By John Denton Feb. 8, 2014
ORLANDO – If you don’t think Friday’s thrilling photo-finish at the Amway Center was worth watching, just ask Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant. In a matter of seconds, KD went from the planet’s most lethal scorer to an innocent bystander, watching as Orlando forward Tobias Harris streaked past for a winning dunk.
If you don’t think Friday’s roof-blowing, buzzer-beating ending was fun to watch, just ask Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander and super model Kate Upton react like this during the game. (Not that I was staring at Upton all night and letting her beauty distract me from the game … No, not at all … Pssst, hey Kate, call me, maybe???)
If you don’t think the spine-tingling, emotional throb of Friday’s finish wasn’t great to watch, ask Tampa Bay Bucs cornerback and Magic season-ticketholder Darrelle Revis why he was up dancing on the court when Orlando pulled out a victory in the most improbable of ways.
Orlando won Friday night when Victor Oladipo used what he called his ``Spiderman’’ skills to corral a loose ball; when Maurice Harkless had the wherewithal to pass to the open man; and when Harris sprinted from one basket to another for the winning points a tenth of a second before the buzzer. The 103-102 Magic victory was equal parts shocking and exhilarating and it had everyone in the Amway Center – from Durant, to Verlander and Upton, to Revis, to thousands of Magic fans – wiping their eyes in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.
``A lot of people texted me last night excited for the game and excited that we won,’’ Harris said a day later. ``I watched (the replay) one time because I don’t like to get too caught up into it. I’m a team guy and I think it was great for us to play a great game like we did. And getting the win is the most important thing. I’m more excited about that than anything.’’
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