10 things from Raptors-Celtics (this game was drugs)

Here’s 10 takeaways from the Raptors’ 118-95 dismantling of the Celtics.

One – That was a statement: This performance was everything you could ever ask for. The Raptors cruised to victory from the second quarter onward, played up to their full potential on defense, shared the ball for 33 assists, put these overrated ass Celtics into shambles, and did it all on national TV. I mean the game ended with Malcolm Miller splashing threes and Chris Boucher dunking everything. It doesn’t get any better.

Two – The little general: Kyle Lowry posted a modest 7-6-11 stat line, but this was quietly one of his finest performances of the season. Lowry set the tone with his defensive intensity and the rest of the team followed suit. Boston stupidly tried to take advantage of Lowry in the post (it never works) and Lowry made them pay by turning misses into transition scores. The juxtaposition between Lowry’s unselfish determination and Kyrie Irving’s pouty nonchalance reflected the difference in the score.

Three – The explosion: Toronto blew this game wide open in the second quarter by playing maniacal defense that produced an 18-0 run. Granted, the Celtics’ bench is hot trash, but the Raptors just simply outclassed them. “Wall builder Otto Porter” (credit: Blake Murphy) was a non-factor (nine points on eight shots) and the Raptors were relentless in transition. Marc Gasol was extremely effective in directing traffic on defense, while also running the offense out of the post for the second unit. Sprinkle in some good Norman Powell minutes, and this game turned into a blowout.

Four – He’s a keeper: There was one standout possession in the second quarter where Pat McCaw helped off his man on the left side of the floor to trap Terry Rozier, before rotating across the perimeter to the right side of the floor when the ball was reversed, then executed a switch in the post with OG Anunoby, before helping one last time at the rim to force a turnover. McCaw’s defensive tenacity is a real asset, and his quick first step allows him to get to the basket off the dribble provided that the paint is clear, which it always is thanks to Gasol.

Five – Another positive development: The Celtics limited Pascal Siakam to just 26 points over the first three meetings by sticking mobile wing defenders on him who could match Siakam’s length, while also ignoring him on the perimeter. But that strategy didn’t work tonight because Siakam has suddenly turned into Kyle Korver in the corners of late, as he drilled four treys en route to a team-high 25 points. The Raptors were so confident in Siakam’s shooting that Lowry even turned down a driving layup to create an open look for Siakam in the corner, which he promptly drained.

Six – The Irving strategy: Maybe Irving’s heart just wasn’t in the game, but he finished with just seven points on 3-10 shooting after averaging 30 points and 11 assists in the three previous contests in this series. Danny Green held his own against Irving (although Green was neutralized by a tough whistle), while Kawhi Leonard also took a few shifts on Irving. What’s surprising is that Jeremy Lin, who carries a bad defensive reputation, went toe-to-toe with Irving on at least two possessions. Irving tried to size him up, but Lin held his ground and forced Irving into tough fadeaways.

Seven – Winning the matchup: Serge Ibaka continues to thrive against Al Horford. Ibaka had 14 points on 6-7 shooting in just 20 minutes to just eight points on 4-of-10 for the TJ Ford butcher. Ibaka finished the season series averaging 19.5 points on 60 percent shooting against the Celtics, and has largely outplayed Horford on both ends of the floor.

Eight – A managed load: Leonard was back to his usual self against the Celtics. His explosiveness still isn’t 100 percent, but this was his best performance in nearly a month. Leonard had that bounce in his step when sizing up his man in the midrange, was locked in defensively, and finished confidently around the basket. Marcus Morris is the only player in the Celtics’ starting five who can check Leonard without help, but Morris is also needed against Siakam. That’s a problem for the Celtics.

Nine – A note on Gasol: There’s been some consternation and hand-wringing over the Gasol deal because (a) Gasol looks very slow, and (b) Jonas Valanciunas is steadily putting up 20-10 in losses to lottery teams. And while Valanciunas may very well outperform Gasol on an individual basis for the rest of the season, this game was a reminder of why the Raptors preferred Gasol. Valanciunas (15 points, minus-17, in 33 minutes) got outplayed by Aron Baynes in his two meetings with the Celtics this season, whereas Gasol had eight assists and was a plus-18 tonight.

Ten – This has to be a good sign: Uncle Dennis was in attendance, as per my guy Shankar Sivanathan (@shanxonline on Twitter) sitting next to Ajay Virmani, who is the CEO of CargoJet. Leonard made a promotional appearance at the CargoJet hangar in Hamilton earlier this year, and Uncle Dennis was seen on vacation with Virmani’s son. Making powerful local connections has to be a good sign, no?