Dwight Howard could miss the remainder of the regular season with a herniated disk in his lower back. And that injury could have a major impact on the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Howard has been complaining of back pain since March 30, but the source was not discovered until yesterday. The team won't set a target for his return until they see how he responds to treatment.
For comparison, Amar'e Stoudemire of the Knicks has been dealing with a similar back problem and hasn't played since March 24; Stoudemire could be back next week.
Howard's absence could have a significant impact on the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket. If the season ended today, the Magic would be the six seed in the East. But Orlando is 3-7 in their last ten games, three games ahead of the Knicks and Sixers. New York and Philly have identical 31-28 records, but the Knicks would be the seventh seed due to a tiebreaker.
Could the Knicks or Sixers make up that three-game deficit with seven games to play? It's certainly possible. But the Knicks have a very tough upcoming schedule; they'll play Miami on Sunday and Boston on Tuesday. If they win one or both of those games they'll be in excellent shape, as three of their remaining five opponents - the Nets, Cavs and Bobcats - aren't very good.
The Sixers are stumbling towards the finish line as well, with a 4-6 record in their last ten games, but they have an opportunity to make up ground on Orlando when they play the Magic on Monday night. Unfortunately for Doug Collins' team, the Magic game is the first of a three-games-in-three-nights stretch that includes games against the Pacers (currently the third seed in the East) and at the Cavaliers. The Sixers finish out their schedule with five straight road games... after the Cleveland game, they'll travel to Indiana, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Detroit.
Five of Orlando's last seven games are on the road: in Cleveland, Boston, Utah, Denver and Memphis. The remaining two are the head-to-head matchup with Philly, which is the second game of a back-to-back set, and what should be a gimme against the Bobcats.
I don't think the Magic will fall out of the playoffs - they're five games ahead of ninth-place Milwaukee with seven to go. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Howard-less Magic fall to eighth and a first-round matchup with the Bulls.
