The Toronto Raptors have dominated play inside the NBA's bubble, except when they square off against the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics opened their Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the Raptors with a convincing Game 1 win Sunday afternoon. Boston overwhelmed Toronto at both ends of the floor and cruised to a 112-94 victory.
The Raptors went 7-1 in their eight seeding games during the restart. Toronto's only loss in that stretch came against Boston on Aug. 7. The Celtics won that matchup 122-100, and Sunday's Game 1 was more of the same. Six players for the Celtics scored in double figures in the second round opener.
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ESPN Stats & Info and Sportsnet both shared stat graphics detailing how poorly the Raptors have played against the Celtics compared to their other bubble opponents. Check them out in the tweets below:
The Celtics are a tough matchup for the Raptors. Boston has one of the best starting lineups in the league, it's team defense is fantastic, and the versatility is off the chart. The C's were the only team in the league with three players who averaged 20-plus points per game in the regular season. Those three players -- Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker -- only scored 56 points in Game 1, and yet Boston still won easily because other guys, including Marcus Smart with 21 points, stepped up. The C's depth is tremendous.
The Raptors are a really good team with an elite head coach in Nick Nurse, so we should still expect a long series. That said, he needs to figure out some adjustments ASAP because the Celtics have now won four of the five meetings between these teams in 2019-20. Game 2 definitely isn't a must-win for the Raptors, but they need to do something to half the Celtics' momentum. Boston's confidence and team chemistry rank among the best of any team in the bubble.
