Toronto Raptors Open Practice: A Different Story
On Sunday morning, the Toronto Raptors hosted their open practice, just 10 days before the opening night against the Atlanta Hawks.
Despite the 11:00 start, and the simultaneous running of the Toronto Marathon creating major downtown traffic hassles, more than 4500 fans went to the Air Canada Centre to see the Raptors players do some drills and scrimmages. One of them was a Greek guy that had a dream: to step on an NBA court and watch a game, a game of his favourite team, the Toronto Raptors. The first part of his dream is fulfilled. The second is going to happen hopefully soon.
This guy started watching basketball back in 1987, when Nick Galis and the Hellenic National team created a basketball miracle by winning the European Championship. Then, the basketball “bug” was inserted into his body and soul; when not playing pickup games with friends and unknowns, he and his friends were watching Galis’s magnificent performances but also a limited amount of NBA games (during late 80s and 90s there was no internet streaming or NBA TV), enough though to “feed” the basketball bug inside him.
While watching Magic Johnson’s Lakers “showtime” and Michael Jordan’s Bulls total basketball, the dream of watching a NBA game in person or at least going to a NBA court, was born. And now, after so many years this dream is close to coming true. He doesn’t need any more to set up the alarm to snooze at 02.00 or 03.00 AM to watch the Raptors. He can take his car or the subway and go to the Air Canada Centre.
Air Canada Centre, Toronto. It may not be the Forum, the Boston Garden or the Madison Square Garden. It may not be the Chicago Stadium or the United Center. For this “young” (OK, he has the age of Kobe now) Greek guy with a difficult name and surname, it’s his Mecca of basketball. His “Ithaca” of his basketball Odyssey.
The time while waiting outside Gate 1 was like a century. When the gates were open, the first goosebumps… when he entered the stadium and faced the hardwood? So many images passed in his mind, so many childhood dreams and so many emotions.
Apart from this strong emotional day, there was an open practice happened on Sunday. Open practice with show and entertainment, another cultural shock. In Greece basketball games are war games. Visitors’ fans are not allowed to watch the game but only the home team fans, in order to prevent fights inside and outside the courts. Here you could go to TD Garden wearing a Lakers jersey and vice versa…
There was no much to say about the actual practice. It was like a “family” gathering. Raptors family has many members. Players were trying to excite the fans by dunking all the time (especially the second unit ones), Coach Casey kept some secrets away from public (I’m sure about that), few of them rested (Lowry and DeRozan) and Bebe Nogueira continued his personal practice in order to overcome his injury. 2 players of the preseason roster have to be cut. Hopefully Masai will keep the biggest preseason surprise; Jordan Hamilton. But today we will not talk about players, offensive and defensive plays. There will be 2 more games to talk about the final personal touches of Coach Casey and the overall performance of each and every player.
Basketball is not just a sport. Basketball is life. Impossible is nothing and don’t stop dreaming. Now the fulfillment of this dream is approaching. The time is now.
As the Great MJ said:
"Never say never; because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."