Celtics (0-0) at Raptors (0-0) Round 2 Game 1 8/30/20

[kraidstar]

Marcus Smart with the +27 rating.

When he is shooting well we are near-unbeatable.

[liam]

Are we now going to see a bunch of "What's wrong with the Raps" articles?

[mef730]

5) No Kanter. Brad prob doesn't see him being effective in this particular matchups.

No, it's just that the warrant from Interpol is making him cautious about playing in away games against Toronto.

Mike

[GreenEnvy]

This was impressive. I fully expect Nurse and the Raptors to adjust. Let's keep it going!

They didn’t play well and surely will look better than they did today. However, we didn’t play particularly well ourselves. We were sloppy at times and managed to win the game comfortably.

[KGs Knee]

It was a good win. Need to keep focus and stay the aggressors.

[Jvalin]

5) No Kanter. Brad prob doesn't see him being effective in this particular matchups.
6) Rob was very, very solid.

The way the league is getting smaller, it seems to me that Kanter is practically unplayable against most teams. If I were Danny, I'd dump him in the offseason for cap relief + whatever future pick(s) we can get. I'd rather have a guy like Noel (UFA) in case Timelord gets injured once again.

[gouki88]

5) No Kanter. Brad prob doesn't see him being effective in this particular matchups.
6) Rob was very, very solid.

The way the league is getting smaller, it seems to me that Kanter is practically unplayable against most teams. If I were Danny, I'd dump him in the offseason for cap relief + whatever future pick(s) we can get. I'd rather have a guy like Noel (UFA) in case Timelord gets injured once again.

Any chance we can offload Poirier too? He's a dinosaur without the elite rebounding ability of Kanter, lol

[Atzar]

It has been discussed ad nauseam that the Celtics' biggest weakness on defense is their lack of presence on the interior.  What has been underdiscussed is that the Raptors are ill-suited to take advantage of that weakness. 

Gasol and Ibaka want to be jumpshooters at this point in their respective careers.  VanVleet and Lowry aren't terribly efficient inside the arc (though Lowry can often make up for it by getting to the line). 

If they want to get any offense going on the interior, it basically has to be Siakam.  But Siakam's offensive game is fairly limited.  His favorite way to get shots inside is to just back his man down far enough to pivot right into a layup.  But that has some problems.  First, it's predictable.  Smart tagged him with an offensive foul by just taking the bump and going to the floor.  And second, if he can't back his man down then he doesn't really have a plan B.  Ojeleye largely shut him down because Siakam couldn't move him in the post.  He lacks the handle to turn around and face up, and he had no confidence in his outside shot tonight. 

The Raptors will have to figure out a way to generate some easy buckets in the paint going forward. 

[Neurotic Guy]

Great win in a pretty powerful manner)
Again, same feeling I had last time we saw them in the bubble.
What stood out to me were:
1) The way C's started the game.
2) Tatum patience against really tough defenders. This is how you can tell he has matured into a guy, who can actually be a best player on a winning team.
3) Concentration and cohesion on D throughout the whole thing.
4) 3P obviously
5) No Kanter. Brad prob doesn't see him being effective in this particular matchups.
6) Rob was very, very solid.
7) Kemba distributing the ball.
8. Not a perfect game, still have a lot of room to improve.

Yes - great start to this game, especially defensively -- and great that they sustained throughout.   It is SO good that Tatum can be patient while other C's take the offensive load.  This bodes well moving forward if the team stays healthy.  Also great to see the adjustment with Rob getting the back-up 5 minutes.  I think Kanter will play a role as the series moves on.   

Despite a few lapses taking care of the ball, Theis played pretty well. 13 and 15 isn't too shabby.  Kemba needs to stay healthy.

I think the starting lineup remains the same when Gordon comes back (if C's are still playing).  I have to admit I'd be interested in seeing what starting bigger and bringing Smart and Hayward off the bench might do v. the Bucks.  But hard to watch how things started out today and complain.

[Celtics Mike]

Excellent win for the Celtics I am delighted Because of  the time difference here in Tokyo I couldn't follow the game Iive at 2:30am. I see from the box score Timelord scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds Did he dominate ? Also noted an impressive 21 points from Marcus Smart. How good were the Celtics ?

[Jvalin]

5) No Kanter. Brad prob doesn't see him being effective in this particular matchups.
6) Rob was very, very solid.

The way the league is getting smaller, it seems to me that Kanter is practically unplayable against most teams. If I were Danny, I'd dump him in the offseason for cap relief + whatever future pick(s) we can get. I'd rather have a guy like Noel (UFA) in case Timelord gets injured once again.

Any chance we can offload Poirier too? He's a dinosaur without the elite rebounding ability of Kanter, lol

I'd be happy to dump them both (alongside Edwards for that matter). Chances are that Poirier has negative trade value, but oh well.

[Celtics Mike]

Excellent win for the Celtics I am delighted Because of  the time difference here in Tokyo I couldn't follow the game Iive at 2:30am. I see from the box score Timelord scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds Did he dominate ? Also noted an impressive 21 points from Marcus Smart. How good were the Celtics ?

also noted that Daniel Theis had a very impressive double double 13points and 15 rebounds

[Atzar]

Excellent win for the Celtics I am delighted Because of  the time difference here in Tokyo I couldn't follow the game Iive at 2:30am. I see from the box score Timelord scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds Did he dominate ? Also noted an impressive 21 points from Marcus Smart. How good were the Celtics ?

Timelord was uneven.  His defense on the perimeter is pretty bad, but he's disruptive around the basket.  Played well on offense. 

Smart was terrific.

Overall, we played well today.  Defense was generally great.  We committed way too many turnovers, and we also need to get Jaylen going.  Still, the fact that we can make some mistakes and still win a blowout is promising. 

[gouki88]

5) No Kanter. Brad prob doesn't see him being effective in this particular matchups.
6) Rob was very, very solid.

The way the league is getting smaller, it seems to me that Kanter is practically unplayable against most teams. If I were Danny, I'd dump him in the offseason for cap relief + whatever future pick(s) we can get. I'd rather have a guy like Noel (UFA) in case Timelord gets injured once again.

Any chance we can offload Poirier too? He's a dinosaur without the elite rebounding ability of Kanter, lol

I'd be happy to dump them both (alongside Edwards for that matter). Chances are that Poirier has negative trade value, but oh well.

Yeah, VP has gotta be the most useless $2.5m spent this season. Does nothing even close to average, let alone well

[SHAQATTACK]

Time Lord is still very green ,  he had some great moments when healthy in reg. season games .  He has had limited court time and the pressure and intensity is doubled in playoffs .  And goes up each round.   I think this getting used to the total pressure on both sides of the ball is what he is adjusting to....the highest level of professional basketball. 

He learns pretty fast and  predict he ll will be ready with improved play next game .