Playoffs G1: Orlando Magic (7) @ Toronto Raptors (2) - The Second Dinosaur Extinction

[johanliebert]

Toronto should probably just bench Lowry and not play him again but I don't think Nurse has the balls to do it. He's not going to recover from scoring 0 points and along with his playoff career. They should never signed Lowry to that contract.

He put up 17/9last playoffs on a 50/44 clip. His playoff history is overblown but last night was nit lol.

Problem is him taking 7 shots.

[ORL_on_FIRE]

I’ve watched DJs game winner so many times that I’ve lost count.

[KL78192020]

That's true, and it's not like the Raptors have a history of melting down in the playo... Oh, right.

I think your team wins game 1. Raptors always struggle out the gate. I wouldn't be surprised if this goes 7 games.

Funny -- I think the Raptors easily win game 1. Magic are not used to playoff intensity. To me, the game that will gives us a good picture of the series will be game 2. If the Raps easily take the second game it seems to be best case for the Magic is 5 games and it might be a sweep. OTOH if the Magic can find a way to steal game 2 we could have a series on our hands.

lol like i said i expected my team to lose. They always choke on the big stage. Congrats! Magic in 7.

[tiderulz]

Funny -- I think the Raptors easily win game 1. Magic are not used to playoff intensity. To me, the game that will gives us a good picture of the series will be game 2. If the Raps easily take the second game it seems to be best case for the Magic is 5 games and it might be a sweep. OTOH if the Magic can find a way to steal game 2 we could have a series on our hands.

Orlando has been playing playoff basketball for the past 3 weeks. Lose and you're out.

[pepe1991]

Pacers up 7 early
This playoffs are something else

[kasedafk_1]

I’ve watched DJs game winner so many times that I’ve lost count.

That game winning shot gave me chills. It was like watching Rashard and Hedo drilling those game winning threes when we went on our run in 09. Cold Blooded!

[AdamTheGreek]

I said on my podcast we'd win Game 1 and that Lowry is a "choke artist" and I'm actually still stunned how it panned out. I still can't believe how badly Gasol and Kawhi botched that Augustin winner. They both went with Vooch and DJ pounced.

I'm still hungover from last night, anyone that was at Wall Street had the time of their lives.

[Dmagic]

I don't see our defense relenting. But can see our offense improving. we got this. it would be a collapse of some sort if we didn't win the series. I mean. Let's not be anxious skittish fans. Anyone that has watched Orlando play these last few weeks can see. Barring eye trouble. That we are good. Anyone that watched game 1 should see it too. Orlando wins 4 games . This is a special year for magic. I can see a sweep

[Dmagic]

I don't see our defense relenting. But can see our offense improving. we got this. it would be a collapse of some sort if we didn't win the series. I mean. Let's not be anxious skittish fans. Anyone that has watched Orlando play these last few weeks can see. Barring eye trouble. That we are good. Anyone that watched game 1 should see it too. Orlando wins 4 games . This is a special year for magic. I can see a sweep

See what I mean in the sea with a see saw see it coming I must be sea sick need some triple C's.

[PrimeThyme]

After their "Raps in 4" prediction failed so many people are still picking this team to lose in 5. Just shows how little people have watched us. We are 14-1 in our last 15 at home and have won our last 9. I would be shocked if we didn't at least take one.

[VFX]

After their "Raps in 4" prediction failed so many people are still picking this team to lose in 5. Just shows how little people have watched us. We are 14-1 in our last 15 at home and have won our last 9. I would be shocked if we didn't at least take one.

We match up well defensively on Siakim and Leonard with Isaac and AG. Scoring, as usual, is our bigger problem. We need guys to step up like DJ did in game 1.

[Magic#1]

should be an easy sweep against you guys. thanks for the warm-up, we have our work cut out for the second round
yawn

Hi.

[Def Swami]

should be an easy sweep against you guys. thanks for the warm-up, we have our work cut out for the second round
yawn

[Optimus_Steel]

We have a legitimate chance at winning this series. However Lowry will shot better, but so will Vuc, AG, & Ross. This could be a game 7 slug-fest.

[dsg2021]

Watch on YouTube

[dsg2021]

I said on my podcast we'd win Game 1 and that Lowry is a "choke artist" and I'm actually still stunned how it panned out. I still can't believe how badly Gasol and Kawhi botched that Augustin winner. They both went with Vooch and DJ pounced.

I'm still hungover from last night, anyone that was at Wall Street had the time of their lives.

Time to start tuning in more often

[Blue_and_Whte]

Funny -- I think the Raptors easily win game 1. Magic are not used to playoff intensity. To me, the game that will gives us a good picture of the series will be game 2. If the Raps easily take the second game it seems to be best case for the Magic is 5 games and it might be a sweep. OTOH if the Magic can find a way to steal game 2 we could have a series on our hands.

Orlando has been playing playoff basketball for the past 3 weeks. Lose and you're out.

Yup. Said the same thing about a week ago. The games that were key to a playoff berth were like playoff games. The intensity was there and the team has been primed for the POs for a little while now.

[Blue_and_Whte]

should be an easy sweep against you guys. thanks for the warm-up, we have our work cut out for the second round
yawn

Sit down bum.

[Dmagic]

To close things up I'd just like to say this: during an in game interview with Nick Nurse on the sideline during game 1. He was asked about his attention grabbing suit top, which was quite reminisent of Craig Sager. His answer was " ya somebody brought it, so I wore it"
Nothing more nothing less. So I think someone should bring him another outfit tonight. To whom it may concern : Bring him a Magic jersey with matching shorts and a sombrero with Michael Jackson glove. Just to see thanks

[ARandomStranger]

I want to point out something that I heard from the Nick Nurse interview that kind of riled me up. He said that the Magic really didn't do anything special at all out there, which is odd for a coach to spout off about when he had to rely on iso plays for the majority of the fourth...one of which had Leonard literally dribbling the ball for almost a full shot clock as AG defended him well forcing another miracle shot. As I said before there is a distinct difference between Nurse and Clifford. It has a lot to do with managing the talent you have and bringing the best out of them as opposed to basically using the talent that you have as a crutch.

Nurse has relied heavily on Leonard and Lowery all season long and has coasted through most of his games with literally 0 problems to show for it. Meanwhile in contrast Clifford has maximized guys like AG, Isaac, Fournier, Ross, Vuc, DJ,Birch, and MCW...hell even guys like Wes Iwundu, who I didn't even think would be a good player, are contributing. This match up, which looked like a boxing match with all the back and forth, proved to me something rather important about the Raptors:

They are mentally weak and disorganized.

The Magic didn't have an extremely good offensive night, none of the normal providers showed up outside of DJ, and we still took their best shot and got back up for more. The Magic are engaged, they are not backing down, and they are not intimidated by the "deep" Raptors team or their star power. A bunch of first timers took a big old dump all over the belief that the they would have jitters and come out unprepared for a game with one of the top teams in the East and the analysts still don't know what to think of it. Instead of calling it what it truly was the national analysts sit back and say one thing and one thing only:

We stole game one.

They don't understand how a team with a bunch of all stars and former elite players are being beaten by a bunch of rag-tag guys from Orlando. They can't get it, it doesn't compute for them, and it doesn't fit the narrative of seeing them in the ECF fighting the Bucks for Eastern dominance. Yet, there are a few who seem to realize what the people in Orlando have known since after the all star break:

This team has heart. It has grit. It doesn't care about what you want, none of those guys give a damn about their seeding, they don't care if you are Leonard, they don't care if you are the Greek Freak...they are coming at you and they are going to keep coming at you until the clock winds down to zero. This team is focused, it didn't care that this was their first showing in seven years in the playoffs, and it sure as hell didn't care if the national media pegged them as a sweep target. They went out and they played basketball. Gritty, stubborn, and hard-nosed basketball.

And the Raptors answer to that stubborn display of resilience was to run Isos. Nick Nurse sat there and said that the magic did nothing special, but I balk at that statement. No...the Raptors did nothing special. They ran the same plays they always ran, they hitched their wagon on Leonard's back, and demanded that he carry them to the win. And Leonard almost did just that, but you see... all those Leonard Isos with all those dribbles, those moves, and that extra pizz-zaz to get away from Gordon just gave us what we wanted.

It ran down the clock. Leonard had to pull out all the stops, every single little iota of playoff Leonard was put on display, and we tucked him and the city of Toronto into bed, read them a bed time story, and sent them home with an L.

Now, I know it may be a bit far ahead to be looking, and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but it seems feasible that the Magic win game 2. As good as many people think the Raptors are going to come out, as hard as a punch that people think they are going to give us, or what intensity they will have...I have no doubt we are prepared. Out of all the ECF teams we are the one who knows the Raptors all too well, just because Lowry goose egged doesn't mean jack squat because neither Vuc or Ross had impressive games. I fully expect them to light the raptors up in game 2 because I expect more Leonard hero ball, I expect more Lowry trying to get going, but after Saturday...

I just don't think the Raptors have it in them. I think Nick Nurse doesn't bring the best out of his team and merely relies on talent to get the job done as opposed to maximizing every player he has. Still, I wonder how the media will pain the next Magic win...perhaps they will paint it as another steal or perhaps they will bring up the importance of Og, or maybe they will just cut our segment on the national stage down to a single minute of recognition.

But in the end it doesn't really matter does it because to the real fans all the lack of national attention and to our team it doesn't matter. Because we know that game 1 wasn't a steal...it was a win by a team with more determination and more willpower. Simple as that.