Should Howard have been ejected?

"I'll let the NBA deal with that," Dalembert said after the game. "If it was me, I'd have been thrown out already."

Coach Tony DiLeo said the Sixers already had asked the NBA to look into it. "I didn't see the play clearly, live," DiLeo said.

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy wasn't sure.

"I haven't seen it, and we'll see where it goes. . . . I guess it's all about lobbying the officials now," Van Gundy said.

Collateral damage After blocking a shot midway through the first quarter, Howard landed on teammate Courtney Lee , drilling him in the face with his left elbow. For a possession, Lee stayed face-down on the baseline under the Sixers' basket. After a few minutes, he was helped to the training room. Orlando officials called it a "hit to the head," and he did not return.

After the game, Van Gundy said Lee was en route to an MRI exam.

"You don't mess around with that," Van Gundy said. "If he has a head injury, he won't play."

The trey The NBA's worst three-point shooting team through 82 regular-season games became, through four postseason games, one of its best.

After 82 games, the 76ers were shooting a league-low 31.8 percent from three-point distance. Through four playoff games against the Orlando Magic, they were 24 for 57 (42.1 percent).

Last night, the Sixers shot 4 for 18.

In the regular season, the Magic shot 38.1 percent from beyond the arc. Through four games of this series, they were 25 for 81 (30.9 percent).

Last night, the Magic shot 8 for 23, not quite up to par, but improved.

How did DiLeo explain the turnaround for the first four games?

"We've been saving it up all season," he deadpanned.

Switching advantage Although in Game 4, the end-of-game defensive switch between Sixers forwards Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young allowed an in-rhythm, game-winning three-pointer for Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu , this switching ability against Turkoglu and forward Rashard Lewis had limited the effectiveness of the Magic's usually dynamic duo.

"The advantage is we can always switch these two," DiLeo said. "I think a lot of teams don't have that luxury."

Ouch The Sixers announced after the game that swingman Iguodala had suffered a bruised right thumb. They said X-rays found no other problems.

The shoulder If you've been seeing Dalembert swiveling his right shoulder in pain, it's because the strained shoulder is "still not 100 percent." Throughout the series, after a blocked or contested shot, Dalembert has returned downcourt grimacing while rotating the shoulder.

Run for the Roses If this series goes to a Game 7 on Saturday, Orlando's Lewis will have a busy day.

Lewis and famed trainer Todd Pletcher co-own Join in the Dance , a colt in Saturday's Kentucky Derby. The long shot was added to the field only when another horse scratched.

Commish visits NBA commissioner David Stern was in town for last night's game. He toured the site for Orlando's new arena, the "Orlando Events Center," which is scheduled to replace Amway Arena in the 2010-11 season.

Groundbreaking for the arena was July 25, 2008.

Contact staff writer Kate Fagan at 856-779-3844 or kfagan@phillynews.com.