Raptors (19-22):

Offense: 9^th

Defense: 24^th

Rebounding: 28^th

Turnovers: 2^nd

Free Throws: 28^th

I thought they were extinct but winning 10 of their last 15 have seen them sky rocket into playoff contention for an 8^th seed that is currently wide open. Impressive stuff from a GM who has brought a wealth of experience in this league with much success running the Sacramento Kings only a few years ago. A solid off season coupled with the recent trade to consolidate and bring in James Johnson seems to of been the turning point and the Raptors continue to make some mid-season noise on the back of their franchise star Bradley Beal. Toronto sport a top 10 offense and manage to be one of the best teams in the league taking care of the ball essentially pinpointing their only chance for success is to come in guns blazing, shooting lights out without throwing the ball away. Their only out this week is Hill who has been a non-factor all year and the real test comes this week in traveling to Boston to attempt to out one of the best teams in the East.

Celtics (27-14):

Offense: 4^th

Defense: 7^th

Rebounding: 11^th

Turnovers: 15^th

Free Throws: 25^th

Hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the Celtics this year despite boasting 4^th seed in the stacked Eastern conference. Whether it’s KD taking every second week off or the possible excessive player movement which has no doubt affected team chemistry the Celtics look to right the ship and find some consistency in the second half of the season. It’s yet to be seen if their recent move to bring in possible future star in Kuzma is more geared to the future rather than to continue being competitive now. Does this possibly speak to the lack of confidence the head office has in legitimately contending for a title this year? Or is it more of a move to change up their offensive style, go a bit smaller and focus more on their elite wing play and perimeter offense? Pat Bev is the only out this week and was obviously a stash move to secure another great two way guard so realistically both teams head into this match up healthy and ready to go.

Match ups:

Willy Hernangomez vs Kyle O’Quinn  

O’Quinn’s job is simple. Pound the glass and roll to the basket. His mid range game and passing out of the post is underrated and crucial to the success of this Celtics squad. They want to speed things up and his ability to run the floor and get second chance points is why he’s left standing with all the recent trades. On the other end we see similar play from the young Willy but he’s very much still developing and right now will have his hands full keeping Kyle off the glass.

Kelly Olynyk vs Kyle Kuzma  

This is a typical match up of the skilled stretch four big men and a great insight into how today’s game has developed away from the bruising front courts of old. Recently acquired Kuzma has been impressive in his time at Miami and looks to play more of a limited role within one of the best offenses in the league. His ability to get his own shot and put the ball on the floor is what is intriguing about him but he has a long ways to go to fill lofty expectations. Olynyk you know what you’re getting, elite spot up 3pt shooting and rebounding while being the perfect pick and roll big men which will prove to be a lesson learned for the young fella on how to stay relevant in this league.

Jae Crowder vs Kevin Durant  

Let’s not read into this too much. KD will get whatever he wants, when he wants and will dominate the game same as he always does no matter who he faces. If you can slow or limit this guy in any way, shape or form then that’s a huge win for the opposing team. The Raptors expect/hope to do just this with their best wing defender in Crowder drawing this daunting task heading into this match up. Crowder has played his role well for Toronto all year long and has proved somewhat effective scoring from range. KD is a legit top 10 player in the league controlled by big men and is good for 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.4 steals and a block a game. Elite talent on both ends to the point I almost feel sorry for Crowder… Almost. Take it easy on the guy KD he has a family.

Bradley Beal vs Devin Harris   

Probably the only match up that the Raptors have a clear advantage and an opportunity to exploit. Harris who came over as a throw in alongside Miami team mate Kuzma had some success at running point and has surprised some with how he was able to run their offence. He may be a little out of his element here and his inefficiency on the offensive end could prove costly for the Celtics putting too much stock in the veteran to be the starting two guard. Honestly Beal is going to run this guy off the court and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants as arguably the best offensive two guard in the league. He has size, speed and length and I see Harris being a real liability here.

 *Beal lubing up.

Kris Dunn vs Tyreke Evans

Evans has exploded this year and has been the big reason for the Celtics recent moves as they invest 100% into Evans versatility and abilities with the ball in his hands. He seems to be the perfect complement to KD and is able to effectively run a potent offense and proves to be an efficient scorer at the point guard position which seems to be a rarity these days. He comes in with averages of 21.4 PPG, 7.5APG, 3.6 RPG shooting 55/29/85 in the 8 games as their starting point guard which is impressive to say the least. The question is why would the Raptors opt to match up Dunn against him with having the option for Rondo and his proven defense to seemingly be the better option here. They must know something we don’t but what I know for sure is Evans is going to take this kid to school and continue to kill it for the Celtics.