Crushing superstar injury gives Orlando Magic hope in 5-seed chase

The Orlando Magic are not in a position to worry about what other teams are doing right now.

In a three-game losing streak, the Orlando Magic have fallen from their perch in fifth into a tie with the Atlanta Hawks for sixth, dropping them into the Play-In range. The Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers are breathing down their necks, still a half-game behind them.

Any extended losing streak will have that effect of drawing the rest of the pack closer to them. That is all that is happened.

What the Magic need to do is to win. A task only made tougher by the Los Angeles Lakers and their eight-game win streak arriving at the Kia Center on Saturday, the Magic's fourth opponent in the last five games with a win streak of six or more games.

They are now hoping for some good luck.

On Thursday, the Detroit Pistons announced Cade Cunningham would be re-evaluated in two weeks after a collapsed lung. The injury to the MVP candidate puts his awards at risk and also puts the Detroit Pistons, only four games ahead of the Boston Celtics in first, at risk of losing their spot atop the Eastern Conference that they have held virtually all season.

Detroit is still a formidable opponent. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Washington Wizards 117-95 on Thursday. But this injury will now have a major impact on the race for fifth.

The Pistons will face four of the teams in the race in the next three weeks while Cunningham is likely out. And a game that was probably counted as a loss is now suddenly in play. How these four teams battle the Pistons might determine who gets that advantageous seeding.

The Hawks and Raptors will both face the Pistons before Cunningham's re-evaluation period. That is a major advantage for them. The 76ers and Magic will likely also miss Cunningham. But there is a chance, nearly a week after his re-evaluation period, that the Magic might see him.

With a collapsed lung, it is hard to imagine Cunningham being able to do much conditioning. So he may need some time before returning.

It makes for an interesting dynamic in the race with this game suddenly in play. How all of these teams play against the Pistons now might determine who gets a leg up in the race.

Stealing a win

At this point in the season, every loss feels heavy. Just look at how the mood has changed for the Orladno Magic thanks to a three-game losing streak. There is still adversity ahead for every team with 14 or so games to play.

Stealing games from teams ahead of you in the standings will feel like a turbo charge.

That is why this injury to Cade Cunningham is such a big opportunity for all the teams in the race. The Pistons suddenly seem beatable.

It is important to remember the Pistons are 6-2 in the games Cunningham has missed. Most of those wins are against tanking or struggling teams, with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers in November as the big feather in the cap.

It feels like the Pistons are ripe for the picking now. And dropping a game to them during this stretch could be critical.

They have gone from an elite team you expect to lose or try to steal a win from to a game against an equal in the middle of the Eastern Conference. As the Orlando Magic have learned in losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets, losing to teams equal in the standings hurts a lot.

Losing to the Pistons could be the difference in this playoff chase. It is now a game in play.

The schedule chase

The schedule is what it is. And teams can only worry about the games in front of them. They cannot control what other teams do.

But in this chase for the 5-seed, the Orlando Magic still hold some key advantages.

According to Tankathon, the Magic have the second-easiest schedule by opponent win percentage of the teams fighting for fifth. Only the Toronto Raptors have an easier schedule.

The Magic still face five tanking teams -- Monday vs. Indiana, Thursday vs. Sacramento, April 3 at Dallas, April 5 at New Orleans and April 10 at Chicago. They also still have games against direct competitors in the Toronto Raptors (March 29) and Atlanta Hawks (April 1).

That still puts the Magic in a lot of control over their own destiny. That includes the game against the Detroit Pistons on April 6, which will be a tricky game on the second night of a home-home back-to-back after facing the Phoenix Suns.

The Toronto Raptors also have five games remaining against tanking teams and a game against the LA Clippers ahead.

They will travel to Detroit after their big battle with the Magic on March 29. That will be part of the last easy part of their schedule before a big rush of games against the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat (twice in Miami) and New York Knicks before the end of the season.

The Atlanta Hawks have the toughest schedule remaining of these teams by opponent win percentage. That obviously decreases thanks to this injury to Cade Cunningham.

On its 11-game win streak, the Atlanta Hawks face the struggling Houston Rockets and then host the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies before their trip to Detroit.

They play at Boston after the trip to Detroit that could be the backstop to that win streak. Their schedule toughens significantly.

The Philadelphia 76ers will be the first of the teams to face the Detroit Pistons after the re-evaluation period, getting Detroit at home sandwiched between games against the Minnesota Timberwolves (possibly without Anthony Edwards still) and a road trip to face the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.

The Philadelphia 76ers still have five games against tanking teams but also remaining games with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

It should be clear that the injury to Cunningham will have a major impact on this race.

But in the end, it is in the Magic's control to scratch out wins and find a way to climb the standings once again.