ORLANDO, Fla. — To understand just how divisive the Orlando Magic’s NBA Finals point guard controversy became, know this: A smattering of boos greeted usual fan-favorite Jameer Nelson when he entered Game 5 with 1:40 remaining in the first quarter.

And now that the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Magic 99-86 Sunday and captured the championship by winning four of five Finals games, whether Nelson should’ve played against the Lakers at all after missing four months due to injury likely will remain a point of contention.
But on Sunday night alone, it was tough to blame the Magic’s loss on Nelson. Starter Rafer Alston—not Nelson—was in the game for Los Angeles’ entire 16-0 second-quarter run, which saw the Lakers turn a 40-36 deficit into a 52-40 lead.
“We lost a little bit of our mental toughness, our mental edge at that point,” Alston said in the quiet Magic locker room.
Alston finished with 12 points, three assists and three turnovers in 33 minutes. He made just 5 of 15 shots from the field.
Nelson had five points, four assists and one turnover in 13 minutes. He made 2 of 7 shots.
After he was benched for the entire fourth quarter in Game 4, Alston played aggressively in Game 5. In Sunday’s opening quarter, he scored six points, had an assist and two rebounds.
But the pace didn’t continue for him—or for the Magic. After the Magic’s dismal second quarter, Alston gave the team some hope by making a 3-pointer from the right corner in with 7:45 left in the third to cut L.A.’s lead to 58-53.
But Alston’s frustration mounted. Trailing 73-58, Dwight Howard blocked a shot, and Alston controlled the ball. He threw the ball far down the court to sprinting Mickael Pietrus, and the ball clanged off Pietrus’ hands for a turnover. On the Magic’s next possession, Alston missed a layup. Seconds later, Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy subbed Alston out for Nelson with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter.
Alston said he never looked over his shoulder Sunday.
“I just played,” Alston said. “There’s a lot of other things that went wrong other than some type of substitution pattern. We turned the ball over. We were not rebounding. We were giving up points in the paint.”
Nelson’s return was supposed to boost the Orlando offense. It didn’t. Nelson wasn’t a scoring threat in this series, and he struggled to get back into a rhythm.
“I don’t regret coming back at all,” Nelson said, an ice bag on his shoulder. “Right now, it seems like every mistake that I made, me individually, is on my mind. . . . It just hurts.”
When the game ended, Howard asked Nelson to stay on the court to watch the Lakers celebrate.
So, now, the second-guessing of Van Gundy will continue. The Magic had reached the Finals with Alston firmly entrenched as the No. 1 point guard and with veteran Anthony Johnson as the backup.
On Sunday night, one fan held up a sign that read, “LET A.J. PLAY!” It was a reference to Johnson.
That’s how divisive the issue had become.