Magic try to stay cool
ORLANDO (AP) – The Magic’s shots were not falling. Orlando was not getting rebounds and couldn’t make a defensive stop.
The season was slipping away, but the team that has practically made collapsing a hobby this postseason finally came up big in the final minutes, prompting coach Stan Van Gundy to even poke fun at his “master of panic” title for what his critics say is a lack of composure at the end of games.
The Magic and their coach again will have to keep their cool at crunch time Sunday if they want to do what few teams ever have: win a Game 7 at Boston.
“We’ve been very, very good in difficult situations, which is really hard to understand with a coach that panics like I do,” Van Gundy joked after the Magic’s 83-75 Game 6 win Thursday. “It’s really hard to understand how in those situations guys can just go out and get the job done and fight through it, but it’s been a trademark.”
Actually, it hasn’t.
The Magic lost Game 5 at Boston after losing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Celtics nearly rallied from 28 points down to steal Game 1, and Orlando also blew two 18-point leads against Philadelphia in its first-round series – losing one of those games.
Game 6 against Boston was different.
The Magic won despite failing to do what they do best – make shots at a high percentage. They could not hit from short range. Not from three-point range. Not even on free throws.
Orlando has come back from losses nearly every time this year. The Magic have lost consecutive games only four times this season, including the playoffs.