The biggest statement to come out of Boston on Saturday night would be that a possible NBA playoff series between the Celtics and Toronto Raptors has the potential to be truly delightful.
In a game of scratching and clawing and holding and hitting, the Celtics registered a 110-99 victory over Toronto that tightened the race for first place overall in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Boston has now won five games in a row and pulled to within two of first-place Toronto with six games left in the regular season.
Boston also holds a 2-1 season series advantage over the Raptors — the first tiebreaker if the teams finish with the same record — and they meet for the final time Wednesday in Toronto.