Nate helps Celtics top Magic, advance to Finals

The NBA's most-decorated team avoided the biggest playoff collapse in league history and earned a chance to hang an unprecedented 18th championship banner from the rafters.

Paul Pierce had 31 points and 13 rebounds, and little-used backup Nate Robinson gave the Celtics a boost with 13 second-quarter points as host Boston beat the Orlando Magic, 96-84, on Friday night, winning the series 4-2 and earning a chance to play for a second NBA title in three years.

Dwight Howard had 28 points and 12 rebounds as the defending East champions failed to get back to the Finals. Vince Carter scored 17 points, and Jameer Nelson had 11 points and four assists as he was outplayed by Boston's starting point guard, Rajon Rondo, and Robinson.

Reporters and fans snickered when Rivers said last month of Robinson, the former Knick who contributed little since coming to Boston at the trade deadline and had never appeared in the postseason before: "He's going to win us a playoff game."

But Robinson came off the bench at the start of the second quarter, when Boston led 30-19, and hit a pair of three-pointers 90 seconds apart to help stretch the lead to 15 points.

"You know, he really won this game for us because the game was in the mix to go either direction and he really gave us a spark," Pierce said. "That's really growing up, really growing into a man tonight."

Nash: We'll force Game 7Steve Nash says he is no "Joe Namath who walked in in his fur coat," but the Suns' playmaker is not backing away from his postgame promise that Phoenix will beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6.

Not might win, not try hard to win, not hope to win.

"I just said we're going home and win Game 6 and come back in Game 7,'' Nash said after practice Friday. "Take it how you want to take it."

Artest fined

Ron Artest was fined by the Lakers for showing up late to practice. Coach Phil Jackson said it was an innocent mix-up by the forward, who showed up 30 minutes late. Artest misread the practice starting time on the locker room dry-erase board in the excitement after Thursday's win. - AP