Toronto and Boston are two of the hottest teams in the playoffs, coming off first-round sweeps of Brooklyn and Philadelphia, respectively, in the first round.
Toronto and Boston are two of the hottest teams in the playoffs, coming off first-round sweeps of Brooklyn and Philadelphia, respectively, in the first round. Both have the ability to put up points in bunches and have top rated defenses. It’s set up to be one of the most even matchups of the second round — assuming the series starts on time. Viral cellphone video showing the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Wisconsin, have ignited protests reminiscent of similar incidents in Georgia, Kentucky and Minnesota in recent months that caused many NBA players to speak out on racial injustice. It came to a head when the NBA decided to postpone Wednesday’s three scheduled playoff games after the Milwaukee Bucks chose not to take the floor for their Game 5, first-round matchup against Orlando. That was on the heels of Lowry raising the possibility of Toronto boycotting Thursday’s Game 1 against Boston. Teammate Fred VanVleet acknowledged the players had a meeting but wouldn’t elaborate. Whatever happens, VanVleet said the tone of the series has been altered. “I was pretty excited and then we all had to watch Jacob Blake get shot.
