Empty the Bench

Hold off on writing that epitaph for the 2007-08 Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors were literally on point from start to finish in Game 3, a convincing 108-94 win that pulled them back into their series against the Magic and highlighted how dangerous they can be when the PG tandem of T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon are both clicking (and not worrying about who starts and who doesn’t).

In Games 1 and 2 at Amway Arena in Orlando, the Raptors looked up at the scoreboard after the first quarter facing 20- and 17-point deficits, respectively, leads that proved insurmountable even as they matched or exceeded the Magic in the ensuing three quarters in both games.

There was no such problem this time around.

With rookie Jamario Moon back in the starting lineup (where he should have stayed all along, Sam Mitchell), the Raps reeled off a 16-3 run in the first that led to an 8-point lead after one. That was as close as the Magic would get, as Ford and Calderon exhausted Jameer Nelson and the out-of-gas Magic to the tune of a combined 39 points on 13-22 FG (including 5-9 on three-pointers) along with 16 assists, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and just 4 turnovers. Moon was also a difference-maker, playing excellent defense on Hedo Turkoglu and chipping in his first-ever postseason double-double with 11 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block—it’s these kinds of across-the-board contributions that made Moon so valuable during the regular season and continue to make him crucial to the Raptors’ chances of evening the series at two games apiece on Sunday.

The Magic rely on the longball more than any team in the postseason, and last night their failure to knock down their triples went a long way towards sinking their prospects of forging a series-sealing 3-0 advantage. Maurice Evans, who’d gone 5-8 in the first two games, was 0-3. Turkoglu was 0-2, Rashard Lewis was 3-8, and as a team the Magic finished just 6-27 from behind the arc, good for 22%. While each of Orlando’s Big Three managed to shoot over 50%, they were the only Magic players to make any kind of impact on either end of the floor.

And Orlando’s lack of depth, especially in the frontcourt, is starting to be a problem. Lewis and Howard have both averaged over 42 minutes/per over these first three games; after playing 41:39 last night, Turkoglu’s average was upped to nearly 40, and he was clearly running on fumes as early as midway through the third quarter, frequently allowing his man to get wide-open jumpers as he huffed and puffed his way through perimeter screens. Now, that’s not a criticism—all three of these guys are giving it their all out there. They’re doing all they can to get their team a victory. And they were the only ones who got it done on any level last night.

But the Raptors have to see blood in the water. They damn near stole Game 2, when Chris Bosh’s potential buzzer-beating winner harmlessly clanged off the rim. And now, with their red t-shirt clad hometown fans going bonkers and surely planning to amp up the noise factor even further Sunday afternoon, the Raptors know for sure now that they can play with the Magic, that they can even this series up, and that they can, in fact, rely on each other to step up, a confidence that has been lacking in recent weeks.

Yep—these Toronto Raptors aren’t dead just yet.

Tags: Jose Calderon, T.J. Ford, Hedo Turkoglu, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic