BOSTON -- The Toronto Raptors hold a solid three-game Eastern Conference lead as they come down the stretch of the long NBA season.
That kind of advantage with this short amount of time remaining should be safe, but is it?
The Raptors still have to play the second-place, battered and bruised Boston Celtics twice, the first meeting Saturday night at TD Garden.
While Toronto has alternated losses and wins in its last six games after an 11-game winning streak, the Celtics have reeled off five straight wins, the last four on the road, with what can only be described as a skeleton lineup.