A Look at the Orlando Magic's Playoff Picture

Regardless of what you may have hard, Dwight Howard is not the heart and soul of the Orlando Magic. No, not even close.

Sure, he's growing each and every day into an indestructible force, as well as one of the game's top true centers. And it's also true that the Magic's playoff picture would look significantly bleaker if he weren't around.

But he's still not the reason why the Magic are this good.

If you haven't guessed, the guy pictured above, Hedo Turkoglu, is the guy I'm talking about.

He was extremely important to Orlando's success last year, and very much so again early this season. But his importance received a huge boost when starting point guard Jameer Nelson went down with a torn labrum.

The Magic swung a trade with the Rockets to acquire Rafer Alston, but it would be foolish to assume he and the other Magic point guards were getting it done by themselves.

It's because of Turkoglu's passion, grit, and versatility that he is Orlando's MVP. it's because he can out-rebound, assists, and shoot any other combo guard in the league (outside of his greatness King James, of course).

But, as is the case with every other team, you can't get anywhere with simply the engine. You need wheels, a tool to guide you, and a driver. Howard would be that driver, Coach Stan Van Gundy the guide, and the wonderful supporting cast that makes up the rest of the Magic are the wheels.

And folks, they are well in motion.

The Magic are currently riding a four game winning streak, winners of seven of their last ten, and sit comfortably atop the Southeastern division with an 11.5 game lead.

With their projected number three seed likely to stay that way, with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers battling for the top spot, the Magic have the next 20 games to watch for who they might face in the first round of the playoffs.

While it's not entirely impossible for Orlando to snag the top seed, it's a common notion that they are at least slightly inferior to Boston and Cleveland.

As the playoff picture stands now, there are realistically seven teams fighting for the final eight seed, while Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, and Philadelphia round out the other seeds, 4-7.

As it stands at the time of this article, Orlando would be getting ready for a match-up with the Pistons, but it could change within a week, and they could end up facing Miami or Philadelphia, as well.

Dangerous Opponents

Based on consistency, talent, and chemistry, Orlando would be huge favorites heading into any of the three possible match-ups.

The Pistons have been going slowly down hill ever since the Allen Iverson deal, and with an injured A.I., a slumping Rasheed Wallace, they're unlikely to put up much of a fight. Of course, that's if they can start climbing out of their slide and even make the playoffs.

The 76ers and the Heat are still young teams being carried by one or two stars. The Magic are simply too deep at guard, and too powerful inside with Howard for any of these teams to truly challenge them.

Philadelphia made a good run at Detroit last season in the first round, showing they can push just about anyone when they have everything clicking.

If Dwyane Wade can create more history with some clutch shooting, a team like Miami could make a series of it, and possibly even force seven games. Judging by how close Miami has played the Cavaliers this year, it's obvious they're a very competitive team, and they'd be difficult to get rid of.

Playoff Outlook

The Magic would certainly benefit from sneaking into either of the top two seeds, but are still in no danger of falling out of their three seed. With a top half seed certain, the Magic can focus on potential match-ups, while still trying to position themselves.

With solid contributions from rookie Courtney Lee, as well as solid reserves J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus, the team won't hesitate to shoot the three ball early and often in the playoffs, as it is their signature offensive strategy.

With the sharpshooting of these reserves, combined with the veteran leadership of Rashard Lewis and co., this is a team that the Celtics and Cav's cannot afford to look past.

However, the old adage, "Live by the three, die by the three", rings especially true with this squad. Once they start going up against better defensive teams, they'll have to deal with Dwight Howard getting into foul trouble, as well as finding other scoring sources inside the paint.

Ultimately, the Magic are still a young team with a starting line-up that can shoot the lights out when they're on, and if they can stay healthy and hot, anything can happen.

In the year where everyone is picking the Lakers, supporting the Celtics' title defense, and crowning LeBron James as a premature champion, it's easy to get overlooked.

And that's exactly what the Magic are hoping for.