The Orlando Magic have to have a short memory as they prepare for Game 3

The Orlando Magic’s loss to the Toronto Raptors needs to be forgotten quickly if the Magic want to win another game in this series.

Anybody with sense knew the Orlando Magic were not going to sweep the Toronto Raptors.

Even the thought of it sounds unrealistic. Aaron Gordon said after the game they would have liked to get the sweep but understood this is the challenge of the playoffs and the postseason.

But now the series shifts to Orlando thought of how good the Magic have played at home this year. Orlando has won nine straight home games going into the Playoffs. You can be sure fans in Central Florida will be ready to carry the team through adversity.

If the Magic’s watch parties downtown are any indication, the team is ready for this playoff appearance.

Orlando has not had a home Playoff game in the Amway Center since 2012. There will be fans everywhere when Toronto comes to town. Even outside the building — weather permitting — where the Magic will host a watch party for those who cannot get tickets inside.

The team has even brought in Tracy McGrady to join David Steele and Jeff Turner on the broadcast.

But the Magic cannot rest on their home court advantage in this series. They will have to be focused on the job at hand. And that job is to shoot better from the 3-point line and the free throw line.

In the Game 2 loss to the Raptors, the Magic shot a measly 54.2 percent from the free throw line and 26.5 percent from beyond the arc. While the game was close in the first half, Orlando missed half of its 18 free throw attempts.

This is a recipe for disaster no matter where you are playing. They will lose at home if they continue to shoot this poorly.

The Magic struggled to get good looks all night long against the Raptors defense. They shot 37 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers. For the second straight game, the Magic had fewer than 20 assists, a mark the team had hit in every game before Game 1 of the series since late December. Orlando could not get into a rhythm and struggled with Toronto’s trapping.

They have to forget how bad they looked in Game 2 and move on.

But that is the good thing about having home court advantage, it gives you a new spark of life a resurgence from within that can carry you to wins. The Magic took the home court advantage away from Toronto in Game 1, successfully returning home with a split.

All the Magic have to do is win their home games to win the series.

That is easier said than done, especially when you have Kawhi Leonard feeling himself after scoring 37 points in a win. He dominated the game from the opening tip. He has dominated the entire series with 31.0 points per game and a 71.3 percent effective field goal percentage.

The Magic have to realize the way they played in Game 2 is unacceptable. They allowed Leonard to score on just about every spot on the floor and offered little resistance.

Coach Steve Clifford has to find a better solution to defend him and send a legitimate double team while still having help on Pascal Siakam and protecting the paint. This is the only way the Magic will have a chance at home.

Steve Clifford may have to make some adjustments and allow Terrence Ross to play more minutes if he is going to compete like the team did early in the game.

Terrence Ross’ second quarter was the only offensive bright spot all game and kept the deficit at a manageable distance. The Raptors largely shut that off in the second half, doing a good job closing the gap on screens and preventing the Magic from even viewing him as a passing option.

The Magic really got nothing going the entire game. Meanwhile, the Raptors seemed to generate offense with ease and little resistance, especially in the second half.

Pascal Siakam had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Lowry woke up out of his slump and scored 22 points with seven assists. The Raptors played well as team.

As a road team, all you can ask for is to win a game away. This is the formula to winning a series. The Magic have to find a way to conjure up enough energy, grit and determination to focus on this first home game and nothing else. This how you win games in the Playoffs.

They showed glimpses of who they are in Game 1, and that was not a perfect game for the Magic.

Nikola Vucevic was basically a no show considering the type of games he put up during the year and that remained the case again. Marc Gasol has been able to contain him thus far.

But Nikola Vucevic has to forget how he was defended in the first two games and go back to what we saw from him throughout the year, a center who will average 20 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

Last night he had six points and six rebounds, a stat line you would expect from their backup center Khem Birch. Vucevic has to be more aggressive with the Raptors and fight back by going into the low post and show off his footwork against Gasol.

There will be a ton of excitement at the Amway Center for Game 3. The players have expressed their eagerness to get back home and see their home crowd in full-throated support for them. The Magic will need to feed off that energy.

They did their job in getting the split with the Raptors in the first two games. One game does not end the series.

But Orlando will have some serious adjustments to make to win Game 3. They will have to review Game 2 to find where they can be better. But they must largely forget it and move forward. Treat Game 2 as the outlier and find their way to get a second win and a step closer to the next round.