If the Hawks and Magic meet in the Eastern Conference playoffs in three weeks, will Wednesday night's regular-season game have any bearing on the matchup?
It depends on which coach or player you asked.
Hawks coach Larry Drew and guard Joe Johnson said it would. Hawks forward Josh Smith and guard Jamal Crawford, along with and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, said it wouldn't.
Orlando stands fourth in the East, and the Hawks are fifth. If they end that way, the teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs, with Orlando holding home-court advantage.
"I think it's definitely a carryover," Drew said before the fourth and final regular-season meeting. "We want to approach this game like it has true meaning, which it does. Win, lose or draw we have to come out and establish ourselves and compete and play hard.
"The last thing you want to do in a game like this is not play with an aggressive instinct."
The Magic swept the Hawks by an NBA-record margin of 101 points in the East semifinals last season. The Hawks held a 2-1 advantage in the series this season before Wednesday.
"Even last year, we didn't feel like they were 25 points [a game] better than us," Crawford said. "We were a three seed last year. And this year we have had some good matchups. But everyone knows the regular season goes out the window."
Etc.
Johnson returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing one game with a sprained right thumb. He wore a protective pad wrapped in a bandage, but winced in pain while deflecting a pass early in the game. "If I get smacked on it real good, it will probably sting," he said before the game. "But I should be all right." ... Fans can bid on two tickets to the April 11 Hawks game against Miami at Philips Arena and a postgame meet-and-greet with center Etan Thomas. The auction proceeds benefit Penn Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, which seeks to advance medical science through research and education. Details are at charitybuzz.com. ... After ESPN canceled its plans to televise the Hawks' regular-season finale at Charlotte, SportSouth announced that it will air the April 13 game.
