NBA: 1 Thing fan bases of all 30 teams should be rooting for to close season

Orlando Magic

1 thing to root for: Avoid a first-round matchup with the New York Knicks

Since the NBA All-Star break, the Orlando Magic have surprisingly been one of the more consistent teams in the Eastern Conference. Aside from the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, there's a case to be made that the Magic might be the most dangerous team heading into the NBA playoffs.

Even though there aren't many that are going to give the Magic the credit that they probably deserve, because of their inexperience, I'm not sure there are any teams outside of the top two that truly want to see the Magic in a first-round playoff series. Specifically, heading into the last week of the regular season, the Magic should be rooting to avoid the New York Knicks or Miami Heat in a first-round series.

If the Magic had their choosing, I imagine they'd rather play the Cleveland Cavaliers or Indiana Pacers in a first-round series. The way the Knicks (when healthy) and Heat are able to defend, winning a series against one of those two teams could prove to be extremely difficult in the first round.