ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic never gave in. They didn't buckle when their starting point guard went down with a season-ending injury. They regrouped when their frustrated superstar called out their coach. They stood up to the Boston Celtics. They sent LeBron James home.

They fought — all the way to the NBA finals.

LeBron vs. Kobe?

Not this year.

Dwight Howard dominated inside for 40 points, Rashard Lewis added 18 and the overlooked Magic wrecked the Kobe-LeBron dream finals with a 103-90 victory over James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 to win the Eastern Conference championship last night.

Fourteen frustrating years since their last appearance, the Magic are back from ruin.

"I don't think people thought we could be at this level," coach Stan Van Gundy said.

The Magic will be making their first finals appearance since 1995, one year before Shaquille O'Neal bolted as a free agent for Los Angeles and wrecked the franchise. Six years ago they won just 21 games, a low point that helped them draft Howard with the No. 1 pick.

It's been a long, slow climb back, but Orlando has been rebuilt and will meet the Lakers on Thursday night at the Staples Center in Game 1.

Disney World vs. Disneyland.

With the city's most famous athlete, Tiger Woods, sitting courtside, Orlando dropped 12 3-pointers and made believers of all those who wondered if they were better than the Cavaliers, a team that won 66 games in the regular season.

"For us as a team, we understand how everybody has talked about us for the last couple of years," Howard said. "We can beat anybody."

James scored 25 in his worst game of the series, but the 24-year-old MVP was magnificent for most of it, adding to a legacy still in its infancy.

Afterward, James skipped the news conference and briskly walked the corridor with two security guards. He plopped into a chair to be scanned for the team's charter plane ride, grabbed his bags and was gone.

Delonte West added 22 and Mo Williams 17 for Cleveland, which went 0-5 in Orlando.

"We had one goal and we came up short," Cavs coach Mike Brown said.

CLEVELAND (90)

James 8-20 7-11 25, Varejao 7-12 0-1 14, Ilgauskas 1-5 0-2 2, M.Williams 6-12 2-2 17, West 9-19 2-4 22, Wallace 2-3 0-2 4, Gibson 1-3 0-0 3, Szczerbiak 1-5 0-0 3, Pavlovic 0-0 0-0 0, Kinsey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-79 11-22 90.

ORLANDO (103)

Turkoglu 3-12 2-2 10, Lewis 6-13 3-3 18, Howard 14-21 12-16 40, Alston 5-16 0-0 13, Lee 4-7 0-0 8, Pietrus 5-10 0-0 14, Gortat 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 37-80 17-21 103.

CLEVELAND 25 15 30 20— 90

ORLANDO 30 28 28 17—103

3-Point Goals—Cleveland 9-20 (M.Williams 3-4, West 2-3, James 2-8, Gibson 1-2, Szczerbiak 1-3), Orlando 12-29 (Pietrus 4-7, Lewis 3-7, Alston 3-7, Turkoglu 2-6, Howard 0-1, Lee 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Cleveland 47 (Varejao 8), Orlando 55 (Howard 14). Assists—Cleveland 17 (James 7), Orlando 19 (Turkoglu 5). Total Fouls—Cleveland 21, Orlando 20. Technicals—Cleveland Coach Brown, Orlando defensive three second. A—17,461 (17,461).