They played three physical series against the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets, winning in 5, 7, and 6 games, respectively.

The Magic were overlooked by many to even reach the Eastern Conference Finals, as they played in the shadows of the #1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, led by regular-season MVP LeBron James, and defending champion #2-seed Boston Celtics.

In Game 6, Howard's stellar performance with 40 points and 14 rebounds helped the franchise earn its second all-time Finals appearance and its first Finals appearance since 1995, where a Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway-led Magic were swept by the Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler-led Houston Rockets.

Tyronn Lue, a backup point guard with Orlando, appeared with the Lakers during their initial championship run in the early 2000s and faced his former team in the finals.

Lue and another backup point guard, Anthony Johnson were the only players on Orlando's roster with NBA Finals experience.

[4] After an evenly battled first quarter, the Magic took the lead thanks to field goals and assists from point guard Jameer Nelson, who was playing his first game since injuring his shoulder during the regular season in February.

The Lakers ended the 3rd quarter on a 25–10 run, led by the fierce play from Kobe Bryant, who finished with 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, joining the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, and Jerry West to put up those numbers in a single NBA Finals game.

With 33 seconds remaining, Dwight Howard was able to deflect, but not steal, a Derek Fisher pass, and Pau Gasol was able to again tie the game at 88 with a layup.

On the ensuing Magic possession, the Lakers played great defense and forced Courtney Lee to miss an awkward layup shot with 10.5 seconds left.

With a chance to take a 2–0 series lead, Kobe Bryant was blocked on a jumper by Türkoğlu, who gained control of the ball and called time-out with 0.6 seconds left.

After another timeout, Türkoğlu threw a half-court lob to Courtney Lee, who had come free after a screen on his defender.

With the Lakers up 1 in overtime with 1:55 left, Derek Fisher stole a JJ Redick pass and was fouled on the ensuing fast break, making both free throws.

After the Magic were unable to convert, Kobe Bryant made a pivotal assist to Pau Gasol for a layup-and-one, giving the Lakers a 6-point lead and the eventual victory.

With 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter and the game tied at 79, Howard converted a three-point play to give the Magic an 82–79 lead.

On the next Laker possession, the Magic played good defense, but Trevor Ariza was able to hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to tie the game at 82.

On the bench to witness it was a previous record holder, his assistant coach Patrick Ewing, who had 8 in Game 5 of the 1994 NBA Finals while with the New York Knicks.

The overtime session began with a three-pointer by Rashard Lewis and two contested jumpers by Kobe Bryant to give the Lakers a 91–90 lead.

Rashard Lewis backtapped the rebound to center court, but the ball went to Pau Gasol, who ran in unimpeded for a dunk, giving the Lakers the lead for good.

The Magic, facing the prospect of the Lakers winning a championship on their home floor, came out with a good start, leading by as much as 9 in the first quarter.

In the final quarter, Orlando attempted a run but managed to cut the lead down to only 12; at the buzzer, the Lakers celebrated their 15th title.

During the subsequent season, the Lakers secured the top position in the Western Conference, despite recording eight fewer victories than the previous year.

They eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder in six, the Utah Jazz in four, and the Phoenix Suns in six games to return to the 2010 NBA Finals and renew their heated rivalry with the Celtics.

The Magic again won 59 games and the division title during the 2009–10 season, in which they relinquished Hedo Türkoğlu to the Toronto Raptors and acquired 8-time All-Star and NBA veteran Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets.

The Magic moved to the Amway Center during the 2010–11 season, and then proceeded to lose in the first round for two straight years to the Hawks and the Indiana Pacers, respectively.

However, the team failed to reach NBA Finals due to the rise of the upstart Golden State Warriors.