The Toronto Raptors faced the Boston Celtics for the fourth and final time on Jan. 15, losing 105-96.
Toronto played Boston close in three of the four meetings, which is encouraging, but unfortunate to not steal a couple of those.
As this is now the second straight season the Raptors have been swept by the Celtics. On a larger scale, Toronto is 0-10 against the Atlantic Division, truly highlighting their struggles.
Regardless, Boston is all in on winning a championship this year by the moves they made this summer. Meanwhile, the Raptors are in a retooling era of their franchise, so a championship is not in the near future.
After the game, Dennis Schroder gifted his jersey to Celtics star Jayson Tatum, which said, “Go get that chip this year. P.S.: Top 5.” Thus sparking some conversation on social media:
Dennis Schroder gifted his game jersey to Jayson Tatum tonight:
“Go get that chip this year. P.S: Top 5.” 💯 pic.twitter.com/QO0RAtJrhK
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 16, 2024
As a former Celtic, Schroder got to experience what it is like to play alongside Tatum. The 25-year-old is cementing himself in the upper echelon of players in the NBA.
The controversial part is that there is still half of a season left to play, meaning things can change. This league is unpredictable and while the Celtics sit at the top of the Eastern Conference, it seems early to talk about winning a ring.
One of the bright spots of today’s game is there is more parody, more teams are in the mix to win it all.
While the East is more top-heavy with Boston, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Western Conference has a lot of teams in the mix.
It will be interesting to see if Schroder’s comments will hold up when this season concludes.
Dennis Schroder calls out Raptors culture
It is no secret that it has been a challenging season for the Raptors.
With a first-time head coach in Darko Rajakovic and more trades on the horizon, this thing is going to take time.
Losing can take a toll on any team and Schroder called out the team’s culture after their worst loss in franchise history against the Detroit Pistons, who at the time were on a 28-game losing streak.
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