LOS ANGELES -- Stop me if you've heard this before.

The Orlando Magic, champions of the East, find themselves in a deep hole after: losing Game 1 in the Eastern Conference first round ... Game 5 against the Boston Celtics in the East semis ... losing Game 2 on LeBron James' amazing game-winner ... losing Game 1 to L.A. on Thursday night.

If it feels like the their postseason run reads like an old "Choose Your Own Adventure" storybook, that's because the Magic always seem to need a swift kick in the backside before they figure out how to get their Playoffs tale back on track.

Yes, it was a dark and stormy night for the Magic, who find themselves in familiar territory after getting thoroughly shellacked 100-75 at the hands of the Lakers in Game 1. But because the Magic have been here before, they kept the post-game handwringing to a minimum.

"No, I'm not concerned," Orlando All-Star center Dwight Howard said. "Tonight was just an off-night as a team. We only made 23 shots and Kobe [Bryant] made 16 by himself.

"We've never had a shooting night this bad."

Few have. The Magic's 23 field goals in Game 1 tied the 1955 Ft. Wayne Pistons for the second-lowest output in Finals history. Only the 1998 Utah Jazz were more fetid from the field when they made 21 and scored only 54 points in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.

But at least it wasn't the worst of the worst. That's a positive, right coach?

"There was nothing that I liked," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Um, OK. So, it's back to his meticulous whiteboard for Van Gundy, who says he doesn't sleep well even when the Magic are playing well. He should toss and turn a lot after this one. The Lakers are a different animal from any the Magic faced so far this postseason.

How do they slow Kobe Bryant, who had 40 points, a personal Finals-best, and added eight rebounds and eight assists? What can they do to neutralize the 7-foot Pau Gasol, whose game seems to be tailor-made for the triangle offense? Will they be able to minimize Lamar Odom's versatility?

"I talked about what we needed to improve on and what we will change," Van Gundy said. "That will be decided over the next couple of days."

On Thursday, the Lakers seemed prepared, but it didn't look like the Magic were ready. After Phil Jackson said they wouldn't double Dwight Howard in the post, the Lakers did almost every time he caught the ball on the blocks. When Howard did pass out of the double-team, the Magic's outside shots didn't fall.

That's one of the reasons many people don't believe in Magic. If their 3-pointers don't fall, what else is there? The Magic's Really Big Three of Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu came up small and shot a combined 6-for-27.

"They say we live by three," Lewis said. "Tonight, we died by it."

Also, what about that stellar Magic defense that neutralized a 66-win Cavaliers' team? Orlando gave up a putrid 56 points in the paint and were crushed on the boards by a 55-to-41 margin.

As if the challenge of beating the Lakers in The Finals wasn't enough, they Magic added another degree of difficulty by playing Jameer Nelson, their All-Star point guard who had shoulder surgery on Feb. 19. Nelson played 23 minutes and 28 seconds, including all 12 minutes of the second quarter. While he started out well with four points and four assists, Nelson, like the Magic, faded down the stretch.

Nelson's time came at the expense of Rafer Alston, whose 24 minutes and 32 seconds on the court jig-sawed with Nelson's playing time. Anthony Johnson, Alston's backup in the playoffs, got his first postseason DNP.

"We'll find a way to put this behind us," Alston said. "The way they make up the schedule [for The Finals] they give you one day to think about it and another day to prepare for the following game."

Alston did admit however that playing the whole first quarter and then sitting the entire second quarter threw off his rhythm.

"It's an adjustment period for him, for me, for the other guys," Alston said matter-of-factly. "With him coming back, we're just going to have to make the adjustment quick because you're in The Finals and not game 41 or 42."

This is The Finals in Los Angeles in June. That other team is pretty darn good, too. Lakers coach Phil Jackson boasts a 43-0 record when his teams win Game 1 of a series. After becoming the first team to defeat the Celtics when trailing 3-2, the Magic are again on the wrong side of history.

When the Magic played a full game, as they did in Game 6 against the Cavs, everyone could see how good the Magic could be. The question is: Will we see it on Sunday?

Thankfully for the Magic, they have short memories, they learn quickly and they have Friday and Saturday to tinker. They wouldn't be here if they couldn't make the necessary series adjustments.

"I know this: we're a lot better than what we showed today," Van Gundy said. "We'll come back Sunday and give it a lot better effort and play a lot better basketball game.

"You know the margin, it's disappointing. It's still one win for them. The don't get two for it."