Only a few weeks ago, Marc Gasol figured he was facing another long off-season, the star centre of a Memphis Grizzlies team out of the playoff picture for the second consecutive year.
Gasol, who was acquired in the February deal that sent Jonas Valanciunas to Memphis, grabbed four steals Tuesday as a big part of the Raptors' ball-hawking defence in a 111-82 rout of the Magic that tied the best-of-seven opening-round series at one win apiece.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse speculated the mood was not nearly so light at Orlando's practice. He expects to face a team bent on revenge in Friday's Game 3. Toronto has thrown a lasso around Orlando's all-star centre Nikola Vucevic, rendering him ineffective in the post-season so far. Vucevic shot a woeful 3-for-14 in Game 1, and 3-for-7 in Game 2.
The Raptors will have some extra depth and energy on the bench on Friday with the expected return of Patrick McCaw. The 23-year-old shooting guard has been out since he sprained his right thumb on March 30.
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