Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics Prediction: Defense can take centre stage

The NBA Preseason will enter its final day and in just a few days, when the ball rolls on the floor, we will begin the NBA Regular Season. This season promises to be another electric one as the Eastern Conference isn’t behind the Western Conference in terms of talent at all, which had been the case for some years. In this classic Eastern Conference battle, Toronto Raptors will take on Boston Celtics.

The Raptors showcased great discipline on the defensive end last season but they lacked the bench to shield their starters from injuries and exhaustion. That exhaustion showed in the Playoffs as the starters were unable to keep it going against Philly, constantly hoisting tough shots which affected the rhythm. The Raptors did fight it out on the defensive end but to be effective on defense during the Playoffs, you need your starters to be less exhausted than they were last year.

They have a gritty backcourt of Fred Van Vleet and Gary Trent Jr. who can play switch-heav defense alongside the frontline of OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes. They all can handle the ball well, perform hesitation moves and carve out space. But at some point, the Raptors will need to build a better bench. Yes, Otto Porter Jr. helps, but he is not going to handle the ball all that much and take the pressure away from Fred and Gary. They need perhaps Delano Banton to grow or sign someone who can share the ball-handling duties.

Talking about defense, no one did it better than the Boston Celtics last season. At one point, they were holding the teams to below 95 on a regular basis. They have been hammering home the point that defense is their priority even if it tires them out on the offensive end. However, it doesn’t mean that they have any shortage of offensive options. Both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are capable of hitting 20+ points on a nightly basis.

Then you add star defender Marcus Smart who can be effective on the offensive end too, but that is not all for them. They have a stacked lineup with all-around scorer Malcolm Brogdon coming off the bench while Derrick White can act as another lockdown defender so as to not compromise the defensive integrity off-the-bench. Grant Williams is another terrific Forward while Center Al Horford upped his game in all regards during last season and looks hungry for a championship.

Both these teams hang their hats on the defensive end and the battles based upon them are likely to be defensive. In this way, there is no doubt that the season series between them will be tasty especially if they are healthy. For this Preseason game, there is a high chance that it doesn’t live up to the hype so let us how it goes. I believe the Celtics will eke a win out here.