05 May

Toronto Heartbroken Over Raptors Loss

Posted in News on 05.05.14 by John Meloche

BasketballWe were so close. Just one point away. One last shot. We almost did it. And then…heartbreak. The dying seconds of yesterday’s Game 7 matchup between our beloved Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets had many Torontonians doing just that…dying. Reminiscent of Vince Carter missing his final shot against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA Playoffs, Kyle Lowry’s last attempt was not to be.

This was different though. The City of Toronto rallied around the Raptors like never before. This was officially the best Toronto Raptors team in history, having amassed a franchise-high win total of 48 during the regular season. Capturing the Atlantic Division title for just the second time in franchise history was yet another reason this year felt special.

Yes, even more special than the Vince Carter days when the man dubbed “Air Canada” was supposedly on top of the basketball world. This season’s Raptors team was made up of no one particular superstar, but instead of a group of young men with a huge amount of heart. Battling through each game as underdogs, the Raptors raised eyebrows and surprised a lot of people throughout the season.

Especially after General Manager, Masai Ujiri traded who was deemed the team superstar in Rudy Gay away to the Sacramento Kings earlier in the season, many fans assumed the Raptors were set to “tank”. Perhaps finishing poorly, some thought, would help the team land a great draft pick. Maybe even scoring Canada’s own Andrew Wiggins would be the ticket to securing a strong playoff run in the future, many thought.

But that was not to be. Instead, the entire Raptors squad became a collective group of superstars finishing the season ranked the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. And yet still, true respect throughout the NBA had not yet been gained. The Brooklyn Nets, in fact, reportedly “tanked” in their own last few regular season games in an effort to draw the #6 seed, pitting them against the Raptors.

Apparently, the Nets felt they had a better shot against the Atlantic Division Champions than against the Chicago Bulls – who, by the way, were ousted in five games by the Washington Wizards during these very playoffs. The Raptors, however, battled with the Nets through a full seven game series, even taking a 3-2 series lead after Game 5. The entire City of Toronto, it seemed, felt a series win was destined.

This was especially conveyed by what became known as “Jurassic Park”. Generally known as “Maple Leaf Square” – a place where Toronto Maple Leafs fans meet in front of the Air Canada Centre to cheer on the Buds during their games – the area became a sea of red and white-clad Raptors fans for each and every playoff game the home team played. The large group of fans became the talk of the NBA over the past couple of weeks.

“It was amazing,” reported one of our own Synergy team members, who was a proud member of Jurassic Park, “There were about 10,000 of us for the final game. The energy among all the Raptors fans is something I’ll never forget. We’re truly the best fans in the league.” In addition, using the hashtag #WeTheNorth on social media, Toronto basketball fans truly showed their passion and dedication to their team.

Here’s hoping next year, we’ll be able to cheer longer into the postseason. On behalf of the entire staff here at Synergy Marketing, we’d like to congratulate the Toronto Raptors on their best season ever. And we’d like to acknowledge our glorious hometown of Toronto and all of the amazing fans who proved that we are home to the greatest sports fans in the world!

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