We the Champs by Alex Wong

Author:Alex Wong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2019-06-14T20:36:48+00:00

Magic 104, Raptors 101

April 13, 2019 • Toronto, Ontario

Zapped

Game 1 Struggles Continue, Raptors Drop Opener at Home

By Alex Wong

After a successful regular season in which the Raptors finished with 58 wins and the number two seed in the Eastern Conference, a first round matchup with the Orlando Magic wasn’t supposed to be a challenge. Everyone expected the Raptors, with a veteran starting lineup loaded with playoff experience, to move on relatively easily to the second round. Or so we thought.

Past Raptors teams have entered the postseason with high expectations only to run into a wall. More importantly, Toronto has struggled so much in opening games of playoff series it has become a running joke that every series involving the Raptors should just start with them trailing 1-0 in Game 2.

This year was supposed to be different. The Raptors had Kawhi Leonard, a superstar player with an NBA Finals MVP on his resume. They also have an experienced group around him, who weren’t going to wilt under the bright lights. If there was one concern heading into the playoffs, it was that thanks to the load management of Leonard during the regular season which limited him to 60 games, and the mid-season trade for Marc Gasol, the constant shuffling of rotations during the regular season didn’t give the core group a significant amount of time to familiarize themselves with each other on the court.

The lack of familiarity would end up being the difference in Game 1 against the Magic at home. After racing out to a five-point lead after the first quarter, the Raptors allowed Orlando to score 32 points in the second period. Leading 42-41 with under four minutes left in the half, the Magic went on a 15-0 run to extend their lead to 16 points before settling for an eight-point lead at halftime.

The young Magic team seemed unfazed despite being underdogs on the road. Aaron Gordon had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Evan Fournier scored 16 points. Jonathan Isaac added 11 points.

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