Series Win by Orlando Magic Would Help Team Keep Dwight Howard

It's hard to imagine the Indiana Pacers only scoring 77 points again in this series, but that shouldn't detract from what the Orlando Magic accomplished in Saturday's Game 1 victory.

Beyond giving themselves a fighting chance in the first round, Stan Van Gundy's team also improved its chances of keeping Dwight Howard in Orlando, even if only marginally.

The superstar center may still have his heart set on Brooklyn, but Orlando's best hope starts with a successful postseason run. And that's just a start, as Howard also expects an improved roster and perhaps a different coach.

General manager Otis Smith and owner Rich DeVos will cross that bridge when they come to it.

For now, the only thing this club can control is its fate as a heavy underdog against the third-seeded Pacers. It may not even be able to control that.

Indiana only shot 35 percent in Game 1 while outperforming Orlando in virtually every other facet of the game. The Pacers also have the deeper roster and a substantial size advantage in the paint.

Still, there's some good news here for the Magic. Beyond the obvious one-game lead, Orlando also managed to win a game with Ryan Anderson scoring only five points and negligible production from the bench.

Jason Richardson made five threes, Glen Davis had a solid double-double and Jameer Nelson had a great all-around game.

The Magic will need different guys to step up every night. Such is life in the wake of Howard's back surgery. If this squad can rally together and do what the Chicago Bulls have done for so much of the season, this series could have a very Disney ending.

Would Dwight Howard complete the fairy tale with a change of heart?

That continues to be a stretch. Never mind that the unknowns on Dwight's horizon are every bit as risky as hanging around Orlando, this guy clearly wants a change of scenery.

He also wants to be liked, though. 

It would be harder to forgive Howard for leaving a good team, and he knows that. The narrative of a loyal superstar mired in perpetual mediocrity wouldn't hold up quite as well if his supporting cast upset the Pacers all by themselves.

After all, this is a team that's played under a cloud of distraction all season long. Maybe the problem isn't the roster so much as it is the consequences of a pouty franchise player.