Dwight Howard was silent. Jameer Nelson sat at his locker with his head in his hand. Jason Williams flew off the handle at reporters. 

The Magic looked like a team on the brink of elimination. But after sweeping the first two rounds of the playoffs, they’re stunned to be where they currently find themselves. 

“I haven’t seen the Magic yet in any of the games that we’ve played against Boston,“ Matt Barnes said following the Celtics 94-71 win. “That’s probably the most embarrassing situation in my basketball career.”

The Magic were favored by many to win the conference finals and return to the NBA Finals for the second year in a row. They took the regular season series against the Celtics, 3-1, and after going 8-0 against the Bobcats and Hawks, looked on pace to continue their championship run.

But the Magic have encountered an enemy they haven’t seen all season -- themselves. It is an opponent that cannot be defeated with new defensive schemes or pick-and-roll plays. With Game 4 looming on Monday, they have less than 48 hours to find a way to beat their own Magic team that has shown up for Games 1 through 3. 

“All season long I don’t think there’s been a game were the other team outplayed us, outhustled us,” said Howard. “[The Celtics] did that for the last three games, and that’s why they’re ahead. You can’t make any excuses about it. We can’t point the fingers and say what everybody else needs to do. We just got to come out as individuals. The coach has done everything he could. It’s not on the coach, it’s us.”

The Celtics have the statistical edge in nearly every category -- 93.7 to 83.7 points per game, 45.7 percent to 39.4 percent in field goals, and 42.5 percent to 28.6 percent from behind the arc. They have also dished 26 more assists, committed nine less turnovers, and nabbed seven more steals.

One of the most notable hustle plays of the series occurred in Game 3 when Rajon Rondo fell to his stomach and stole a loose ball from between the legs of Jason Williams as the two chased down the court. While Williams explained that he could not dive on the ball because the shot clock was winding down, he shook his head at the fact that an energy play -- something that should be expected in the postseason -- was magnified because of the Magic’s lack thereof. 

“He hustled. You’re supposed to hustle. We didn’t hustle. You’re supposed to play hard. It’s not about X’s and O’s anymore. It’s about playing hard,” he said, adding, “I just can’t even believe we’re sitting here talking about playing hard and down 0-3 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and we’re talking about playing hard. That boggles my mind.”

The Magic recognize what they have to do better. Players pointed to cracking down on defense, coming out aggressive, and improving their ball movement. But it comes down to effort and playing the type of Magic basketball that earned them the second seed in the East.

“I just think right now we have to find ourselves,” Howard said. “Last three games we haven’t played like the Orlando Magic. Seemed like tonight our bodies were here, but our minds weren’t. Our hearts weren’t -- seemed like it wasn’t into it.” 

He added, “We can’t hold our heads. This is a very tough situation, but if we already think about being defeated, then we shouldn’t even come for Game 4. So we’ve got to just keep fighting and stay together.” 

The Magic won’t make excuses, though, and accept full responsibility for the hole they are in. “They’ve come out every game and kicked our [butts],“ Barnes said matter-of-factly. They believe the fate of their season ultimately lies in their hands and they have the opportunity to take it back in Game 4 … if they want to. 

“We just have to decide, do we want the season to end?” said Barnes. “I don’t. I don’t want the season to end to Monday, because if we come out and play like we did tonight, the season’s going to be over Monday. Hopefully we’ll wake up and play hard.”