Last Thursday night, Experience separated the Los Angeles Lakers from a 2-2 series score to a commanding 3-1 advantage over the young Orlando Magic.

LA point guard Derek Fisher nailed a three-pointer near the end of regulation to send game four into overtime at Amway Arena. And in the closing minutes of OT, he once again shot a three-pointer that allowed the Lakers to pull away from the Magic.

The Lakers can now end the series on Sunday at Orlando’s home court. If they fail, the remaining two games will be played at Staples Center, a court where the Magic have yet to score a victory. 
While Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 32 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, it was fisher who silenced the emphatic Orlando fans.

With around 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Orlando had a three-point lead and the possession. They set a play and Dwight Howard dove in the lane and was sent to the line by Kobe Bryant. The defensive player of the year then missed two crucial free throws, which—ultimately—separated the Magic from the win.

With 11 seconds on the clock, LA inbounded from the other side of the court. They successfully got the ball to Kobe Bryant, who was trapped in the corner by Hedo Torkuglu and Mickael Pietrus. Number twenty-four passed the ball to Trevor Ariza at midcourt and Ariza dished it to Fisher, who pulled up for a three-pointer over Jameer Nelson, tying the game at 87-87.

During the extra period, Fisher nailed a three-pointer off a Kobe Bryant pass from the low post. The shot allowed the Lakers to pull away from the Magic.
 
Turkoglu, who had 25 points, missed a couple of three-pointers down the stretch, which were converted to easy baskets by Pau Gasol.

The Magic will now have to compete against history to get their first title. Only eight NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit and the Lakers are 32-1 when they lead 3-1 in post season competitions.

Tension arose in the last seconds of the game when Pietrus went for a close-fisted hard foul on Gasol. Words were exchanged between the Spaniard and the Frenchman, who was penalized for an unsportsmanlike foul.

Pending an NBA review, Pietrus might be eliminated for game five because of the nature of the foul. If this happens, Orlando will be left without an able defender against Kobe Bryant.