Orlando Magic’s season series with Toronto Raptors reveal details will matter in playoff series

The Orlando Magic played the Toronto Raptors tough in the regular season. Their season series will provide a road map to success and traps to avoid.

It was late November. The Orlando Magic were wrapping up what felt like a weighty homestand before a road-heavy part of the schedule was coming up. They had taken care of business, winning three straight games with one last game against the Toronto Raptors.

This was a game that would prove if their win over the Philadelphia 76ers to start the homestand was something real, after defeating the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers in the interim.

The game did not disappoint. A slowed-down slugfest between two emerging defensive teams. Aaron Gordon frustrated Kawhi Leonard and the Magic seemed capable of going blow for blow with an Eastern Conference juggernaut.

Evan Fournier tied the game with a late bucket and the Magic needed one stop. A confusion on a switch enabled Danny Green to break free and the defense recovered too late. He hit the shot with less than a second left and delivered the Raptors a 93-91 victory at the Amway Center.

Message sent, though. If the Magic could get themselves together.

That is what they have done in going on a two-week surge to get into the playoffs and rise to the seventh seed. The team is confident heading into its playoff series.

"“We feel great,” Aaron Gordon said. “People are playing up to their capabilities. Everybody is coming together. Everybody is making each other better around them. We’re really confident on the offensive and defensive end.”"

Orlando certainly built some confidence against Toronto specifically.

Confidence in the matchup

In the next two meetings, Orlando seemed to hammer home that message in this particular matchup. The Raptors returned to Orlando in late December and got waxed 116-87. Aaron Gordon again seemed able to take Kawhi Leonard out of the game and Nikola Vucevic dominated the paint with 30 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists.

That was a long time ago. The Raptors are a different team now.

They are a different team too from when the Magic played the Raptors in Toronto in February. The Raptors just acquired Marc Gasol in a trade and Kawhi Leonard sat out. The Magic routed the Raptors 113-98.

Perhaps Toronto made its biggest statement then in the teams’ final meeting on April 1. Orlando raced out to an 11-point lead in the second quarter only to see Toronto rally and turn the game into a runaway. The Raptors suffocated the Magic on defense, forcing turnovers and getting out in transition and finding Green to bury threes before the team knew what hit it.

The first two outings were obviously different because they occurred before the Gasol trade. The third game happened without Leonard. Is the fourth game a real representation of what this series will be?

If it is, it certainly showed the good and the bad.

Lessons learned

As the Magic prepare for Saturday’s Game 1 showdown with the Raptors, they have certainly watched the tape of all these games as they try to discover tendencies and tricks that might unlock their path to success.

"“You can learn something from each of them,” coach Steve Clifford said. “They are different because they have Gasol now. Players don’t change. Their strengths are their strengths. They were all good to watch.”"

The Raptors indeed provide a formidable test. They have the fifth-best offense and defense in the league this season. Since the All-Star Break, their effective field goal percentage shot up from 53.4 percent to 56.6 percent after the break. Their offense improved and their defense got better.

That was all on display in that final game. The Magic shot 46.2 percent in the game while turning the ball over 13 times. That will be a key factor in the series too. Orlando will have to limit those turnovers and limit transition opportunities to keep Toronto off the board.

That was the biggest lesson to come from that last game. Orlando will have to limit turnovers and limit mistakes to prevent transition opportunities to have a chance to win in this series.

The Raptors are simply a balanced team that is tough to beat. Everyone recognizes the challenge ahead.

Gordon said the team could take a lot from re-watching those games. But this is a new series and season. The team will have to be better than they were in all those four games. It will take a calm and poised effort.

Jonathan Isaac said it was watching for the small things. Those are what really matter in the playoffs. The team is studying how to take away an opponent’s strengths and it is the little things that determine outcomes.

"“I think our confidence is pretty high right now,” Evan Fournier said. “We have a way to play. We know what we can do. We know each role and what we have to do individually. I think as a team that helps a lot because you know what to expect. Granted, Toronto is going to be pretty. But we’re pretty confident.”"

Orlando has clearly played them well. Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon specifically have done a good job locking down Pascal Siakam and Kawhi Leonard. But obviously, the attention to detail will have to increase now. It is those little things that will matter most in this series.

The Raptors have the Magic’s full attention but they know they have found a way to play successfully. They are not about to change for this specific opponent.

Staying the same

Gordon said the team has found its way and there is no sense in changing things. There is a lot of buzz around the arena for the playoffs — new banners and signs up around Amway Center being the most visible signs of something different. But the team has always done a good job keeping a level head for these moments.

The focus is on adjusting and playing to your opponent. The Magic will have to have a specific strategy to attack and counter the Raptors. But they still have to be true to themselves.

The playoffs feel very different. But it is still a lot of focus on doing and getting to what the Magic do best at the end of the day.

"“You don’t want to change,” Clifford said. “You play well for a certain reason. You’re not going to reinvent yourself because it’s a playoff game. Play the way we play. That’s what we need to do. That’s why you have a plan from the beginning of the year, hopefully something that fits your team and fits winning in the league. In two games, you don’t change anything.”"

What the Magic have done this year has worked against the Raptors. But there are some very clear traps they can fall into.

Even in the playoffs, Orlando should feel some level of confidence and caution from what they have learned against them this season.