ESPN NBA

Updated: January 21, 2009, 3:13 PM ET

PER Diem: Jan. 20, 2009

There's a very real chance that you'll be seeing a lot more of the Magic than you expected come June.

Comment Email Print Share

By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
Archive

Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty ImagesMight want to get out of the way. Dwight Howard and the Magic are coming on through.

And the league's best record this morning belongs to … neither of them.

With Cleveland's loss to the Lakers on Monday night, Orlando is half a game ahead of both teams, at 33-8, on pace for a 66-win season that would come as a huge shock to darn near everyone.

Orlando is also No. 1 in the Power Rankings this morning, pushing past Cleveland, L.A. and Boston based on the Magic's recent performances -- most notably a four-game Western swing in which they took out all three division leaders.

While I suspect they're just renting the No. 1 Power Rankings spot from Cleveland until Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West return, the fact is Orlando is in prime position to take the top seed in the East … and with it have the inside track on a thoroughly unexpected run to the Finals.

How good have the Magic been? They've been good enough to beat Utah on the road without Dwight Howard, and to win four out of five when Jameer Nelson checked out. They've had only two losses by double figures, and one of them came in Boston when Nelson was hurt. They're 33-6 since an 0-2 start, and 17-3 in their past 20 games … even though 13 of those 20 were on the road.

We complained about Orlando's early-season schedule, but in the Magic's past 10 games their opponents have a combined .533 mark, and the Magic have a plus-11.55 point differential. Seven of the games were on the road.

In the 10 games prior to that stretch they went only 8-2 with a plus-10.50 point differential, with wins over New Orleans and the Lakers at home and road victories in Portland and Utah.

Though nobody thinks of them this way, they've become a lockdown defensive team that's pushing for the league lead in defensive efficiency. Orlando has given up more than 105 points just three times all season … and one of those came in a game they won by 32.

And at the other end, they're a walking shooting clinic that ranks first in both 3-pointers and 3-point percentage … and those ace shooters surround the league's best center, leaving opponents to pick their poison.

Wait, it gets better. The Magic have done all of their hard traveling now and don't go west of Houston the rest of the season. They have all of their key players reasonably healthy, and their top four players have very strong durability records. And they have home games against Boston and Cleveland in the next 10 days, giving them a chance to extend their lead in the East.

Size it all up, and with every passing day it becomes less and less improbable that the Orlando Magic will end up with the NBA's best record this season. Today's Playoff Odds give them a 50.9 percent shot at the East's top seed, projecting them to nudge past Cleveland by a game with a final record of 64-18.

At various times this season we've had our eye on the Lakers, Boston and Cleveland, as each has taken off on a torrid run that had us thinking they were blitzing toward a title. Now it's Orlando's turn, except its hot streak hasn't been for 10 games or even 29 games … it's been for half a season, and it's still going strong. If you haven't been paying attention, take notice, because come June there's a very real chance that you'll be seeing a lot more of the Magic than you expected.

John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To e-mail him, click here.