"Orlando held down [Dwyane] Wade last night," one man said of the Magic, who will face Toronto at 12:30 today at the Air Canada Centre. "I think the Raptors have them next. It might be worse [for Toronto] than it was in last year's playoffs."

While the comments were certainly compliments for the 26-7 Magic, the random traveler also stumbled upon a reality that is becoming more accepted league-wide. People are finally starting to include the Magic in "NBA elite" conversations.

Even Wade himself said after the Magic's 86-76 win Friday that "there is no secret to how good they are."

There are just eight games to go before Orlando reaches their 2008-09 halfway point and starts the down slope of its playoff chase.

Orlando Coach Stan Van Gundy is much too reticent to get into playoff discussions about his team at this point. Probably because he knows what a stumble today -- or against another 20-loss team Tuesday when Washington visits -- would do to that talk.

Plus there's that added factor of the Raptors looking for payback after losing by 13 in Orlando back on Nov. 18. Chris Bosh had 40 in the loss.

But that doesn't mean Van Gundy isn't encouraged about how his team is finding ways to win even when all its weapons aren't firing. A good example was Hedo Turkoglu's 1-for-14 shooting performance against the Heat that was buoyed by a solid 10 bench points from rookie Courtney Lee.

Lee may get more minutes today after Keith Bogans was limited by an ongoing ankle ailment in Saturday's practice. Bogans is slated to start but that could change come game time.

"It's high standards," Lee said of Van Gundy's expectations of him. "Practice and games, I hear coach's voice a lot. It's a good thing. I wouldn't have it any other way. If coach isn't getting on you, there's no interest."

Lee has been consistently getting over 20 minutes a night and is coming off back-to-back double-figure efforts having posted 12 against Chicago on Dec. 31.

On the Raptors' side, Bosh won't have any help from guard Jose Calderon for the second straight time against the Magic. Calderon, who is averaging 13.1 points and is among the NBA's leaders in assists, is out with the same strained right hamstring that sidelined him for two games in November.

Will Solomon is expected to start for him.

Trap game or not, Rashard Lewis said whatever lies ahead for the Magic, he likes how loose and free-flowing the team is playing right now.

"It's always fun to win," Lewis said. "We have been having fun in the locker room lately. But when we step out on the court it's time to get busy."

And be elite.