Match of sensational beauty between Celtics and Raptors, balanced, fought and won with nails by Toronto that goes under in the fourth period and in the two extra times, before winning with merit a challenge that is already an “instant classic”. Thanks to the baskets of OG Anunoby, Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell in the last minute, which put a decisive distance possession between the teams.
At the final siren there are 33 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for Kyle Lowry – a symbol of the success of the Canadians: no player in the history of the Raptors has ever reported such figures in a playoff match. This is the third time that Lowry has scored 30+ points in a match in which Toronto risks elimination in the post-season, collected by playing without ever leaving the court from the beginning of the third quarter onwards (53 total minutes spent on the court).
Instead, Norman Powell scored 10 points in the second OT of the match alone: never in the history of the Raptors had any player scored so many in a single overtime. At the final siren the total points scored by the two teams in the last five minutes are 35 – third all-time game in the playoffs for total points scored in an overtime.
Boston all the evidence, squeezing the most holders kept on court uninterruptedly for the last 22 minutes of the race, but not enough. Jaylen Brown finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds, to which is added Jayson Tatum’s triple double missed by 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists – useless in the final as Toronto proves to have more energy and more desire.
Da sottolineare anche la prova di Marcus Smart – uno degli otto giocatori delle due squadre a restare sul parquet per almeno 50 minuti: il miglior tiratore da tre punti della serie (nessuno eguaglia i suoi 19 bersagli in sei gare al momento) chiude in tripla doppia con 23 punti, 11 rimbalzi e 10 assist, conditi con sei berrsagli della lunga distanza. Peccato per i Celtics che non sia bastato per celebrare la qualificazione alla finale di Conference.
Thus we go to Game-7, the 33rd in the playoff history of the Celtics (who boast a record of 23 wins and nine defeats). For Toronto, on the other hand, it is the sixth all-time, with the last good impressed in the memory of all Raptors fans ended with Kawhi Leonard’s daring basket a year ago against the Sixers.