Magic coach eyes change of luck
 Stan Van Gundy is standing by his star centre Dwight Howard |
Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says his team can rebound from their second overtime loss of the NBA Finals and win Game Five at home on Sunday.
The Magic could have beaten the LA Lakers in regulation time but lost 99-91 and now trail three games to one.
"It's not like we can't play with the Lakers," he said. "Our guys put everything into that game last night.
"I just felt badly for them, like I felt after Game Two. But they'll be ready to play."
The Magic missed a shot on the buzzer to win Game Two and were punished when the Lakers took the game 101-96 in overtime.
Star centre Dwight Howard took some criticism after the latest defeat for missing two free throws with his team 87-84 ahead with 11 seconds remaining.
"I don't want Dwight getting down about it," said Van Gundy. "The guy put out one of the great efforts - he had 20-plus rebounds.
"Dwight's a guy, with his demeanour, that a lot of people in the media have chosen to criticise."
 | We're down 3-1 - that's the reality, but I don't think there's anyone who isn't aware of the fine line between winning and losing Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy |
Van Gundy, whose team must win the next three games in order to seal a first-ever NBA title, believes his team will prevent the Lakers winning the title in Florida on Sunday.
"We have shown great resiliency throughout the season," he said.
"We played extremely poorly in the third quarter - that was as bad a stretch as we've had this series - yet we came back to lead by five points in the last quarter," he said.
"We're down 3-1 - that's the reality, but I don't think there's anyone who plays, coaches or commentates on this game who isn't aware of the fine line there is between winning and losing."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson stands just one win away from a 10th NBA title in 19 seasons as a coach in the league but is aware that the decisive win will not be easy to come by.
"That is something that is a lot to do with how a team plays," he said. "We're going to have to play at a very elevated level to win this.
"To do that we have to be focussed. We have to match the energy level of the crowd and the Orlando team."
Jackson, who won six NBA titles with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, can sense the anticipation in his team.
"There's no doubt they're excited about it," he said. "You can sense the mood of the team. Tomorrow's practice could be the last of the season and you know the players would be excited about that."
NBA highlights - Lakers close in on title
