The Celtics and Raptors were in the mist of a classic. The teams were trading blows and whenever either seemed to be reaching away, the other responded. With the Raptors holding onto a 4-point lead, we got our first glimpse of the Celtics closing lineup. However, there was a wrinkle, instead of the starters closing it out, the Celtics went with Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, and….Terry Rozier. Out went Jaylen Brown, the team’s everyday starter for the past two years and out was Marcus Smart, a player who frequently closed out games as the Celtics de facto sixth man.
Celtics’ loss to Raptors offers glimpse into closing lineup dilemma
