Takeaways from the Raptors' surprise preseason win over the Celtics

Just shoot.

That's exactly what the Toronto Raptors have asked of their players this preseason. The results are largely meaningless for now. It's okay to miss if the look is good and the offense allows a shot. But after Toronto attempted just 31.7 three-pointers per game through its first three preseason games, the second fewest in the league, something had to change.

On Tuesday the time had come.

“I have to take that,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said of his team’s lack of three-point shooting ability. “We have to recognize these situations better and shoot confidently.”

Toronto scored just one three-pointer in the first half on Sunday against the Boston Celtics. This time, the Raptors made seven of their first eight three-pointers and scored 10 goals before the first quarter ended. It was the kind of performance Rajaković wanted from his team that pulled off a 119-118 upset of the Celtics in Toronto's only preseason home game.

Some of the threesomes were the kind you would expect. Gradey Dick scored on a deep three-pointer from Davion Mitchell, then followed it up with a two-man shot in the corner with Scottie Barnes that led to another three-pointer for the second-year sharpshooter. Dick hit two more pull-up jumpers from two-point range as he continued to showcase his growing offensive arsenal.

More unexpected, however, were Barnes' threes. After failing to hit any of his first six three-pointers this preseason, Barnes looked like a completely different player on Tuesday. He jumped out of the screens behind the three-point line and let it fly with confidence. If he had space for even a fraction of a second, he pulled the trigger behind the bow. At one point he even made a three-pointer in transition when there were 21 seconds left on the shot clock.

Toronto built a lead of as many as 24 points in the first quarter.

Then came the insulting drought. The Raptors shot 0-for-8 from three-point range in the second quarter and didn't score a single point for four and a half minutes. Boston took advantage of this opportunity to rally and dropped 40 points to the Raptors in the second quarter.

Tuesday showed what this Raptors squad can look like when it remains competitive behind the arc. They couldn't maintain their high pace of the first quarter, but they didn't let their misses faze them and continued to let them fly to keep up with a Celtics team known for its three-point barrage. When Boston retired its starters midway through the fourth, Toronto trailed Boston by just a single three-pointer.

Like it or not, that's what the modern NBA is all about.

Toronto won't compete with teams like Boston this season because the Raptors don't have nearly the quality or quantity of shooters as the Celtics. The hope, however, is that Toronto can spend this season, no matter how long it takes, finding and developing players who can shoot at a high level.

When those shots fall, Toronto will look great. However, in most cases, that's not the case, and on those nights the Raptors will struggle mightily.

The Raptors will play their final preseason game on Friday when they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET.