Magic Eyes 'Super Important' Homecourt Advantage in Playoffs

The Orlando Magic is one spot behind the New York Knicks for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Mar 23, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner (21) reacts during the / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

At this point in the NBA season, it's not about whether or not the Orlando Magic make the playoffs, it's about who they get to face, and even more importantly, where. Currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Magic is in a battle with the New York Knicks for the fourth seed.

The winner of that battle gets to host the other team in the first round of the NBA playoffs, giving them a huge advantage. The Magic have the 15th-best attendance in the NBA, but the Knicks, playing at Madison Square Garden, have the fourth-highest attendance. No matter who hosts the first-round playoff matchup, fans will buy up all the available tickets. It's just a matter of who's fans pile in.

Mar 23, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) drives to the / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

The Magic don't shy away from the fact that they are young and inexperienced and could benefit from playing in front of its own fans if a series were to go seven games.

"For a lot of us being our first time in the playoffs, I think it's gonna be super important that we have homecourt advantage," Wendell Carter Jr. said. "The fans have shown what they're capable of. They've had that place rocking a couple of nights so it just gives us even more drive to have some home-court advantage."

With an average age of only 24.5 years old and two stars in Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero who have never played in the playoffs before, playing at a familiar site will only be a positive for the Magic.

"It's gonna be big for us being able to potentially have a chance to have a home-court advantage going into playoffs," Markelle Fultz said. "We just want to put on for our fans and we understand how important it is to win at home."

The Magic is 25-10 at home this season and 17-19 on the road, but it is 1-1 at Madison Square Garden and 3-1 against the Knicks as a whole, so playing an extra road game doesn't necessarily mean the end of an already successful season.