The Magic swept a best-of-seven series for the first time in franchise history with the win in Game 4, an unsightly foul-fest.

Maybe it was the heaven-sent 3-point shots — or the voodoo like Mickael Pietrus said.

The Orlando Magic needed some sort of black magic to oust the Charlotte Bobcats 99-90 on Monday night, advancing to the second round of the playoffs with a sweep.

Trademark 3-point shots (13 in all) bailed out the Magic, and Pietrus made two huge long-range efforts in the fourth period, playing with a sore right wrist.

Pietrus, born on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, received some treatments on his wrists from what he described as a voodoo priestess this offseason instead of having surgery on his left one. "She put this sauce on it and some weeds," Pietrus said. "I think it helped me."

Pietrus starred off the bench during last postseason. The lovable Frenchman is as quirky as he is streaky, given birth to the nickname "Planet Pietrus."

"I’m ’Playoff Pietrus," he laughed.

Orlando needed Pietrus (13 points), Vince Carter (21), Jameer Nelson (18), Rashard Lewis (17) and Matt Barnes (14) as leading scorer Dwight Howard (six points) was hindered by foul trouble for the fourth consecutive game. He fouled out.

The Magic return home and won’t play until Sunday at the earliest, waiting on the winner of the Atlanta-Milwaukee series.

Leading the Bobcats only 77-76, Pietrus swished a 3-pointer to spark a tell-tale fourth period. Then after Howard clearly got away with goaltending a shot by Bobcats point guard D.J. Augustin, Pietrus drilled another 3-pointer to bump the margin to seven at 83-76 with five minutes, 47 seconds remaining.

Play has been physical, but had not been getting out of hand. There were fireworks early in the final period when Carter drove to the basket.

He appeared to have been pushed by center Tyson Chandler, and Carter emerged from a pile to give Chandler a stern stare. Chandler was called for a Flagrant 1 foul, meaning the Magic would receive the ball after Carter made both free throws to give Orlando a 77-73 lead.

Bobcats power forward Tyrus Thomas was keeping the Bobcats afloat in the period, scoring eight points. Thomas, quiet most of the series, appeared to be the third player that Charlotte has been looking for to help the tandem of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace.

There was a sense that perhaps, just maybe, Howard could actually stay on the floor longer than a ball-boy pushing a broom. He met with coach Stan Van Gundy to review video of the calls against him, and Howard sounded as if he were serious about adjusting to the zebras.

The Magic finished the third quarter leading 71-68, and it would take a team of MIT professors to figure out how.

They allowed the Bobcats to shoot almost 51 percent to that point, and Howard was AWOL.




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