Eastern Conference chaos paving way for Washington Wizards playoff berth

Orlando Magic

There’s not much to blame the Orlando Magic for. On the contrary, you’ve got to admire that they’re still in the playoff picture with just 27 games to go. But something just isn’t right about this Magic team, who went 3-7 over their last 10 before the break.

Nikola Vucevic has yet to play as the All-Star they so desperately need, and while Markelle Fultz is experiencing quite the renaissance in Orlando, they aren’t scoring the ball at a high level.

The Magic are putting up just 103.9 points per game, which ranks them 29th in the league, per NBA.com. And the frustrating part is that this all comes while serving as a defensive fortitude nightly. Orlando ranks top-10, if not top-5, in nearly every team defensive stat.

But for whatever reason, their defense isn’t translating to offense, directly on the court. In fact, in eight of their last fourteen games, Orlando has been limited to 100 or fewer points. Whatever it is, the magic just isn’t there for this team or their efforts offensively.

One thing they’ve got going in their favor is a season series sweep over the Wizards. Washington has lost all four matchups against the Magic this season, by an average of 16.5 points. Luckily for the Wizards, Orlando’s immediate schedule isn’t easy, by any means.

The Magic will play seven of their next ten on the road, almost entirely against teams in the playoff hunt. Washington needs them to continue freefalling, because if it comes down to a tiebreaker, the Wizards are going to have flashbacks to each four of those matchups, nightly.

The Eastern Conference isn’t as sturdy as it was thought to be at the start of the season. Only five games separate the 7th, 8th, and 9th seeds.

If the Washington Wizards can pick up where they left off, while the rest of the East crumbles; well they may have a real shot at the playoffs appearance they so strongly desire.