Amway Arena

ORLANDO, Fla. - Superman swooped in just in time. Dwight Howard scored 10 points in overtime and the Orlando Magic, raining down 3-pointers like a Florida thunderstorm, withstood 44 points and a last-second shot by LeBron James for a 116-114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Howard finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and again made his free throws - 7 of 9 - for the resilient Magic, who made a team record 17 3-pointers - 11 after halftime.

The obvious question as the Celtics head back to Orlando to try to close the door on the Magic, having spoiled an opportunity to close out the Eastern Conference finals on their home floor Monday night, is whether the Magic cracked the code in their 96-92 Game 4 win or if Boston’s problems were self-inflicted. For Orlando, the largest adjustment was the inherent urgency that comes with facing elimination, but the aggressiveness of Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard — from the start, when Howard knocked down a fluid jump hook, to the finish, when Nelson fired up a pair of back-breaking 3-pointers — was just...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Celtics guard Rajon Rondo told a locker room attendant before departing to the team bus last night, "We should see you in a couple of weeks. " A Celtics-Magic second-round playoff matchup is certainly a possibility. Which team would have home-court advantage, however, remains to be seen. With the Celtics' 84-82 loss at Amway Arena, the Magic are percentage points ahead of Boston for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference. "It was an important game," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

LeBron James finally talked about not making the NBA Finals, and insists Cleveland's loss to Orlando will not impact his future with the Cavaliers. James stormed out of Amway Arena without speaking to the media Saturday night after the host Magic eliminated the Cavaliers, 103-90, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The league MVP, who also did not shake hands with Olympic teammate Dwight Howard or congratulate any Orlando players as he left the floor, said yesterday that he's happy in Cleveland and feels the Cavaliers made major progress this season.

LeBron James finally talked about not making the NBA Finals, and insists Cleveland's loss to Orlando will not impact his future with the Cavaliers. James stormed out of Amway Arena without speaking to the media Saturday night after the host Magic eliminated the Cavaliers, 103-90, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. The league MVP, who also did not shake hands with Olympic teammate Dwight Howard or congratulate any Orlando players as he left the floor, said yesterday that he's happy in Cleveland and feels the Cavaliers made major progress this season.

ORLANDO, Fla. - It's the one you shoot in the driveway every day when you are a kid. The shot you always take in the mind games of youth. You feather your way into the corner while the imaginary clock winds down. You count down . . . three . . . two . . . one as you take the pass from out top. And then you let it fly and you make the sound of the imaginary buzzer as the ball splashes through the bottom of the net. You do this even if you are a big fella and everybody wants you to play close to the basket.

The obvious question as the Celtics head back to Orlando to try to close the door on the Magic, having spoiled an opportunity to close out the Eastern Conference finals on their home floor Monday night, is whether the Magic cracked the code in their 96-92 Game 4 win or if Boston’s problems were self-inflicted. For Orlando, the largest adjustment was the inherent urgency that comes with facing elimination, but the aggressiveness of Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard — from the start, when Howard knocked down a fluid jump hook, to the finish, when Nelson fired up a pair of...

ORLANDO, Fla. - He's pretty big, that kid. Dwight Howard may only have one half of an offensive move, but he's 6 feet 11 inches and he weighs 200-whatever and he's undeniably athletic, and there was never any doubt he was going to bring it in this game. "I guess Dwight Howard was right," said Doc Rivers. "My gosh. He was unbelievable. " Whether Dwight Howard was "right" in anything he said following the Orlando team meltdown in Game 5 was not really the issue. The fact is he didn't wait for someone to get him the ball last night.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Another stink bomb by the Celtics. Another crummy game. Another night when you could switch to the Bruins or Red Sox without worrying that you might miss something. If you are a Celtics fan, all the drama, all the good basketball was played in the first round against the Bulls. One of the greatest NBA playoff series of all time has given way to a second-round bowser. The Magic crushed the Celtics last night, 117-96. It was another wire-to-wire job. The home team scored the first two baskets and never trailed.

For some reason, the New Jersey Nets weren’t ready to let their forgettable season end. Not in regulation. Or after one overtime, either. After that, well, Mario Chalmers decided to put the Nets out of their misery. Chalmers opened the scoring in the second OT, then found Yakhouba Diawara for a banked-in 3-pointer with 2:27 left, and the Heat pulled away to finally clinch the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Nets, 94-86, last night at Miami — handing New Jersey its 70th and final loss of the year.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Superman swooped in just in time. Dwight Howard scored 10 points in overtime and the Orlando Magic, raining down 3-pointers like a Florida thunderstorm, withstood 44 points and a last-second shot by LeBron James for a 116-114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Howard finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and again made his free throws - 7 of 9 - for the resilient Magic, who made a team record 17 3-pointers - 11 after halftime.

ORLANDO, Fla. - He's pretty big, that kid. Dwight Howard may only have one half of an offensive move, but he's 6 feet 11 inches and he weighs 200-whatever and he's undeniably athletic, and there was never any doubt he was going to bring it in this game. "I guess Dwight Howard was right," said Doc Rivers. "My gosh. He was unbelievable. " Whether Dwight Howard was "right" in anything he said following the Orlando team meltdown in Game 5 was not really the issue. The fact is he didn't wait for someone to get him the ball last night.

ORLANDO, Fla. - It's the one you shoot in the driveway every day when you are a kid. The shot you always take in the mind games of youth. You feather your way into the corner while the imaginary clock winds down. You count down . . . three . . . two . . . one as you take the pass from out top. And then you let it fly and you make the sound of the imaginary buzzer as the ball splashes through the bottom of the net. You do this even if you are a big fella and everybody wants you to play close to the basket.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Celtics guard Rajon Rondo told a locker room attendant before departing to the team bus last night, "We should see you in a couple of weeks. " A Celtics-Magic second-round playoff matchup is certainly a possibility. Which team would have home-court advantage, however, remains to be seen. With the Celtics' 84-82 loss at Amway Arena, the Magic are percentage points ahead of Boston for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference. "It was an important game," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

A two-games-to-none lead in a best-of-seven series is that awkward margin that gives teams just enough reason to be confident but not enough reason to let their foot off the pedal. But going on the road and putting a team in a two-game hole might be just enough reason to get cocky. In the history of the NBA, 14 teams have dug themselves out of a two-games-to-none hole to win a series. But only three teams have ever done so after dropping the first two games of a seven-game series on their home floor: the Dallas Mavericks in 2005, the Houston Rockets in 1994, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969.

CLEVELAND - LeBron James made a new guarantee: Game 6. With Cleveland's wondrous season on the line, James had 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, and Mo Williams, who boldly predicted his team would come back and win this tight-as-can-be series, added 24 points in the Cavaliers' 112-102 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 last night. It's back to Florida for Game 6 tomorrow night at amped-up Amway Arena. You expected anything else? "This was a big game for us," James said.