Gameday: Raptors @ Celtics, Feb. 11

You would be forgiven if you forgot the last time the Toronto Raptors played the Boston Celtics because that Raptors team represented one of those memories that you push deep into the depths of your soul in order to move on.

No, it was not in the Orlando bubble in Game 7 of the 2020 playoffs when the Celtics eliminated the Raptors and moved onto the Eastern Conference Finals. It was just last month, on January 4th, in a game that the Raptors started really well — maybe they’ll turn their season around, we thought — only for the Celtics to come back and absolutely destroy them on the back of 40 points from Jayson Tatum.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

After that walloping, the Raptors went on a four-game road trip that seemed to turn around their season. While they only won one game on the trip, they figured a lot out and played the best basketball of their young season, losing games to the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors by just one basket each. The Raptors have been playing even better recently, standing at 12-13, tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Celtics, on the other hand, have gone downhill since their hot start. A two-week absence from Tatum due to COVID-19 protocols as well as their lack of depth has come back to haunt them, as they too now sit at 12 wins (and 11 losses), fourth in the East. As if these teams needed any more reason to get up for this clash of Eastern Conference rivals, they will be playing for their place in the standings.

So, what should we be looking for?

First of all, with OG Anunoby questionable to return from his calf injury, the Raptors might have to make a tough lineup decision regarding their starters. Norman Powell has been playing so well with the starters that it makes some sense to keep him there, but that would likely mean playing small and sending Aron Baynes to the bench (or out of the rotation). If there is a team to play small against, whether Anunoby plays or not, it’s the Celtics.

While rebounding could be a problem, the Celtics are without any real post-scorers in their front-court, so the Raptors should be able to get away with single-coverage on the Celtics’ centers. Furthermore, we saw in the 2020 playoffs that playing small against the Celtics works, so this might be an opportunity to give Boucher (or Anunoby) center groups some run.

In terms of Pascal Siakam, it will be interesting to see how he attacks the Celtics’ defence. It seems like sometimes Siakam is passive against certain defences, and we have seen Jaylen Brown and Tatum take him completely out of games. Will he be aggressive and look for his own shot? Or will he defer to his teammates? With the three-point shot going down recently as well as the improved playmaking on the season, Siakam has the ability to keep defences guessing throughout when the ball is in his hands. But he needs to demand the ball in order to do that.

Anyways, this should be a great game. The Celtics always come prepared to play the Raptors, and the Raptors have some making-up to do after laying an early-season egg against Boston. Plus, the Raptors have won five of their last six and are turning a corner, playing some of the best ball of the season.