Orlando Magic Tickets

The Orlando Magic have taken a major jump this year into a legitimate Eastern Conference title contender. They are currently 38-12 and have a commanding lead in the Southeast Division.

However, a recent injury could prove to be their demise. Point guard Jameer Nelson, who has shown dramatic improvement since last season, was diagnosed with a torn labrum and will miss the rest of the season.

The improvement and stability at the point guard position was the main reason for Orlando's rise this year, so it's a major question whether or not they can overcame such a devastating injury.

Nelson's outside shooting has improved dramatically and he has shown the ability to orchestrate the offense, something he wasn't particularly good at in college.

The Magic will need a number of players to step up in Nelson's absence, with rookie Courtney Lee shouldering a lot of the burden. Anthony Johnson and Keith Bogans could also see increased minutes.

Dwight Howard continues to improve and has now established himself as one of the top centers in the NBA. Howard still has plenty of room to improve further, which is a really scary thought.

Howard is putting up monster numbers right now, averaging 20.6 points and an astounding 14.1 rebounds per game.

Thanks to Howard and sharp-shooters Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turgolu, the Magic have a very nice inside-outside game that is hard to stop. It makes it very difficult to slow down their offense because it is multi-dimensional.

Due to injuries, shooting guard J.J. Redick has saw the increased time he has been begging his coaches for. Unfortunately for the sharp-shooter, he has played very unevenly and made himself look foolish for whining about his playing time.

One other thing this Magic team desperately needs is some veteran leadership. There is no true leader on this team, just a collection of players who get along and mesh well together. That's never a bad thing, either, but it might help if they had a fiery leader.