Before the Boston Celtics trekked north of the border for Tuesday's game against the Toronto Raptors, coach Brad Stevens was asked if he could pinpoint the reasons why the Celtics have struggled so mightily against the Raptors in recent seasons.
"People struggle with them because they're really good," Stevens said.
Yes, the Raptors have given plenty of teams fits because of their obvious talent, but maybe no team more than the Celtics. During Stevens' four-year tenure, Boston is just 4-10 against Toronto and has lost five of the last six meetings.
On Tuesday night, a surging Boston team had a chance to shuffle into a tie for the No.