Sunday 30 August 2020 16:38, UK
What can we expect from the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics in their showpiece second-round series? Mike Tuck previews the first Eastern Conference semi-final.
When I first saw the playoff brackets, this is the series I most wanted to see. Out of all the teams in the East, these two are the most similar in terms of how they match up.
Toronto have Kyle Lowry, Boston have Kemba Walker. The Raptors have Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet while Boston have Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Both teams have incredible perimeter play and shooting. It's going to be a grudge match.
The Celtics are tough, no doubt. They have their 'three-headed monster of Kemba, Brown and Tatum. For the most part, when one of them has a bad day, the other two step up. You see Boston win when one or two of that trio have big games.
For Boston, a lot will hinge on their pick-and-roll play, especially with Walker because he is so crafty with that. Look back at the previous games this season, the Celtics tried to put Raptors big man Serge Ibaka in a lot of pick-and-roll situations and he would step down, rather than fight over the screen. Kemba was creating his own shot, knocking them down from mid-range.
Will we see OG Anunoby deployed to shutdown one of the Celtics' primary scorers? 100 per cent. It won't be every possession. We are going to see a lot of switching because there are so many like-for-like match-ups. But Anunoby is Toronto's stopper. I expect to see a lot of OG on Tatum and a lot of him guarding Brown.
Everyone forgets this is OG's first serious tilt in the playoffs. He got some playoff experience in his rookie year but missed the entire postseason last season as the Raptors rolled to the title. This will be his first real run as an experienced player and he will be looking to prove something.
The Raptors are battle tested thanks to their last three or four years in the playoffs - and especially last year going all the way to the title. Last season they faced and beat a tough Philadelphia 76ers team, a tough Milwaukee Bucks team and, in the Finals, a tough Golden State Warriors team.
Toronto's experience also gives them an edge. Look at the veterans on their team. There's Lowry, the most experienced Raptor, as well as long-time 'vets' Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, who both have lots of playoff experience. I think the Raptors are the better built team to handle what will be an intense series.
The absence of Boston's Gordon Hayward is a big plus for Toronto, as well. He is another perimeter player, a bigger defender who would have helped Boston in this series.
The biggest thing I see from this Raptors team is that, to me, it doesn't look like they are defending a championship. It looks like they are attacking and going all out to win another one. It gives me a lot of confidence in their team.
For the Raptors, this is Pascal Siakam's time to shine. He cannot be passive or settle. He has to take advantage of mismatches. He has to be able to back guys down or take guys off the dribble from the perimeter and not settle for cheap shots. He must go to the rack or knock down big threes.
Look back to Christmas Day when the Raptors lost to the Celtics. Siakam had 33 points in that game. He is a guy who knows he can score against Boston, especially without Hayward being there.
It will be an interesting match-up between Siakam and Brown, I think that's the match-up we will see. Brown is a very solid defender.
The Raptors have other offensive threats too. For all we talk about Siakam, there are times when Fred VanVleet looks like Toronto's biggest offensive threat given the way he is shooting the ball and finishing at the basket. He has become a force.
One guy I think will be an X-factor in this series is Marc Gasol. He was quiet in Toronto's first-round sweep of the Nets. A lot of that was due to Brooklyn's Jarrett Allen, a great defender who is extremely athletic and long. But I think Gasol is due for a big series against Boston. I expect him to dictate a lot of things at both ends of the court. He is so important to the Raptors' defense, as well as their ball movement.
Toronto call also rely on their deep bench. Look at their last game against the Brooklyn Nets. They had 100 bench points! Norman Powell is playing at a really high level right now. The Celtics have a stopper on their bench in Marcus Smart but they are going to need other guys to step up. Overall, the Raptors have five guys averaging 15 or more points a game. We haven't seen an NBA team do that for over 20 years!
The Raptors have been a great fast-break team throughout the season. That's no joke. With two outstanding bigs (Gasol and Ibaka) ready to kick the ball out to two outstanding guards (Lowry and VanVleet) pushing the ball up the wing and then the athleticism of Powell, Siakam and OG Anunoby to finish plays.
But this Celtics team are probably just as fast and just as athletic as Toronto. I don't think you want to get into an up-and-down running match with them. You do want to push the ball and get some easy points at moments in the game but, in the main I think this will be a more tactical.
This is going to be more of a 'slow-it-down' series. What two better coaches to have that type of a game than Nick Nurse and Brad Stevens? Both are extremely good tactically, especially Nurse who can be so 'outside the box'.
Will we see Nurse pull a trick or two out of his bag? Yes, because in the seeding game the Raptors lost to the Celtics in the bubble, Nurse did not show his cards and I don't think he wanted to. He knew they were likely to see Boston again in the playoffs and that seeding game was a case of 'let's give the Celtics a false sense of confidence'. You can't gauge anything about this series from that game.
Based on Toronto's depth, their experience, veterans and coaching, I would say Raptors win in six games. My heart says six. My head says it could be seven.
