The Toronto Raptors are on the road tonight to face the Boston Celtics, where they have dropped 10 games straight. The Raptors (19-17) hope to continue to build on their winning streak against a short-handed Celtics (13-26) team that traded away guards, Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks. The first meeting between these two teams was on opening night at the ACC, where Rudy Gay was still in red and white.
What do the Raptors need to do in order to hold onto that 3rd spot in the Eastern Conference? Check out the…
Cage’s 5 Keys To The Game.
1. Professional Mentality
The Raptors need to come in with a professional mentality, the same way they approached the Monday night game against the Milwaukee Bucks. This is a short-handed Celtics team, after being involved in a 3-team trade that sent away their starting point guard (played point guard, Avery Bradley was at shooting guard) Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks to the Golden State Warriors. Not to mention that Rajon Rondo is still out with his ACL injury. The spread is only 4 points in favor of the Raps. We aren’t advocating any betting, but…
2. Transition Defence
Watch out for this team in transition. With players like Avery Bradley, Gerald Wallace, Jeff Green, and newly acquired Jerryd Bayless, this is a team with young legs that can certainly get up and down the basketball court. If the Raptors miss a shot, they can be hanging around hoping for those second possessions to come down to them, because this is where the Celtics’ hopes lie – easy fast break points.
3. Continue The All-Star Campaign
This game is as important to the individuals like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. The Raptors are in a situation of “beating teams you are supposed to beat.” If Lowry and DeRozan are able to continue to their great play, not only will they help in a win, they’ll give Brad Stevens and his crew a reason to vote for them to get into the NBA All-Star game.
4. Attack The Offensive Glass
The Raptors are one of the best offensive rebounding teams, and against a team like the Celtics with some big bodies like Jared Sullinger, Canuck Kelly Olynyk, Kris Humphries, and Brandon Bass, it’ll be a tough task. This team needs to stick with their game-plan and what they do best. Second chance points are some of the easiest ways to put a team out of a game.
5. Be Aggressive Offensively
The Celtics have given up an average of 106.1 points during their nine-game losing streak. This has been a poor defensive team within the recent span, and with the Raptors becoming a near-elite team offensively, they should take full advantage. Swing the ball to shooters, watch Terrence Ross get to the corners, ensure DeMar DeRozan continues to attack the rim, and let Kyle Lowry do his job of running guys to their spots.
X-Factor: Greivis Vasquez
Vasquez has not played well in this recent stretch, and his minutes have seen a major decline, which is understandable considering Kyle Lowry’s great play. But, in a game like this where the Raptors have all the depth, this could be a game where Vasquez can run the second unit against a short-handed bench. This will be a confidence game for him.
