Yesterday I featured the Cavaliers in my match up series and today it’s the eastern conference champion Orlando Magic. There are lots of intriguing story lines in this one and so I brought on board Magic fan, Noelle to break it down.

When not standing with a boombox on Stan Van Gundy’s front lawn, Noelle can be found on Twitter @whatthenoelle and at whatthenoelle.tumblr.com

I’m going to be honest with you.  The strongest opinion I have regarding the Toronto Raptors is that Chris Bosh is annoying on Twitter. Luckily, Raptors fans are decidedly not annoying–in fact, they are pretty awesome. There is a good chance that by writing this preview I’m going to say something to accidentally alienate half of my followers list.  On that note, how awesome is Vince Carter?!

Just kidding.  Let’s let that elephant in the room get nice and comfortable, shall we? Here is an extremely brief overview of what’s up with the Magic this season:

Offense: The Magic have a lot of options this year.  Many teams seemed to notice that surrounding a talented big man with 3 point shooters not only helped Orlando to the Finals, it drove an MVP to work through his feelings via motivational t-shirts.  This season, Orlando has the added benefit of ridiculous flexibility and depth to try out several offensive schemes.  The addition of Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, and Jason Williams creates so many possible lineups that I’d probably be just fine with Rock-Paper-Scissors determining who starts the second half most games.

Defense: Adding Matt Barnes & Brandon Bass to Mickael Pietrus, the underrated Rashard Lewis and oh yeah, the reigning DPOY Dwight Howard?  Cue the part of the preview where I maniacally cackle. Plus, there’s the direct correlation of being in Stan Van Gundy’s T-Mobile Top 25 and a player’s defensive ability ranking.  Look it up.

Okay, we’re all thinking it.  Hedo vs. Vince.  Who will take it to their old team more?
Good question.  Just off the top of my head I remember Vince heaving a 30ish-foot off balance three pointer to tie up a Nets/Raptors game last season and a triple axle somersault back flip dunk to win it.  Ok, I might be exaggerating…a little.  We all know how Vince’s time in Toronto ended and it’s time to be thankful as a Magic fan that he seems to react by playing his particular game of horse (spelled M-O-T-I-V-A-T-I-O-N) every time he revisits the Great White North.  There are those who have their doubts about Carter joining the Magic.  Those doubts should be able to take a few vacation days in Canada.

Turk left Orlando in an entirely different situation.  Still beloved by many here (myself included), his departure was for the most part amicable. It is assumed he won’t be playing with a bitterness Bunsen burner lit under his ass.   Still, Hedo will be motivated to show well and has been known to shoot a game winner or twelve himself.  Yes, there will be nights that Hedo’s passes find the guy selling ice cream sandwiches in the fifth row more often than the 6’10″ dude with the dreads.  Yes, sometimes his first 10 three point attempts clank back to half court.  But if it’s the fourth quarter and the score is tied?  I’m never betting against Hedo.  Not even for an ice cream sandwich.

Verdict? I’m not missing these games.

One last thing: You may have noticed an article or twenty on how the Magic feel disrespected.  I’m not here to complain about that.  It actually doesn’t bother me much at all.  In this case disrespect is just words.  Words that cannot affect how many games you win, or even if you make your free throws.  Orlando may have lost the ‘Glu, but the chip (and chip on the shoulder) is what really binds the team together.  Words won’t get you a ring and it’s time to see if the Magic can figure out what will.

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Last Season Record: 2 – 2
No matter how good or bad the Raptors are they seem to always be ready to play the Magic. The Dwight-Bosh battle is heavily featured in the media and it rarely disappoints. The Raptors struggled big time at the perimeter though averaging only 26% from there in the 4 games they played. The Magic lost the game they played without Nelson and the Raps got blown out when Jose was sidelined. Breaking it down, the bigs canceled each other out. What the Raptors lacked on the boards they made up by outscoring their counterparts. Hedo and Rashard were fairly successful against the weaker Raptor defenders who who were dwarfed by the Orlando wings.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: What the Raptors lose on the boards they will have to make up for on the offensive end. Dwight is arguably the best C in the game today but his offensive game is still unpolished. His hook shot is coming along but he still heavily relies on simply using his power to get his points. Chris Bosh may be the anti-Dwight. He is more of a finesse player and only goes to the basket in emergency situations. Both guys have committed to improve on their weaknesses this off-season so it will be interesting to see who has gotten there quicker. Marcin Gortat developed steadily through the playoffs and will get more burn this year. He is very raw offensively and can be caught on his heels at times. This is Andrea’s window. Bosh and Andrea should be able to outscore the Magic front court but defensively they are going to need help from new teammates Reggie Evans and Amir Johnson if they want to keep it even close on the boards. Both these guys won’t give much scoring but they bring energy and athleticism – something the Raptors have lacked due to so much focus being put on trying to score from this position.
Edge: Even

The Wings: Bosh finally has the help he has been waiting for. Past few years all the Raptor scoring came from the bigs and PG but with the addition of Hedo it should be more balanced. Going up against his old team will surely be motivation as well. Rashard will play the 3 and may switch to the 4 when Carter is at the SF spot. Hedo matches up well against Rashard and they both know each others game well. Both Lewis and Vince are quite satisfied playing outside so Hedo needs to commit to forcing them to take jumpers. Antoine Wright will probably get playing time at the 3 here and he can be put on to defend Vince (his former teammate). Offensively, with the lane clogged up there has to be lots of off the ball movement from the Raptor wings to try and find open shots for short jumpers or quick cuts to the basket. Neither of Orlando’s wings are defensive stoppers but a bad shot just makes it an easy rebound for Dwight and a quick pass up the floor.
Edge: Orlando

The Guards: PG play is very important in this series and while the Magic go with the pick and roll the Raptors need to utilize more of the pick and pop to get Dwight trying to defend outside. If there is one thing Jose can do well is run those set plays. Jameer gets a lot of his shots from the outside and Jose’s clap defense is not going to suffice. Jarrett Jack would be a good option to put on Jameer for stretches given he is a tougher guard and may not get brushed aside as easily. Vince Carter will be playing the 2 guard here, a major upgrade from Courtney Lee and JJ Redick, at least in the scoring category. DeMar or Antoine will have their hands full on D but Carters lack of focus on the defensive end is well documented and the Raptor guards will need to take advantage of that. With the paint so clogged up with Dwight both the guards will be playing mostly on the outside. The Raptors have to focus on not allowing the Magic guards to get too comfortable at the 3 point line.
Edge: Orlando

Predicted Record: 2-2 (These teams always play each other hard and the Vince factor should come into play at least once)

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