Tonight is the last meeting between the Magic and the Lakers this year.

Or . . . is . . . it?

The answer: Not necessarily.

This really isn't a trick question anymore.

Because it's no longer a far-fetched notion that the Magic might have to find a seat for Jack Nicholson during the NBA Finals at Amway Arena.

Think about the possibilities:

Kobe vs. Dwight.

Phil Jackson vs. Stan Van Gundy.

Rodeo Drive vs. I-Drive.

Gucci vs. Goofy.

Magic vs. Lakers . . . in June?

"It's not far-fetched at all because it's a reality for us," all-star center Dwight Howard said Thursday. "If we play like we've been playing and stay hungry, yes, we can be there. We can win a championship."

The defending champion Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as the annoying Detroit Pistons might have something to say about the Magic's postseason passage through the Eastern Conference.

But for the first time since their glory days of the mid '90s, there's a sense that something special is evolving with this team.

Fittingly for a team looking to take off, the Magic practiced on Thursday inside an old airplane hangar that was converted into a gym.

"Why can't we win it? Everything is pretty solid," veteran Tony Battie said. "Who don't we match up well against? It's a good thing we're flying under the radar and that people doubt us. Sometimes, you don't need to smell the roses; sometimes, you need to stay in the trenches."

Quick to dispel such lofty thinking -- and its accompanying distractions -- Coach Stan Van Gundy said it's way too early for such talk. "You don't know now who you'll be at the end of the season," he said.

The Magic seemingly are getting ahead of themselves after being KO'd by Detroit in Round 2 last postseason, though Howard makes them a force strong enough to skip steps in the postseason-aging process.

They need no other examples of how quickly things can come together than last season's historic turnaround by Boston's Traveling All-Stars and the emergence of the 2006-7 Cavs, who rode LeBron out of the darkness and into the NBA Finals.

And the Lakers made it to the 2008 Finals against the Celtics, but not until working in new acquisition Pau Gasol after midseason.

"I definitely believe we can win a championship this year," point guard Jameer Nelson said. "We're not going to get complacent. We realize we haven't done anything. We really don't get satisfied. Nobody on this team has a championship ring. But we believe. We believe we have the pieces."

An historic sweep against the Spurs and the Lakers -- two franchises that have won a combined seven titles the past decade -- would allow the Magic to fortify their case as title contenders. They haven't been able to pull off a sweep in 41 previous games against L.A., dating to 1989.

The Magic beat the Lakers 106-103 in Orlando on Dec. 20 despite 41 points by Kobe Bryant.

Van Gundy calls the Lakers a "great" team, adding, "I can't think of anything they don't have."

Howard said that adding two Lakers wins to their r?sum? might help the image of a team he says "doesn't get a lot of credit."

Howard remembered telling Kobe and some other NBA teammates during the Olympics last summer to watch out for the Magic.

His advice was not well-received.

"I was telling the other guys that the Magic were going to be a great team. They kind of laughed it off," Howard said.

"The way we ended last season we gave them a legitimate reason to laugh it off, but we came back this year working even harder. All I want is to be there at the end."

Maybe the Magic will get a last laugh . . . in June.