The NBA playoffs are right around the corner. With the Orlando Magic's eight-game homestand completed, the team is in the final sprint to the finish with five of the last seven on the road.
And there is still a lot to play for.
The Magic currently sit in fifth in the Eastern Conference. But they still have their eyes on getting homecourt advantage. They trail the New York Knicks by one game for homecourt advantage in the first round and trail the 3-seed Cleveland Cavaliers by 1.5 games. Every game for the rest of the season will have that added importance.
But the odds are the Magic will be facing off with the Knicks in the first-round one way or another. It will set up a heated and interesting battle between two of the top defensive teams in the league.
While there is still a lot to sort out, it is time to start to look at some of the Magic's possible playoff opponents. And the Knicks are at the top of the list.
This season, Orlando is 3-1 in the four times the team met New York this season helping to improve their all-time winning record against New York this season. The Magic swept the pair of games at Kia Center and split the games at Madison Square Garden.
While the Magic got some huge wins over the Knicks, it is worth noting that the two teams have yet to face each other at full strength.
In the Magic's Dec. 29 117-108 win over the Knicks at Kia Center, the Knicks were only a day away from trading Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa, two critical players in the Knicks' current rotation.
In the Jan. 15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee 98-94 victory at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks played without Jalen Brunson, allowing Paolo Banchero to play the hero and look like a superstar that afternoon.
In the Magic's pre-All-Star Break 118-100 victory on Feb. 14, the Knicks sat several key players including the recently acquired Bojan Bogdanovic.
And then in the Knicks' 98-74 victory at the Garden on March 8, the Knicks were at full strength but the Magic played without Jalen Suggs.
There are still some things the team can learn from those games. But they are not a full picture of what the Playoffs will look like -- especially with Julius Randle and OG Anunoby's status for the postseason still uncertain.
But, with what went down during the season, here are three keys to a Magic-Knicks playoff series if it were to happen.
3 Keys to a Potential Orlando Magic-New York Knicks Series
The Rebounding Battle
In the wins the Orlando Magic had, one thing they did well to knock off the New York Knicks was to outrebound one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA.
The Knicks are fifth in the league with 45.8 rebounds per game and fifth with a 73.3 percent defensive rebound rate. The Magic are 22nd with 42.5 per game but are third with a 73.4 percent defensive rebound rate.
While the frustrations of giving up 11 offensive rebounds for 24 second-chance points in Monday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers are still fresh, that is an anomaly from their full-season numbers.
And rebounding was a big key in the Magic's three wins over the Knicks.
In the Jan. 15 win, the Magic outrebounded the Knicks 46-41 and then equaled their rebounds at 34-34 in the Feb. 14 win. They again outrebounded New York during the December game too, 39-30.
It is clear that matching the New York rebounding would be a major factor for Orlando if the two teams were to meet them in round number one.
In addition to strong rebounding, the Knicks lead the league with a 33.5 percent offensive rebound rate. They lead the league with 16.5 second-chance points. Orlando is third in the league giving up 12.3 second-chance points per game (New York is second).
This battle can look a lot different too depending on what players the Knicks will have. OG Anunoby for example provides rebounding production with 4.7 boards per 40 minutes.
The Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein trio also brings in 27.6 rebounds per game among the three of them. And Precious Achiuwa is extremely active on the glass too. Achiuwa had 14 rebounds and three offensive rebounds in the Knicks' lone win in the season series.
Rebounding and keeping teams off the offensive glass will be one of the big swing factors in this potential series.
3 Keys to a Potential Orlando Magic-New York Knicks Series
Paolo Banchero's Skill and Leadership
Although this happens in plenty if not most Orlando Magic games, Paolo Banchero seems to be the catalyst for offensive production in the three wins the team has over the New York Knicks.
Banchero is averaging 27.0 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game against the Knicks this season. He is shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from three.
On Jan. 15, he finished with 20 points on 9-for-19 (47.3 percent) shooting from the field. Although, he was not able to make a three-pointer going 0 for 2. He got five attempts at the free throw line hitting two of them.
Banchero was also able to grab six rebounds in the game getting in on the glass action that made the Magic able to hang with one of the best rebounding teams in the league on the boards.
But that game was more notable for how Banchero stepped onto the big stage in Madison Square Garden and hit big shots. He had a pair of baskets in the final two minutes that sealed the big road win for an injury-depleted Magic game.
It is all part of Banchero's record as a closer for this team.
In the Feb. 14 win in Orlando, Banchero repeated the offensive production he had in Madison Square Garden with 36 points on 15-for-20 (75.0 percent) shooting from the field. He also went a big time 6-for-10 (60.0 percent) shooting from three-point range with six rebounds again. He was more active passing with five assists.
Back in December, Banchero dropped 29 points on another 9-for-19 (47.3 percent) shooting night with two three-pointers and nine free throws to add on to it.
And the vital reboudning battle that could be big in this series? Well, in the December game, Banchero grabbed 10 of them for a double-double really making Orlando's presence known on the glass.
The Playoffs are all about the stars and Banchero seems to like the matchup with the Knicks one way or the other.
If Orlando matches up with New York, the team will need to find a way to match Jalen Brunson's expected scoring output. Brunson is averaging 26.3 points per game and 5.3 assists per game in his three games against the Magic this season. That includes dropping 26 points in 28:42 in the win over the Magic in March.
Banchero is a factor for whatever playoff series the Magic get, but his good work on the offensive end against the Knicks make him something else to watch out for.
3 Keys to a Potential Orlando Magic-New York Knicks Series
Who can be the better team in the paint?
The Orlando Magic were also dominant in the paint against the New York Knicks. Winning the paint has always been the biggest key for the Magic and their offense. And if rebounding is going to be a key, you know the paint will be equally as big.
This has indeed been key for the Magic in their three wins.
On Jan. 15, they had 52 points in the paint against the Knicks and they also had 60 in the win on Feb. 14. Both games had the Magic winning that battle in lopsided fashion and they matched the Knicks for the same amount of paint points during the win in December.
This is expected to be something that could help them in a first round series against the Knicks as Orlando is eighth in the NBA in points in the paint per game.
This efficiency with points in the paint in the two wins over New York comes in large part with Orlando's tendency to try and get at the rim for close, two-point shots and fouls to give the team chances at the line. The Magic are eighth in the league in the amount of points from 2-pointers per game.
The Knicks got hammered by the Magic in the paint in their three losses, but that has not been the case this year. New York is sixth in the league giving up 46.6 points in the paint per game. The Knicks typically do well to keep players out of the interior.
Orlando struggled with that especially in the loss in March. Orlando had only 26 points in the paint on 13-for-41 shooting against New York that day. The Magic cannot expect an easy path to the basket at any point.
Defending the paint is also key. Orlando ranks eighth in the league, giving up 47.7 points int he paint per game this season. New York is 19th in the league scoring 48.8 points in the paint per game. The Magic will want to keep the Knicks on the perimeter but they have to be wary of collapsing the paint too much.
It makes for a good clash of offensive styles.
In short, a lot of the offensive success that the Magic have found this season has come from how they control the painted area during games, leading this to be a big time story in a potential playoff series versus New York.
The great play from Banchero, the Orlando battle to win the painted area by getting inside early and often on offense and the tenacity to match New York on the boards are all things needed if Orlando wants to get a first round series win over New York