Everyone seems to think Nelson is ready to play

Jameer Nelson apparently is ready to play.

Whether that means the dynamic Orlando Magic point guard will be on the floor in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers tonight in Staples Center is another issue. He had surgery on his right shoulder Feb. 19 and hasn’t played in a game since Feb. 2.

“I think he is ready to play right now,” Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said Wednesday afternoon. “How much he can do, I don’t know. I don’t really think our guys need an emotional boost. I don’t think it’s going to be like a Willis Reed moment or anything.”

The Lakers are in the Finals for the second consecutive year, having lost to Boston in six games a year ago, and the Magic got here by knocking off the Celtics in the second round and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

“We’ve always been overlooked,” Magic center Dwight Howard said. “We were overlooked in the first series against Philly, overlooked against the Cavs. And we’re still overlooked. So we understand that. We don’t want to be a team that everybody picks to win.”

That wouldn’t even be the case if Nelson had been in the lineup during the playoffs.

Nelson’s availability has been called a game-time decision.

“We haven’t come across that bridge yet,” he said. “I think our focus right now for myself individually is to get through yesterday’s practice, today’s practice, and be evaluated by the people who need to evaluate me.”

He joked about who would make the call, saying: “Everybody in the world. Media here. Everybody. Everybody has a say-so on this.”

The Lakers are obviously preparing for all scenarios involving Nelson. Or not.

“It’s always tough for a guy that has been out for a while to come back at this time,” the Lakers’ Pau Gasol said. “It’s a pretty big challenge, I think for a player and as a team too, because they’ve been playing without him for this long and they have been doing pretty good.”

Chemistry is always a delicate issue.

“Well, it’s in the back of your mind,” said Nelson, who averaged 27.5 points against the Lakers this season. “I know I can adapt to any situation. I know Coach would put me in a situation that would make me and my teammates successful. He’s been doing that since I’ve been here. He’s a big reason why I’m an All-Star.

“Like I said, you just want to play. You never know when you’re going to get back to the Finals.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com