Orlando Magic beat LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers to reach NBA Finals

They're back from the basketball dead. Fourteen long and frustrating years since making their first NBA Finals appearance — just six years removed from posting the league's worst record — the Orlando Magic are returning for a shot at the championship. The Magic earned a trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers for the title by winning the Eastern Conference finals, ousting the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-90 in Game 6 on Saturday night atAmway Arena. The NBA Finals opens in L.A. at Staples Center on Thursday night."It would be so great to get a trophy for Rich," Magic President Bob Vander Weide said, speaking of team owner Rich DeVos, 82. Orlando made it to the title round in 1995, but was swept by the Houston Rockets in four games. The Magic were led by young superstar center Shaquille O'Nealback then. And their return to those glory days is fueled now by young superstar center Dwight Howard, who scored 40 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to spare the Magic from playing a Game 7 in Cleveland on Monday night. Two summers ago, Howard — the No. 1 draft pick in 2004 the Magic received after compiling a league-worst 21-61 record — predicted the Magic would win a title."Everybody laughed," Howard said. "I mean everyone."And last summer, when Howard joined Cavs megastar LeBron Jamesand others on the gold-medal winning Olympic team, Howard was greeted with similar reactions when he talked up the Magic."They all said, 'Yeah, right, Dwight," he recalls. Dwight was right. The Magic rode Howard and super sub Mickael Pietrus' 14 points, hit timely 3-pointers and kept LeBron (25 points) from ruining their dream. So long LeBron, hello Kobe. The Magic closed out the Cavs 4-2 in the best-of-seven series, completing a remarkable playoff run along to reach L.A. SOURCE:ORLANDO SENTINEL