Game #78: Toronto Raptors 96 - Boston Celtics 78

[rocwell]

Woj got spies in the NBA 2K League too.

Mavs Gaming will select Artreyo Boyd, aka Dimez, as the No. 1 overall pick in the inaugural NBA2K Draft, league source tells ESPN. Draft starts soon, with Commissioner Adam Silver at the podium.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 4, 2018

[G__Deane]

It would be nice if the Raps can win their remaining 5 games to close the East with 60 wins and come out with a bit of confidence and swagger before the playoffs.

Sure, but I couldn't care less about 60 wins. Just solidify the #1 seed and go into the post season healthy. The 60 means nothing unless you bow out early and that's your silver lining....almost worse to get 60 and bow out early

[G__Deane]

Let's take this one. Want to see the players and coaching staff go all out. This game decides whether they can coast to the first seed or are in a dog fight for the rest of the season. Let's put them in their place

Strategically, I'm interested to see what Casey does to counter Boston's big bench units. Maybe more Powell tomorrow? Maybe a little extra OG with the bench?

Fans think that the Cavs are in the Raptors heads? Stevens is in Caseys head and he has nothing to counter with.
Sorry, just a little down on over matched Casey right now

[rocwell]

TFC fans

.@torontofc fans were feeling gooooood last night ����

��: @Devyjaxx #CCL pic.twitter.com/wE3ZZPbQhZ

— COPA90 US (@COPA90US) April 4, 2018

[octothorp]

Could we do Jeff Goldblum nights instead of Drake nights? Goldblum doing a couple minutes of play-by-play would be a season highlight for me. "Here's - uh - basketball player Kyle Lowry putting the ball into what is ostensibly a basket. Ooh, that was exciting. I got very - uh - excited watching that."

[MixxAOR]

[KeonClark]

This is a massive, massive game. There's really no overstating it. Win, and you've basically secured first. Lose, and you've basically lost first imo.

More than that though, it's psychological. Raptors NEED to beat a fellow ECF contender right now. This game will really show the character of this roster. Are we discouraged, thinking "here we go again", or can we come in standing tall and remember who we've been all season?

Hope you got us Goldblum. Jeff Goldblum is #1 choice to steer through trouble in Jurassic Park. So hope this works.

Nervous excitement. Basically our first 2018 playoff game. The funny thing is, if we end up winning today, it was almost an ideal scenario the last 2 days. Cleveland gets a win, Boston goes 0-2, Raps line up seedings. Sports eh

[Nilanka]

A masterful stroke of strategy by the Raps to give a fake injection of overconfidence to the NewLooks while simultaneously providing them a leg up on the third seed last night. Yes its a bit of whistling past the graveyard....however sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

The smoke and mirror machine rolls into the ACC with Lowry wearing a bad decision around his neck like an anvil you should expect a game and half from him. Its a national US game and the Raps will provide a little counterbalance to the hot take crowd with a big win.

*uck all things Chowder.

Raps W.

My hangovers stretched to TWO days at around age 31....

[Demographic Shift]

A masterful stroke of strategy by the Raps to give a fake injection of overconfidence to the NewLooks while simultaneously providing them a leg up on the third seed last night. Yes its a bit of whistling past the graveyard....however sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

The smoke and mirror machine rolls into the ACC with Lowry wearing a bad decision around his neck like an anvil you should expect a game and half from him. Its a national US game and the Raps will provide a little counterbalance to the hot take crowd with a big win.

*uck all things Chowder.

Raps W.

[Nilanka]

For some strange reason, I'm feeling a good NORM showing down this stretch. I have absolutely no basis for this. More of a wish than anything else. The craving of a hero this team needs right now.

The antithesis of playoff/spotlight fear, oh how I wish he's just hiding in the bush biding his time...Breaking through that zone bullshit from boston with no fear. Massive transition dunks, locked down defensive stances, timely 3's with nothing but net... I know he's in there somewhere.

Come back to us buddy

I have the same feeling, mainly because Miles has forgot how to basketball.

[DanH]

Game day! One I'm actually excited for! Really hoping Casey calms the fears that his screwing around lately has caused. Want to see his answer to Bostons big bench that wreaked havoc on the bench lineup. Could be as simple as giving Norm some of those minutes, or go FVV-Miles-Siakam-Poeltl-BeBe. The spacing would be garbage but it's not like the bench scores much anyway. He could also dip into the starters for some bench minutes - maybe OG takes CJ's place, and Lowry plays with that unit to give some spacing. Or go with Ibaka and slide Siakam to the 3. Or even use schemes rather than personnel to solve it, maybe use Wright on Morris and send a double once he dribbles on the post up.

If any shots go in we win last game anyway, and the zone at the end is rendered useless, but the one strategic thing I thought should be solved by Casey is that big reserve unit giving us trouble.

[Abbas]

I just realized wizards are more than likely going to finish 8th... That's a bad match up for us, however, I am still confident we beat em.

[planetmars]

Not sure what the strategy will be tomorrow. Serge is on a B2B so will be mainly ineffective probably. We're at home which is a good thing. Even if we don't play well we still seem to come out on top.

Just have to handle the Boston defense. Who knows which Celtic will have a career night. It's always some random player on that team that kicks our ass.

[inthepaint]

For some strange reason, I'm feeling a good NORM showing down this stretch. I have absolutely no basis for this. More of a wish than anything else. The craving of a hero this team needs right now.

The antithesis of playoff/spotlight fear, oh how I wish he's just hiding in the bush biding his time...Breaking through that zone bullshit from boston with no fear. Massive transition dunks, locked down defensive stances, timely 3's with nothing but net... I know he's in there somewhere.

Come back to us buddy

[Hotshot]

It would be nice if the Raps can win their remaining 5 games to close the East with 60 wins and come out with a bit of confidence and swagger before the playoffs.