Raps vs. Celtics Preview

At this point, what do you really say with the Raptors going up against the Celtics? You want them to take the ball inside, but you know that Bosh has suddenly become KG’s bitch, shying away from the lane like Oprah does a stairmaster. KG’s wingspan is a deterrent, there’s no doubt about that. His attitude toward playing solid D has also helped the rest of his team, as they have bought into what he is selling. A lot of different reports like to credit Doc Rivers with bringing the defensive attitude to the Celtics, but hey, Doc has been there a while and there hasn’t been anything close to this on the defensive end. The only D the Celtics have been bringing to the NBA the past few years is providing their opposition with an opportunity to have a stellar defensive night.

The spot where the Raptors can take some inspiration is from those back to back losses to the Wiz. Those were two quality wins from a team that is missing their (supposed) best player in Gilbert Arenas. So how did the Wizards manage to beat the Celtics in back to back games? Well, there are a lot of theories, but the one I am putting out there is that they just hung around and relied on their stars to make star plays in the 4th quarter. You see, here’s the thing with the Celtics. They run the Big 3 (or GAP as they are also known) out there between 35-38 minutes per game, which really isn’t that unusual. But when you get down to the 4th quarter, I’m going to start questioning the conditioning and focus of Pierce and Allen. You know that KG is going to bring it all game, but you can outhustle the rest of that team. If the Raptors are able to hang around long enough, they can try to outwork the Pistons for those last points…and this time, the Raptors won’t have any “we’re tired” excuses to use.

Since those back to back losses to Washington, the Celtics have turned the lights back on and won 3 straight, capped by a win over the Knicks on Monday night. It seems they have gotten things back into gear just in time to slap a dirty one on the Raptors, but I have a different feeling about this game. I think that the wins by the Wizards have allowed the Raptors to see that this team is not unbeatable. The Raptors do not seem to be the most mentally tough team, so maybe having the Wiz set an example for them could provide some inspiration. You can’t win until you start thinking you can win.

So who’s the X-Factor in this game? Bargnani. Yep, White Yogi himself. He needs to stay out of foul trouble and have a solid game for the Raptors to keep things close. When White Yogi is on, he is able to help stretch the floor and he takes some of the pressure off of Bosh as they have to respect Gino that much more. He is also the kind of player who when his shot is on, can prove to be a deadly weapon in the 4th quarter. Problem is, when was the last time we saw him with his shot on? When was the last time we saw him in the 4th quarter? The part that worries me is that White Yogi (and I WILL keep calling him that until he gets his foul trouble sorted out) will be in tough trying to keep his arms to himself. The Celtics can score and they can do it by attacking, so if Gino isn’t moving his feet, it could be another White Yogi night.

Anyway, I’ve been jonesing for some Raps, feels like they haven’t played in a week! Looking forward to this. Enjoy the game.