25 Years of Magic: 3-point mastery

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Orlando Magic basketball. The team itself will be celebrating with look backs at the team's stories history and recognition of the team's greatest players (Nick Anderson will be up next for his night Friday against the Celtics). Orlando Magic Daily loves celebrating Magic history (probably too much). And so each day this season, we will dig into Magic history a little bit and share the team's history.

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Last night Arron Afflalo put on a ridiculously efficient 3-point shooting performance. He made all four of his 3-pointers from the left corner and added four more from the left wing. Six of his seven second-half 3-pointers came off of assists. It was a brilliant and excellent 3-point shooting performance that helped the Magic come from behind for a three-point win.

Afflalo's seven second-half 3-pointers were one shy of the Magic record.

In today's peak back into Magic history, we take a look at the two games where that record was set plus the ultimate in Magic 3-point performances:

Let's start with one of the more forgotten amazing Tracy McGrady performances. Why is it forgotten? Well, McGrady stubbed his toe in the second half and left with a sprained big toe. The Cavaliers came back and won the game.

Before that though, Tracy McGrady hit an incredible, and Magic record, eight 3-pointers in the first half and scored 36 points. There is no telling how much higher McGrady could have gone. He was simply crossing half court and hoisting up shots (almost literally) and making them. The Cavaliers had no answer:

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It was a thudding exclamation point to a disappointing season for the Magic. This game was played at a time when the Magic still had some outside chance of turning their season around and sneaking into the Playoffs. McGrady felt the frustration of having to leave a game early when he was feeling it from the floor.

Like most of the things that season, he had to settle with a personal record rather than team success.

A little less than a decade later, McGrady's mark was tied remarkably by Jason Richardson, who suddenly caught fire in the fourth quarter of a come-from-behind win over the Bucks in Milwaukee.

A fan was yelling at Richardson calling him washed up when Richardson keyed a 16-0 run that gave the Magic the improbable win in the fourth quarter. Richardson saved the Magic on a night Dwight Howard was getting frustrated and the team was struggling to find offense, particularly in that fourth quarter.

Richardson though got hot and kept firing and firing. Even when he got smacked in the head.

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Of course, the ultimate in Magic 3-point performances was from Dennis Scott.

In the final home game of the 1996 season, Dennis Scott put in a rain of 3-pointers that set a then-NBA record. He made 11 in the game and scored 35 points to key Orlando to a 15-point win.

From the Orlando Sentinel (after the highlights):

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"Dennis Scott has had his eye on the NBA single-game 3-point record for some time now. On Thursday night he turned it into a bull's-eye.Scott knocked down an NBA-record 11 3-pointers and scored a game-high 35 points while leading the Orlando Magic to a 119-104 victory over the Atlanta Hawks."

Afflalo did not quite flirt with Scott's record. But he joined some pretty good company in Magic history Wednesday night.