Toronto Raptors: Three keys for showdown against Boston Celtics
After losing two straight, the Toronto Raptors will play their most important game of the season Friday night against the Boston Celtics. What are the keys to a Raptors victory?
The Toronto Raptors are in a bit of a cold streak, comparatively speaking at least. After starting the season 12-1, the Raptors have lost two in a row and could be in trouble of dropping a third as they face a problematic Boston Celtics team on the road.
The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics entered the season as the two heavy favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Since that time, Boston’s has struggled, Milwaukee has found success, and Philadelphia has acquired a third star.
Still, despite what’s happened early this season, Toronto and Boston appear to be the two most complete rosters in the Eastern Conference.
So what does Toronto need to do to pick up a win against their biggest conference rival? We take a look with our three keys.
Neutralize Al Horford
The last time these two teams played, Serge Ibaka dominated Al Horford. He dropped 21 points, grabbed six rebounds, and shot 10-14 on the night. Horford scored 14 points on 5-12 shooting.
It’s not fair/realistic to expect Ibaka to outplay again, mostly because Horford is still the significantly better player. Still, with the way Ibaka is playing as of late, he’s more than capable of forcing a draw.
Close off the rim
Boston currently has the 24th ranked offense in the entire NBA. They’ve genuinely been incompetent on that side of the ball, and nothing represents that more than the complete list of bottom-dwellers behind them.
The reason for their ineptitude is an inability to get to the rim. 47.5-percent of Boston’s points come from two-point range, second lowest in the NBA. Yet, 11.9-percent of their shots are from the mid-range, eighth highest in the NBA.
Since people hate doing math, I will point out that leaves just 35.6-percent of shots to take at the rim. By far, the lowest in the NBA.
The NBA has become smarter in the past couple of years. Shots from beyond the arc and at the rim are far more effective than the mid-range. Just make sure nobody tells the Celtics.
Withstand the bench runs
When fully healthy, these two teams represent two of the deepest rosters in the entire NBA. However, considering Toronto’s current injury situation, the Celtics will enter Friday night’s matchup with a significant depth advantage.
After what happened to them last season, Boston probably doesn’t want to hear about injuries. Still, they’ll have a significant impact on what Toronto is able to accomplish tonight. If Malachi Richardson is forced to play in a big-time competitive game, that doesn’t exactly work in Toronto’s favor.
Next. Three biggest surprises of the Raptors season thus far. dark
Considering the health of the team, the Toronto Raptors should be happy just playing the bench minutes even.