By Josh Cohen
Aug. 4, 2010

ORLANDO -- When I wake up on the morning of Friday, Oct. 29, I certainly don’t expect it to feel like any typical day.

I foresee plenty of abnormal prattling at the breakfast shop where I generally pick up some eggs and a protein bar.

I anticipate to be more energized at the fitness center that I generally work out at. Aside from a jog on the treadmill, some bench press repetitions and a share of abdominal crunches, I imagine adding some extra exercises to my gym routine.

When I talk to friends and acquaintances, I expect conversations to be very concentrated on basketball. Opinions will be flying around, emotions will be very pungent and arguments may be a little more animated than usual.

Chills will almost definitely run down my spine and butterflies will absolutely exhume from inside.

On this atypical day, the Orlando Magic will get their first crack at the revamped Miami Heat. It will be their initial opportunity to prove they are still the more superior team in this newly-established, but rapidly evolving, Sunshine State rivalry.

Since the week when LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to unite with Dwyane Wade in Miami earlier this summer, much of the chit-chatter around central Florida has been placed on this new-fangled rivalry. NBA fanatics have turned to one another and curiously asked, “Can the Magic beat the Heat?”

Just two days before celebrating one of the more popular holidays in American culture, Halloween, will it be Magic or Heat fans that deliver the initial scare to their adversaries?

Although the game on Oct. 29 will be in South Beach at American Airlines Arena, I expect a hefty number of Magic fans to be present. If not at the game in Miami, nonetheless, every Magic supporter will undoubtedly be in front of a television to watch this highly-anticipated showdown.

Start stacking up on an extra supply of hors d'oeuvres, including those delicious pigs in a blanket, potato skins and stuffed tomatoes. Begin decorating the entertainment venue of your house with Magic posters, flags and other paraphernalia. Send out the party invitations or if you plan to watch the game from a restaurant, consider making a reservation.

If you and your friends agree, you could turn this event into a premature Halloween party. I’m sure there is at least one brave soul in your group of friends that will dress up as Stan Van Gundy (we once hosted a Van Gundy look-alike contest during the 2009 NBA Finals).

This will be a Friday night to remember. It may ultimately be the kind of night you will one day tell your grandchildren about. This may be the most important regular season game in Magic franchise history. It may sound like I am embellishing the moment, but if you look at it closely; this is a very significant occasion.

A win against the Heat in Miami’s home opener would send a very meaningful message to Orlando’s division enmities. It’s somewhat important, despite it being just the first week of the regular season, to jolt the “Big Three.”

Let the games begin!