Knicks vs. Magic Holds Vital Implications, Playoff Preview?

The current NBA standings have the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic meeting in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Heading into a Friday night meeting at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG), the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic are trending in opposite directions as their respective stretch runs begin.

Since their last meeting on Feb. 14, a 118-100 Magic win that saw New York dress only nine men, the Knicks are 3-4 while the Magic have won seven of eight and currently hold the NBA's longest active winning streak at five, which has allowed them to leap into fourth place on the Eastern Conference leaderboard. That game served as both sides' final showing before Jalen Brunson and Paolo Banchero left for the All-Star Game in Indianapolis.

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If the season ended today, Orlando (37-26) would host New York (36-26) as the fourth seed in the opening round of the Eastern playoffs. That's hardly good news for the Knicks, who have dropped each of their first three meetings to the Magic this season.

Injuries could partly be blamed (OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic, Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson all missed the game on Valentine's Day) but Orlando was one of two teams to get the best of the Knicks in January, stealing a 98-94 win at MSG.

Over the first three meetings, Orlando has eaten away at the rebounding game, one of the Knicks' biggest, most consistent strengths. The Knicks have not won the board battle in only 16 games this season (the fewest such occasions in the NBA) but three have come against the Magic alone. 

The Knicks obviously hope that, come playoff time, they will get healthier, as injuries are once again set to to play a role in a meeting with the Magic. Anunoby, Randle, and Robinson are still out indefinitely while Brunson could miss his second straight game thanks to an ankle contusion that kept him out of Tuesday's loss to Atlanta.

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While Friday's game does hold plenty of weight, especially in determining homecourt advantage for the crucial games in a hypothetical best-of-seven, calling it a playoff preview feels like a stretch. So much can change between March and April and the Knicks certainly hope that's the case once all is said and done.