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The Disney Douchebag Sweep is complete! Toronto put the finishing touches on an almost-perfect first round series with Orlando last night in Game 5 after absorbing the first punch and responding emphatically over the next four games.
Before our attention flips completely towards Philadelphia, listen as we put a bow on the Raptors-Magic series.
On The Latest Episode:
That’s a rap on Orlando’s season. As has been the case in each of Toronto’s victories, the Raptor starters dominated the Magic’s starting five. Midway through the first quarter, Nikola Vucevic already has three fouls, Kyle Lowry scored the first nine points, and Toronto was up 22-3.
Among the many promising numbers that came out of this game, Toronto’s shots beyond the arc finally started to fall. In fact, there were positive numbers across the board — Kawhi Leonard’s +/- (game), Marc Gasol’s +/- (series), and building the largest playoff lead in franchise history.
In addition to the fantastic stats, the starters were able to build an enormous lead and afford themselves some rest. Kyle, Kawhi, Danny Green, and Marc never eclipsed the 40-minute mark in the series.
Lowry set the tone early, with a couple layups and a triple before the Magic hit a field goal, as well as later, adding to his “charges taken” ticker. Kawhi helped build the lead with an MVP-like performance, hitting all six FT attempts and all five(!) three-pointers, leading to an astounding 99.0 true shooting percentage.
There really isn’t a whole lot the Raptors need to work on, but we still managed to nitpick a couple of small holes that need some attention.
Looking towards our a second round date with the 76ers, there’s reason to be optimistic. Namely, Kawhi’s career record against Philly (13-0) and Gasol’s defensive dominance against Embiid, who’s also not 100 percent healthy.
1:40 - The importance of yesterday to Toronto
4:50 - Series wrap-up
11:20 - So. Many. Positives.
14:05 - Any negatives?
19:45 - Looking forward to Philadelphia