Monday 1st June, 2009 13 Price has 1-shot Howard scores 40 as lead in Principal Charity Classic Magic make finals by Tom Withers rebuilt and will meet the Lakers city s 45-year championship on Thursday night at the Staples drought. by Luke Meredith ORLANDO, Florida (AP) - Center in Game 1. Howard s one flaw has dominated inside I just think this team all year been his free-throw shoot - WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Nick for 40 s and long has shown an incredible ing, but he made 12 of 16 in Price shot a 4-under 67 to t ake a one-stroke added 18 as the amount of heart, Magic coach Game 6. lead into the final round of the Princip al Charity beat LeBron James and the said. This team For us as a team, we just keep s fighting back. They understand how everybody Classic for the second straight year on 103-90 to deserve it. has t alked about us for the Saturday. reach the NBA finals Saturday. Orlando hit 12 3-pointers to With the city s most famous last couple of years, After finally winning on the Champions Tour dominate Game 6 of the Eastern athlete, T iger Woods, sitting Howard said. We can beat in April at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, the Conference finals and set up a court side, Orlando made believ - anybody. three-time major champion liked his chances to showdown with the Los Angeles ers of all those who wondered if The Magic s season has- wrap up the title that eluded him last year when Lakers. they were better than the n t been without it s share of Cavaliers, a team that won 66 turmoil. Point guard Jameer he faded to a third-place finish at Glen Oaks. The Magic will be making their first finals appearance since games in the regular season, or Nelson sustained a season- This year s a little dif ferent. I m obviously a 1995, one year before Shaquille the defending champion Boston ending shoulder injury in little more comfort able, having had the win O Neal bolted as a free agent for Celtics. early February, a setback under my belt, Price said. But it s going to be Los Angeles, leaving this Florida I don t think people thought that at the time seemed as if a shootout tomorrow. This field is so bunched franchise in ruins. we could be at this level, Van it would prevent Orlando up. It s been a long, slow climb Gundy said. from doing anything special back, but Orlando has been James scored 25 in his worst this year . Price had a 7-under 135 tot al. Joey But general manager Sindelar (67) and Mark W iebe (68) were 6 Otis Smith acquired guard under, and Fred Funk (69) and Mark McNulty Rafer Alston in a trade with (69) were 5 under. Mike Reid had a 66, the best Houston. Alston, a former round of the day, to top a six-player group at 4 playground legend, fit in per - fectly. In the opening round under. against Philadelphia, the Two-time defending champion Jay Haas Magic lost the opener before was 3 under after a 67. rebounding and winning a Price overcame two early bogeys with an close-out Game 6 on the eagle on No. 9, then nearly made a hole-in-one road. on the p ar-3 14th. Then, following Game 5 of the Boston series, Sindelar and Wiebe both three-putted 18 to Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard hugs Rafer Alston near the Howard called out Van miss a chance to tie Price. Gundy for not getting him W iebe, who has just one top-10 finish this end of Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference the ball enough and chal - season, is shooting for his first title since the finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday, May 30, lenged his substitution p at- Cap Cana Championship in April 2008. 2009, in Orlando, Fla. The Magic beat Cleveland 103-90 and terns. The Magic shook off I like the way I m swinging, for sure, and will face the in the NBA finals. (AP that sp at, too, winning two straight, including Game 7 in my attitude is pretty good, W iebe said. Photo/Chris O’Meara) Boston. Obviously the last hole is frustrating, to end game of the series, but the ing in stunning disappoint - Lewis and Alston drained that way, but I ve played good. I like the way I m 24-year-old was magnificent ment. 3 pointers late in the second playing, I like being in the hunt. for most of it, adding to a Delonte West added 22 quarter as the shoot-first- Three players entered the second round legacy still in it s infancy. But and Williams 17 for ask-questions-later Magic built an 18-point half time with a share of the lead for the first time in the the league MVP had to do Cleveland, which went 0-5 in lead. On Cleveland s last tournament s nine-year history. They all shot most of it alone, as Mo Orlando. W illiams lost his shooting During the closing min - possession before half time, over p ar on Saturday to fall back into the p ack. touch and Cleveland s bench utes, James was mocked by James, who didn t score in Lonnie Nielsen had double bogeys on the was badly outplayed by Orlando s crowd singing M- the period, drove the lane par-4 10th and p ar-3 14th and finished with a Orlando s reserves. V -P as Howard shot free and missed a runner while 72. Nielsen, who also held a share of lead af ter Afterward, James put on throws. being knocked to the floor. last year s first round before faltering, was tied headphones and stormed When the final horn for 12th at 3 under. out of Amway Arena. sounded, James could only He skipped the news pull out his jersey and walk Bruce Vaughan s day disintegrated af ter an conference and briskly slowly of f the floor just as he opening birdie. Vaughan went through a span walked down the corridor did last year af ter losing with four bogeys in eight holes - all on p ar 4s. with two security guards as Game 7 in Boston. As great He had a 74 to drop into a tie for 23rd at 1 escort s. He plopped into a as James was, this wasn t under. Tour newcomer Olin Browne bogeyed his Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) walks off the court after a chair to be scanned for the his season, and once again team s charter plane ride, Cleveland fans will feel noth - final two holes for a 73, leaving him five strokes 103-90 loss to the Orlando Magic in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals Saturday, May 30, 2009, in Orlando, Fla. grabbed his bags and was ing but heart ache as they behind Price at 2 under gone - a special season end - wait for a team to end the Andy Bean, who finished second last year, The Magic won the conference championship 4-2 over Cleveland and withdrew af ter five holes because of a lef t foot will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. (AP Photo/John injury . Bean, who opened with a 68, had three Raoux) straight bogeys before pulling out. Perhaps the biggest factor for the final round could be the wind, which is of ten a major issue at Glen Oaks. It s expected to change directions from northwest to southeast on Sunday, with gust s of up to 25 mph. It ll probably throw everyone a curveball, W iebe said. You ve got to be on your toes.