Title: Roundtable, Part 1: Inside the long-awaited Raptors-Celtics playoff matchup
Date: August 29, 2020
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic, I collaborated with three others in roundtable form to preview the Raptors-Celtics second-round series.
The sweeps are behind us. The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are finally – for the first time ever – squaring off in the playoffs. There’s been a half-decade of preamble, so let’s dispense with it.
To preview the second-round series, we have compiled a roundtable of our Celtics and Raptors writers: Jared Weiss (Celtics), Jay King (Celtics), Eric Koreen (Raptors, Lead) and Blake Murphy (Raptors).
The social justice impact
Players from Toronto and Boston were the first to mention the possibility of a temporary work stoppage in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake and continued inaction in police accountability reform. It was an idea that was eventually executed by the Milwaukee Bucks and, ultimately, all the remaining playoff teams. What impact could pushing back the start date back from Thursday have on the series? More importantly, what impact could the ongoing efforts to make meaningful change have on the players?
Continue reading at The Athletic.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 