by James Di Fiore

Created on: April 17, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

The Toronto Raptors managed to secure the #6 playoff seed for the post season, a blessing as far as match ups are concerned as they will be facing the Orlando Magic instead of Eastern Conference heavyweights Detroit or Boston. While the Raptors lost the season series to the Magic with one victory against two losses, one of those losses was without their perennial all-star forward Chris Bosh. Bosh had scored 40 points in a Feb. 20th victory against Orlando and his team, coincidentally, scored 40 fewer points the last time they met. Nonetheless, this will be a tough Orlando squad hungry to prove themselves worthy of the #3 seed.

Bosh has continued his role as the go-to-guy and best number one option on the squad. Interestingly, the Raptors have one of the best problems an NBA franchise could hope for - two top caliber point guards in T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon. Look for the Raptors to show a different look, possibly utilizing both young guards on the court at the same time, giving the Raptors a much needed edge in speed and ball handling.

The biggest obstacle the Raptors have is their rebounding ability. The Raptors rank 29th in the league on the glass, just ahead of the Miami Heat. Orlando, who has the game's best rebounder in Dwight Howard (14.3 RPG) will look to their slam dunk king on the offensive boards in this first round battle.

Consistency has also been a huge problem for Toronto. Anthony Parker looks like an all-star one night and a rookie the next, unable to string together more than a couple of effective games before he goes into the tank. 27 year old rookie Jamario Moon will also need to bring his A game as the Raptors will need his defensive presence he showed glimpses of during the regular season.

One of the key players will be veteran center Rasho Nesterovic. The nine year veteran has played well during the last two months of the regular season, averaging 14.0 PPG and shooting over 50% from the field.

Unfortunately for Toronto, they are a young team without much playoff experience. Players like Andrea Bargnani and Carlos Delfino have struggled, and three point specialist Jason Kapono is a defensive liability on the perimeter. While their future looks promising, look for the Magic to take the Raptors in 6 games.

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