CLEVELAND -- No one ever said winning an Eastern Conference Finals series was going to be easy.
Especially against reigning MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, owners of the league's best record and highest winning percentage at home.
So while Thursday's 112-102 Game 5 road defeat is somewhat disappointing, remember to keep your feet grounded.
Don't forget the Magic are coming back to Amway Arena for Game 6 and are just one victory away from their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1995.
Remember that Orlando still owns home-court advantage. They only needed to win one contest in Cleveland this series and they quickly accomplished that feat in Game 1.
Don't let it slip your mind that winning in Amway Arena is an arduous task for any opposing squad. The Magic were 32-9 in their own arena this season, eighth best in the NBA.
"We’re in control of this series at 3-2," veteran point guard Anthony Johnson explained. "We have Game 6 in our building. We're going to come with all of our energy, our fans are going to be behind us and we will come ready to play and take a W."
Remain lucid. The Magic have proven they can close out a series even under the most adverse circumstances. They finished off the Sixers in Game 6 at Philadelphia and they became the first team in NBA history to rally back from a 3-2 series deficit against the Celtics, when they claimed a Game 7 victory in Boston.
Be confident. While the Cavaliers feature one of the league's most dominant players in James, the Magic have one of the deepest squads in the entire NBA.
In their starting line-up alone, they have one of the most clutch fourth-quarter performers in Hedo Turkolgu, a versatile All-Star forward in Rashard Lewis, a playground legend in Rafer "Skip to My Lou" Alston, one of the league's premier rookies in shooting guard Courtney Lee and Superman himself, Dwight Howard, the 2008-09 NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, patrolling the paint.
Don't doubt the Magic's ability to bounce back. The Magic lost back-to-back games only four times during the entire regular season and have dropped consecutive contests only once in their entire 2009 playoff run.
And most importantly, whether you're attending Game 6 in person, watching at a local pub or viewing from you own couch, be loud. The Magic are counting on you.
"This game on Saturday is going to be an important one," Johnson said. "We're going to need the crowd to be loud and boisterous like they have been and carry us to a win."
With all those factors in Orlando's favor, there's no reason to expect the Magic to be anything less than great in Game 6. After all, they settle for nothing less.
Especially against reigning MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, owners of the league's best record and highest winning percentage at home.
So while Thursday's 112-102 Game 5 road defeat is somewhat disappointing, remember to keep your feet grounded.
Don't forget the Magic are coming back to Amway Arena for Game 6 and are just one victory away from their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1995.
Remember that Orlando still owns home-court advantage. They only needed to win one contest in Cleveland this series and they quickly accomplished that feat in Game 1.
Don't let it slip your mind that winning in Amway Arena is an arduous task for any opposing squad. The Magic were 32-9 in their own arena this season, eighth best in the NBA.
"We’re in control of this series at 3-2," veteran point guard Anthony Johnson explained. "We have Game 6 in our building. We're going to come with all of our energy, our fans are going to be behind us and we will come ready to play and take a W."
Remain lucid. The Magic have proven they can close out a series even under the most adverse circumstances. They finished off the Sixers in Game 6 at Philadelphia and they became the first team in NBA history to rally back from a 3-2 series deficit against the Celtics, when they claimed a Game 7 victory in Boston.
Be confident. While the Cavaliers feature one of the league's most dominant players in James, the Magic have one of the deepest squads in the entire NBA.
In their starting line-up alone, they have one of the most clutch fourth-quarter performers in Hedo Turkolgu, a versatile All-Star forward in Rashard Lewis, a playground legend in Rafer "Skip to My Lou" Alston, one of the league's premier rookies in shooting guard Courtney Lee and Superman himself, Dwight Howard, the 2008-09 NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, patrolling the paint.
Don't doubt the Magic's ability to bounce back. The Magic lost back-to-back games only four times during the entire regular season and have dropped consecutive contests only once in their entire 2009 playoff run.
And most importantly, whether you're attending Game 6 in person, watching at a local pub or viewing from you own couch, be loud. The Magic are counting on you.
"This game on Saturday is going to be an important one," Johnson said. "We're going to need the crowd to be loud and boisterous like they have been and carry us to a win."
With all those factors in Orlando's favor, there's no reason to expect the Magic to be anything less than great in Game 6. After all, they settle for nothing less.
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