Raptors even series to put pressure squarely on Celtics

Never give these Raptors a second chance. That’s a lesson Boston is learning the hard way

The Toronto Raptors were down 0-2 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, and came back to take the series by winning four straight games. This year, minus one Kawhi Leonard, Toronto is two games away from pulling off the same feat to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What a difference three days can make. With .5 seconds left in Game 3, Kemba Walker made one of the best passes of his career to set up Daniel Theiss for what we thought was the game-winning bucket. OG Anunoby had different ideas, and made one of the more memorable buzzer-beaters in postseason history.

Saturday night’s Game 4 didn’t require the same theatrics from Toronto

A solid third quarter set up the Raptors to finish off their two-game winning streak and even the series. A balanced scoring attack which included five players in double-figures led the way for the Raps, but Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam in particular had 22 and 23 respectively.

Come the fourth quarter, it was Anunoby once again who found himself with an opportunity to put the game away, this time after a brief Celtics run to cut the lead to five. Anunoby stepped to the line and confidently knocked down two free throws, extending the advantage to three scores with under a minute remaining, a death sentence even in the modern NBA.

It’s a cliché, but the basketball is bouncing the Raptors way yet again. In 2019, Leonard’s three-pointer to send the Raptors to the conference finals hung on the rim as long as humanly possible, eventually following forward momentum into the basket. In Game 3, Lowry’s pass found Anunoby at an opportune time for a last-second corner three. The only difference between Nick Nurse’s squad and other contenders, however, is that the Raptors routinely take advantage of these so-called bounces. Only, we ought to call them opportunities.