Nelson: Magic will win Game 5 over Pistons

May 12, 2008

His team backed into a 3-1 corner in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Orlando guard Jameer Nelson guaranteed a Magic victory over the Pistons when the series returns to Detroit tomorrow night.

"We're going to make some adjustments, and we're going to win this game," Nelson said after Orlando's 90-89 loss Saturday. "I'm not being arrogant or cocky or anything like that. I think [Saturday] we let it slip out of our hands. Game 2, we let it slip out of our hands. We're going to win this game in Detroit."

That's a tall order for a Magic team that couldn't even the series at home despite a 15-point lead in the third quarter against a Pistons team that had All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups sitting on the bench in a sport coat. Even so, Orlando remains optimistic.

"Devastating is the fourth loss in a series. It's a bad loss, but it's not devastating," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The series goes on."

Not for much longer if the Magic can't get Dwight Howard on track. After becoming the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to record three 20-point, 20-rebound games in a series during the first round against the Toronto Raptors, Orlando's All-Star, 22, has struggled. He had eight points Saturday - all but two of them in the first quarter - with Detroit's veteran front line tugging persistently on Superman's cape.

"He couldn't get in there and get the easy buckets that he wanted," said Pistons center Rasheed Wallace, who, along with Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell, has banged Howard around all series. "We definitely saw that. That is what we want - we want a physical game. That's right up our alley."

Howard was 3-for-12 from the field and shot just two free throws, making both. He had 12 rebounds, but even that was below his NBA-leading average of 14 during the regular season.

• Mavericks // Dallas announced late Saturday that it hired Rick Carlisle to replace Avery Johnson as its coach. Carlisle was the only candidate the Mavericks interviewed after firing Johnson the morning after their second straight first-round playoff exit. Carlisle went 281-211 over two seasons in Detroit and four in Indiana.

E-mail

Reprint

Get home delivery of The Sun and save over 50% off the newsstand price

Nelson: Magic will win Game 5 over Pistons

Online resources

Going deep

Going deep Sun sports special reports and in-depth coverage
	> 1983 O's > Recruiting Tavon Austin > Football: The tie that binds > Orioles > Baltimore Colts > Going deep: Other sports

Nelson: Magic will win Game 5 over Pistons

Related links

2008 NBA Playoffs - Orlando Magic Multimedia

Related topic galleries: Stan Van Gundy, Jameer Nelson, Superman, Dwight Howard, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, National Basketball Association

Popular stories

Online resources

Going deep