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Tonight will be a special night for the 9th overall pick of the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 draft.
McGrady spent three years in Toronto before his four year tenure began in Orlando where he enjoyed his most productive seasons in the NBA, including a 32.1 ppg performance in 2002-2003.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017, Tracy McGrady enjoyed two scoring titles, as well as seven all star appearances. However, he may be best known for this:
But for fans of the 2017-18 season of NBA basketball, the Orlando Magic have their hands full of much more than an after party cleanup.
At 21-49, the Magic face the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference in the Toronto Raptors. Led by MVP candidate DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors lead the East by five games at 52-18, and will certainly emerge as the top seed in the East with only 12 games remaining.
Following an 11-game win streak that included victories over the impregnable 32-2 CP3/Harden/Capela combination (the Boogie Pels the only other such blemish), the Raptors only loss in the previous 12 games was brought upon by multiple ejections this past Sunday night against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.
The Raptors are third in points per game at over 112, sixth in defense at 103.9 and nearly top ten in every statistical category.
The Magic will need to attack the paint (Raptors are 18th), collect every rebound (21st), and draw contact (27th).
For tank fans, the Magic have been paying off your dividends nicely in recent weeks, having failed to score 90 points in four of their past six contests.
However, the Magic get a bit of good news with the return of Aaron Gordon on Tuesday after he missed the previous five games while in concussion protocol. Frank Vogel is eager to pair him alongside Jonathan Isaac, still on a minute restriction, so Magic fans should be treated to a glimpse of a potential future in this contest, regardless of the likely outcome.
Jonathon Simmons and Fred Van Fleet are questionable with wrist injuries. If Simmons can not play, Mario Hezonja should start in his place.
The Magic have lost 16 of their last 19 against the Raptors.
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