Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors: Preseason Preview #3
The Boston Celtics take their winning ways north of the border tonight, as they put their 2-0 preseason record on the line against last season’s surprising Atlantic Division champions, the Toronto Raptors.
Like the sound of that: the Boston Celtics being 2-0? Enjoy it while you can – have you seen the Celtics’ schedule for November yet?!?
The Celtics have administered 20 point beat downs to the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks so far this preseason, and would like nothing more than to continue feeling good about themselves. The preseason may not mean an awful lot in the grand scheme of things, but when your team is as young as the Celtics are, every big play, every clutch shot, and every victory is a huge confidence boost. Another win tonight, and I might just start seeing things using the “glass half full” mentality.
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Of course, neither of Boston’s first two preseason opponents have been what I would call, ah, good. The Philadelphia 76ers have embraced the art of tanking, so watching Boston blow that game wide open was no surprise, even if rookie Marcus Smart couldn’t hit the ocean with his J that night. And while I thought the New York Knicks might pose more of a threat, New York is another team that almost certainly will miss the playoffs in 2014-2015.
So far, then, Boston has proven that it is a crappy team that can at least beat some other crappy teams. Toronto? Not a crappy team, so this is the first real challenge our young Celtics squad will face as it tunes up for opening night.
Boston has seen some nice contributions from Evan Turner, Kelly Olynyk, Brandon Bass, and Marcus Thornton, but so far the biggest surprise of the preseason has been Jared Sullinger‘s ability to actually stretch the floor. Sully went off for 23 points in only 23 minutes of action Wednesday against the Knicks, going 9-for-12 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. I begged the Celtics and Sullinger not to try and make him a stretch 4, but if he keeps flashing anything close to a reliable three-point shot, I will shut my mouth for good on that topic. Let’s see how well Mister Sullinger shoots tonight.
The game will tip off at 7:30, and can be seen on CSN HD. You may also tune in to 98.5 The Sports Hub to get your play-by-play call!