First came a wipeout, followed by a blowout. All that's left is the knockout.
With victories by 35 and 17 points, the Miami Heat are on the verge of eliminating the Orlando Magic from the playoffs. Game 3 in the first-round best-of-5 mismatch is Tuesday night in Orlando."They're not dead until we put them in the grave," Heat swingman Dan Majerle said. "But their players are beaten down a little bit. It's hard not to be after two losses like this."
As an encore to Thursday night's rout in Game 1, the Heat built a 32-point lead Sunday and won 104-87.
Orlando's comeback chances are slim. Teams have overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-5 series only five times. The most recent was Denver against Seattle in 1994.
The Heat, who had the NBA's best road record during the regular season at 32-10, like their chances of sweeping the Magic.
"To tell you the truth," Miami center Alonzo Mourning said, "if we maintain the same focus and the same mental attitude and don't become complacent, it will be tough for them to beat us."
What can the Magic do to reverse the momentum?
"We're going to start throwing punches," coach Richie Adubato said. "That's the next thing."
He was joking - sort of.
"They knocked us down very hard four or five times going to the basket," Adubato said. "In the playoffs there's a rule you don't go to the basket for layups."
The Heat shot plenty of layups Sunday. But most of all, coach Pat Riley applauded his team's suffocating defense.
"We're playing the game extremely hard and trying to play their perimeter players close to the vest," Riley said. "You have to have a physical presence in this game. If you're physical and aggressive, you can at times impose your will on teams."
Miami took a 38-10 lead in Game 1 and won 99-64. The Magic pledged to be more physical in Game 2, but that approach worked for only one quarter.
A 22-3 run at the start of the second period gave the Heat a 42-21 lead. They outscored Orlando 36-13 in the quarter, hitting 13 of 19 shots, and led 56-31 at halftime.
"They were huffing and puffing," guard Tim Hardaway said, "and we were just revving up."
Injuries complicated the Magic's task. They played again without forward Horace Grant (sprained right wrist), who will likely miss Tuesday's game. Dennis Scott (knees) and Nick Anderson (hand) were sub-par.
Offensive balance allowed Miami to hurt Orlando inside, from the perimeter and in transition.