“Plays Extremely Hard”: Raptors’ Star Kyle Lowry Speaks Highly of Celtics Guard After Game 4 Playoffs Matchup

The NBA Playoffs saw second-round action between the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors. Raptors came back from 2-0 down to level the series at 2 games apiece. Toronto won game-three on an OG Anunoby buzzer-beater and locked the Celtics down to win Game four.

Game four saw Marcus Smart come up big in trying to help the Celtics make a comeback. His tenacious defense frustrated the Raptors, especially in the fourth quarter. However, none of the Boston players could find a way for their shots to drop. The final score was 100-93, with both teams shooting under 50%. Celtics had a horrible night from three-point range, making just 20% of their attempts.

Smart is known to be a known agitator on defense, similar to Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry has noticed Smart’s pest-like play but clearly has no problem with it, according to Josh Lewenberg.

NBA Playoffs: Can Lowry and the Raptors complete their comeback?

Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors were counted out after their first two losses to Boston. This follows a trend we saw last year, with everyone doubting Toronto after they went 2-0 down to Milwaukee in the Conference Finals. They won that series 4-2. The Raptors haven’t lost a series where the score has been 2-2 the last four times they came into this situation.

However, this Celtics team is different. They lost game three on a last-second buzzer-beater. Game four was lost on poor shooting. A team with this much offensive talent won’t have such cold shooting nights again. Their field goal efficiency was actually better than Toronto this game, but the lack of a three-point shot really dragged them down.

The Raptors are a championship team. Apart from Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, the championship core of last year is still there. That includes Coach of the Year, Nick Nurse. However, Brad Stevens is just as well-reputed as a coach. These are two strong defensive teams with great coaches, which is making the series this exciting. The only question is, who comes out on top when it’s all said and done? The defending champions Toronto Raptors or the young and rising Boston Celtics?