After struggling late in the regular season and slogging through much of their first-round series against Philadelphia, the Magic rediscovered the wide-open, free-ranging style that made them so formidable.

"It's our time now," said Howard after practice yesterday. "Adding me back to the mix, and our guys know we can win a championship. We want to go through the defending champs."

Howard was suspended for Game 6 Thursday in Philadelphia - sitting in his hotel suite Tweeting to fans - while the Magic finished the Sixers, 114-89, their highest-scoring, best-played game of the series.

The Magic cracked 100 points for the first time in 13 games. They did it by tweaking their offense with better ball movement, more penetration, and good balance.

They also were without shooting guard Courtney Lee, who will miss at least Game 1 of the Celtics' series tonight after needing surgery to repair a cracked sinus cavity, an injury incurred when Howard accidentally hit him with an elbow in Game 5. Coach Stan Van Gundy said Saturday that he doesn't expect Lee back soon.

The Magic averaged nearly 10 3-point baskets in the regular season, but they averaged only 6.6 in the first five games of the Sixers series. But they hit 12 of 26 in Game 6, on a night when they shot 53.7 percent from the field.

"It's a big challenge offensively to play with that kind of ball movement, freedom, and still incorporate Dwight into it. It's not an easy thing," said Gundy. "For us to take our offense to the next level, it's finding the right balance. We don't have to change anything. We just have to make it work a little bit better."

Without Howard to lean on, Rashard Lewis carried the load in Game 6 by changing his game. Instead of floating out by the 3-point line, he posted up and left the outside shooting to J.J. Redick, who hit 5 of 7 3-pointers. Lewis had 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and no 3-pointers.

Instead of everyone playing off Howard's low-post game, everyone was active. Six players scored in double figures. Center Marcin Gortat had 15 rebounds.

"It gave us confidence that we can play without the big fellow," Lewis said. "We can get it done without him, if we have to. If he gets in foul trouble, we still can compete. There are lot of ways to win. We just found another one. That'll help us down the road. We just needed to be reminded of that."

The Celtics did a better job than most this season against Howard in the four meetings, each team winning twice. Howard averaged 16.8 points, almost 4 below his regular-season average. It was Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu who did most of the damage, averaging 21.5 and 17.5 points, respectively.

The Magic have been without All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson since February when he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury. The trade with Houston for veteran Rafer Alston was key to sustaining their drive toward the playoffs.

Alston played twice against the Celtics, averaging only 8 points and 7 assists, but he did a good job in offsetting point guard Rajon Rondo. Without Lee, the Magic will give Redick his second playoff start, knowing he will be badly overmatched against Ray Allen.

"It's going to be tough, but the way we won Game 6 in Philadelphia should give us some momentum," Redick said. "If we had slogged through the game, then had to battle again in Game 7, we would be feeling a lot different. This team feels pretty good about itself right now."