That’s A Rap #105: It’s almost time for Raptors-Celtics

While the status of Kyle Lowry is still up in the air, we know for sure that Game 1 of the Raptors vs. Celtics second round series is coming on Thursday. It’s the first time ever these two teams have met in the playoffs, and for two very vocal fanbases: that’s a special treat. If nothing else, it should be more excited than the two sweeps (against Brooklyn and Philly) that came before.

Now, to help preview the Toronto vs. Boston series (and celebrate the opportunity to really let fly with the trash talk), the boys of That’s A Rap brought on the crew from the Celtics Pride Podcast to hash it all out.

Have a listen in advance of Thursday’s Game 1 — and get hyped up.

In This Episode:

3:40 - KNo or Kyes?

Of course we have to lead off by addressing the Kyle Lowry situation. Will he be ready to go for Game 1? And if so, how will he fare? There’s a lot to unpack here.

11:18 - Bench vs. Bench

Self-explanatory, really. The Raptors’ bench — anchored by Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka — has been a difference maker so far in these playoffs (see: 100 bench points in Game 4 vs. Brooklyn). Can Boston’s bench stack up?

20:22 - The Real Playoff P

Speaking of which: NORMAN POWELL

28:22 - COY

Much of this series will be shaped by the two coaches. For Toronto, that means the reigning Coach of the Year, Nick Nurse. For Boston, we’re talking Brad Stevens, the one-time boy wonder.

32:49 - Weakest Link?

Are there any weak links on these two teams? Can the Raptors exploit the Celtics’ lack of depth? Will Boston be able to clamp down on Toronto’s team speed? What about matchups? This is where the playoff chess match really gets going.

42:09 - Boston Bench

With Marcus Smart in the starting lineup now, are we sure the Celtics even have a bench? Just one man’s opinion here.

50:26 - X-Factors

As always: a huge factor!

58:00 - OG Oh My

Totally unrelated to that previous entry, we have to talk about OG Anunoby, whose defensive (and offensive!) utility will be of extreme important for Toronto. This is where Boston really does have something of a leg up, given where Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are in their careers at the moment. Still: OG has been playing great in these playoffs.

1:10:00 - How do you stop JT?

But has OG been better than Tatum? That’s the question (or Tatum vs. Siakam) the series may indeed hinge upon.

1:23:40 - Predictions

And now we arrive at the moment of truth...

Who ya got???