They took the best defence in the NBA and shredded it from inside and out, they defended as well as they have this season and they turned a big game against a good team into a rout before the third quarter was over.
It was only one game and there are many more to come, but the Toronto Raptors may have learned something about themselves on Tuesday night.
With a chance to move closer to their publicly stated goal of finishing first in the league’s Eastern Conference, the Raptors moved a step closer, drilling the Boston Celtics 111-91 in a thorough dismantling of the conference leaders at the Air Canada Centre.