The Cavaliers scored 34 points in the fourth quarter, shot 50 percent for the game, including going 9 of 18 on 3-pointers. Those numbers upset Van Gundy, who wants to see more out of his defense Saturday night.

"We've been living and dying with our offense, which is a very, very dangerous thing," Van Gundy said. "I thought the Cavs brought a heightened defensive mentality and we did not. They deserved to get this one."

Similar to Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, the Cavaliers built a 22-point lead in the first half, only to watch the Magic come all the way back. Orlando grabbed the lead within the first minute of the third quarter and were ahead 79-78 entering the fourth quarter.

That's when LeBron James took over, finishing with 37 points, getting 14 rebounds and 12 assists while dominating the fourth quarter in the win that kept the series going. James either scored or had the assist on the first 29 points of the fourth quarter.

"It's really tough because they're getting him the ball in the middle of the floor," Van Gundy said. "It's a difficult area to double-team him. It's a difficult part of the floor because of the shooters and his passing. If he gets in the paint, it's automatically a foul."

After shooting 49 percent from the field and 43 percent on 3-pointers through the first four games of the series, Orlando, which set a franchise postseason record with 17 3s in Game 4, was 8 of 25 on 3-pointers in Game 5. The Magic hurt themselves missing 13 of 41 free throw attempts.

Rafer Alston, who scored a season-high 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting and hitting six 3-pointers in Game 4, couldn't follow up that performance. He was 1 for 10 from the field, including 1 of 7 on 3s, and finished with three points.

Dwight Howard fouled out for the third time in the series, but still managed 24 points and 10 rebounds. Asked if he could be as physical defensively as he would like, Howard responded curtly, "Nope."

"I just have to find a way to stay aggressive without fouling," Howard said. "It is tough, but just got to stay aggressive and not foul."

Van Gundy and the players are dumbfounded why they continue to start slowly inside the Q. The Magic trailed by 16 points in Game 1 before rallying for the win, then trailed by 23 in Game 2 before James' 3-pointer at the buzzer evened the series.

On Thursday night, it happened again. The Cavs led early 34-12 in the first quarter before the Magic got rolling.

"If it was my brilliance, I'd figure out how to start better. I don't have any idea to be honest," Van Gundy said. "It takes a great deal of energy to dig out of those holes every night."

The series shifts back to Amway Arena, where Orlando has already beaten the Cavaliers twice in this series. One more win will send Orlando to its second finals appearance, the first coming in 1995.

"We have to play smart, play with intensity, composure and poise," Alston said. "You can't worry about what number game it is. You have to go out and do what it takes to win and stick to our game plan."