BOSTON // The Orlando Magic are ready to go home - but not for the summer. Needing a win to avoid a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference finals, the Magic beat the Boston Celtics on Monday night to keep their season alive for at least one more game. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a play-off series. With a victory in Game 5 in Orlando tonight, the Magic would be halfway there.
"We didn't win this game just to win a game and say we were in this series," said Dwight Howard, who had 32 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Magic to a 96-92 overtime victory. "We want to make this a series and win this series. We all have to believe that. I told the guys before the game, 'Put out all disbelief, anxiety and fear. We've just got to keep playing'. We can't think about losing or think about being swept. We have to think about winning and staying together."
Jameer Nelson made back-to-back three-pointers in overtime to help secure the win for Orlando. He finished with 23 points and nine assists. "At some point, somebody is going to come from 3-0 down and win a series. The only thing I knew for sure was it would start by winning Game 4," said Stan van Gundy, the Magic coach. Paul Pierce had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Boston. Ray Allen hit consecutive three-pointers in overtime, but Pierce missed two tries in the final minute for the Celtics.
"They don't want to leave. We're going to have to throw them out," said Glen Davis, the Celtics forward. "It's just like somebody renting a house." Orlando led 85-78 with 2:24 left in regulation before Boston scored eight of the next nine points to force overtime at 86-86. But the Magic got back in the groove to win the game. "There were a couple of plays down the stretch offensively that we botched, plain and simple. We're kicking ourselves. We had a great opportunity," Allen said. "There's no need to panic. We like the position we're in. But it's a lesson, we have to take care of the small things and we'll get to where we want to be."
Orlando's revival came just in time to avoid a Celtics walkover that had fans in the new Boston Garden chanting "Beat LA!" early in the second half of Saturday night's 23-point Boston victory. The Lakers lead the Suns 2-1 in the Western Conference finals. But there was no more chanting about the Lakers on Monday night. "I know [the players] heard it. They had no choice but to hear it," Doc Rivers, the Celtics coach said. "I don't know if they believed it. I hope that wasn't the reason." * AP
