Winning on the Road Will Be Key to Leading the East

The Orlando Magic left home Friday on a four-game, seven-day Western swing, tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

They expect to return in the same shape -- or better.

"Going out, I'd expect us to go 4-0 on this trip,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "That would be my expectation. But obviously, we'd have to play very well to do that.''

The Magic (15-4) will be playing the Warriors, Clippers, Jazz and Suns. There are no Lakers, Nuggets or Mavericks on this trip, which might explain their confidence.

The leaders in the East all are in a road-warrior mode this time of the month. The Celtics have four of their next five away from home. The Cavaliers (13-5) have five of their next seven on the road.

"You can't be an elite team in this league if you don't know how to win on the road. You can't just win home games,'' said Magic forward Rashard Lewis. "Our mindset now is to win every one.''

The Magic's confidence stems from their continued success on the road the last couple years. They have won their last six road games, and they can tie the franchise record for consecutive road victories Saturday night at Golden State.

Only the Celtics (8-1 going into Friday night's game at Oklahoma City) have a better road record than the Magic (8-2) this season. The Lakers (3-1) don't count because they've hardly left the state this season, and they don't play their fifth road game until Dec. 12.

The Celtics had the most road wins (31) of any team last season. The Lakers and Celtics were tied for second with 27. In a league where home teams win more often than in any other sport, it helps to know how to travel.

"Overall, we just seem to have a little more edge on the road, more resolve, more toughness than we do at home,'' Van Gundy said. "I don't know why that is, but the bottom is, it's not where you play, it's how you play.''

Although the Magic are the defending Eastern Conference champs, they still play with a chip on their collective shoulder, still slighted by the preseason rankings that mostly picked them to finish third behind the Celtics and Cavs.

"I don't really care who picks us to do what,'' center Dwight Howard said. "All I want to do is win a championship. When we go on the road, our goal is to dominate whoever we play.''

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