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From Orlando Sentinel

Magic 101, Cavaliers 86

Orlando Magic clinch No. 3 playoff spot in win over Cavs

Still, the Magic say they believe other teams are trying to finish 6th to face them in the playoffs.

Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
April 6, 2008

CLEVELAND - The Orlando Magic trumped LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a nationally televised Saturday matinee to a lock up no worse than the No. 3 playoff spot -- and they still came away feeling slighted.

After dispatching the Cavs 101-86 with a torrid fourth quarter, the Magic all but challenged three other NBA teams to meet them outside Quicken Loans Arena.

Whether real or imagined, the Magic believe the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors all are "jockeying" -- that's Coach Stan Van Gundy's word -- to finish at No. 6 so they can face Orlando instead of the Detroit Pistons or the Cavs in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Atlanta Hawks virtually are assured the No. 8 spot and a date with the No. 1 Boston Celtics, but it's a scramble for the other three -- two of whom will draw the No. 5 and No. 7 seeds. The No. 5 team likely will face the No. 4 Cavs, an NBA finalist last season; the No. 7 club will face the No. 2 Pistons, a former champion; and No. 6 gets Orlando, which hasn't won a playoff series since 1996.

"Obviously, everybody wants to plays us in the playoffs," said Magic forward Rashard Lewis, calmly indignant. "They think we're the lesser team. That we'd be the easier series. We'll see."

"Everybody thinks it's in their best interest to draw us," shooting guard Maurice Evans said.

Well, everybody would be lining up to play that Magic team which made a mess of the first half on Saturday.

Trailing the Cavs 55-47 at halftime, the Magic were outrebounded 32-11 and outscored in the paint 30-18. They obviously had an impostor wearing Dwight Howard's jersey as this No. 12 had just one rebound and two points.

But few teams would want any part of a Magic team that scorched the Cavs 54-31 in the second half, including a 32-14 pasting in the final quarter. Orlando cooled Cleveland to 26.8 percent shooting in the half, won the board battle 22-16 and hounded James into 6-of-22 shooting for just 17 points.

Howard finished with just four points on 1-of-8 shooting against double teams, but he grabbed 12 rebounds and created shots for everybody but himself.

"We were two totally different teams," Van Gundy said. "I think the difference was we competed, we played harder, in the second half."

Point guard Jameer Nelson, who missed the past two games with concussion-like symptoms, scored 16 points and had nine assists. Power forward Pat Garrity, replacing Brian Cook (broken right hand) in the rotation, gave the slow-starting Magic an early lift and finished with a season-high 13 points.

The Magic (48-28) again showed what a resilient road team they have become at 25-13. With the score tied at 75 with 7 minutes, 13 seconds left, the Magic went on a 15-2 run to lead 90-77.

Keyon Dooling scored all seven of his points in the surge. Lewis (21 points) hit a 3-pointer and two free throws, and Hedo Turkoglu (23 points) added a jumper and two more free throws.

James didn't score his first point of the period until he made a free throw with 1:48 left, and the Magic ahead by 13.

Keith Bogans helped hold James to 1-of-7 shooting in the period as the Magic limited the Cavs to 4-of-23 shooting (17.4 percent). The Magic made 9 of 15 shots (60 percent) and outrebounded the Cavs 13-7 in the fourth.

The Magic won despite Howard's off-day. "I don't know why -- I just didn't have it," he said. "I've got to find more ways to score."

Evans said the Magic have a lot of options that should make them a team others don't want to face.

"That's a dangerous thing to want to play us," he said.


Brian Schmitz can be reached at bschmitz@orlandosentinel.com.

Related topic galleries: Stan Van Gundy, LeBron James, Hedo Turkoglu, Pat Garrity, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Rashard Lewis

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