Raptors nation can rejoice in the spirit of victory after securing a huge win over the reigning NBA titleholders, the Boston Celtics, on January 15.
Knowing what polar opposite paths the Raptors and Celtics are on in the NBA hierarchy, it's no surprise that so many were leaning toward the otherwise dominant Eastern Conference giant prior to the game.
However, the world of sports—especially NBA basketball—can be unpredictable. The almighty Boston Celtics didn’t look like themselves, even against the middling Toronto Raptors.
The 110-97 loss did not sit well with some Celtics players, particularly their star Latvian center, Kristaps Porzingis, who had some candid comments for the media during post-game interviews.
Porzingis sounds off on Celtics' performance after loss to Raptors
"I think we played with no spirit, with no personality. It's just a weak performance from us, honestly... Tonight, it feels like s**t right now. We played some bad basketball."Kristaps Porzingis, January 15, 2025
Hmm... would you look at that? That sounds a lot like the recent Raptors discourse, doesn't it?
Aside from bench spark plug Payton Pritchard, it was arguably Kristaps Porzingis who emerged as the Celtics' best player in the January 15 contest, scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out three assists, and recording one steal and two blocks. Unlike the struggling star tandem of Brown and Tatum, Porzingis had an efficient shooting night, going 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
So it comes as no surprise where the anger and frustration in Porzingis' words originated.
The mention of spirit, fight, and personality were all things that had been missing from the Raptors' identity of late, clearly eating at the psyches of players like RJ Barrett and even head coach Darko Rajakovic. It was a broken record, if you will, and one that Raptors fans were quickly growing tired of hearing.
Well, well, well, how the turntables have turned.
It's a huge sigh of relief to hear those words coming from a rival for a change. Even the Celtics' head coach, Joe Mazzulla, had to mention during his post-game scrum that they are not playing their best basketball. Definitely in Mazzulla's case, he doesn't have to endure losing as much, so he might be more nonchalant than, say, a Darko Rajakovic. However, he is a passionate coach nonetheless.
It's sort of hit or miss when players or coaches come out and express a sense of depletion and anguish in their tone after an upset loss or an outright horrid display. Sure, you shouldn’t realistically have a smile on your face if your team comes up short, but the raw emotion shown in response to failure can lay the groundwork for a strong comeback. Just look at how the Raptors have bounced back ever since those discussions about a lack of fight began.
Sometimes, it's good to be blunt and straightforward. No sugar coating.
For the Celtics, red alerts aren't exactly flooding their radars after this loss to the Raptors, but they will need to tidy up at home if a back-to-back championship run is in order.
As it currently stands, the Boston Celtics have a record of 28-12, which places them in the 2nd seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference. They will look to bounce back against the Orlando Magic at home on January 17.
While the Toronto Raptors have improved to a record of 10-31, good for the 13th seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference, they have a matchup lined up for January 17 against the Milwaukee Bucks once again.