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Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford admits his team isn't at the Toronto Raptors' level. Not yet, anyway.
Clifford shared his thoughts after the Raptors eliminated the Magic in their first-round playoff series, 4-1.
.@OrlandoMagic coach Steve Clifford: "I thought we had the kind of team defensively where we could start (hand raised above his head) and make it more difficult as the series went on, but we were not able to do that, obviously."
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 24, 2019
While Steve Clifford gave credit to Toronto's defense, he also cited that the Raptors' offense improved as the series porgresses — an improvement that they didn't expect after winning the opening contest.
More @OrlandoMagic coach SClifford: "Their defense was the key but their offense got better and better. So we were never able after Game 1 to handle the ball vs their D the way we needed to. Credit them – they got better as the series went along & we weren’t ready for that."
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 24, 2019
Behind 27 points from Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors took down the Magic in Game 5 on Tuesday, 115-96. After losing Game 1 at home, Toronto won four consecutive games to clinch the series.
The Magic trailed by as many as 37 points in Game 5. They lost by double digits in three of the last four games against the Raptors.
Leonard was at his playoff best on Tuesday, as he shot 8 of 11 from the field (including a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point distance). Power forward Pascal Siakam, who has shown tremendous improvement this season, finished with 24 points for the Raptors.
Point guard D.J. Augustin led the Magic with 15 points. Terrence Ross and Aaron Gordon had 12 and 11 points for Orlando, respectively.
Orlando center Nikola Vucevic was the missing link. He didn't convert his first field goal until 9:54 of the third quarter. He missed seven of his 10 field goal attempts and finished with just six points.
Clifford concluded his first year as Magic head coach with a 42-40 (.512) record. That represents their best finish since the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season, when they record a 37-29 (.561) win-loss tally.
Clifford also helped the Magic end a six-year playoff drought. With Clifford at the helm, Orlando earned the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference this season.
The Magic's memorable 2018-19 campaign has come to an abrupt end. Clifford and Co., however, will surely hope they can build on their success this season.
