The Orlando Magic are expected to be competitive and possibly make a splash in this years’ playoffs, but the distractions surrounding Dwight Howard and his possible trade have made it difficult for this team to stay focused on winning basketball games. They will need to be completely focused when they take on an Indiana Pacers team that is exceeding NBA experts predictions, and are just 3 games back of the Chicago Bulls for the Central division lead in the Eastern conference.
Indiana is using the old school approach of rebounding and solid defense to win games, but they have shown the ability to put up points when needed as well. Danny Granger is quickly becoming one of the best player that no one knows. He doesn’t receive nearly the attention he should, but has been putting up All-Star caliber numbers at the small forward position. Roy Hibbert is a perfect compliment to Granger inside as he uses his size and length to grab rebounds at a clip of nearly 10 per game. Darren Collison may not have the flash and stats that get your attention, but his leadership on the floor and command of this offense makes him a perfect fit for this Pacers squad. Indiana may not catch the Bulls for the top spot in their division, but they certainly have a good enough team to get a top 4 seed and home court advantage in the first round.
The Magic’s season has been surrounded with a dark cloud. The possibility of their best player and perennial All-Star Dwight Howard leaving has held this team back slightly, but they are still in a position to make the playoffs and make an impact. It doesn’t appear that Howard will be on the team through the entire season. However, this team will still need to play with the same intensity night in and night out.
An 11-5 record though 16 games isn’t what the Magic had in mind when the season began, but they find themselves in a tie for second place in the tough Southeast division with the Miami Heat. There is a huge gap between the top teams and the bottom dwellers in their division which could inevitably help 3 teams get to the playoffs out of this division. Howard leads the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks, but Orlando has a solid group of role players that can keep this team competitive. Their front court is one of the most versatile in the league, and can beat teams both inside and out. Ryan Andreson and Hedo Turkoglu are combining for 32 points, over 10 boards and 5.6 assists per game, and have the shooting prowess to draw their opponents out of the paint to give Howard more room to operate.
Tune in Tuesday night as these two top tiered Eastern conference foes battle in what will be a competitive and hard fought battle.
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