Gameday: Raptors vs. Celtics, Sep. 3

There’s an abundance of opportunity laid out in front of the Raptors, and in Game 3, they look to seize it.

First, here’s Es:

Last years Raptors accomplished the feat of climbing back up from down 2-0 to take the series, and most of the roster remains the same for this season. The pedigree is there, and they’re/we’re hoping the shot making can catch up to it.

What changed from Game 1? What stayed the same?

Change

Better defense, especially from Gasol
A much better recognition of Anunoby in the offense
Siakam’s identification of the Celtics defense was much better, especially early on in the game
Kemba Walker played really poorly on offense, missing a ton of open shots

Stayed the Same

Tatum was extremely good in ball screens, and a major difference maker as a passer
Lowry’s overall floor game was once again a major positive, but his 3-point shot was still non existent
Marcus Smart burned it down from beyond-the-arc
Ibaka provided a major scoring punch off the bench, but remains a negative on the defensive end
The offense stagnated for long stretches

So, while Anunoby’s offense might not be something we can count on – at least not at that high an output – the Raptors took significant steps toward a winning formula on both sides of the floor. When we think about sustainable offense we always think about layups and shots near the bucket, and the Raptors had that covered in Game 2. 3-point variance, cruel as ever, showed it’s ugly teeth in this game, though. With Lowry and VanVleet still offering little in the way of value from downtown and Marcus Smart launching 5 consecutive triples in the fourth quarter, the lead that was created with defense and paint prowess shrunk and vanished. The Celtics superior shot creation led them to a win.

The good news is that the Raptors can emulate what they did well in Game 2 fairly easily. The better news is that they are a much better shooting team than how they’ve performed, and that can couple with the rest of the progressions from Game 1 to Game 2. The Celtics have done a good job defensively, a similar job even, to how the Raptors suppress other teams 3-point shooters. Now, regression to the mean isn’t guaranteed and never has been, but I’m going to bet the Raptors shooting comes around in at least some small way.

Going forward, the Raptors biggest problem will continue to be how Walker and Tatum shake loose in screen actions. Theis was impressive defensively, but he was phased out of the Celtics offense aside from screen setting. Jaylen Brown did almost all of his damage in transition. Quite frankly, the Raptors did an incredible job defensively in Game 2. Every team has breakdowns, but their court coverage was good. They were on the wrong side of a Smart supernova, and a version of Tatum that has taken major strides as a passer. Sometimes that’s the hand you get dealt.

The cards are on the table. Just gotta make some shots.

Game Info

Tipoff: 6:30pm EST | TV: TSN | Radio: TSN1050. We’re still hours away from pivotal game 3 and in the meantime you can check out some game odds at Casumo betting. No, not an app. Like, an actual casino.