Raptors Fans Therapy Session (This is a safe place....let it all out)

[Jclaw]

Paraphrasing a common post series twitter thread from @worldwidewob...

Now that we are champions, we can let out all of our angst and fears that we've had being Raptors fans for one week or 25 years. Just last week, when we we're up 3-1 (and it looked like KD was coming back), I texted a friend and said I'm afraid we're going to lose three straight, be the second team to blow a 3-1 lead and be known as "those Raptors" again. But no more. "Those Raptors" are gone. There are only the NBA Championship Toronto Raptors.

So what was your low point as a fan? Not something depressing...just something that you can't believe you once believed in now that you look back at it.

For me, I can remember that in the weeks after drafting Bargnani, I boasted to a friend about how good AB was going to be because he scored off the charts in some personality multiple choice exam. Good times. It's all worth it now.

[sanyo]

In these playoffs I had 3 concerns:

1) After Orlando loss. I thought oh damn a 7 gamer coming up. Luckily Raps swept them after this

2) Getting blown out after game 3 in Philly with Embiid flying around and Phils up 2-1. I thought oh damn here we go, this team is too strong and big for Raps. Now mind you, if there is any team that can match the Raps on length, it's Philly. They made most guys on offence seem poor and took a game 7 nail biter to win. This was actually the most stressful series for me.

3) Bucks being down 2-0 and then Lowry fouling out Game 3. This is the real turning point. THis is way guys like Powell had to step up. If we lost this game, honestly we could have won 4 straight still, but le'ts be real this team would have been deflated being down 3-0. But they got it and swept.

Amazing

[Mitchell Duong]

In this Masai Raptors era. I think them getting swept last year by LeBron was the lowest point for me. The "culture change" led to a 59 win team. Cleveland was a mess all year, Indiana took them to the brink. Then we played them and just pissed all over ourselves. DeMar got ejected in what was his last game as a Raptor. It was embarrassing and awful. I was baffled by people's outrage that Masai made the changes he made.

[S.R.]

In these playoffs I had 3 concerns:

1) After Orlando loss. I thought oh damn a 7 gamer coming up. Luckily Raps swept them after this

2) Getting blown out after game 3 in Philly with Embiid flying around and Phils up 2-1. I thought oh damn here we go, this team is too strong and big for Raps. Now mind you, if there is any team that can match the Raps on length, it's Philly. They made most guys on offence seem poor and took a game 7 nail biter to win. This was actually the most stressful series for me.

3) Bucks being down 2-0 and then Lowry fouling out Game 3. This is the real turning point. THis is way guys like Powell had to step up. If we lost this game, honestly we could have won 4 straight still, but le'ts be real this team would have been deflated being down 3-0. But they got it and swept.

Amazing

People keep pointing to The Shot as the big What if? moment, but there was also Bucks game 3. Down 2-0, no Lowry, double OT. That could have easily gone either way, Raptors fall in a 3-0 hole there and they're done. Instead won 8 of the next 10.

[Scraptor]

The bad times are all a blur to me now. It just went on for so long.

A few things were specifically bad. I think the Vince Carter trade was the worst moment for me. When we sucked early on I didn't know much about ball, so I was just happy we had a team. But after Vince forced his way out it felt like Canada was destined to be a second class destination, particularly after Steve Francis and the Grizzlies and their relocation.

Hoffa and Bargs were colossal disappointments. But it was kind of like, oh we have these basketball-challenged dudes on our team, and you try to support them anyway.

I think Casey's love for Alan Anderson and isoball was one thing that drove me crazy for a long time.

I'm glad that's all over. This year was honestly cathartic.

[MixxAOR]

"Lebronto" really fucked me up. Couldn't go on twitter, reddit, youtube. It still stings

[Bendit]

Nice thread. Then I saw the Bargnani mention ... the tough years ... and couldn't resist revisiting ... enduring memories of Bargs aka the Italian stallion!

[MixxAOR]

Nice thread. Then I saw the Bargnani mention ... the tough years ... and couldn't resist revisiting ... enduring memories of Bargs aka the Italian stallion!

[planetmars]

There are just too many moments of dread.. hard to really list them all. I think the Vince trade was the worst for me.. I had this dread feeling that the team was going to be taken away at around that point. Learning the sport/game and then figuring out how bad the Raptors really were didn't help.

Tim coming in and hiring Masai was ultimately the start of a movement.. but even then I was on board with #TankForWiggins.. that's how bad it was back then. Casey's "hell in high water" when discussing Bargnani's 2/13 game (or whatever it was). Rudy Gay wanting to ban stat sheets from the locker room. The "brick brothers", Lebronto, etc, etc.

Even recently in these playoffs.. I mean when we were down 1-2 to Philly I really felt that was it. Down 2-0 to the Bucks and I'm like.. well let's hope Kawhi stays as we have no chance now. I mean we went to 2OT without Lowry (and then Norm) in game 3.


Has anyone seen this Tim and Sid video from yesterday? It's pretty awesome, but fits this thread well in my opinion.

[Jclaw]

I totally forgot about Big Al having the original 4 bounce 3 pointer to give us a crushing loss! Great video...now.

[007]

I never fully realized before this season just how long the playoffs are lol. The Orlando series was TWO MONTHS AGO for heaven’s sake...what a goddamn marathon

[Zak24gege]

A Raptor fan Day 1, didn't follow the team much until the Chris Bosh years. Then when the team started making the playoffs regularly under Casey began following the on a game by game basis. My biggest disappointment had to be game 1 of the 2017 - 18 Raptor - Cavalier series where we had built a big lead and then lost. At the end having a number of missed shots that would have sealed the deal.

[Bendit]

Bad memories man...

[slaw]

I would say the low point was the whole Rob Babcock era. The whole organization looked hopelessly incompetent. Raps were a total joke to the point that the coaches were being marketed to fans. That was when I almost gave up.

[sanyo]

Personally I think it's best to have top 4 in each conference and get rid of round 1.. but i get the owners like it for more revenue and the league for more tv money.