Boston Celtics: 3 keys to victory in game-three vs. Toronto
By Mark Nilon
The Boston Celtics come into tonight’s game looking to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over the defending champions, the Toronto Raptors.
Two games down, two more to go for the Boston Celtics to end their second-round series against the Toronto Raptors and advance to their third Eastern Conference Finals appearance in four seasons.
To say the Cs have found the utmost success during these 2020 playoffs would be quite an understatement. Currently, they are just one of two teams (the other being the Miami Heat) to boast an undefeated record in this year’s postseason, as they find themselves up 2-0 against the defending world champions.
Their first outing against the Raptors was essentially a cake-walk, as Boston never found themselves trailing by the end of any quarter and won by an impressive 18 point margin (112-94).
Game-two, however, saw the shamrocks fighting to the final buzzer, as they were met by increased intensity by Toronto. Though winning by a final score of 102-99, had it not been for the all-around efficient play by Jayson Tatum (ended the contest with a game-leading 34 points) and the late-game heroics by Marcus Smart, the Raptors could have easily won the exhibition.
Now, heading into game-three, Boston looks to continue their undefeated streak and improve their series-lead to 3-0. Should this happen, history would certainly be on their side in regard to eventually winning the round, as no team in NBA history has ever come back in the postseason after being down three games to none.
Despite their current predicament, Toronto is still very much in this series thanks, in large, to their talented core of Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet & co. and their head man Nick Nurse, who just took home the league honors for the NBA Coach of the Year award.
Winning their seventh-consecutive game will not be an easy task to accomplish. That said, Boston has the tools necessary to get the job done, especially if they hone in on these three keys: