Breaking Down The Celtics-Raptors Series

With the second round of the NBA Playoffs getting ready to tip off today, the series between the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics has all the makings of an instant classic. Both of these teams have championship aspirations, so this series should be a great one.

Who Has the Edge:

Coaching: Brad Stevens (Boston Celtics) and Nick Nurse (Toronto Raptors) are two of the best coaches in the entire league. In the NBA Playoffs, coaching has a direct impact on the outcome of the game. There are arguments to be made about both coaches having the edge.

Ever since Stevens arrived in Boston from Butler, he has made his presence known in the league and staked his reputation as a top-flight coach. Stevens has been the coach in “Beantown” for seven years and has a proven track record. Nurse on the other hand, while nowhere near as established as Stevens, is coming off a NBA title during his first year at the helm of the Raptors.

Advantage: Nick Nurse. While Stevens is a great coach, the championship pedigree of Nurse puts him over the top in what is a very close call.

Starters: Both of these teams have great starting lineups, but the Raptors have a decided advantage at two key positions. The Celtics trio of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum can hold their own with any team in the league, but the Celtics are merely average at shooting guard and center. Gordon Hayward suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out at least one more series. This has forced Marcus Smart into the starting rotation depriving the C’s of a key bench player. The Celtics also have an issue at center. Players like Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter, while skilled, will look overmatched at times during this series.

While the Raptors have an advantage over the Celtics at center and shooting guard, Boston has the edge due to Tatum, Walker, and Brown. Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet, of the Raptors, will give Toronto a decided advantage over Smart and the Theis/Kanter combo respectively.

Advantage: Celtics. While the Raptors have a good starting lineup led by Pascal Siakam, the Celtics have a great starting lineup because of the potent scoring potential of Walker-Tatum-Brown. Both of these lineups are two of the best in the league, but Boston holds a slight edge in that regard.

Bench: Both of these teams have benches, and depth, that is good enough for them to ultimately win a championship. With Smart now being in the starting lineup, Boston’s bench took a hit. Smart is a tenacious defensive player and can knock down open shots. Kanter has also shown that he can give Boston quality minutes as part of the second unit.

The Raptors have Serge Ibaka coming off their bench, who has been a solid supporting piece for the entirety of his career.

Advantage: Raptors. The benches of these two teams are so close, but the edge goes to the team with championship pedigree.

Intangibles: Toronto finished the regular season with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference in addition to the second-best record in the entire league. The Raptors finished five games clear of Boston in the standings.

The Celtics are 3-1 this season against Toronto, including a 22-point win by Boston in the NBA bubble. This is something Boston fans should be excited about heading into this series.

The Raptors and Celtics finished first and second respectively in opponents points-per-game this season. Defense is always important in the playoffs, and the same will hold in this series.

Toronto will win this series because their roster is full of players that were on the team just one year ago when they won a title. This will be the difference because the two teams are so evenly matched. The Celtics have no such championship pedigree on their roster. Tatum, Walker, Stevens, and Brown will not have the experience to lean on like their opponent will.

Prediction: Raptors in 6

This series should consist of six very close games. The Raptors will be able to pull out a few games late because they know what it takes to advance in the playoffs, while Boston has struggled late in the playoffs recently.