The Eastern Conference’s Big Three

Let me introduce to you, the band you’ve known for all these years...

The Orlando Magic?

No. 3 in glamour in the East, the new land of titans, it remains to be seen where the Magic will finish in the standings, or, more importantly, the conference draw.

Nevertheless, Orlando starts with several advantages:

It’s younger than the Celtics (but then who isn’t?)

It will have fewer distractions than the Heat (but who won’t?)

It has Dwight Howard.

Despite his limited repertoire (righty jump hook, occasional lefty jump hook, dunk) and a once-casual attitude toward the other end, he has been a monster in Coach Stan Van Gundy’s system.

Of course, there has been give and take, like Howard blurting “I have to get the ball,” after the Game 5 loss in Boston that put them down, 3-2, in their 2009 second-round series.

Typically, the Magic then came back to win Game 6 in Orlando and Game 7 in Boston.

Last season, with Vince Carter fitting worse the longer he was there, the Magic started 26-15, finished 33-8 and made it back to the East Finals.

If teams take their scheme from their coach and their spirit from their star, the Magic is in good shape.

At 24, Howard has missed three games in his six-year career, making up in sheer energy what he lacks in technique.

Meanwhile, even with his biggest, deepest team, Boston Coach Doc Rivers won’t let his veterans run white-hot as they have starting the last three seasons 29-3, 27-3 and 23-5... that’s 79-11 overall... before fatigue and injuries became factors.

Miami’s LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are 25, 26 and 28. Unfortunately, they face a level of distraction as unprecedented as their instant notoriety.

Miami is also the smallest team of the East elite, but no one may ever have had anything like James, Wade and Bosh.

The Lakers had superstar ensembles but Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West were 34, 32 and 30, respectively in 1968 when they joined up. Karl Malone was 40 and Gary Payton 35 in 2003 when they joined Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

The Heat isn’t likely to win 73 games as commentator Jeff Van Gundy suggested, but they could win a lot.

On the other hand, all three of these teams know the next six months are the skirmish before the storm.

mark.heisler@latimes.com