Playoff Preview: Magic v. Raptors (First Round Match up)

Playoff Preview: Magic Roster

The Orlando Magic made some noise in the offseason, signing face and future of the franchise Dwight Howard to a multi-year extension and trading for Rashard Lewis to complete the Orlando Magic’s formidable frontcourt tandem. With Hedo Turkoglu on the perimeter to hit big shots, the Orlando Magic roster had finally taken shape. Take a look at the Orlando Magic depth chart:

• Point Guard: Jameer Nelson, Carlos Arroyo


• Shooting Guard: Maurice Evans, Keyon Dooling, J.J. Redick


• Small Forward: Hedo Turkoglu, Keith Bogans


• Power Forward: Rashard Lewis, Brian Cook, Pat Garrity, Tony Battie


• Center: Dwight Howard, Adonal Foyle, James Augustine, Marcin Gortat

Playoff Preview: Magic Season

By signing big man Dwight Howard for the long haul and bringing in a sharp shooter in Rashard Lewis and a new coach in Stan Van Gundy, the 2007-08 season marked the beginning of a new era in Orlando Magic basketball. The Orlando Magic started the season by winning nine of its first 10 games on the road en route to an impressive 16-4 start – matching the best 20-game start in franchise history. The Orlando Magic proved that their streaking success was no fluke, tallying big wins over the NBA’s elite teams – the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics twice, and the Detroit Pistons twice. Hedo Turkoglu – a contender for the Most Improved Player award – re-emerged as a scoring force from the perimeter, especially with teams doubling Dwight Howard in the middle.

Last season, the Detroit Pistons ousted the then-eighth-seeded Orlando Magic out of the first round of the playoffs in a 4-0 sweep. This season, the Orlando Magic moved up in the East, reaching the 50-win mark, taking the Southeast Division crown, and locking up the No. 3 seed (and home court advantage) in the first round of the playoffs. With the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons garnering all the attention in the East, the Orlando Magic’s success has been largely overlooked. The No. 3 Orlando Magic hope that they can defeat the No. 6 Toronto Raptors and move past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996 in order to get noticed and be respected as one of the elite teams in the East.

Playoff Preview: Raptors Roster

During the NBA off season, the Toronto Raptors added some key reserves to spearhead the team’s Atlantic Division title defense, including free agents Jason Kapono, Jamario Moon, Maceo Baston, and Carlos Delfino. With a slew of sharp shooters, Chris Bosh – one of the NBA’s best big men today – and a couple of quality point guards in TJ Ford and Jose Calderon, the Toronto Raptors have one of the most dangerous lineups in the league. Check out the Toronto Raptors depth chart:

• Point Guard: T.J. Ford, Jose Calderon


• Shooting Guard: Anthony Parker, Carlos Delfino


• Small Forward: Jamario Moon, Jason Kapono, Joey Graham


• Power Forward: Chris Bosh, Kris Humphries, Maceo Baston, Jorge Garbajosa (injured)


• Center: Rasho Nesterovic, Andrea Bargnani, Primoz Brezec
  
  

Playoff Preview: Raptors Season

Last season, the Toronto Raptors were one of the feel-good stories in the league, winning 47 games and capturing the Atlantic Division title. Despite the first-round upset by the more playoff-savvy New Jersey Nets, the Toronto Raptors had a formula for success that started with Chris Bosh, T.J. Ford, Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker, and Andrea Bargnani. Throughout the 2007-08 season, the Toronto Raptors have consistently teetered around .500 basketball and suffered some key injuries along the way. The Toronto Raptors lost their starting forward Jorge Garbajosa for the year, watched All-Star big man Chris Bosh miss 15 games, and held their collective breaths when T.J. Ford went down for 30 games. In the end, the Toronto Raptors overcame adversity and locked up the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Now, the Toronto Raptors must face off against the No. 3 seed Orlando Magic – a team that’s is almost a mirror image of the Toronto Raptors’ inside-out style of offense.

Playoff Preview: Head-to-Head

The Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors are ready to go head to head in the first round of the playoffs. With similar styles of play, the No. 3 seed Orlando Magic and the No. 6 seed Toronto Raptors are pretty evenly matched: both teams have a dominating big man  the Magic have Dwight Howard and the Raptors have Chris Bosh – with a slew of good outside shooters hitting big shots when the big men are double-teamed in the middle. As a result, both the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic are high-scoring teams and rank high in three-point shooting.  Toronto should have a leg up on the Orlando Magic in the free-throw shooting department, with the Raptors ranking first in the league while the Magic are dwelling near the bottom. Conversely, the Raptors are ranked near the bottom of the league when it comes to rebounding while the Orlando Magic excel at crashing the boards.

This playoff series could go either way and is likely to go to seven games. The slight edge goes to the Orlando Magic who – after clinching a playoff spot in the East three weeks prior to the end of the season – have been resting their starters and waiting to see who their first-round opponent would be in the playoffs. During this time, the Orlando Magic should have had ample time to rest, get healthy, and refresh their legs. Keep an eye on the Orlando Magic’s “Big Three” – Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu to turn it on against the Raptors come playoff time.

Playoff Preview: Schedule

The playoff series between the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors is scheduled to kick off at Amway Arena, where the Orlando Magic have struggled a bit this season, posting a 24-16 record at home. The Orlando Magic must capitalize on home court advantage if they want to avoid a first-round upset at the hands of the opportunistic Toronto Raptors.