By Marc Anthony Costanza
The Toronto Raptors and their fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the team managed to win Game One against the Washington Wizards Saturday night in the first round of the playoffs. This is the first Game One victory in the team has had since May 6, 2001 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the 17 years since, the Raptors have lost a NBA-worst 10 consecutive playoff series openers. However, Saturday night’s 114-106 win against the Wizards finally broke the curse.
Serge Ibaka’s impressive performance was critical to the Raptors victory that evening; he scored 23 points and secured 12 rebounds. He wasn’t alone though. Delon Wright went off in the fourth quarter, putting up 11 of his 18 points, while DeMar DeRozan scored 17 on the night.
“It’s out of the way now,” said DeRozan after the game when asked about the streak. “Worry about Game Two.”
It’s important the Raptors don’t get caught up in the fact their Game One dilemma is now over. While the win was important for the organization and the fans, I’m sure they don’t want to remember this postseason for just this one moment. DeRozan’s mentality is smart because he seemingly understands that breaking that streak is only a small facet of what the Raptors are trying to accomplish. The team has to continue looking forward and not hang on to what they did in Game One.
The Wizards are still a dangerous team and have proven throughout the season that they are more than capable of getting wins when necessary. In addition, although the team lost, their main players still put on solid performances. John Wall had 23 points and 15 assists, Markieff Morris put up 22 points and collected 11 rebounds and Bradley Beal scored 19.
In all honesty, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was a back-and-forth series going the full seven games.
Although a lot of attention is being brought to the fact the Raptors Game One losing streak is over, there was another special moment during the night that occurred after the game in the Toronto locker room.
If you follow the Raptors or are a fan of Drake, then you know how big of a fan the Canadian rapper is of the team, always sitting courtside when he gets the chance, especially during the playoffs.
For Saturday’s game, Drake decided to wear a Humboldt Broncos sweater to pay tribute to the 16 lives lost in the tragic bus crash earlier this month. If you’re unaware of the story, a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team named the Humboldt Broncos were part of a fatal car crash as they were on their way to a semi-final playoff game. Ten players, two coaches, an athletic therapist, two broadcasters and the bus driver were all killed in the collision.
So after the game was over, Drake went to Raptors’ locker room and asked the team to add their signatures to his on a Broncos’ jersey. You can see it on the Toronto Raptors official Twitter page, and I recommend you do because it’s a real heartwarming moment.
