Boston Celtics suffer a nightmare in Toronto

The Boston Celtics had a chance to make a statement against the Raptors on Tuesday. Instead, they didn’t show up at all.

Nonexistent defense, no ball movement and a lack of energy. There was just nothing working for the Boston Celtics who were flat out awful against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. In every season, there are bad games, but this one was unacceptable and disappointing.

With a chance to show that they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics played their worst game of the season. A blindfolded Raptors team could have wiped the floor with Boston Tuesday night.

Right from the tip, the Raptors got whatever shots they wanted. Kyle Lowry hit three after three and kept getting wide open looks.

The Raptors bench were hitting every shot.

On offense, the C’s were flatter than a three week old Sprite. No one seemed confident nor enthusiastic. An offensive rhythm was never established. The Celtics played like they were stuck in Jell-O.

Jayson Tatum scored just 4 points,  Al Horford added two points and Kyrie Irving had a plus-minus of -20 in his first game back. Whatever momentum the Celtics got from their last three wins completely disappeared.

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As fans, we can only hope this game can be thrown away. The Celtics never play particularly well in Toronto and the team hasn’t been complete in over a week. Maybe it just cancels out the win that the Boston Celtics stole from Toronto without Kyrie Irving in November. In times like these, we have to keep repeating “1 of 82…1 of 82”.

Now, the Celtics will have to move on from this game and fast. The rest of the week features matchups with three more Eastern Conference playoff teams.

On Thursday, the Celtics will be in another city where they have struggled in the past: Washington. Then, a fearless Indiana team comes to town seeking revenge for a last second loss in December.

Finally, on Sunday, the only team that played worse on than the Celtics on Tuesday arrives in Boston.

Next: Boston Celtics: 3 arguments for Jayson Tatum as Rookie of the Year

On Paul Pierce’s jersey retirement night, hopefully the Boston Celtics get the jolt they need. After tonight’s performance, Lord knows they need something to wake them up.