Last year, the Orlando Magic spoiled what was destined to be a network television dream – Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James in the NBA Finals.

Could they be at it again?

Last night, the Magic disposed of the Charlotte Bobcats in the opening round of the playoffs…completing a 4-game sweep of a team whose franchise was making its postseason debut.  And while many pundits might not be impressed consider this:

The Bobcats shot better from the field, shot better from the free throw line, and averaged more assists per game than the Magic in this series.  Charlotte came to compete in this series, but the intangibles of Orlando put them over the top.

Dwight “Superman” Howard averaged only 26 minutes per contest against Charlotte.  The recently-crowned Defensive Player of the Year put up a mere 9.75 ppg and 9.25 rpg (although he did supersize his blocks, swatting five per game).  The Bobcats did a great job of attacking the middle to keep Howard in foul trouble.

As the playoffs continue, the Magic may look at this first round series as the moment that their confidence was solidified.  Orlando proved that it can win games with the big fellow out of the lineup.  Jameer Nelson looked like he was at St. Joseph’s again.  Rashard Lewis contributed his usual consistent play, canning 12 three-pointers in the series.  Matt Barnes was in his element, providing feisty defense and timely offense.  And Mickael Pietrus – who took all but two of his shots from behind the three-point arc – shot at a 50% clip.

Mickael Pietrus, already known as a top-flight defender, has developed into a three-point specialist.

These role players certainly did an outstanding job of contributing to a total team effort in advancing into the second round.  But perhaps the biggest question mark entering the postseason was projected to be Vince Carter’s play.  After Hedo Turkoglu put together such a stellar postseason run with the Magic last year, he was a hot commodity – and sure enough he got overpaid by the Toronto Raptors (who were obviously hoping for the best, but got bamboozled).  But looking back at last year’s run – Turkoglu was the indespensible playmaker on a team with versatility, length, and balance.

In steps Vince Carter.  No one was skeptical about his talent, but everyone was wondering how he was going to fit into the mold of the Magic.  And many (including myself) thought that Orlando had allowed itself to take a small step backwards – a silent indication that revealed our trues feelings about his anticipated performance come playoff time.  Quite frankly, major questions were raised as to whether he could get it done like Hedo did a year ago.

Well, the jury’s still out on that.  Carter had nice, but not overwhelming, production in Round One – putting up 15.5 ppg and only committing 1.5 turnovers per game.  Most impressively, he did not dominate the ball.  Instead, he openly played within the flow of the offense and made plays when Orlando desperately needed him to do so.  And that’s the balance that will bring the magic back to Vince Carter’s game.

And, with the other playoff-tested pieces already in position, Carter might take the Magic back to a familiar place – the NBA Finals.