Let’s face it. Few Southeast sports fans care about the NBA before April. Hell, I probably watched three full regular season games all year. The NBA playoff system, which awards eight teams in each conference a spot, renders the regular season utterly meaningless. Then there’s the perception that the majority of NBA players play little to no defense until the playoffs, and that every game can be reduced to a few highlights – a dunk, a three pointer, a rough foul – and nothing much else is missed.

There are obvious exceptions. A few games during the regular season have the same feeling as the playoffs, and it captures your attention on a cold Wednesday night in the middle of winter.

In December, the Boston Celtics played the Detroit Pistons for the first time all season. At halftime the Celtics, who had only lost two games all season, led 52-45, but the game was tighter than a pair of vintage basketball shorts. The Pistons kept it close in the second half and outscored the Celtics 42-33 for an 87-85 win.

“It was playoff-intense, pretty aggressive out there,” Pistons' head coach Flip Saunders told the Associated Press after the game. “I would say, by far, it was the most aggressive game this season, with all five guys going against each other. It got a little bit chippy, so it was a little bit playoff-like atmosphere.”

The game was an accurate indicator of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Boston was No. 1. Detroit was a very close second. Then there was everybody else.

Rising from the mix like oil in a glass of water was the Magic. Very early in the season the Magic established itself as the third best team in the East. They weren’t in same league as the Pistons or Celtics, but they were better than the mass of mediocre teams in the conference.

The Magic won 52 games, the third highest in franchise history, mostly because of their consistent perimeter shooting. Point guard Jameer Neslon, shooting guard Anthony Parker, small forward Hedo Turkoglu and power forward Rashard Lewis averaged at least 40 percent from beyond the arch, and the Magic were the first team in NBA history to make at least five 3-point field goals in all 82 regular season games.

Center Dwight Howard contributed mightily in the frontcourt. He grabbed nearly 15 rebounds per game and scored almost 21 points. He was the youngest player in NBA history to have the most rebounds in the league. Turkoglu was honored similarly as the league’s most improved player. He averaged career highs in points (19.5), rebounds per game (5.7) and assists (5).

Though the strong, talented roster secured their playoff spot in March, they still weren’t in the top tier of the conference. The Magic’s record in close games was horrendous. In games decided by three points or less they were 6-6. In games decided by four or five points they were 4-5. At the same time they weren’t able to consistently defeat teams with a .500 mark or better (19-19). This prevented the Magic from advancing any higher in the conference.

In the first round of the playoffs they faced an average Toronto Raptors team. The Magic won the first two games easily, but struggled in Game 3 losing 108-94. Relying on the 3-point shot wasn’t an issue until they stopped making them. Though the Magic won the series, advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, thier vulnerability was exposed in the Game 3 loss. They only made 6-of-27 from beyond the arch.