2019 was a heck of a year to be a Toronto Raptors fan. Having long-suffered through decades of putrid basketball, it was cathartic to finally watch the team climb to the top of the mountain. Long after the victory parade and the Fun Guy deciding to go home, we’re still celebrating.
Thanks to my cousin Jeff – who is the producer of the excellent Toronto Raptors docuseries Open Gym – our family got the opportunity to get our hands on the NBA championship trophy. Pinch me?
Attempting spray paint art for the first time unlocked a sense of unbridled freedom from within. Coming from a place where my expectations were non-existent and I was partaking in this activity strictly for fun, I had a great time just making what felt good in the moment. That early win was enough to inspire another go around, but it also created a new level of expectations that changed the vibe around this latest session.
As part of my overall streaming redesign, the space that I play in has become an integral part of the viewing experience. Starting out with just a Snorlax beanbag chair on the floor, I’ve since decked out the wall behind me with decor that reflects my interests and life experiences within and outside of gaming. Always get a kick out of eagle-eyed viewers commenting on the wall, whether they have a shared appreciation for a piece or have a question about something on display.
Every few weeks, I swap in a few new pieces here-and-there. Partially because I want to get use out of the many pieces that have sat in storage since we moved into this house, and partially to keep the backdrop fresh for viewers. This time around, the wall has gone through its most dramatic shakeup yet.
Hooping it up as the Toronto Raptors against the Golden State Warriors. Kyle Lowry goes down with an injury, which I truly hope isn’t a sign of things to come for my favourite team.
Last night’s game against the Boston Celtics was a nail-biter. With their playoff hopes in the balance, the Toronto Raptors were down four with only a few minutes to go. As a long-time fan, the memories of them choking in the clutch over the course of the last six years made it hard for me to think that we could pull this off, but this year’s Raptors squad isn’t the one that wallowed at the bottom of the NBA. As they’ve done all year, they gave it their all to squeak out a tough win to secure their first playoff berth since 2008.
There was a lot riding on this game, but not really. With over 10 games to go in the season and the Raptors’ magic number down to just 1, clinching a spot in the playoffs was basically inevitable at this point. But for a franchise whose history is largely defined by mediocrity (or worse), the fact that the team got to this point in the first place is remarkable.
Even before the Toronto Raptors became a thing, I dreamed for a day when the NBA All-Star game would be hosted in my neck of the woods. As a child, I loved watching the NBA’s finest duke it out in a once-a-year dream match. More importantly, I’ve been obsessed with the NBA dunk contest ever since Harold Minor blew my mind with the legendary between-the-legs dunk. Sure, the contest has been more terrible than not in the last decade or so, though it’s monumental enough of an event for me that I haven’t missed watching one live on television since.
With the news of Toronto getting the 2016 all-star game as a means of celebrating the franchise’s 20th anniversary, my childhood dream has come true.
Every year, Fan Expo is especially harsh on my wallet. I rarely get access to much in the way of nerdy stuff to buy, let alone everything I could ever want in one place. This year proved extra fruitful, as I bought or got pretty much everything on my wish list and then some. In case you’re interested, here’s what I got!
The breakup between Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors is one of the messiest in Toronto sports history. A man that was once the king of Canadian sports turned his back on all of us. He whined. He demanded to be traded. He even gave up on the court and cost us wins for his own selfish reasons. Since he was traded in 2004, the city of Toronto has targeted him as public enemy #1. To this day, he’s still booed mercilessly every time he’s in town.
Recently, Vince Carter stated in an interview with a Toronto radio station that he’d be open to coming back to the city where it all started. Is the city of Toronto ready to take him back? Would I be ready to?
I’m with Steff at the Toronto Raptors game and I just got back from centre court. I just played in the Cash Machine contest, where I had to catch flying money then hit a 3-pointer to triple my bucks.
Thank you Toronto Raptors! Video coming soon!
In Third Person 