Toronto Raptors: Looking back at a special opening night

Opening night was a special one for the Toronto Raptors with festivities kicking off their reign as the defending NBA Champions. Oh, and some basketball was played as well.

All summer long, basketball fans have been asking me how it feels to be a fan of the Toronto Raptors for their first-ever Championship. And every time my answer was about the same. It still seemed surreal. I still couldn’t quite believe it happened. But on opening night, everything hit home.

And it’s not that as a Raptors fan I didn’t believe they could win. I did the NBA Playoff Bracket Challenge before the playoffs started in April year. And while my Western Conference bracket was a mess (thanks Portland) my Eastern Conference Bracket was all correct including the Raptors beating the Warriors in the finals.

But belief and eventual realization are two very different things.

As the Raptors front office, medical staff and finally the players received their championship rings, I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. And when they finally revealed that Championship banner…?

Chills all over. It was official. It was permanent. It was tangible much more so than seeing pictures of the various Raptors holding the Larry O.B. since we know the trophy travels. But the banner in Scotiabank Arean? That’s for keeps.

The Raptors came into opening night with two big questions answered. Both Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam have signed extensions with the Raptors. Neither decision by the Raptors front office came as a surprise to me. Getting those questions out of the way will only serve to take the pressure off of two guys that the Raptors will need to perform to the best of their abilities for the team to have success this year.

It also tells the rest of the team, “Hey, if you work hard, if you perform, you come out and do what’s asked, every game, every possession, we’re more than willing to acknowledge that.” One of the Raptors organization’s greatest strengths in recent years is the near-complete lack of internal dama. And these two contracts are just another example of how thoughtful decision making fosters a strong team culture.

And speaking of contributors to strong team culture, have I mentioned lately just how big a fan I am of Nick Nurse? Nurse has been on record stating that he’s excited for the challenge of winning without Kawhi Leonard.

I mean, what more can a team ask for than a savvy coach who embraces the challenge of finding different ways to win? That’s an asset every day of the week.

Pregame Raptors GM Bobby Webster also spoke about the buy-in the returning players have in Nick Nurse’s coaching style as well as the cohesiveness in that group. Webster doesn’t think that core group will be phased by much this season and I’m very much inclined to agree.

I’ve said many times since the end of the 2018-19 postseason that even though Kawhi has gone away home, he left something behind with the guys he played with. Something those players will carry for the rest of their careers and pass onto new players to the roster.

Poise. Champion mentality. Unshakable chill.

And the Raptors starting cold and coming back to win their opener 130-122 in OT showed it. Gone are the DeRozan era Raptors where the wheels were always within moments of falling off.