And now, the end is near … for the Orlando Magic.

Down 3-1 in their thrilling best-of-seven NBA Finals match-up with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Magic play host to Game Five Monday, June 15 (Manila time, 8:00 a.m.) at Amway Arena seeking a victory to salvage some pride and extend the series back to the Staples Center in Hollywood City.

An Orlando Game Five win is a possibility but the Magic’s chances of making it three straight victories over the Lakers to claim their first-ever NBA crown are slim if not none.

Game Five could turn out to be a giveaway by the Lakers, who might want to snare their 15th overall NBA crown – and the first since 2002 – before a home crowd in Game Six.

If necessary, the Lakers will also host Game Seven.

However, history is not on Orlando’s side. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven championship series.

LA grabbed the first two games of the 2009 NBA Finals at the Staples Center. In the series opener, the Lakers routed the Magic, 100-75, behind a Finals career-high 40 points by Kobe Bryant. In Game Two, they survived a big scare in the final second of regulation time before pulling off a 101-96 triumph in overtime. Bryant knocked in 29 markers to offset Magic forward Rashard Lewis’ 34-point, 11-rebound, 7-assist performance.

When the series shifted to Orlando for Game Three, the Magic shot a Finals record-62.5 percent (40-of-64) from the field, including 75 percent (24-of-32) in the first half for another Finals mark, to beat the Lakers, 108-104. (The old NBA Finals records were .617, 50-of-81, Chicago 107 vs. LA Lakers 86, Game 2, 1991; and .706, 36-of-51, Philadelphia 135 vs. LA Lakers 102, Game 5, 1982.)

Bryant got away with 31 points (but only 5-for-10 from the foul line) but five Magic players – Dwight Howard (21), Lewis (21), Rafer Alston (20), Hedo Turkoglu (18) and Mickael Pietrus (18) – scored in double figures.

In the crucial fourth game in Orlando last Friday, the Lakers relied on two decisive three-point bombs by veteran guard Derek Fisher – one to force overtime and the other for the game-winning points – to steal a gut-wrenching, come-from-behind 99-91 victory and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Though he struggled with 11-for-31 field shooting, Bryant collected 32 points and seven rebounds and dished out eight assists for the fourth straight game. Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza, who knocked in 13 points in the Lakers’ 30-14 edge in the third quarter after trailing 49-37 at the half, added 16 each. Fisher had a dozen markers.

Anemic free-throw shooting and turnovers did Orlando in. The Magic were .595 (22-for-37) from the charity stripes (LA was .750, 15-of-20) and had 17 turnovers (against LA’s seven). Howard got 16 points, 21 rebounds and Finals-record nine blocks but had seven miscues and shot only 5-for-12 from the field and 6-for-14 from the foul line. Turkoglu topscored for the Magic with 25 points but hit just 8-for-13 from the stripes.

The game marked the first time an NBA championship duel has included a pair of overtime games since the classic seven-game affair between the champion Boston Celtics and LA Lakers in 1984. Like this year’s Lakers, those Celtics won Games Two (at home) and Four (on the road) in overtime.

After four games in the 2009 NBA Finals, here are the player averages for both teams:

LAKERS – Kobe Bryant (33.0 ppg, .429 FG pct., .350 3-FG pct., .806 FT pct., 5.5 rpg, 8.0 apg, 1.25 spg), Derek Fisher (10.5 ppg, .486 FG pct., .400 3-FG pct., 1.8 apg), Andrew Bynum (6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Pau Gasol (19.8 ppg, .588 FG pct., 7.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.25 bpg), Trevor Ariza (10.0 ppg, .341 FG pct., .421 3-FG pct., 6.3 rpg, 1.8 apg), Lamar Odom (12.5 ppg, .583 FG pct., .400 3-FG pct., 7.3 rpg, 1.0 apg), Luke Walton (4.3 ppg), Jordan Farmar (3.8 ppg), Sasha Vujacic (0.0 ppg) and Shannon Brown (3g, 0.0 ppg).

MAGIC – Rafer Alston (10.3 ppg, .381 FG pct., .154 3-FG pct., 3.0 apg), Dwight Howard (16.5 ppg, .471 FG pct., .618 FT pct., 16.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 4.25 bpg, 1.75 spg), Rashard Lewis (17.3 ppg, .436 FG pct., .464 3-FG pct., 7.0 rpg, 4.0 apg), Hedo Turkoglu (19.5 ppg, .491 FG pct., .400 3-FG pct., 5.3 rpg, 4.0 apg), Mickael Pietrus (12.3 ppg, .486 FG pct., .364 3-FG pct., 2.3 rpg), Jameer Nelson (3.5 ppg, .375 FG pct., 2.5 apg), Marcin Gortat (3.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.25 bpg), J.J. Redick (3g, 4.7 ppg) and Tony Battie (2.5 ppg).