Mr. Fourth Quarter
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April 9, 2009
ORLANDO -- Hedo Turkoglu and the fourth quarter are becoming synonymous.
After all you don't earn the nickname "Mr. Fourth Quarter" for being un-cool in the clutch.
The versatile nine-year veteran out of Turkey again took his game to another level in the final frame, erupting for 10 of his 20 points in the last stanza to lift the Magic to a thrilling 81-78 home victory over the Grizzlies on Wednesday.
"Hedo is our hero," Dwight Howard explained after the contest. "In the fourth quarter we look at Hedo to bring us home. That's what he does best."
In three of the last six Magic wins decided by seven points or less, Turkoglu has scored at least 10 points in the final frame.
It's something his teammates are becoming accustomed to.
"It's his time in the fourth quarter," Howard said with a smile. "The other four guys in the first three quarters, we pave the way. Hedo walks down that path and gives us what we need."
The Magic's last-minute miracle man is doing more than hitting shots down the stretch. He also runs the point in various sets and acts as a playmaker, distributing the ball to his teammates.
J.J. Redick, who fired off all nine of his points in the last period, scored five of them off feeds from Turk.
"You know me, I just take my time, see the situations, read how the people out there are playing," Turkoglu modestly explained. "I think all around we had an off night until that fourth quarter. I just try and keep myself ready, make some shots for myself and create for somebody else like J.J."
Although the team's fourth-quarter effort pleased Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy, he'd still rather see games not get to that point.
"You could just sense the intensity level rising in the fourth quarter," the Magic's coach pointed out during his postgame press conference. "What I said to them after the game, 'you can talk about fatigue all you want, but then you would be more tired going into the fourth quarter, and you found the energy.'"
His All-Star sharpshooter agreed.
"We need to start playing great early on in games," Rashard Lewis said about his team's mindset of picking up the pace down the stretch. "Because in the playoffs we're not going to be able to do that."
However, Howard sees things a little bit differently.
Although he agrees that the Magic need to get off to stronger starts, he views this current Orlando team's ability to make comebacks as the main factor that separates them from ones in the past.
"For coming back and overcoming all the obstacles we had tonight, I would give my team an A," the Magic's Superman said of how he would grade Wednesday’s win. "In the past we would have folded under pressure. We wouldn’t have stepped up in the fourth quarter and we would have given up on the game."
In the postseason, he believes that can be a true asset.
"That shows a great sign for our fans and everybody watching that even when we're down and can't make shots, we're still going to go out there and fight hard," Howard said.
And with Mr. Fourth Quarter on the roster, there's a good chance that hard work will translate into a triumph.
