Toronto Raptors: 3 keys to beating Boston Celtics in Game 1

The Toronto Raptor will tipoff on their second-round series against the Boston Celtics and will need a lot to go right to get the win in Game 1.

For the past few days, the last thing on the Toronto Raptors’ mind was preparing for their second-round series against the Boston Celtics.

Players from both teams had expressed doubts about being able to focus their efforts on the game with the ongoing social justice issues in the U.S. which prompted the league to postpone games after players decided to boycott. Eventually, the league and players association were able to sort through the concerns that both sides which led to play resuming Saturday.

Going into Sunday’s game, the big question marking looming for Toronto is the status of Kyle Lowry who has been nursing an ankle injury since Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets. He did practice on Saturday and officially listed as questionable heading into Game 1.

It’s tough to see Lowry not willing to do whatever he can to get in the game considering how crucial he has been to the Raptors’ success. Against a stacked Celtics team, they cannot afford to be without Lowry especially considering he can be a stabilizing presence when Boston tries to take control in the early going.

With that being said, here is a look at what the Raptors will need to do to beat the Celtics and move on to the Eastern Conference Final.