (16) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena 17,461 38–13 52 February 17 Charlotte W 107–102 (OT) Dwight Howard (45) Dwight Howard (19) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 17,461 39–13 53 February 18 @ New Orleans L 85–117 Rashard Lewis (17) Marcin Gortat, Dwight Howard (8) Rashard Lewis (8) New Orleans Arena 16,651 39–14 54 February 20 @ Charlotte W 92–80 Hedo Türkoğlu (24) Dwight Howard (16) Rafer Alston (8) Time Warner Cable Arena 19,244 40–14 55 February 22 Miami W 122–99 Dwight Howard (32) Dwight Howard (17) Rafer Alston (9) Amway Arena 17,461 41–14 56 February 24 @ Chicago L 102–120 Dwight Howard (26) Dwight Howard (12) Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston (5) United Center 21,902 41–15 57 February 25 @ New York W 114–109 Hedo Türkoğlu (33) Dwight Howard (21) Rashard Lewis (4) Madison Square Garden 19,763 42–15 58 February 27 Detroit L 85–93 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (13) Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena 17,461 42–16 59 February 28 @ Philadelphia W 106–100 Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu (23) Dwight Howard (8) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Wachovia Center 19,703 43–16
March: 12–2 (home: 7–0; road: 5–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 60 March 3 Phoenix W 111–99 Rashard Lewis (29) Rashard Lewis (12) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena 17,461 44–16 61 March 6 New Jersey W 105–102 Dwight Howard (26) Dwight Howard (15) Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena 17,461 45–16 62 March 8 @ Boston W 86–79 Dwight Howard (18) Dwight Howard (15) Rafer Alston (8) TD Banknorth Garden 18,624 46–16 63 March 9 @ Detroit L 94–98 Dwight Howard (27) Dwight Howard (14) Rafer Alston (5) The Palace of Auburn Hills 20,039 46–17 64 March 11 Chicago W 107–79 Tony Battie (18) Marcin Gortat (15) Rafer Alston, Anthony Johnson (6) Amway Arena 17,461 47–17 65 March 13 @ Washington W 112–103 Mickaël Piétrus (21) Dwight Howard (13) Dwight Howard (7) Verizon Center 18,152 48–17 66 March 15 Utah W 105–87 Dwight Howard (28) Dwight Howard (20) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena 17,461 49–17 67 March 17 @ Cleveland L 93–97 Rafer Alston (23) Dwight Howard (15) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 49–18 68 March 18 @ Milwaukee W 106–80 Dwight Howard (28) Dwight Howard (12) Dwight Howard, Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Bradley Center 13,819 50–18 69 March 21 New York W 110–103 Rashard Lewis (27) Marcin Gortat (8) Hedo Türkoğlu (9) Amway Arena 17,461 51–18 70 March 23 @ New York W 106–102 Dwight Howard (29) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (3) Madison Square Garden 19,763 52–18 71 March 25 Boston W 84–82 Dwight Howard (24) Dwight Howard (21) Rafer Alston (6) Amway Arena 17,461 53–18 72 March 27 Milwaukee W 110–94 Rashard Lewis (19) Marcin Gortat (11) Dwight Howard, Rafer Alston (5) Amway Arena 17,461 54–18 73 March 30 @ Miami W 101–95 Dwight Howard (22) Dwight Howard (18) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rafer Alston (5) American Airlines Arena 19,600 55–18
April: 4–5 (home: 3–2; road: 1–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 74 April 1 Toronto L 95–99 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (9) Hedo Türkoğlu (6) Amway Arena 17,461 55–19 75 April 3 Cleveland W 116–87 Rashard Lewis (22) Dwight Howard (11) Rafer Alston (10) Amway Arena 17,461 56–19 76 April 4 @ Atlanta W 88–82 Dwight Howard (21) Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (5) Philips Arena 19,608 57–19 77 April 7 @ Houston L 83–93 Rashard Lewis (22) Rashard Lewis (12) Rashard Lewis, Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Toyota Center 18,389 57–20 78 April 8 Memphis W 81–78 Hedo Türkoğlu (20) Dwight Howard (13) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 17,461 58–20 79 April 10 New York L 95–105 Hedo Türkoğlu (24) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu, Rafer Alston (5) Amway Arena 17,461 58–21 80 April 11 @ New Jersey L 93–103 Hedo Türkoğlu (16) Dwight Howard (8) Rafer Alston (8) Izod Center 17,123 58–22 81 April 13 @ Milwaukee L 80–98 Courtney Lee (17) Marcin Gortat (18) Rafer Alston (4) Bradley Center 14,683 58–23 82 April 15 Charlotte W 98–73 Tony Battie (21) Dwight Howard (12) Mickaël Piétrus (5) Amway Arena 17,461 59–23
2015–16 season schedule

Playoffs

The Magic drew the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. With the series tied at two wins for each team, Game 5 saw Vivani an incident in the 1st quarter involving Dwight Howard throwing an elbow at 76ers center Samuel Dalembert. Howard was assessed a technical foul but was not ejected from the game. The NBA reviewed the play and suspended Howard for Game 6.^[7] A second incident involving an elbow from Dwight Howard happened in Game 5 not long after the elbow to Dalembert. This time however, Magic rookie Courtney Lee was the recipient of the hit from his teammate. Lee left the game and did not return. Suffering a fractured sinus, it was announced that Lee was expected to have surgery and could miss the remainder of the postseason.^[9] Neither player's absence would prove costly to Orlando in Game 6, who won the series with a blowout on the road, and Lee returned to action in the next series wearing a protective face mask, such as one worn by Richard Hamilton.

In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Magic faced the defending champion Boston Celtics. Facing a 3–2 series deficit, the Magic tied the series with a home game victory in Game 6 and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals by winning Game 7 on the road, ending Boston's 32–0 undefeated record when leading the series 3–2. Assistant Coach Patrick Ewing had guaranteed a win in Game 7.^[10]

Returning to the conference finals for the first time since 1996, the Magic's opponent was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who compiled the league's best regular season record led by the season's MVP, LeBron James. That didn't stop the Magic as they closed the series out at home in Game 6, winning 103–90 as Dwight Howard scored 40 points, a career high for him in a playoff game. The Magic won the series 4–2, the Eastern Conference championship, and the right to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.

After dropping the first two games in the series, the Magic finally won their first ever game in the finals in Game 3. With the franchise losing their first six finals games 1995 and 2009 combined, it was the second most games a team had lost in the finals before earning their first win.^[8] However, in Game 4 the Magic lost to the Lakers 99–91 in overtime; the Lakers took a 3–1 series lead and won again in Game 5, thus ending the Magic's longest playoff run in team history and ending up 1–8 in the finals.

Game log

2009 playoff game log
First Round: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 19 Philadelphia L 98–100 Dwight Howard (31) Dwight Howard (16) Rafer Alston (5) Amway Arena 17,461 0–1 2 April 22 Philadelphia W 96–87 Courtney Lee (24) Dwight Howard (10) Rashard Lewis (6) Amway Arena 17,461 1–1 3 April 24 @ Philadelphia L 94–96 Dwight Howard (36) Dwight Howard (11) Courtney Lee (5) Wachovia Center 16,492 1–2 4 April 26 @ Philadelphia W 84–81 Dwight Howard (18) Dwight Howard (18) Rafer Alston (5) Wachovia Center 16,464 2–2 5 April 28 Philadelphia W 91–78 Howard, Lewis (24) Dwight Howard (24) Alston, Türkoğlu (4) Amway Arena 17,461 3–2 6 April 30 @ Philadelphia W 114–89 Rashard Lewis (29) Marcin Gortat (15) Rafer Alston (10) Wachovia Center 16,691 4–2
Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 4 @ Boston W 95–90 Rashard Lewis (18) Dwight Howard (22) Rafer Alston (7) TD Banknorth Garden 18,624 1–0 2 May 6 @ Boston L 94–112 Lewis, Piétrus (17) Dwight Howard (12) Anthony Johnson (7) TD Banknorth Garden 18,624 1–1 3 May 8 Boston W 117–96 Rashard Lewis (28) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (4) Amway Arena 17,461 2–1 4 May 10 Boston L 94–95 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (17) JJ Redick (7) Amway Arena 17,461 2–2 5 May 12 @ Boston L 88–92 Rashard Lewis (19) Dwight Howard (17) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) TD Banknorth Garden 18,624 2–3 6 May 14 Boston W 83–75 Dwight Howard (23) Dwight Howard (22) Alston, Lewis, Türkoğlu (3) Amway Arena 17,461 3–3 7 May 17 @ Boston W 101–82 Hedo Türkoğlu (25) Dwight Howard (16) Hedo Türkoğlu (12) TD Banknorth Garden 18,624 4–3
Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 20 @ Cleveland W 107–106 Dwight Howard (30) Dwight Howard (13) Hedo Türkoğlu (14) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 1–0 2 May 22 @ Cleveland L 95–96 Rashard Lewis (23) Dwight Howard (18) Howard, Johnson, Türkoğlu (4) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 1–1 3 May 24 Cleveland W 99–89 Dwight Howard (24) Hedo Türkoğlu (10) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 17,461 2–1 4 May 26 Cleveland W 116–114 (OT) Dwight Howard (27) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (8) Amway Arena 17,461 3–1 5 May 28 @ Cleveland L 102–112 Hedo Türkoğlu (29) Dwight Howard (10) Rafer Alston (4) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 3–2 6 May 30 Cleveland W 103–90 Dwight Howard (40) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (5) Amway Arena 17,461 4–2
NBA Finals: 1–4 (home: 1–2; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 June 4 @ L.A. Lakers L 75–100 Mickaël Piétrus (14) Dwight Howard (15) Jameer Nelson (4) Staples Center 18,997 0–1 2 June 7 @ L.A. Lakers L 96–101 (OT) Rashard Lewis (34) Dwight Howard (16) Rashard Lewis (7) Staples Center 18,997 0–2 3 June 9 L.A. Lakers W 108–104 Howard, Lewis (21) Dwight Howard (14) Hedo Türkoğlu (7) Amway Arena 17,461 1–2 4 June 11 L.A. Lakers L 91–99 (OT) Hedo Türkoğlu (25) Dwight Howard (21) Rashard Lewis (4) Amway Arena 17,461 1–3 5 June 14 L.A. Lakers L 86–99 Rashard Lewis (18) Howard, Lewis (10) Lewis, Nelson (4) Amway Arena 17,461 1–4
2009 playoff schedule

Player statistics

Regular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Anthony Johnson	PG	80	12	1,481	147	200	46	5	421	18.5	1.8	2.5	.6	.1	5.3
Rashard Lewis	PF	79	79	2,859	453	205	81	51	1,401	36.2	5.7	2.6	1.0	.6	17.7
Dwight Howard	C	79	79	2,821	1,093	112	77	231	1,624	35.7	13.8	1.4	1.0	2.9	20.6
Hedo Türkoğlu	SF	77	77	2,815	410	375	64	19	1,294	36.6	5.3	4.9	.8	.2	16.8
Courtney Lee	SG	77	42	1,939	178	91	76	14	646	25.2	2.3	1.2	1.0	.2	8.4
Tony Battie	PF	77	3	1,202	278	31	26	25	372	15.6	3.6	.4	.3	.3	4.8
JJ Redick	SG	64	5	1,111	109	73	21	1	382	17.4	1.7	1.1	.3	.0	6.0
Marcin Gortat	PF	63	3	794	286	14	18	53	239	12.6	4.5	.2	.3	.8	3.8
Mickaël Piétrus	SG	54	25	1,329	176	65	31	24	510	24.6	3.3	1.2	.6	.4	9.4
Jameer Nelson	PG	42	42	1,309	145	226	51	3	702	31.2	3.5	5.4	1.2	.1	16.7
Keith Bogans†	SG	36	15	787	111	31	23	2	189	21.9	3.1	.9	.6	.1	5.3
Rafer Alston†	PG	29	28	856	83	148	51	3	348	29.5	2.9	5.1	1.8	.1	12.0
Brian Cook†	PF	21	0	146	27	4	3	0	62	7.0	1.3	.2	.1	.0	3.0
Tyronn Lue†	PG	14	0	129	11	14	2	0	42	9.2	.8	1.0	.1	.0	3.0
Jeremy Richardson	SF	12	0	93	14	3	0	0	37	7.8	1.2	.3	.0	.0	3.1
Adonal Foyle†	C	9	0	59	26	1	0	8	17	6.6	2.9	.1	.0	.9	1.9

Playoffs

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Rashard Lewis	PF	24	24	986	153	70	25	13	455	41.1	6.4	2.9	1.0	.5	19.0
Hedo Türkoğlu	SF	24	24	934	109	116	18	4	378	38.9	4.5	4.8	.8	.2	15.8
Marcin Gortat	PF	24	1	271	76	3	9	15	78	11.3	3.2	.1	.4	.6	3.3
Mickaël Piétrus	SG	24	0	618	62	14	18	13	252	25.8	2.6	.6	.8	.5	10.5
Dwight Howard	C	23	23	903	353	43	20	60	467	39.3	15.3	1.9	.9	2.6	20.3
Rafer Alston	PG	23	23	740	56	94	33	4	281	32.2	2.4	4.1	1.4	.2	12.2
Courtney Lee	SG	21	16	550	39	27	19	3	169	26.2	1.9	1.3	.9	.1	8.0
Tony Battie	PF	21	0	128	20	2	0	3	45	6.1	1.0	.1	.0	.1	2.1
Anthony Johnson	PG	19	1	280	26	39	11	0	82	14.7	1.4	2.1	.6	.0	4.3
JJ Redick	SG	16	8	327	19	31	8	1	96	20.4	1.2	1.9	.5	.1	6.0
Jameer Nelson	PG	5	0	90	7	14	1	0	19	18.0	1.4	2.8	.2	.0	3.8
Adonal Foyle	C	2	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	2.0	.5	.0	.0	.0	.0
Tyronn Lue	PG	1	0	4	0	0	0	0	5	4.0	.0	.0	.0	.0	5.0
Jeremy Richardson	SF	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2.0	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Magic only.

Awards and records

• Dwight Howard – Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 1st Team, Rebounding Champion, Blocks Champion, All-Star
• Rashard Lewis – All-Star
• Jameer Nelson – All-Star

Records

• Orlando broke the 3-point record with 23 made 3-pointers on January 13, 2008, in Sacramento.
• Rashard Lewis led the league in 3-point field goals.

Transactions

Trades

July 11, 2008	To New Jersey Nets----Keyon Dooling[11]	To Orlando Magic----Cash considerations
February 5, 2009	To Milwaukee Bucks----Keith Bogans	To Orlando Magic----Tyronn Lue
February 19, 2009	To Memphis Grizzlies----Orlando 1st round pick (2009) Adonal Foyle (re-signed with Orlando) Mike Wilks	To Houston Rockets----Kyle Lowry Brian Cook	To Orlando Magic----Rafer Alston

Free agents

Additions Player Signed Former team Mickaël Piétrus July 9 Golden State Warriors Anthony Johnson[12] July 15 Sacramento Kings

Subtractions Player Left New team Carlos Arroyo[13] August 4 Maccabi Tel Aviv

References

1. Magic beat Jazz despite Dwight Howard missing his first game as a pro
2. "Orlando Magic News Headlines". NBA.com.
3. "Magic's Jameer Nelson to have shoulder surgery, likely out for season". Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
4. "Magic Make Deal For Rafer Alston in Three-Way". Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
5. "Magic's Dwight Howard wins NBA Defensive Player of Year". Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
6. Lee injured after getting elbowed
7. Howard out for Game 6
8. Hot shooting, balanced scoring lift Magic in Game 3
9. Lee could miss rest of playoffs
10. Golen, Jimmy (May 18, 2009). "Magic Moment: Orlando beats Boston to advance". Yahoo.com. Associated Press.
11. "SLAM! Sports - Basketball". Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
12. "SLAM! Sports - Basketball". Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
13. "SLAM! Sports - Basketball". Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)