For months, the Raptors and the media in Toronto have said they want to face Orlando in the playoffs. With a Toronto win and a Philadelphia loss on Monday, the Raptors and their fans got their wish. No matter how much it seemed like a fantasy a month ago, the Raptors will end up facing the Orlando Magic in their first round match-up. It will be the first time good friends Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard will battle it out in the post-season for supremacy as the best young big men in the East.

What makes this match up so compelling is that few teams this year have been able to stop the Magic from being a dominant team in the East. And yet, despite this fact, the Raptors have played the Magic fairly consistently over the year. By using Rasho Nesterovic on Dwight Howard, the Raptors are one of the very few teams able to slow down the Magic’s dominant force. And without a dominant power forward, the Magic have been unable to slow down a very efficient Chris Bosh over the year.

In three games this year against the Magic, the Raptors have always managed to be competitive by not allowing their often major weakness of rebounding to show. By only allowing an average difference of three rebounds, the Raptors have shown against the Magic, it is possible for them to keep pace. In other areas, the Raptors have been able to score very easily against the Magic, averaging over 103 points per contest, including a blow out at the Air Canada Center.

So what do the Raptors need to do to ensure a series victory against the Magic?

It’s important to note the Raptors have had a 1-2 record against the Magic this year. A large factor in those victories has been the effective play of the Magic’s most improved player candidate, Hedo Turkoglu. In three games, Turkoglu managed to post an average of 21 points per contest and just under nine rebounds and eight assists, putting the sharp shooter in dangerous triple-double category.

Another major threat against the Raptors has been the play of Keith Bogans. A sharp shooter off the bench, Bogans has managed to amass an average of 11 points per game and five rebounds in a 6′5″ body. Toss in the always dangerous Rashard Lewis and our wing players of Jamario Moon, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker will have their hands full. Defensive rotations will undoubtedly play a large part in limiting Orlando’s considerable firepower from the wings.

The Raptors, though, have two notable strengths over the Magic. The first is their advantage at both the power forward and point guard position. Without T.J. Ford in one of the three contests against the Magic, the Raptors managed to get incredible production from Jose Calderon. With averages of 14 points and seven assists on 60% shooting from the field, the Magic have been at a loss to stop the Raptor’s most consistent strength. Ford, on the other hand, posted substantial point totals to average 16 points in two contests. Add in Chris Bosh’s monster night at 33 points per game on 65% shooting, and there are definite strengths the Raptors can play towards.

The second strength the Raptors must learn to use is their ability to shoot free throws at a high percentage. Able to shoot a much higher percentage, the Raptors must use their fouls on Dwight Howard effectively, and get to the line themselves.

With Orlando having some great free throw shooters outside of Howard, the Raptors must also be conscious of how they play defense against the Magic’s wing players. Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Keyon Dooling, Carlos Arroyo and Brian Cook all shoot over 80% from the charity stripe, and it’ll be up to the Raptors to play with their heads and not with their hands against these players. On the flip side, the Raptors average more than 70% from the line from every single player in their top eight. Jose Calderon, in particular, must be effective at drawing fouls with his dribble penetration. At just under 91%, Calderon has shown over the course of the year that when he gets to the line, he’s able to make his free throws in pressure situations. Against the Celtics, he single handedly brought the Raptors to their only win against the conference champions.

It’s only a few more days until Sunday. Despite a year full of positives and negatives, the Raptors have once again managed to get to the playoffs where the season begins anew. A year ago, the Raptors suffered a defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Nets. Fresh from a surprising season, the Raptors found it difficult to overcome the stifling atmosphere of the playoffs. A year later, they find themselves with a chance to surpass expectations against a higher seeded Orlando Magic team. But how much does the seeding matter? They only need to look back to see how the Nets managed to overcome the Raptors’ home court advantage.

Within the realm of the NBA, no seeded opponent is safe, and that’s just what the Raptors will be counting on to beat the Orlando Magic.

Photo Credit: ICON SMI