ORLANDO -- "It's a make and miss league," Rafer Alston said.

Sometimes, it's that simple. And in Game 3 of the 2009 NBA Finals, the Orlando Magic made a Finals-record 62.5 percent of their shots, propelling them to a 108-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Amway Arena and essentially keeping their season alive.

(Watch a replay of Game 3 at 12 a.m. ET Thursday on NBA TV.)

It was just five days ago that the Magic shot the second-lowest percentage (29.9) in Finals history and their lowest all season, leading to a 25-point defeat in Game 1. They were better in Sunday's Game 2, but still shot their fourth-lowest percentage (41.8) of the postseason.

It wasn't just a matter of the ball going through the hoop on Tuesday. It wasn't like the Magic took the same shots that they did in Games 1 and 2, and more of them went in. The shots the Magic took at Amway Arena were better than the ones they took in Los Angeles.

And the shots were better because the Magic moved the ball better and made wiser decisions with it. They were sharper with their passing and quicker with their cuts to the basket.

"Tonight, we played with more speed and more energy on the offensive end," Alston said. "We were able to get down the floor, push it, [and run] a lot of pick-and-roll, which is our game."

The Magic's high pick-and-roll worked all night. Dwight Howard was quicker in getting to the basket after setting the screen, and when he's active like that, he's able to use his speed to get great position under the hoop before his man can recover. If another defender helps out, somebody will be open on the perimeter. And if the ball movement is crisp, the Magic are going to get a great look at the basket.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had no answer for the play in the Eastern Conference finals and on Tuesday, the Lakers looked similarly defenseless. Time after time, the Magic ran high screen-and-rolls in Game 3, and time after time, it produced positive results.

Rashard Lewis, who has shot 20-for-35 in his last two games after a dismal 2-for-10 performance in Game 1, acknowledged Howard's interior presence as a big reason for the good shots he's been getting.

"When we pass low to him, he gets crowded," Lewis said. "He gets double-teamed and he's making good passes out of the double-team."

The pick-and-roll was much more effective than straight post-ups for Howard, as he was able to get closer to the basket and make quicker decisions.

As he did in Game 1, Howard took just six shots from the field, but he made five of them this time and also got to the line for 16 free throws. The number of field goal attempts was not a product of his teammates not getting him the ball enough.

It works both ways, of course. The more shots his teammates make, the more space Howard will have to operate. And this was the most balance the Magic have had in a while. They were led by Howard and Lewis with 21 points apiece, but five finished with at least 18. Alston was one of them, and his teammates benefitted from his aggressiveness.

After scoring just 10 points on 3-for-17 shooting in Games 1 and 2, Alston put up 20 on 8-for-12 in Game 3. In Los Angeles, eight of his 17 field-goal attempts were from 3-point range (and he missed all eight). But on Tuesday, just one of his 12 shots was from downtown.

"I was aggressive from start to finish," Alston said. "That's what I do best, instead of just standing on the three-point line. I think that's what you guys saw in me in the first two games, standing on the three-point line as if I was Ray Allen or somebody."

As a team, the Magic shot just 14 treys, after attempting 53 in the first two games. That's the fewest threes they've attempted in the 104 games they've played this season. Though they lived by the three just fine against the Cavs (attempting 25 per game and making 41 percent), there was no dying by it on Tuesday.

Attempts from inside the arc are more likely to go in than those from beyond it of course, but Stan Van Gundy doesn't care much about where the shots come from.

"What you hope is you're making the right decisions, handling the ball well and taking good shots," Van Gundy said. "We're not going to decide that we've got to get it in the paint or we've got to take the three."

After struggling in Los Angeles, the Magic's execution was much improved on Tuesday. They still coughed the ball up more than Van Gundy would have liked, but they improved on the 20 turnovers they had in Game 2.

Of course, with how terrific the Magic were offensively, setting a Finals record and all, they still won by just four points. And that tells you that they need to improve on the other end of the floor. At least now they know that they'll have some extra time to do it.

NBA.com's John Schuhmann is covering the Orlando Magic through the NBA Finals. If you have a question or comment for him, send him an e-mail. You can also follow him on twitter.