"It's Us Against the World" <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Several Orlando Magic players lingered in the locker room Wednesday night to watch their destiny and destination unfold hundreds of miles away. They had done their part in the playoff puzzle, routing the Miami Heat 94-68 to close the regular season at Amway Arena. Assembled in front of a flat-screen television afterward, they had an interest in the game between the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. But if it was a rooting interest, they couldn't let on. To do so would mean the Magic had no faith in their chances to upset the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the postseason, so they mocked their situation with gallows humor. "We want Detroit!" center Dwight Howard said, laughing. And it's Detroit they'll get. The Magic will face the Pistons in the best-of-seven series starting this weekend, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. They could have avoided facing the seasoned Pistons -- who posted the best record in the Eastern Conference at 53-29 -- if the Pacers had beaten the Wizards. Instead of drawing the Cleveland Cavaliers, they are stuck with the Pistons after the Wizards prevailed against the Pacers 98-95 to hang on to the No. 7 spot and relegate the Magic to No. 8. The Wizards needed to win to finish a game ahead of Orlando because the Magic owned the tiebreaker (division record). The Orlando-Detroit best-of-seven series will begin either Saturday or Sunday at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. After the Wizards-Pacers game, Magic players immediately donned an "Us Against The World" mantra. "It doesn't matter if nobody believes in us," point guard Jameer Nelson said. "All that matters is that the guys in this locker room believe it." The Pistons swept the Magic in the season series and have an experienced team that won the NBA title in 2003-04. "I'm like Dwight. Let's play Detroit," said Grant Hill, the ex-Piston. "But you got to believe or you're defeated from the start. It's going to be hard, but the pressure is on them, not us."</div> Source: Orlando Sentinel
