From JLew1050: Raptors pass final regular-season test against conference rival. MORE:
The Toronto Raptors still have 20 games left to play, almost a quarter of their regular-season slate, and the playoffs are still six weeks away. However, they’re done with Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Indiana and, as of Tuesday night, they’re done with Boston, too.
Only one of those games – Tuesday’s 118-95 obliteration of the Celtics – came after the Feb. 7 trade deadline, when Philadelphia and Milwaukee made significant, rotation-altering moves. Their help defence was as crisp as its been all year, holding Boston to 38 per cent shooting and all-star point guard Kyrie Irving, who combined for 70 points in the previous two meetings, to just seven points. Offensively, they moved the ball to the tune of 33 assists. Kyle Lowry and Gasol, who fuelled an 18-0 run in the second quarter, combined for 19 of those assists, and each drew a charge on the other end of the floor.
If Siakam’s new-found range is for real, and Lowry and Leonard are as healthy and in sync as they looked against Boston, and Gasol gets fully acclimated and can diversify their offence with his ability to the pass the ball, the Raptors’ ceiling is as high, if not higher, than any other team in the East.
Granted, these Celtics are not the same team that many picked to win the East four months ago. They’ve underachieved and struggled to find their identity or build chemistry. Still, they’re more than just the fifth team in a five-team race. Nobody wants to face them in May, and with good reason. Given their talent and experience, most assume they’ll come together eventually, even if Tuesday’s loss appeared to drive them even further apart.
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