How the Arizona Cardinals and Orlando Magic are somewhat alike.

The Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers last night, though came very close to pulling off the upset. Many sports pundits doubted whether or not the Cardinals were a legitimate playoff team, let alone a Superbowl team up until kickoff of the game. After last nights showing, they proved they were, yet came up short regardless.

The Orlando Magic are coming off one of their most successful road trips to date, a thumping of the Cavs, and are riding high in the league. However, sporting one of the best records in the NBA still doesn't prove to the brass of the sports world that they are legit. A team with the best big man in the league, 2 All-Star reserves at the foward and guard positions, and a record of 36-10 is not considered a legitimate title contender. And why is that?

So 2 teams, 2 different sports, yet are comparable in terms of talent and the respect they receive. Let's take a look...

• Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are the most dynamic and exciting receiving duos in the NFL. Both have 1,000 yard and multiple touchdown seasons year after year. Yet both are constantly overlooked when talked about as the "stars" of the league.

• Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Both average nearly 20 points a game. Both help their team in other categories nearly every night, whether it be rebounding or dishing out some assists. And both are key players to a team that is 36-10. Yet, both are constantly overlooked when talked about as the "stars" of the league. Now, some can make an argument about considering these two players "stars", however, how many people would mention their names when talking about the top 15 forwards in this league?

• Both teams have rookies who have surpassed expectations in their young careers. Dominique Rodger-Cromartie has turned into one of the best young cornerbacks in the game, while Courtney Lee has shown he could one day develop into one of the best defenders in the league.

• Ken Whisenhunt and Stan Van Gundy. Both, err....remind me to send Whisenhunt an email to grow a stache.

Both teams have surpassed expectations that the ESPNs and other sports analysts gave them in the beginning of the season. While the Magic still have a while to go before the playoffs, it's safe to assume barring a complete and utter meltdown that they are a lock for one of the top seeds in their conference. Both teams are very young and hungry for a championship their respective franchises have lacked in their history. And both teams are severly underrated when talked about among their leagues "elite".

The Cardinals surprised alot of people this year, but if you paid any attention, you knew this team was bound to breakout after putting the right pieces on that team. The Magic are doing the same, and if the Cardinals proved anything this year it's that anything is possible, and the Magic have a legitimate shot at playing for that championship this year. Let's just hope the outcome is slightly different for us.


Credit: John Raoux (AP) and Getty Images for the photos.