Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter were teammates two years ago when the Toronto Raptors made the NBA playoffs for the first time but lacked a sense of direction.

Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon seemed destined a year ago to finish their careers in obscurity with teams contending for the draft lottery instead of a championship.

Now, the Orlando Magic's season opener tonight against the Raptors has taken on the feel of a potential preview of the Eastern Conference finals more than six months down the road. McGrady will have Ewing, Horace Grant and a healthy Grant Hill to begin his second season with the Magic. And Carter's summer included him receiving a six-year contract extension worth nearly $94 million from the Raptors, who also acquired Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks squared off in the conference finals last spring. But many national publications and broadcasters have established either the Magic or the Raptors as the preseason favorites in the East.

"We're a championship team on paper. I think so," McGrady said. "In my eyes, we're a championship team. But it really doesn't mean anything if you haven't proven yourself. That's why we have to go out and do it."