Jul 22, 2016
Celtics' Crowder isn't worried about the Raptors
Despite making it to the Eastern Conference Final last year, Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder isn't worried about facing the Toronto Raptors in 2016-17.
TSN.ca Staff
Despite making it to the Eastern Conference Final last year, Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder isn't worried about facing the Toronto Raptors in 2016-17.
Speaking to MassLive.com's Tom Westerholm on Thursday, Crowder said the NBA champions Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team they should be worried about next season in the East.
"My guys were telling me that Bleacher Report says we'll win 59 games," Crowder said. "That's a lot of wins, but I want to get past the first round of the playoffs. Two seasons in a row getting swept" (the Celtics actually lost to the Atlanta Hawks in six games this season) "that's my goal to be honest with you. I think our ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. Toronto is not a team we're worried about. I think Cleveland is the top team. That's what it comes down to."
The Raps beat the Celtics in three of their four contests last season en route to 56 wins and their best season in franchise history. They would lose to the Cavs in six games in the East Final.
Crowder, 26, averaged 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists over 73 games with the Celtics in 2015-16, his first full season with Boston. He averaged 9.5 points, 6.5 boards and 2.2 assists in six playoff games.
The Celtics finished the season with the third best record (tied with four others) in the East, behind the Raptors and Cavaliers. They did however add four-time All-Star centre Al Horford in free agency while Toronto lost Bismack Biyombo to the Orlando Magic.
"I told him personally: 'I want to play with you [Horford]. It's not a coincidence that everywhere you go, you win,'" Crowder told Westerholm "I told him, 'You're a winner. That's what Boston's all about — winning. You'll fit right in.'"
Crowder also had some interesting things to say about the Celtics' pursuit of Kevin Durant and his decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors.
"We were the only team in the NBA to beat [Cleveland and Golden State] on their home court. The only team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics," Crowder explained. "We told him that. We played him clips from both games and told him basically the scouting report of how we guarded Steph and Klay, our entire game plan, basically. That's what made me mad. We f---ing told him everything we do to beat these guys, and we beat them, and he went and joined them....Afterward, I was talking to Isaiah [Thomas], like maybe after you sit back, [we] shouldn't have told him everything, but who the f--- thought he was going to Golden State, realistically? It was like a slap in the face for us, basically."