The Orlando Magic hoped to put up another miracle performance in Toronto against the number two seeded Raptors, but they proved to be too much for the young team. The Raptors dominated the game and took the series 4-1 with a 115-96 win over the Magic in Scotiabank Arena.
“Their defense was the key, but their offense got better and better.” said Magic head coach Steve Clifford. “So, we were never able after Game 1 to handle the ball against their defense the way that we needed to. But credit them – they got better as the series went along and we weren’t ready for that.’’
The stats don really matter in this one as this is just a tough closing chapter to an awesome season for the boys in blue.
Let’s face it, the Raptors, with the addition of Kawhi Leonard, Danny Greene, and later Marc Gasol were stacked and expecting to go deep in the playoffs if they got over their annual playoff jitters, while the Magic weren’t expected to be in the postseason.
“The goal for us was to get to the playoffs and play well, so I feel like we came up a little short of that,’’ said Terrance Ross. “For the most part, it was a good feeling getting here, but it would have been better getting to a Game 7 and maybe if it would have been decided by one possession or something. But it wasn’t all bad and we did some good things.’’
Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry scored his team’s first nine points on Tuesday – a mark the Magic didn’t hit until the Raptors already had 31 points. Lowry, who finished with 14 points and nine assists, admitted the Raptors were highly motivated after losing Game 1 to the Magic.
“This has been huge for us and I’m beyond thrilled that we got here.” said Jonathan Isaac. “I’m not excited about the (final result), but we did something exciting for the city (of Orlando) and we can build upon it.”
The Magic finished the 2019-19 season with a 42-40 record and have vastly improved over pervious yeast. Magic fans can definitely see hope for the future.
