Celtics not taking anything for granted against Raptors

They only need to look back to the 2019 playoffs in order to find a reason to avoid being overconfident.

The Celtics, holding a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the playoffs, know full well what the team from Canada did in this very same situation nearly 16 months ago.

The Raptors dropped their first two games to the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks by eight and 22 points and were seemingly headed for the exit. But Toronto ripped off four straight wins [...]

They only need to look back to the 2019 playoffs in order to find a reason to avoid being overconfident.

The Celtics, holding a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the playoffs, know full well what the team from Canada did in this very same situation nearly 16 months ago.

The Raptors dropped their first two games to the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks by eight and 22 points and were seemingly headed for the exit. But Toronto ripped off four straight wins that propelled them into the Eastern Conference finals and on the way to the franchise’s first NBA championship.

So after the Celtics coasted to a Game 1 victory last Sunday and overcame a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter to win Game 2 on Tuesday, they know how capable the Raptors are, even if Kawhi Leonard is no longer with them.

The Celtics can either take complete control of the series with a Game 3 win on Thursday night, or they will allow the Raptors to make a move back.

"Our work’s not done,’’ said guard Kemba Walker. "Even though we’re up two games, these guys have been down before. These guys know what it takes.

"They’re still the defending champs. We’ve still got tons of work to do. These guys aren’t going away at all. They’re going to come back even stronger.’’

The Celtics realize they are fortunate not to be in a 1-1 series with the sensational fourth-quarter 3-point shooting of Marcus Smart rescuing them and putting the Raptors in a tough situation.

Toronto had corrected its mistakes from Game 1 and was in a strong position to even the series going into the fourth quarter, only to have the Celtics make their move in crunch time.

"This series is far from over,’’ said Jayson Tatum. "We’ve got to win four. Obviously it feels good to win (the first two). We’re going to look at things we did well, things we can do better. Keep competing like we have no matter the circumstances, up 10, down 10. We’re going to keep playing.’’

The Raptors played better defense than they did in the series opener and used a third-quarter run to open that 12-point lead.

But the Raptors still had some problem areas on offense that prevented them from getting even with the Celtics.

"One thing’s for certain,’’ said coach Brad Stevens, who gave his team the day off Wednesday. "We know we’ve got a heckuva battle on Thursday. Get the ice baths, whatever you need to do. It’s going to be right back like that on Thursday.’’

While Walker and Smart were struggling with their shots for a good portion of Game 2, Tatum was getting to the foul line over and over. He scored a playoff career-high 34 points, going 14 for 14 on free throws.

The Raptors did not get to the line in the entire first half and wound up shooting 19 foul shots in Game 2. Coach Nick Nurse voiced his displeasure with the number of foul shots Tatum had.

"He shoots 14 free throws, which is (nearly) as much as our whole team shoots,’’ Nurse said on his video conference after the game. "That’s the frustrating part. I think our guys were working hard on him and we were doing a pretty good job.

"He made some good shots. They were obviously getting him the ball a lot, getting him in space. We could have helped a little bit better in there, but they took pretty good care of him tonight.’’

There have been 21 teams that have come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-seven NBA series with the Raptors being the last to do so. The Oklahoma City Thunder were trying to win a series over the Houston Rockets Wednesday night after falling into a 2-0 hole.

Only once have the Celtics have only dropped a best-of-seven series in which they led, 2-0. They held a 2-0 lead over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 conference finals but lost in seven games.

"We’re playing against the defending champs, who are really good, especially in transition,’’ said Smart. "I’ve said it countless times. They’ve been here, they know what it takes."

The Celtics, who have won all six playoff games so far, can set a franchise record with a win in Game 3. They are tied with the 1986 Celtics, who began the postseason 6-0 before losing to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of the second round.

That Celtics team won the championship, going 15-3 in the playoffs.

jfenton@enterprisenews.com.

On Twitter at @JFenton_ent.