The Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors will open up their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series late Saturday afternoon, as the the Raptors will play host to the Magic in Game 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
It's a matchup between a 2-seed and a 7-seed, so, historically, we know how this goes.
Generally, the lower-seeded team looks overmatched and ends up losing in four or five games, particularly in an Eastern Conference where there is a major disparity between the top five teams and the rest of the bunch.
However, the Magic have actually been playing some outstanding basketball since the end of January.
Did you know that since Jan. 29, Orlando has gone 22-11 and owns the best defensive rating in the NBA over that span? Not only that, but the Magic are fourth in net rating.
Orlando also closed the season by going 11-2 over its final 13 games, which was something it pretty much had to do in order to make the playoffs.
Nikola Vucevic has been arguably the most underrated player in the league all year long, Terrence Ross is having the best season of his career and Evan Fournier has been an impressive weapon in the backcourt.
But due to the Magic stand any chance against a Raptors team that is now led by a bona fide superstar in Kawhi Leonard?
Here are three key things to watch in a playoff series that could have some surprising intrigue:
3. Can the Magic's Bench Match Up with the Raptors' Depth?
A cornerstone of the Raptors all season long has been their bench.
Jeremy Lin and Fred VanVleet are terrific options behind Kyle Lowry, and Norman Powell is a very viable option on the wings, particularly in the case of Powell who is a very efficient reserve scorer.
Then, up front, you have Marc Gasol backing up Serge Ibaka, and while Gasol is not the same player he was a few years ago, it's hard to imagine a better reserve center.
This is where the Magic, as well as they have played during the second half, may fall into some trouble, as their depth is laughable in compariosn to Toronto's.
Yes, Ross has been great off the bench all year, but that's really where it starts and ends for Orlando. Wes Iwundu has been a decent three-point shooter for the club, but he is hardly a reliable bench scorer, and while Michael Carter-Williams has actually looked solid in limited action since joining the club, can you trust him in a playoff series?
The Magic's starting five (and Ross) is going to have to be special if they want to have any chance of making this a competitive series. Otherwise, the Raptors' depth is going to eat Orlando alive.
2. The Nikola Vucevic/Serge Ibaka Matchup
Vucevic and Ibaka are two very different players.
While Vucevic is Orlando's go-to guy on offense and can get his own whenever he wants, Ibaka is much more reliant on kickouts from Leonard and Kyle Lowry, possessing an outstanding mid-range jumper and good spot-up shooting ability from beyond the arc.
The question is, can Ibaka effectively guard Vucevic over the course of a seven-game series, and vice versa?
While Ibaka is a great help defender, his one-on-one defense has never been his strong suit, as bigger centers can bully him inside. Expect to see a heavy dose of Vucevic going one-on-one with Ibaka to try and take advantage of what could be a mismatch in the paint.
On the other side of the coin, Ibaka has the ability to draw Vucevic away from the basket, which could open up the Raptors for some second-chance opportunities on the offensive glass.
It's not like the Magic can just put Aaron Gordon on Ibaka, either, as Gordon will have to deal with Pascal Siakam, who is a candidate for the league's Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Vucevic absolutely has to win this matchup for Orlando to have a shot. If Ibaka outplays him or even plays him equally, the Raptors will win this series going away.
1. Can the Magic Do Anything to Slow Down Kawhi Leonard?
The problem with the Raptors is that you can't just let Leonard get his and try and stop everyone else, because Toronto has too deep of a roster and will make you pay if you employ that strategy.
No; the Magic are going to have to find a way to slow down Kawhi, and that is one of the most impossible tasks in today's game.
With LeBron James aging, Leonard may very well be the best player in the league right now, or at least close to it. There is literally nothing he can't do offensively. He can shoot. He can drive. He can post up. He can draw contact. He makes his free throws.
Leonard is a cold-blooded assassin, and what makes him even more dangerous is that he has a Finals MVP under his belt, so he has a championship pedigree.
One thing you can say about the aforementioned Iwundu is that he is a very good defender, so he will probably see ample time on Leonard. Fournier is also a surprisingly solid defensive player, and Ross also has the length to try to bother Kawhi.
Heck, maybe the Magic will even try to put Gordon or Jonathan Isaac on Leonard for stretches.
Basically, Orlando will have to throw the kitchen sink at Kawhi, because if he averages around 30 points per game in this series, it is going to be very difficult for the Magic to take more than a game.
