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Can you feel it?
Something is happening.
There's something different about these Raptors.
Sure, same claw logo, but you might say they've been reborn.
NBA basketball has always been defined by iconic team eras.
The Showtime Magic Lakers.
The Big 3 C*^#tics (the original one)
The Jordan Bulls.
The Spurs.
The Splash Brother Warriors.
And to that, you could probably add the "Ride or Die Raptors"
Because, as you may have heard
The Toronto Raptors have been on quite a roll.
But that doesn't mean there's not something new here.
Even successful eras can have generations.
The Spurs have won a few chips in that era but Kawhi and the Admiral never shared the floor.
So while it seemed like a big change moving on from the success of
Kyle and DeMar (everyone's favourite University of SC Raptor),
the Championship run and our success in the bubble was still due to Kyle.
When Danny got his ring the other night, Freddy and Pascal were the only one's left from the core of that team.
Yes, we've heard the usual lament.
All the players have left.
But guess what?
All the players have left.
But the one's who are here are something special.
And something to be proud of.
We didn't sign a bunch of colluding free agents.
We didn't have a superstar demand a trade to us.
Masai and Co. have built a team from the ground up.
And, unless you've been living on planet Mars, you know the story.
Freddy....undrafted
Gary....traded straight up for a player drafted 46th
OG...drafted 23rd
Pascal...drafted 27th
and Scottie
Sure, he was drafted 4th but he is the Patron Saint of a lost season in Tampa.
A team built on the ashes of a championship team but one that has it's own identity.
A team built on a culture of winning.
Which brings us to our opponents
Towards the end of the last decade and the beginning of this one,
the Sixers were often the darlings of basketball twitter for what they had put together.
The amazing strategy that got them near the top of the standings.
To quote the band that may be (at least a little) responsible for our Global Ambassador's distaste for the Grammys
"The weekend at the college
Didn't turn out like you planned
The things that pass for knowledge
I can't understand"
Somewhere along the way, all those traded draft picks and intentionally losing seasons have left
the Sixers with one amazing (but on a clock) superstar, the chance to pay an aging star hundreds of millions,
while already giving a max contract to a guy giving you 17/6 and 3.
I guess you can plan all you want.
Things might look good on paper.
Heck, I remember when I thought these guys would be the answer (to the Answer)
But now it's time to decide who the winner is on the court.
No shortage of drama between these two.
All the way from The Shot (rimmed out) to The Shot (bounced in)
There has been pain, laughter, shock and yes, tears.
A 4/5 matchup between a team that was predicted to be near the top of the conference and a team picked to be in the lottery.
Time to play...
Who are we facing
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
(the self professed)
And who will they be facing?
Well, for one...
All of Canada!
This series was the last time we all got together to celebrate.
Not just in Toronto.
All across the country, different city squares will start filling up from Nova Scotia to Alberta with raps fans
Bring it on.
We know what we've got.
Coach Nick will no doubt be mixing up some jazzy, nay, janky defensive schemes to hound the Sixers.
All Star Freddy will be back with a bionic knee.
Gary will be there to take his ball home to go play.
And then there's this other little experiment they have been concocting..
Could it work?
Zigging while others are zagging?
It's different.
But, as a wise man said,
I've mentioned before that I remember posting in 2014,
when we surprisingly returned to the playoffs again,
to enjoy because it would never feel like that again.
But this time it kind of does.
This is the dawn of the new Raptors
Can't wait to see what's ahead.
But just because we're blazing our own way,
that doesn't mean that we don't respect our past.
Go Raps
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