Celtics Show Patience Pays as Tatum & Brown Deal Raptors Loss in ‘Measurement Game’
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The Toronto Raptors are going to have to be patient as they try to follow in the footsteps of the Boston Celtics whose superstar duo proved too much to handle
A year ago at this time, the Boston Celtics were a middle-of-the-pack team, 13-11, and seemingly on the long road to nowhere. They had a below-average offense and there were murmurs that it was time to split up Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
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In a league that’s constantly about ‘what have you done for me lately?’ it would have made sense to make some big change. Why didn’t they go harder after Paul George or Anthony Davis? Why didn’t they blow it up?
Patience.
“I think you want to instill trust in the guys,” said Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla ahead of Monday’s 116-110 victory over the Toronto Raptors. “It’s not always going to be easy. I think that’s not only as an individual but as a team.”
The Raptors are following that same recipe. Patience, Masai Ujiri repeats every season. That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes. Even the Celtics, a team loaded with players they’ve drafted and developed, have made savvy moves, dealing first-round picks for key depth players when the opportunities have popped up. But for Toronto, it’s about being methodical, trusting in the system, and wading through the ups and downs.
Just think of where Pascal Siakam was just two years ago, unable to generate anything against the Celtics in the Orlando Bubble. Back then, there were calls for Toronto to move on, tank, and give up on the then-26-year-old All-Star. Imagine if they had.
Today, it’s Boston on their heels against Siakam who has blossomed into a true three-level scorer and one of the league’s most dynamic offensive weapons. He’s confident going right at Marcus Smart, taking the reigning Defensive Player of the Year off the bounce and blowing past him for buckets at the rim as he did to open the second half. When the Celtics played back, daring him to shoot those same shots he couldn’t make in the Bubble, he’d pull up, dropping 29 points on 9-for-20 shooting.
It’s the same patience that’ll be required with Scottie Barnes who has and will continue to have a tumultuous sophomore season. Monday, though, showed the offensive upside of the 21-year-old who came alive in the fourth quarter with 11 of his 21, trying to will the Raptors back with his usual inside attack game. When the Celtics collapsed into the paint to stop him midway through the quarter, he found Thad Young for a corner three, cutting the Celtics’ lead to just eight. He then took it deep inside, converting the and-1 bucket over Grant Williams with two minutes to go.
But for now, Boston remains a step or two ahead. A 10-point Raptors lead vanished in the third quarter as Toronto’s offense went silent. Against the Celtics, an offensive lull at one end tends to mean points at the other. Tatum picked apart Toronto’s high-pressure defense in the frame, scoring 17 of his game-high 31 points in the quarter and keeping Toronto at bay in the fourth.
Up Next: Los Angeles Lakers
The Raptors will welcome LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers to town on Wednesday night for a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff.