Previewing the Toronto Raptors series with the Orlando Magic
The Toronto Raptors face off against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. Can Orlando provide the Raptors a serious challenge in round one?
The NBA playoffs are finally here. After 58 wins, 24 losses, and more “load management” than anyone asked for, the Toronto Raptors are postseason bound. Their first-round opponent? The red-hot Orlando Magic.
Toronto has kept an eye on the playoffs all season. After winning a franchise record 59 games last year and earning the first number one overall seed in Raptor history, this team has accomplished enough during the regular season. Now, they’re searching for playoff success.
Spring and Summer glory has been a little more elusive for the Canadian franchise. Toronto has underperformed their seeding in postseason play the past few seasons, with last year’s sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers serving as the epitome of those disappointments.
But these aren’t last year’s Raptors. Toronto returns less than half of last year’s playoff rotation and under 50-percent of the previous season’s playoff minutes. Toronto is a new team, with a new set of expectations this postseason.
The Orlando Magic are entering the playoffs with an entirely different perspective. After six straight seasons of lottery-picks, tanking, and a whole lot of losing, the Orlando is happy just to make the final sixteen.
The Magic haven’t made the playoffs since Dwight Howard was on the team. He’s on his fifth team since that time.
Considering the circumstances, the Magic should be happy just to steal a game or two in a competitive series. However, with one of the league’s best records post-all-star break (the same as the Raptors), you’ll have to forgive them if they’re greedy for a bit more.
The Magic also did manage to steal two of the four regular-season matchups. With Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard each out for one of the losses, that may speak more to the Raptors rest schedule this season than either of the team’s respective rosters.
So do the Magic have any shot in the first round? How many games can they steal? We take a look at both sides of the ball, the matchup to watch, and give our series prediction.