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

The Magic pulled off their 108-104 win Tuesday night in great style, finally getting their rhythm on 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 hit a staggering 75% of their shots. Although they slowed down a bit in the second half, the team still finished the game with 62.5% overall.

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

The Lakers were not far behind in the game. If the Los Angeles team had been able to hit a few more free throws here and there, or had a few more rebounds, we could be looking for a third Lakers win, and a 0-3 series for the Orlando Magic that few teams in. the history of sport have been able to come out of it.

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

Bryant, however, 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 a.m. 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 triple and missing for a four-point play. By the end of the first half, Bryant had scored 21 points.

The Magic had to be in their prime to beat Bryant, and well, they were. Even with Bryant’s impossible 3s, Orlando was ahead in the first half, having made 24 of 32 shots.

In the second half, the Magic were able to open a wall between Bryant and the basket. Bryant managed to score just 10 points in the second half, missing 5 of 10 free throws and making 4 of 16 on the field after the first quarter. In fact, after his second quarter break, Bryant wouldn’t score on the Lakers’ next 32 possessions.

“I thought they really started attacking him hard,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson explained of Bryant. “[Dwight] Howard constantly attacked him with shots, which made things difficult. He never really got back into a rhythm in the same way. “

Courtney Lee, who was blamed for failing on a difficult layup in Game 2, set about defending Bryant, matching the superstar’s stride for stride and deflecting Bryant’s game.

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) each scored 21 points; 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 the nostalgic talk about his days on the playgrounds of New York City. Alston was 4-of-4 in the first quarter, making his first five shots, and was 8-0f-12 overall; his performance put an end to the doubts that plagued his abilities as a base.

The defining moment of the game came with just over 2 minutes to go, with a Pietrus bucket breaking the 99-99 tie and putting Orlando in the lead forever. Then Bryant went for a triple that went off the rim. Alston made a free kick after a foul; His point was followed by a shot off the bench from the Lakers’ Pau Gasol.

Alston got a two-point pass to Lewis that took the Magic lead to 104-101 with just over a minute to play. Bryant was fouled and split his shots, bringing the score to 104-102. Then Bryant seemed to break down. He handed the ball to Pietrus and was then forced to commit a foul. Pietrus made both shots and Orlando led 106-102 with less than 30 seconds left.

The Lakers missed the next four triples, and Bryant missed two lengths himself. He managed to cut the deficit to two with a setback, but Lewis made two free throws that brought the Magic to 108. The confetti began to fall; the Magic won.

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

Game four is Thursday in Orlando.