Don't look now, but Magic-Celtics could become a series

J.J. Redick scored 12 points, htitting three of his five 3-pointers, in Game 4.

ORLANDO -- When he walked off the Amway Arena floor last week, chin up and chest out, Paul Pierce poked a verbal finger in the eye of a fan by saying with a sneer: "See you next year."

Well. The days, weeks and months flew by, you think? Same for any thoughts of the Celtics sweeping the Magic out of the Eastern Conference finals. Pierce and the Celtics did not finish the job in Boston. They have to go back to Orlando. And while the Celtics are up 3-1, there is the sense the Magic will bring a different team to this series.

So say the Magic. And logic.

"This is the team we've been all year," said J.J. Redick, referring to Game 4, when the Magic finally figured out the Celtics and themselves. "The first three games, that wasn't us. That's not how we got here and that's not the way we've been playing."

So where do we go from here? Besides Amway Arena, that is?

Let's start by admitting the obvious, that the Celtics surprised many, including themselves, when they went up 3-0. No offense to the Celtics; they're healthy and focused and a level up from the way they finished the regular season. But Redick's right. The Magic aren't as bad as they showed, especially in Game 3, an embarrassment. They took three out of four from the Celtics during the season, destroying the notion of Boston being a bad matchup for them. They have Dwight Howard. They have 3-point shooters. They have a good coach. They swept through the first two rounds.

And they can make this a series.

"You have to have the belief somewhere that you can win the series," said Stan Van Gundy. "Otherwise, there's just not enough to sustain you."

They're back home. Back at a place they've owned, prior to dropping two straight to the Celtics. What are the odds of losing three straight to Boston on their home floor? Not great. Orlando will draw comfort, then, from winning Game 4 and now playing the next one at their place. This is why they fought to get home-court advantage. For situations like this.

Their 3-point accuracy eventually must return. Or so you'd think. They made 36 percent in Game 4, still a notch below their average. But an improvement in this series. The Celtics' perimeter defense has been tight, but that's largely because Howard never gave them a reason to double down in the post.

Well, he did in Game 4. He broke free for too many layups and baby hooks, and was in position for too many offensive rebounds (six). He scored 32 points. The Celtics had no choice. They broke from their strategy. Kevin Garnett was forced to offer help, along with other Celtics. Orlando shooters were left open.

"There's a lot of things we can do better," said Redick. "We still haven't played a great game yet in this series. A lot of that has to do with them, but I think we have a great game inside of us, waiting to get out."

They're getting a lift from Redick. He was on the floor in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, in place of slumping Vince Carter, and shot well enough that the Celtics had to respect him. If Carter insists on coming up light -- he missed 8-of-9 shots, finished with three points, would've been the goat had the Magic lost Game 4 -- at least there's some insurance. At least there's an emergency shooter. Redick saw 33 minutes, three more than Carter.

Also: Orlando is still on edge in this series. The Magic are one game away from vacation, not the Celtics. So there's a heightened sense of urgency.

"We still feel like we're a championship team, felt like that since Day One," said Carter. "Why should we stop feeling that now?"

Plus: The Celtics, smooth as they've looked the last six or so games, are capable of a flop. They lost a game by 29 points in this postseason, you know. They dropped seven of their final 10 of the regular season and were mediocre following the All-Star break. A collapse can happen.

"You never know what could happen," said Rashard Lewis. "You just never know."

Finally, the Magic are due to play smarter than what they've shown. They had 19 turnovers, and despite that, still won Game 4. Again, the Celtics are forcing turnovers. But that's partly due to sloppy ball movement by Orlando, something the Magic avoided in the first two rounds. Actually, much of the season.

So that's where this series stands. The Celtics managed to pull the city of Boston from the ledge after the Bruins lost a 3-0 lead to the Flyers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Can history repeat itself in such a short time span?

That's unlikely. But by winning Game 5, the Magic can make the series close enough to put Boston on edge. "We didn't win a game just to say we're in this series," said Howard. "We want to win this series."

They bought themselves a chance.