To say that this series wasn’t like an exciting rollercoaster is certainly an understatement. The Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors four games to three in a spectacular series that had all the action any sports fan could ask for. Coming into the series, the Celtics swept the Philadelphia 76ers four games to zero and the Raptors blanked the Brooklyn Nets as well. This series was particularly noteworthy for many St. Lawrence students as many Boston and Toronto fans populate our student body.
The Celtics captured the first two games (112-94, 102-99) to then lose the next two games in close fashion (104-103, 100-93). In game three, Raptors forward OG Anunoby hit a buzzer-beating corner three to save the Raptors from a 0-3 series hole.
Tied at two games apiece, the Celtics then claimed a dominating game five victory (111-89). In game six, Toronto stunned Boston in double overtime (125-122) to save the series and force a game seven showdown! Kyle Lowry was certainly the star of the game for Toronto, scoring 33 points and making clutch shots down the stretch. Although in game seven, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was relentless, taking over the game with 29 points in a low scoring defensive grudge match. The Celtics won game seven to the score of 92-87.
Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker led a very efficient and high-scoring offense all series long for the Celtics and were aided defensively by Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis. They will be playing the red-hot Miami Heat led by Jimmy Butler in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics-Heat series will be fascinating to watch as Boston’s potent offense faces off against the lockdown Miami defense. For the Raptors, they still had an excellent season, including a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference (53-19), despite losing superstar forward Kawhi Leonard and considering any 2019 NBA champion hangover.
On a separate note, it should be mentioned that the NBA bubble has been a major success for the league. There have been zero Covid-19 outbreaks since the “restart” of the regular season and throughout the playoffs so far. The same can be said for the National hockey League (NHL) as well, displaying that sports can be played under controlled environments in the middle of a global pandemic. The National Football League (NFL) was not able to adapt to this system with their timing of season, but week 1 of play has seemed to be successful so far.