Raptors vs. Celtics never just another NBA game

TORONTO — In these times of hot takes and instant opinions and absolute declarations that are likely to change in a day or two, Friday presents a juicy NBA proposition.

It’s Game 2 of an 82-game schedule, Day 4 of a 190-day marathon but it’s the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics and let the hype begin.

No matter that neither team is even remotely set in its style, its rotations or its fitness; forget that there will be losing streaks and winning streaks and the vagaries of the season to deal with between now and when things matter for real next spring.

It’s the perceived top two teams in the Eastern Conference going at each other in the first of four games to come this season.

“I mean, it’s a game, it’s a tough game, it’s a great test, it’s a challenge,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Thursday. “It is a little bit more important than playing a team from the West.”

OK, maybe that’s not quite “do or die” or “must win” but the sense around the Raptors is that the 8 p.m. tipoff against one of last season’s Eastern Conference finalists and the presumptive repeaters does carry a bit more juice than, say, Wednesday’s opener against Cleveland or Monday’s titanic struggle with the Charlotte Hornets.

If Boston is the measuring stick, may as well start getting sized up now.

“I think everybody up and down the league is in agreement that they’re the best team in the East, right?” Nurse said. “Everybody keeps saying that, and they’re picked to go to the finals and all that kind of stuff, and we hope we’re in that race with ’em. So it has a little bit more importance for that reason.”

Truth be told, both teams are very much works in progress, which actually might add to the early-season intrigue. The Raptors are trying to figure out how to maximize the talents of new starters Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, the Celtics are playing for the first time with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in the same lineup. Still ….

“Any part of the season you play against a good team, it’s a big game, but to get them early, fresh start, good teams look at these games as statement games,” said Toronto’s Greg Monroe, who finished last season with the Celtics. “Yeah, for sure. You always going to jockey for position, momentum, anything that can motivate you, you want to use it at any point in the season, especially now. You know how this league works. You get a good win, it’ll carry over. So we know there’s a really good team coming in here, healthy, and I know they’re looking forward to this game also.”

The play might be spotty at times but there are intriguing matchups all over the floor and any intelligence that can be gathered Friday may be handy in May.

“They may be further ahead of the curve because they have everybody back and have had the same team for a while,” Green said.

“They have some new guys in who were not healthy last year. They have to figure some things out, too. They have so much good talent over there just like we have. “I feel like they are a pretty deep team so they have to figure out minutes, rotations, who is going to get the ball when and where, and run certain options for certain people. It’s a good problem to have.”

Nothing will be determined with Friday night’s result, maybe some bragging rights for when the teams meet again Nov. 14 in Boston.

“I think if I had a choice I’d probably like a couple more weeks here, right?” Nurse said. “Well, I don’t know. They’ve got two new pieces that they’re trying to integrate, too, and we are, as well, but we’ve got the coaching change, as well... You always want a little more time.”