Tom E. Curran • E-mail

BOSTON - The Boston Celtics have been winning Game 7s since the NBA was brought to you by Lucky Strikes and televised in black and white.

The Magic? Invented the same year as the world wide web.

And the Celtics' 65 years of history, their graying legends in the stands and the 17th NBA title won last June didn’t do them an ounce of good Sunday night. The Magic put the Celtics gently to sleep in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference seminals, 101-82.

The two men mostly responsible for the Magic win were a streetball legend from Jamaica, Queens named Rafer Alston and Hedo Turkoglu, hometown, Istanbul.

It was Alston that did the quiet assassin bit, getting penetration into the lane against the forever gambling defense of Boston point guard Rajon Rondo. His early drive-and-kicks helped stake the Magic to a 27-17 lead after one.

“We knew what the keys to winning this series were and that was dribble penetration,” lamented Boston coach Doc Rivers. “We never controlled it. We controlled it in spurts but we didn’t control it tonight and that allowed them to get everything they wanted.”

Once the Magic lead was built, Turkoglu became its caretaker. Every time the Magic needed a big shot, an extra pass, a heady, measured play, Turkoglu provided.

He finished with 25 points in 36 minutes, handing out 12 assists. Before the fourth quarter, he’d been very good — drilling 3s, going hard to the basket to challenge the Celtics defense, even drilling a running 20-footer with a second left on the shot clock when Boston closed to 45-42. But he owned the fourth quarter with 10 points of his own and assists that led to five more. He made sure there was no Magic Meltdown Redux as there had been in Game 5 when Boston stormed back late to take a 3-2 series lead.

“This was his best game,” Rivers said of Turkoglu. “I thought him getting out of the gates early was big for them.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy agreed, saying an engaged Hedo is a productive Hedo. “If his energy level is high, he’s such a skilled guy that he’s going to play pretty well. It’s probably an understatement, but Turk is not always a high energy guy. When he’s playing with high energy, he is a great basketball player and that’s what he was tonight.”

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Of course, if Orlando’s going to entertain any hopes of ruining the predestined (and presold) Kobe-LeBron matchup in the NBA Finals, Turkoglu will need to be engaged against the rampaging Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals starting Wednesday night.

Cleveland’s swept both of its series and has been patiently sharpening its swords for either Boston or Orlando.

Given Orlando’s sometimes wandering focus (witness the coach’s comments about Turkoglu) and the Magic’s needing seven games to dispose of a spent Boston team without Kevin Garnett, the chance exists that Orlando will be bludgeoned.

“We’re a team that nobody has wanted to believe in,” moaned Van Gundy.

With Sunday’s result, that census may need to be retaken.

“They get a good parting gift (for winning the series), now they get to go play Cleveland, but (the Magic are) going to be tough," Rivers said. "They’re tough to beat. They’re so good offensively and they’re better than anyone gives them credit for defensively. You’ve got to give them a shooting chance, you really do. I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see them win this next series.”

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