TORONTO – The Boston Celtics have something the Toronto Raptors simply don’t.
At least, that’s what it looked like as Boston took Game 2 102-99 Tuesday evening to go up 2-0 on the Raptors in their second-round playoff series.
Entering the fourth quarter on the heels of a quarter-finishing 11-2 run in third, the Raptors looked poised to put the game to rest in the fourth and even their series.
Instead, Marcus Smart went volcanic, hitting five straight three-pointers in the frame to help the Celtics take the lead and hold onto it.
Smart’s fourth-quarter outburst ended up being the catalyst for Boston in the fourth, but if not for the heroics of one of his teammates before, it’s unlikely he’d even be able to get a chance to bring his team back the way he did.
Celtics all-star Jayson Tatum finished Tuesday’s affair with a new playoff career-high 34 points on 8-of-17 shooting and helped Boston when it was on life support to stay in the game.
[snippet id=4931508]
Going back to that third quarter when the Raptors were rolling, Toronto probably should’ve been able to put the contest to bed in the frame, but weren’t able to because of Tatum.
In the third, Tatum scored 13 of Boston’s 20 points, doing the brunt of his damage from the free-throw line, of which he got eight attempts and converted on all of them.
“The talking point for Tatum coming into the day, ‘He’s the one that’s gotta decide to do it,’ is just making quick decisions when he catches the balls, and he did that,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the game. “Once he gets [a] step by, he’s hard to guard. He can slither by you, he can pull up, but he’s going to draw a lot of attention and I thought he did a good job of not only getting to the line but trying to get some and-ones, and I think he can finish even better so that’s a good [thing].”
Raptors coach Nick Nurse had a different view of Tatum’s game – particularly in regards to the number of free throws he was able to take.
“The only frustrating part about it is this. He shoots 14 free throws which is as much as our whole team shoots,” said Nurse. “That’s the frustrating part. I think our guys were working hard on him and were doing a pretty good job but he did make some good shots. They were obviously getting him the ball a lot, getting him in space. We could have helped a little bit better here and there, but they took very good care of him tonight.”
The “they,” in case you were wondering, that Nurse was referring to was in regards to the officials.
Regardless of what Nurse thought of the kind of whistle Tuesday night, Tatum still got his, even if that meant putting the onus on the officials to make a call and send him to the line, and this is what the Celtics have that the Raptors don’t.
A genuine go-to scorer who you can rely upon to get your team a bucket when needed.
The Raptors are a team that have been rightfully celebrated for their ability to win without a lottery pick on their roster, but guys who are chosen in the lottery are generally taken there because they’re talented players and these are the kind of players that the Celtics boast.
Remember, Boston’s core four of Tatum (third overall), Jaylen Brown (third overall), Smart (sixth overall) and Kemba Walker (ninth overall) were all lottery picks in their respective draft classes.
Lottery picks aren’t ever a guarantee, but in the Celtics’ case – who drafted all of Tatum, Brown and Smart – it’s worked out beautifully and in Game 2, in particular, there looked to be an obvious talent disparity between Boston’s best players and Toronto’s.
All but Brown of Boston’s best players were truly instrumental in their come-from-behind win.
Obviously, Tatum was the game’s high scorer and his heroics in the third quarter were game-changing. He also nailed a big triple midway through the fourth to put Boston up by six.
And, of course, Smart had his fourth-quarter eruption.
“Marcus has always affected winning in a big way. He always does what he needs to win. Tonight we needed a little jolt offensively – we missed some open shots against that zone at the end of the third and the early fourth,” said Stevens. “Marcus has been a winning player since he’s gotten here. I’ve said many times, we’ve been in the playoffs every year since he’s been here and it’s not a coincidence.”
And it wasn’t just Smart’s hot shooting stroke that impacted winning, it was also his smothering defence on Raptors star Pascal Siakam, most notably with 35 seconds to go when he stripped Siakam on a drive and managed to keep the ball inbounds.
“I ain’t never played with anybody like Smart, I ain’t never met anybody like Smart. He is one of a kind,” Tatum said of his teammate. “Anybody that watches him play, knows him or ever plays with him knows that there’s nobody like Smart. Any time I’m going to war, take him on my team every day of the week.”
Another player Tatum would take on his team any day of the week is Walker, who hit the two most dramatic shots of the night.
[snippet id=4725691]
Walker was struggling from the field, shooting just 4-for-16 from until about two minutes to play, when he managed to get Fred VanVleet caught up enough on a Daniel Theis screen to find daylight and bury triple to put the Celtics up 100-94, followed by a signature, Walker step-back mid-range jumper with 41 seconds to play to put Boston up 102-99.
The shot Walker hit was one he’d done many times before and in many clutch situations dating back to his days starring for the University of Connecticut and playing in the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time ever, he made sure that not even a bad shooting night would stand in the way of this victory.
“I’ve missed so many shots in my life. I have missed so many shots throughout my career. I’m never going to get down on myself,” Walker said. “I thought I got great looks, and they weren’t falling. It happens to the best of us. I just stayed aggressive, and just stayed within myself.”
In the end, Walker’s talent prevailed in the most dire of situations for his team and the overall talent his Celtics squad boasts seemed to be the real difference-maker in Game 2.
Yes, the Raptors did play poorly in the fourth quarter, going just 5-of-21 from the field in the final period – a recipe for disaster. But credit must be given to the Celtics, who saw their best players rise to the occasion and steal the win to put the Raptors in an early hole in this second-round playoff series.
Uncomfortable as it may be to come to such a conclusion, Boston’s star power may just be too much for Toronto to overcome.
[relatedlinks]
