Following an instant classic on Wednesday night, the Raptors and Celtics are set to clash in an epic Game 7 duel. If the closeout game is even half as entertaining as Game 6, I might end up shitting AND pissing myself in anticipation.
The Raptors were left for dead after the Celtics took a 2-0 lead to begin the series. But they have since clawed their way back. Grit and luck have fueled the Raptors improbable series comeback.
After last season’s playoffs, I’m not too sure that anybody should really be shocked.
Surprisingly, they’ve been able to do this with their best player playing like trash. Rising star Pascal Siakam has averaged a mediocre 15 points per game on less than 38 percent from the field in the series. What would this series look like if he was playing up to his standards?
In Game 4, we saw Siakam play well for the first and only time in the series with a 23-point effort on 43 percent from the field. Coincidentally, it was the only Raptors win in the series that they didn’t get by the skin of their teeth.
Siakam will have to put up another performance like this to put the Celtics to bed. This team might reek of perseverance and grittiness, but how many down-to-the-wire games can one team survive?
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The Raptors simply can’t afford to have another Siakam stinker performance to close out this series. Kyle Lowry might be a dog, but expecting him to handle the load every night just doesn’t seem plausible.
They signed Siakam to a fat deal in the offseason to become the team’s superstar. His performance in this series has been flat out unacceptable. If the Raptors fall to the Celtics due to another shit performance from Siakam, the front office needs to have a serious discussion about his mentality and ability to lead Jurassic Park to the promised land in the future.
