Talking to The Walls

It has been 7 years “The Shot” one of the biggest moments in Toronto sports history as Kawhi Leonard’s shot danced around the rim for what felt like eternity and finally dropped in giving fans the chance to dream of a championship that was eventually delivered. As a long time Raptors fan from day one of the franchise and living through many years of ups and downs it is a moment I will always remember where I was and the feeling of joy and disbelief as the shot went in.

It has been a bit of wait for Raptors fans to get back to meaningful games and believe in the team again. The last playoff appearance in 2022 was a quick first round exit which featured the remnants of the 2019 Championship team that was never the same after Kawhi left. The 2022 team however also featured a glimmering light of hope as Scottie Barnes was named Rookie of Year and gave fans a reason dream for better days ahead. In the years that followed what was left of the Championship team was dismantled and a full rebuild was in motion. Missing the playoffs 3 years in a row the team continued to grow and develop and with some good drafting of players like Jakobi Walters and Collin Murray-Boyles and fans remained patient as the team continued to develop. With the addition of Brandon Ingram in free agency it finally felt like there was a reason to believe again.

Finishing at 46-36 and grabbing the 5th seed in the East the Raptors finally made their return to the NBA playoffs. I must admit I was excited but cautiously optimistic. Seeing tickets available I still was hesitant to purchase and took a wait and see attitude. They dropped the first 2 games in Cleveland then as the series shifted to Toronto winning 2 high energy exciting games to tie the series the team earned my belief back and any hesitancy I had prior to the series purchasing tickets was gone as I purchased tickets for game 6 back in Toronto. The team dropped a hard fought game 5 in Cleveland with Ingram going down with injury and out for game 6 the Raptors had their backs against the wall going into game 6. With the crowd fully behind them from the tip off it was clear the team was going to give everything they had to push the series to a game 7.

As another hard fought game came down to the wire and the Raptors down 110-109 and Barnes with the ball the crowd watched on nervously as Barnes passed the ball to local Mississauga native RJ Barrett who put up a 3 with seconds to go. The ball bounced off the back rim and popped high in the air and eventually dropped in like there was some divine intervention guiding it just like as it seemed when Kawhi’s shot danced on the rim all those years ago. Time to believe again – There’s something about those rims in Toronto….