BOSTON — The visitors' locker room at the new Boston Garden was nearly empty, cleared of any sign of a celebration after the Orlando Magic beat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Magic dethroned the defending NBA champions on Sunday, beating Boston 101-82 in Game 7 for their second straight victory and earning the right to play the Cleveland Cavaliers for a spot in the NBA finals. It was the first time the NBA's most-decorated franchise, which won its record 17th title last year, had lost a series after holding a 3-2 lead.

Dwight Howard scored 12 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Hedo Turkoglu had 25 points with 12 assists for Orlando, which trailed for just 36 seconds after the opening basket.

Lakers 89, Rockets 70Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the Lakers emphatically silenced the doubters and the Rockets, winning at home in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.With Gasol scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, the Lakers looked like the conference's top-seeded team, not the maddeningly inconsistent one pushed to the decisive final game by the undermanned Rockets.