Magic Strive for Greatness Against Celtics

ORLANDO -- "Be great." That was challenge that Orlando Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy issued his team before their first-round series-clinching victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It's also the standard the Magic hope to continue to live up to in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series with the Boston Celtics. "It's very important (to live up to those expectations)," Magic All-Star forward Rashard Lewis said. "Every round gets tougher and tougher. We have to be an even better team than we were in the first round." Although the Celtics were considered by many to be a tougher draw than the Chicago Bulls for the Magic – mainly because they won't have home-court advantage against Boston – Orlando still had a strong desire to face the defending champions. Not because they saw it as an easier task; the Magic have too much respect for the Celtics and their accomplishments to make that misjudgment. In fact, it's quite the opposite. In their eyes to be the best, you have to beat the best. "I really do want to play Boston," Lewis said before knowing the outcome of the Celtics' Game 7 matchup with the Bulls. "There's something about playing the Boston Celtics." "It's just that name that makes you want to bring your 'A' game and that gets you ready for that spotlight." The way Orlando sees it, going through the reigning title winners would make a championship run even more special. "It would (mean more to go through Boston)," Dwight Howard explained. "I was watching a couple of movies and they said 'if you want to be the champ, you've got to beat the champ.' That would feel good." But taking down a title holder is never an easy task; especially one that's shown as much mental fortitude as the Celtics. Over the last two seasons, Boston has been part of three best-of-seven series that have gone distance. Each time they've emerged victorious. In addition, they feature one of the most dangerous lineups in all of basketball; a fact which is not lost on Van Gundy. "You have Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo all playing at a high level," the Magic’s head coach explained. "And Glen Davis has been outstanding. (Kendrick) Perkins' offense in the low post has picked up. You know what Eddie House can do off the bench. It's going to be both ends of the court. They're not going to be easy to stop and they're not going to be easy to score on." But for the Magic, grabbing a series triumph over a sensational squad such as the Celtics is all part of reaching that high bar they've set for themselves. "We've set some lofty goals for each other," Howard pointed out. "And our goal is to win a championship." Because the Magic don't just want to be good, they want to be great.