Raptors Open as 1.5-Point Favorites for Game 1 vs Celtics in Eastern Conference Second Round Series

• The Toronto Raptors will face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after both team’s complete sweeps on Sunday
• The Celtics are without Gordon Hayward due to an ankle injury; Toronto awaits word on Kyle Lowry’s status
• See the opening odds for the series as well as our early analysis below

The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics will matchup in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after cruising through their respective first round series. Trailing the Milwaukee Bucks, these two teams have been the second and third favorites in Eastern Conference odds for the majority of the season.

Toronto had no trouble against a depleted Brooklyn Nets team in the first round. The series was a complete mismatch. In theory, Boston’s series with the shorthanded 76ers should have been more challenging, but Brad Stevens completely out-coached Brett Brown.

This is a great series that could easily go either way between two deep, well-coached teams. The opening odds are in the table below.

Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors Game 1 Odds

Odds taken August 24th

Inventive Coaching

Nick Nurse and Brad Stevens are two of the premier coaches in the NBA. Nurse was named NBA Coach of the Year on Saturday, having guided the Raptors to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference despite losing Kawhi Leonard and dealing with multiple injuries all year.

No coach in the league is as bold as Nurse defensively. He throws all sorts at opponents, trying to upset their offensive rhythm. There will be full-court presses, zones and frequent changes to the pick-and-roll coverage. How Nurse reacts to hot spells from Boston’s scorers (most notably Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker) could prove key in this series. The Celtics are a hard team to double, but the Raps have the personnel to do it when required.

Stevens isn’t quite as extravagant as Nurse, though he will tweak Boston’s defense when required – they ran a fair bit of zone against the Sixers.

A smooth offense has been crafted by Stevens, who guided the Celtics to a top five spot in defensive and offensive rating. That’s a phenomenal achievement, and something Stevens deserves great credit for even with a talented roster.

Matchups will be key, and how the two coaches manage their rotations will be interesting. Stevens used Enes Kanter as a big body to put on Joel Embiid, but Kanter might not be as useful against the Raptors.

Toronto have the better depth. Nurse can go super-big with Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol (not something he does often) or he can go smaller; play Ibaka or Gasol at the five and put OG Anunoby at the four.

Brad Stevens finished eighth in the Coach of the Year voting. pic.twitter.com/DIS78SKLUu

— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) August 22, 2020

Stevens likely faces a tougher task to navigate through matchups, but Boston have more scoring talent.

Hayward Out and Lowry Questionable

Gordon Hayward has a grade three ankle sprain after landing awkwardly in the Celtics’ game with Philadelphia last Monday. Hayward’s timeline for return is uncertain, but it’s almost guaranteed he will miss the entirety of this series after leaving the arena on crutches.

Boston will take positives from how they played without Hayward in the first round, but there’s no ignoring the fact that this is a huge loss for a team with title aspirations. Hayward brings so much to this team, and his injury shines a light on their depth. It forces Marcus Smart into the starting line-up and will mean Brad Wanamaker, Semi Ojeleye and/or Romeo Langford will have to play significant minutes.

Telling stat on Gordon Hayward this season: Only player in NBA history to average at least 17 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4 assists, shoot 50 percent overall, 36 percent on 3-pointers — with usage rate below 22 percent. https://t.co/GuEeo2vpVh

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 20, 2020

The former Utah Jazz wing is a solid all-round player. This Boston offense is built on ball movement and sharing the offensive load – taking out a 17 per game scorer, and a very good passer, from that system will hurt. Hayward has shot the ball well this year (over 38% on threes) and he’s an underrated defender.

Kyle Lowry is the only injury concern for the Raptors after turning his ankle early in Game 4. It has been diagnosed as a left ankle sprain, but there’s no update on his status yet. Losing Lowry would, like Hayward for the Celtics, be a massive blow for Toronto.

Deep Series

Everything suggests this will go six or seven games. Boston have the higher offensive ceiling with Walker, Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but their margin for error is so small. Even with the Sixers missing pretty much every shot, they struggled at times on offense when Tatum was in foul trouble in Game 3.

After a less than challenging series with Brooklyn, this is a big test of Siakam’s ability to be the number one guy in the playoffs. Boston’s defense is mobile and switchable. They will put a lot of pressure on ball handlers – Siakam will need to take and make some tough shots.

The production of Norm Powell, Ibaka and Anunoby could be decisive for Toronto. Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet are unlikely to go toe-to-toe in offensive production with Walker, Tatum and Brown, but the Raptors have the edge when it comes to the rest of the rotations. Hayward’s absence could tip this series and Game 1 towards Toronto.

The Raps were written off last summer. They were overlooked for parts of the regular season, and it’s easy to get lured in by the talent on the Celtics’ roster here.

Never write off Nick Nurse’s Toronto Raptors – it will be a tight series, and a great one for the neutral, but Toronto are the team to back.

Pick: Toronto moneyline (-120)