Pre-Game Toronto - Take 2

Well, I told everyone that the Clips game was a big deal.  Now the sports world wants to jump on my bandwagon.  I tried to tell ya!  Haha

Well, not so fast.  With dboss initially giving us a heads up to possibly cruise into the All Star via a TOR vs. BOS potential cancellation because TOR could not filed enough players, it looks like TOR may have enough for Thursday as of right now.  So Game On!!

The Celtics have done what I've asked them to do...Make Marcus Smart feel missed and needed.  Then make him feel like "We've Got This!  But we are really ready for your return!"  

Well a good game and victory against the uprising Raptors with all hands on deck on Thursday will complete the set.

Hopefully, our subconscious mechanism of waiting for the other shoe to drop has diminished slightly with the past 3 games.  I believe things are finally looking up.  Kemba probably being the biggest catalyst.  He was my pick for that award this season.  This took a lot longer than I thought to come to fruition.  If he's back to Charlotte Kemba, then the rest of the East and league might want to wake back up and take note.  Actually, go back to sleep. Shutting him down like the competition did rendering him useless in last year's playoffs will not happen again.  Especially if Kemba can make the mental shift from a 1 to a 2.

TOR is yet another team all bunched up from 4th to 10th in the East.  So Thursday's game is yet another critical game for the Celtics during this stretch.  If we play like the last 3 games, we should be ok and can slide into the ASG Weekend!

Hopefully the strain on TOR fielding a team will be enough for us to win this last game before the break!

db

Celtics host Raptors with sights set on 4th straight win

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-host-raptors-sights-set-090126477.html

Thu, March 4, 2021, 4:01 AM

A four-game homestand before the All-Star break gave the Boston Celtics the perfect opportunity to put a month-long funk behind them and push their record back above .500.

Three games in, they've done just that. The Celtics will look to continue their winning ways as they host the depleted Toronto Raptors on Thursday night.

Boston has won three straight for the first time since early January, defeating the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Clippers over the past week. The most recent of those victories -- 117-112 against the Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers on Tuesday -- pushed Boston's record to 18-17 after a stretch of 11 losses in 16 games.

"It's always more fun winning than losing, but I feel like it's really just us getting close as a team. That's where the fun is coming," Boston big man Robert Williams III said.

Fun has not been a word associated with the Raptors in recent days. The team returned from two games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols to get stomped 129-105 Wednesday by a Detroit Pistons club that sports the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto was without three of its top five scorers -- Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby -- in addition to head coach Nick Nurse and most of his staff.

"No excuses," said assistant coach Sergio Scariolo, who is leading the team through the rough patch. "We had enough players and coaches to have played a better game than this one."

The loss slipped the Raptors' record back below .500 (17-18) after a stretch of five wins in seven games before the postponements. The players that missed Wednesday's contest aren't expected to be available Thursday.

The meeting will be the third this season between clubs that faced off in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston has won the first two.

During its current streak, the Celtics have looked a lot more like a team capable of a deep postseason run. The key has been improved defense, on display when they outscored the Clippers 29-23 during the fourth quarter Tuesday for a comeback victory.

"We still have so much to improve, but defensively we've been a lot better," said Jaylen Brown, who scored 18 points in his return from one game missed due to left knee soreness. "I think during stretches, we've taken our foot off the gas and blown a 24-point lead, et cetera. You've got to continue to guard in this league for the entire game."

Also key to the resurgence has been point guard Kemba Walker, who has scored at least 25 points in two of his past three contests.

Toronto's point guard, Kyle Lowry, scored 21 points Wednesday, and Norman Powell poured in 36, though the duo wasn't enough to overcome the team's lack of reinforcements.

"It's tough. I really could have shot a lot more," Lowry said. "I shot 11 times, but I wanted to play the right way to try to keep everybody involved, keep everybody going."

The Raptors trailed by as much as 26 in the lopsided defeat.

--Field Level Media

No mercy!! I say kick 'em when they are down!!!

Yahoo Sports disses Marcus by not mentioning his absence while highlighting the Claw's.

worcester,

I tried to tell ya!! It really is pathetic. Listen to an relevant, applicable ESPN game.

The Celtics need to come out of 4th in the East and literally beat the crap out of everyone that stands in their way for each of the 4 rounds.

Celtics are treated as 3rd Class Citizens by the NBA and media, almost like they are an annoyance. THAT'S what we're up against.

db

Also, I forgot this game tonight is the 2B2B for TOR. That can go either direction. We are usually pretty good at bouncing back ourselves after a 1st game loss prior to the 2nd. We'll see how TOR responds themselves when in a similar situation.

Yes, kick a team when their down!! We were in the same boat so no sympathy here!!

db

No mercy.

Yes, it's a SEGABABA for the Raptors.  I hope the Celtics doesn't take that and the fact that it is the last game before the AS break and come out unprepared.  Some players may already have one foot out the door with their plans for the break.

Tim Bontemps
@TimBontemps
·
34m
The Raptors make it official: Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn and Pat McCaw are out tonight against the Celtics.


Bob


.

Excellent. Let the bon temps roll!

worcester wrote:Excellent. Let the bon temps roll!

worcester,

Laissez les bon temps roulez!


Bob

.

"Oui, Oui. Baguette!!" OK, too much Pixar!

db

A chance at going into the break 4-0 is great. The game should not even be close and we should see a deep bench showing as soon as we are up 20.

You know what all that means, don't you, dboss?!!

TOR -7!!

db

dbrown4 wrote:You know what all that means, don't you, dboss?!!

TOR -7!!

db

I do not even want to contemplate a trap type game or one where we cannot cover the spread. A win tonight sets this team up for the remainder of the season.

A few games ago I officially dubbed us as the trappee! We can't be trapped! We now do the trapping!

db

I hope they show up tonight. I also hope they blow them away so JT, JB(in particular) can get rested a bit more.