ORLANDO - Six games into the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Orlando Magic are still figuring things out.

Luckily for them, they still have at least one more game to work with.

Despite Dwight Howard's wishes, he's still not who Stan Van Gundy feels comfortable going to down the stretch. In a game that was even at 75 with less than three minutes remaining, Howard touched the ball only once in scoring position, going to the free throw line to split a pair and thus continuing a trend of pathetic execution as Orlando shot 12-for-24 from there in the second half.

Thanks to inspired defense that contributed to 19 turnovers, a mediocre scoring output wound up being enough for the Magic to play at least one more night, forcing a Game 7 in Boston on Sunday night with an 83-75 win, by far the lowest-scoring output of the series.

"We certainly didn't do it with our potent offense," said the beleaguered Van Gundy. "We didn't play great, we didn't make a lot of shots, but we fought hard. So did Boston. It wasn't the prettiest game in the world to watch."

Orlando was undoubtedly the big winner on Thursday night, but you can count the Cleveland Cavaliers a close second. In line for more rest, the Cavs continue to benefit by just sitting around, watching the Celtics' energy supply depleted and Orlando's offensive woes continuing to be magnified. The Eastern Conference finals are now slated to start next Wednesday in Cleveland.

Determining their opponent boils down to experience against fresher legs.

As u-g-l-y as Game 6 was, there was an alibi available.

Both teams are beat, but Boston is that much more fatigued than Orlando, carrying the burden of that memorable first-round classic with Chicago and a short-handed roster missing Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe.

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The Celtics seemed to be gasping for air as they failed to execute down the stretch, turning the ball over as lethargy creeped into their cuts and screens while their legs failed them in coming up noticeably short on jumpers they normally connect on in clutch situations. Rajon Rondo air-balled a free throw, Ray Allen continued his shooting slump with a 2-for-11 night, including three missed 3-pointers in the final minutes. Even Pierce, who led the Celtics with six fourth-quarter points, missed a pair of critical free throws.

"We didn't run out of gas," said Rondo, disagreeing with the consensus of most observers. "I guess we just choked. We were not the more aggressive team tonight. They fought back and stuck with it. We did not get the punch out."

With an extra night of rest before taking the court again, all Boston can do is persevere at home in a Game 7 like it has throughout its current run. Last season, the Celtics toppled Atlanta and Cleveland in seven games in the first two playoff rounds, and just a few weeks ago, the Bulls felt their sting of their homecourt edge. Meanwhile, members of this Magic team have very little experience in a Game 7. Howard is describing it as his "college experience," his first dose of "one and done."

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On paper, that edge in experience should give the Celtics an advantage, especially as the host squad, but that's really little consolation given that do-or-die games can be so unpredictable and they look so flat and tired.

"We can't lean on Game 7 being at home. Just because you're in Boston doesn't mean you're going to win the game," said Doc Rivers. "You have to go out and execute and trust each other and move the ball. I don't think we had a bunch of that tonight."

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