The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best team in the NBA, having compiled the best regular season record (66-16) and sweeping each of its first two playoff series against Detroit and Atlanta, respectively.
Facing their most daunting challenge of the year, the Orlando Magic had better hope they can pull out a series victory.
Because their time is running out.
Yes, the Magic have won more than 50 games in each of the past two seasons, and yes, they have the best big man in the game in Dwight Howard.
But that only goes so far.
Forward Hedo Turkoglu is opting out of his contract after the year, and resigning him is looking less and less likely.
He may love Orlando, but he is going to get paid, and that is bad news for the Magic.
Orlando has more than $63 million currently tied up for next season, which makes it unlikely the team will resign Turkoglu to a $13 million- to $15 million-per-year contract, which he will command on the open market.
The NBA will have a smaller cap next season, and although the Magic will be able to sign him, Turkoglu's potential contract would handicap the Magic for the foreseeable future.
Orlando already has more than $40 million invested in Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Neslon for the next four seasons.
The Magic have faced criticism all season and in the playoffs regarding their shoot 3-pointers first, ask questions later policy. But it has worked, with Orlando competing in its first Eastern Conference Finals since 1996.
But without Turkoglu, the likelihood that this team has continued success is small. Even though he is really awkward-looking, he is able to get to the basket consistently and draw fouls, one of the key elements of the Magic offense.
So from a performance standpoint, it would behoove Orlando to keep Turkoglu, but from a fiscal one, it's not the right move.
If the Magic did, nearly all of their cap space would be tied up in four players, and guard Mickael Pietrus is already earning most of the mid-level exception, and you can guarantee that he will be exercising his player option for 2011-12.
Signing Turkoglu will probably preclude the Magic from keeping backup center Marcin Gortat, which would be awful for a team that has almost no depth in the front court. And forget keeping Rafer Alston, who is the kind of guard that thrives in the Orlando system.
So enjoy the run, Magic fans, and have fun shelling out way too much money to see games in the ridiculously hard to navigate downtown Orlando, because this can't last.
Not with Turkoglu and not without him.
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