Who is the second-best team in the Eastern Conference? Hoops' fans just might get an answer to that question when the Toronto Raptors visit the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden in Boston on Dec. 9th.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, of course, are the best team in the East; they have been for the past two seasons. Ever since LeBron James and Kevin Love left their previous teams to join Kyrie Irving in 2014, the Cavaliers have made back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals, winning the title in 2016 and coming up short by just a couple of games in 2015. The Cavaliers are, once again, expected to dominate in the East next season as the defending NBA champions, but it remains to be seen who the next best team is.
The Raptors and the Celtics are out to prove themselves worthy of that uncertain runner-up spot. The matchup between the two teams should give a slight edge to whomever comes out victorious. The game in December will provide an early glimpse of which squad is better as it is the first of four regular-season games that are scheduled to be played between Toronto and Boston next season.
The Raptors are coming off of their greatest season in franchise history. During their 2015-16 campaign, they won 56 regular-season games and secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. In the postseason, they persevered all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, a feat they had previously never achieved. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced the aforementioned Cavaliers, shocking the world by taking the eventual NBA champs to six games.
Furthermore, the Raptors were well represented during the 2016 NBA All-Star break by their two All-Star selections: point guard Kyle Lowry and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. Last season, Lowry and DeRozan cemented themselves as two of the best players to ever wear a Raptors uniform. The dynamic duo up north continued succeeding during the offseason by playing for Team USA in the 2016 Rio Olympics; USA won gold.
Toronto has plenty of momentum that should carry over into next season. In addition to winning gold at the Olympics, DeRozan’s offseason also included signing a five-year, $145 million agreement to stay with the Raptors. The Raptors have also added big man Jared Sullinger to replace center Bismack Biyombo, the unsung hero during their historic playoff run.
Prior to joining the Raptors, Sullinger played for the Celtics, ironically. The December game against his former team will be his first game back at the TD Garden since his departure from Boston. He will not be wearing a Celtics uniform this time, though.
The Celtics won 48 games during the 2015-16 regular season and secured the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They finished with the second-best regular-season record in the Atlantic Division, behind only the Raptors.
The Celtics will be looking to improve their play against the Raptors next season; not only did they finish second to Toronto in their division last year, but they also lost to Toronto three out of four times in head-to-head matchups. Toronto was clearly the better team a season ago.
The Celtics, however, had quite a productive offseason themselves; they added small forward Jaylen Brown and center Al Horford to an already-talented playoff-contending roster. Brown is the Celtics’ No. 3 overall draft pick; Horford is the Celtics’ jackpot free-agency acquisition. With Brown, Boston adds another young piece to its promising future; with Horford, Boston gets veteran leadership and more playoff experience.
Who will claim the title as the second-best team in the East? The title is up for grabs and both the Raptors and the Celtics are looking to get their hands on it. The stage is set for what should be a pretty revealing first-of-four matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
