Raptors Cage

Game Day: Raptors square off against Celtics

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It’s game day in Beantown as the Toronto Raptors will face off against their divisional rival Boston Celtics at 7:30 PM EST. In the first of four meetings between both clubs, the Raptors (3-1) should look to improve upon their recent string of lackluster performances and come out firing on all cylinders. The young Celtics (1-2) will rely on its talented backcourt (composed of Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley) to lead the charge on their homecourt. After last night’s scrappy victory over the depleted Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto must overcome another night of fatigue and maintain a concerted team effort in order to effectively compete. DeMar DeRozan led the team with 16 points in 30 minutes, while Patrick Patterson rose to the occasion and contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. After this solid performance, he is likely to start again tonight in place of the injured Amir Johnson. Speaking of injuries, the status of Jonas Valanciunas is currently “doubtful” after the center suffered a facial injury at the hands of ex-Raptor/current punk Sebastian Telfair in OKC. So, Toronto may be without its two starting big men tonight- it’s up to the replacements and reserves to join in the attack. With all that being said, let’s take a look at Cage’s Keys to the Game:

Hoard the Boards

The Raps are currently ranked 22nd in the NBA for rebounds per game at 41.3. For a team that strives for defensive tenacity and relentless hustle, this number is far too low. In the absence of Johnson (and possibly Valanciunas), there has to be an even greater focus on crashing the boards tonight. Look for Tyler Hansbrough to get the starting nod and Greg Stiemsma to see inflated minutes in the search for rebounds. Boston holds a slight advantage in this category at 42.7 RPG, but bigs Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk hold a combined average of 16.6 RPG. These young starters could be a serious problem on the glass, so containing them is an enormous priority.

Stay aggressive at the hoop

On another note, the Raps average an NBA-best 38.3 free-throw attempts per game. This should definitely be attributed to the aggressiveness displayed by DeRozan and Kyle Lowry on every offensive trip down the floor. The two guards do an excellent job of drawing contact on the drive and getting to the line. In contrast to Sunday’s contest against the Miami Heat which saw an incredibly poor output in successful free-throws, Toronto shot 84.8% from the charity stripe against the Thunder last night. Combined with the abundance of attempts, this assuring statistic will only aid in the winning effort.

Bradley does not play badly

The young guard is coming off a 32 point, eight rebound performance against the Dallas Mavericks. There is no doubting the boost in his confidence level, and as a starter on a young/experimenting squad, he will be given the appropriate playing time for a possible repeat achievement. He acts as a plausible threat both inside and outside the three-point line, so the Raptors must limit his scoring opportunities and force looks to other opponents on the floor.

X-Factor: Terrence Ross

The solid tandem of DeRozan and Lowry has been noted, as well as the probability of Johnson and Valanciunas sitting out. That leaves one more starter to step up and prove his value to the team. Ross is averaging a mere 9.5 PPG on 40% field goal shooting. We all expect more from a third-year forward, but he has yet to make that next step into greatness. His contribution on both ends of the floor tonight is needed for both a team win and a personal statement of relevance.

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