ORLANDO (Florida) - WHILE another overtime defeat was difficult to swallow, the Orlando Magic have a single-minded approach heading into Sunday's crucial game five of the National Basketball Association finals.

'The guys are in a good frame of mind,' Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said.

'We are not mentally weak. We are ready to play and I think we will play a hell of a game.' The Magic are looking to recover from a 101-96 overtime loss in game two which was followed by a 99-91 overtime defeat Thursday which put them in a 3-1 hole in the best-of-seven series.

Orlando faces the daunting task of not only winning on Sunday at home but taking games six and seven in Los Angeles.

But Van Gundy says they still believe they can win, despite no team ever having come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

'You've got to start first with the belief you can win the championship,' Van Gundy said at Saturday's practice at Amway Arena. 'If you don't think you can go to Los Angeles and win the championship then even though you're saying one game at a time it is pretty easy to let go if things aren't going well.

'I tell them it is no different than the approach we've had all year. Our goal from the beginning has been to win the championship but then you approach your job one day, one game, one possession at a time.' Behind the closed doors of the dressing room Van Gundy told the players a story about American cyclist Greg LeMond's come-from-behind win in the 1989 Tour de France.

'People started to write him off. And at the end of a stage he looked beaten and he and his wife were talking and when he left and they asked his wife what he said and he said to her, 'I'll just make the story all that much better when I come back and win it.'' The wheels haven't fallen off the Magic bus quite yet, but Van Gundy did say he thought the two days off between games gave them an opportunity to 'grieve' a bit.

'Yesterday was one of those day where I just wanted to look in everybody's eyes and sort of try to get their heads right,' Van Gundy said. 'It is good for us right now to sort of have a day and, if you want to say, go through the grieving process and get your head right.' The Lakers have won 14 championships but none since 2002, the last of three straight. -- AFP