Orlando survives test-filled season

► Scroll down for NBA Finals preview

ORLANDO, Fla. - Pick a moment.

All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson going out with a shoulder tear in February. Dwight Howard calling out coach Stan Van Gundy for not getting the ball enough, or losing on four last-second shots in the playoffs.

The Orlando Magic have survived it all to reach the NBA finals.

"We've been through everything you could possibly go through in the playoffs in one season," Van Gundy said.

The Magic knocked off the defending champion Boston Celtics after falling behind in the series 3-2. They eliminated LeBron James and the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, and now Orlando is back in the finals for the first time since 1995. Game 1 is Thursday night at Los Angeles.

But the Magic aren't yet satisfied.

"You can look at everybody in the locker room's eyes as well as coach and tell that we are happy about getting to the finals, but we are not tremendously happy enough yet," forward Rashard Lewis said. "We like winning that silver basketball, but I think the gold basketball will be a little better than that silver one."

The franchise has been here before.

Orlando's only other finals appearance ended swiftly, getting swept by the Houston Rockets. After Shaquille O'Neal bolted for Los Angeles in the summer of '96, the franchise collapsed.

The Magic hit bottom in the 2003-04 season, with coach Doc Rivers getting fired and star Tracy McGrady demanding a trade. They were 21-61 that season.

The No. 1 pick brought them another Superman.

Howard has talked about winning a title since he was drafted out of high school. The 23-year-old has quickly honed his skills, and his rare combination of size and speed has helped the Magic rise again.

"I think we started to bring back some magic in Orlando," Howard said. "I felt that we were a laughingstock around the league. Everybody played the Magic, they thought about Disney World. So I just wanted to change that."

Consider it done.

Howard had 40 points and 14 rebounds in a dominating Game 6 win Saturday night to power the Magic to a 4-2 series win over Cleveland. Things aren't getting any easier.

"Our reward is, especially mine and my coaching staff's, is you get to go from preparing for LeBron to preparing for Kobe," Van Gundy said sarcastically. "That will be a lot of fun."

Any test the Magic face they will likely be ready for - they've passed everything already.

Nelson went down in early February, and only a trade-deadline deal to get Rafer Alston from Houston kept them as contenders. Then came the playoffs, which has provided the ultimate heartbreak and satisfaction.

Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young each hit shots in the final moments to give Philadelphia wins in the first round series against the Magic. But they survived.

They lost on a Glen Davis' shot as time expired in Game 4 of their second round series against Boston. And after the Magic blew a fourth-quarter lead in a devastating Game 5 meltdown, Howard publicly challenged Van Gundy for not getting him the ball enough. But they survived.

Then came the league MVP.

James averaged more than 38 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the conference finals, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win Game 2 and a triple-double to steal Game 5. But again the Magic survived.

"I don't think very many people thought we could win with all the stuff we've been through," Van Gundy said.

Now comes the best-in-the-west Lakers.

The Magic are 2-0 this season against Los Angeles and pose similar matchup problems as they did against Cleveland, with four shooters around Howard who can be potent from outside. But the wins against the Lakers this season were helped in large part by Nelson, who was their leading scorer in both.

While rumblings of Nelson suiting up for the finals are already heating up again - as they have at the start of every round - that is still unlikely. Magic general manager Otis Smith has repeatedly said Nelson will not play this season and would not be ready until training camp because the risk of injury is too much.

A Magic spokesman said Sunday that Nelson's rehabilitation is ahead of schedule but that his status remains uncertain.

For all the Magic have accomplished, there are still questions about consistency.

The Magic often go in ruts, a streaky shooting team that can light it up one minute and disappear the next. Orlando won't be able to overpower Los Angeles on talent alone like the first three rounds. The Lakers have just as many weapons - if not more - than the Magic.

Then again, it wouldn't be the first time Orlando was counted out.

"We've been the underdog all year," forward Tony Battie said. "We'll continue to be the underdog. That's the way we like it."

NBA FINALS PREVIEW

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (65-17, 12-6) vs. ORLANDO MAGIC (59-23, 12-7)

► Starters: Lakers - C Andrew Bynum (6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg), F Pau Gasol (18.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Trevor Ariza (11.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg), G Kobe Bryant (29.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg), G Derek Fisher (7.1 ppg, 2.4 apg). Magic - C Dwight Howard (21.7 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg), F Rashard Lewis (19.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Hedo Turkoglu (15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.1 apg), G Courtney Lee (8.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg), G Rafer Alston (12.7 ppg, 4.4 apg).

► Key Reserves: Lakers - F Lamar Odom (12.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg), G Shannon Brown (5.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg), G Sasha Vujacic (3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), F Luke Walton (3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg), G Jordan Farmar (5.1 ppg, 2.1 apg), F Josh Powell (2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg). Magic - G/F Mickael Pietrus (10.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg), G Anthony Johnson (4.3 ppg, 2.1 apg), G Marcin Gortat (3.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg), F Tony Battie (2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg), G J.J. Redick (6.2 ppg, 1.9 apg).

► Season Series: Magic, 2-0.

► Storyline: The Lakers are back in the finals for the second straight year, but not against any of the opponents they were expected to face - because the Magic eliminated both of them. Orlando ousted defending champion Boston in the second round, then ended hopes of a Kobe Bryant-LeBron James showdown by upsetting top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. The Magic are seeking their first title in just their second finals appearance, while the Lakers are here for the 30th time and are looking for their 16th championship.

► Key matchup I: Bynum vs. Howard. Howard scored a career playoff-high 40 points in Orlando's Game 6 clincher against Cleveland and seems to be unstoppable with just one player. The Lakers hope Bynum - who they didn't have in the finals last year - can stay out of foul trouble and at least contain him, because double-teaming Howard means leaving one of the Magic's 3-point shooting threats open.

► Key matchup II: Odom vs. Pietrus. The sixth men both could play starters' minutes in the series - Odom to match up with either Lewis or Turkoglu, and Pietrus to defend Bryant. The Lakers forward surges into the finals after averaging 19.5 points and 11 rebounds in the last two games of the conference finals, while Pietrus has become much more than a defensive specialist, scoring in double figures in eight straight games.

► X-factor: Fisher. The veteran point guard has struggled with his shot during most of the postseason, and he could find himself open if the Magic have to help on Bryant. That's what happened in the first meeting, and Fisher responded with 27 points, his best game of the season.

He managed only nine on 3-of-11 shooting in the game at Los Angeles.

Prediction: Lakers in six.