NBA players and coaches are often vehement that games this early in the season are little more than steps on a long journey, and they seldom attach too much importance to them.
It was refreshing, then, to hear coach Nick Nurse toss out that conventional wisdom Monday night before the Raptors took on the Boston Celtics at Scotiabank Arena.
“For sure it’s a measurement game,” he said. “I think we totally need to see where we are with these guys. They’re obviously the best team in the league right now (with) record and metrics and numbers, and historic this and historic that at both ends, and they’re playing really good.