Simply making the playoffs isn’t good enough anymore for the Toronto Raptors. This team won’t be satisfied until it makes the leap from status quo to the second round and beyond. Last year, Toronto ended four years of futility by capturing its first Atlantic Division title and earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy saw something different about Dwight Howard heading into the playoffs. The 22-year-old All-Star, usually the team’s biggest jokester, suddenly got serious. So did his already-impressive numbers. Howard had 21 points, 21 rebounds and three blocks — his third 20-20 game in the series — and the Magic advanced to second round for the first time in 12 years by beating…
Challenged by his coach to show more aggression, Jameer Nelson responded with a furious fourth quarter. Nelson scored 12 of his 19 points in the final period, including 10 straight at one stretch, and the Orlando Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 106-94 on Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Everyone connected with the Raptors will now begin the painful process of self-evaluation, secure in the knowledge that no matter what they said or thought, it was proved quite conclusively they are not now as good as the Orlando Magic, let alone the top echelon of NBA teams.
Losing the best-of-seven series in five games will be a bitter pill for management, coach Sam Mitchell and the players to swallow. Losing in the manner they did will be even more difficult to accept.
It is the failing of the Raptors’ roster that they lack that player for crunch time—or that none emerged over the course of the season.
After clawing back from down seven to within 84-82, the Raptors went four straight possessions without scoring a point, and Orlando’s 8-0 run with about…
With a quick start and quality point guard play, the Toronto Raptors turned the tables on the Orlando Magic. T.J. Ford scored 21 points, Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists, and the Raptors beat the Magic 108-94 on Thursday night, cutting Orlando’s lead to 2-1 in their first-round playoff series.