What They're Saying: Magic vs. Pacers 4/12

Magic (57-23) vs. Pacers (32-48) Time/TV: 7 p.m./Sun Sports Key Matchup: Vince Carter (16.7 PPG, 42.6% FG%; 13.3 PPG, 14-44 FG vs. Pacers) vs. Danny Granger (24.4 PPG, 43.3% FG%; 26.8 PPG, 40.2% FG% last five games) Season Series: Won 106-98 in Orlando on Dec. 14; Lost 97-90 in Indianapolis on Jan. 5; Won 109-98 in Orlando on Jan. 20; Tonight in Indianapolis. -Orlando will face Charlotte in the first round if the Bobcats lose either of their final two games or the Heat win either of their final two games. -Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes Stan Van Gundy could be proven a genius for continuing to play his starters if he can get his team to the Finals with the home court advantage. -George Diaz of The Orlando Sentinel writes what we have all known this season: for the Magic, it is title or bust. -Mark Schlueb of The Orlando Sentinel reports on a subcontractor at the Amway Center which is not doing its job or has passed on its certification to another company from outside Orlando. Unfortunately, this appears to be a common occurrence in big construction jobs. -Stan Van Gundy says the MVP award is all but decided. Hint: it is LeBron James. -Orlando prepared for LeBron James before Sunday's game, but then quickly had to re-adjust when the team learned James would not play. After a first half to forget, the Magic rallied for a victory. -Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star catches up with Courtney Lee, who we all know went from the top to the bottom in the Vince Carter trade. -Indiana public address announcer Rob Porter is retiring and will be honored at halftime tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse. -There was not much to take out of Sunday's win in Cleveland to prepare Orlando for the playoffs. -Los Angeles lost to Portland, leaving home court in the Finals in Orlando's hands. -Ben Q Rock of Orlando Pinstriped Post writes Cleveland did not go for the kill and did not go for the win while playing in a close game in the fourth quarter (Mike Brown elected not to foul down six points with a minute to play and holding out Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison for the fourth quarter) as Orlando came from behind to win the game. -Orlando came back from a 16-point deficit and struggled mightily early with a poor effort against a LeBron-less Cleveland team, writes Andrew Melnick of Howard the Dunk. -Indiana is not known for winning (this season, at least), but a win tonight would give the team its third five-game win streak of the year. -Tom Lewis of Indy Cornrows takes a moment to watch a Pacers game through the eyes of an eight-year-old. And finds it surprisingly entertaining. -Reggie Miller says on the Dan Patrick Show that if Kobe Bryant and LeBron James switched places, James would make the Lakers a better team. -Josh Dhani of Always Miller Time is excited about Indiana getting its fourth straight win. The Pacers have won 10 of their last 12 now. -Jared Wade of Eight Points, Nine Seconds writes no defense was played as the suddenly hot Pacers defeated the relatively hot Nets on Saturday. -John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com reports Stan Van Gundy decided two weeks ago to keep the starters on the floor and go for the second best record in the league. -Dr. Jack Ramsay of ESPN writes the Magic-Cavaliers series could be the best of this postseason. -Indiana is finishing its season on a hot streak, to the chagrin of fans hoping for a high draft pick. But Chad Smith of Bleacher/Report writes this streak has shown the Pacers what they have and where to go this summer to rebuild. -Mickael Pietrus scored all 12 of his points in the final quarter as Orlando completed a comeback victory against Cleveland yesterday. -Stan Van Gundy said after Sunday's game the Cavaliers are a much better team than last year. -With LeBron James on the bench, Brian Windhorst of Cleveland.com writes, Sunday's game became less than a preseason game. At least in preseason games, teams feign interest in winning. -Brian Windhorst of Cleveland.com questions Mike Brown's strategy of keeping Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison on the bench for the fourth quarter of a close game.