NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference: Raptors vs Magic (2v7)
The NBA playoffs are set and with the end of march madness, basketball attention has completely shifted towards the NBA. All eyes on the star-studded cast of characters set to fight to keep their seasons alive. The East is filled with rosters of blue-chip, playoff-experienced talent, many NBA franchises are proud to have even made the post-season having low expectations the year prior. Without further introduction, here is the matchups filling in for the bottom half of the Eastern Conference bracket.
Toronto Raptors #2
It comes to no surprise that the Raptors are amount the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Following a top seeded season with a far weaker and inexperienced roster, the Raptors’ current roster has proven to be not only be an Eastern Conference favorite, but a championship contender. Nick Nurse and the entire Raptors training staff has done nothing short of spectacular when handling the complexity of the “Kawhi Leonard Situation”. The Raptors management has treated their one-year MVP rental, Kawhi Leonard, as the gatekeeper of the 6ix. The Klaw has been averaging a career high 26.6 ppg and has been in the discussion as being the best player in the Eastern Conference. With 22 games off for Kawhi due to “load management”, expect a fresh animal to unleash come playoff time.
But the most interest part about this team is the myriad styles of play and personalities with in the team’s roster. The Raptors seems to have a solid mix of young and veteran personnel that can provides and edge that no other team brings in the East. Young guys like Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, and MIP Candidate Pascal Siakam provide the energy and hunger, while veterans like All-Star Kyle Lowry, who has made one Eastern Conference Finals appearance, former champion with the Spurs Danny Green, and 3 time All-Star Marc Gasol provide that playoff DNA the Raptors have never had before. The Raptors have had a tough time in the playoffs, underachieving a countless amount of times postseason after postseason. But if there is a year that one can predict Toronto will be NBA champions, this is the season.
Orlando Magic #7
Orlando is back in the playoffs for the first time in the “Post-Dwight Howard Era”. Led by All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, young star Aaron Gordon, and veterans Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross, the Magic are this years Southeast Division Champions. A great deal of credit must be given to head coach Steve Clifford for getting this team to this point. Coach Clifford in his first season in a new setting has ended Orlando’s longest playoff drought in franchise history. The addition of second-year stud Jonathan Issac, the Magic are doing this without their lottery pick Mo Bamba.
As a team who was the outside looking in for the majority of the season, the Magic were able to slide past the Hornets and the Heat who have battled for the Southeast division for the later half of the season. The culture of the team has permeated all throughout the roster. With no real playoff experience present on the roster, the Magic are an excited a young squad who is ready to make some noise in the playoffs.
MATCHUP
Its a battle between two division champions. The Raptors of the Atlantic vs the Magic of the Southeast. With a season split between the two teams at 2-2, this series poses some interesting matchups. The first being the length and energy of the magic’s youth against the MVP talent of Kawhi Leonard. Its going to be hard to stop Kawhi on the defensive side for Orlando, but the length of Jonathan Issac and the athleticism of Aaron Gordon can provide somewhat of a challenge for Leonard if anything.
Another matchup that catches my eye is the battle inside the paint. Orlando is a team that is very long and frontcourt-heavy. The Magic thrive in half-court play by playing through Vucevic inside and out. Not to mention that both Issac and Gordon are three-point scoring threats. A tough challenge for Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol to handle. The Raptors on the other hand love to push the pace and run the floor with Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam usually speeding the tempo of the game. Its going to be interesting to see which team’s style of play will dictate the pace of the game/
The last matchup highlighted are the guard play between the two teams. Danny Green has proven to be a reliable 3-and-D wing, Fred VanVleet has come off the bench and provided playmaking and scoring, and Kyle Lowry is having nothing short of a spectacular season setting a career high 8.7 assists per game. On the flip side, the Magic have been relying on the scoring of veteran guard Evan Fournier. He has been terrific for the Magic averaging a little over 15 points per game.
This series is the Raptors series to lose. The Raptors are top 5 in both offensive and defensive net rating, and seem to match up very well against this Magic squad in every aspect except for post play. The Raptors have had trouble during the postseason in the past, but expect a quick series win for the Raptors. Any series longer than 5 games will be a success for the Orlando Magic.