100 Things Raptors Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die

By Dave Mendonca, Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams and Matt Devlin

Most Raptors fans have attended a game at Scotiabank Arena, seen highlights of a young Vince Carter, and of course watched every minute of the team's historic run to the 2019 NBA championship. But only die-hards remember the first Raptors game in 1995, can tell you where they were for the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest, or have camped out to get a prime viewing spot at Jurassic Park. 100 Things Raptors Fans Should Know Do Before They Die reveals the most critical moments and important facts about past and present players, coaches, and teams that are part of the young history that is Raptors basketball. Whether you're a seasoned fan from the Chris Bosh days or a new supporter of Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard, this revised and updated guide contains everything Raptors fans should know, see, and do in their lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Mar 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781641254151

Book preview

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Contents

Foreword by Matt Devlin

Foreword by Jerome Junkyard Dog Williams

Introduction

1. We The Champs!

2. Championship Parade

3. Raptors Advance to Their First NBA Finals

4. The Shot

5. Kawhi Is a Fun Guy

6. The Trade

7. Vinsanity

8. Wince Carter and the Breakup

9. The NBA Returns to Canada

10. The Raptors Tip Off

11. VC’s Slam Dunk Contest and Olympic Jam

12. Kyle Lowry, the Bulldog of Bay Street1

13. Masai or Messiah?

14. Graduation Day and the Miss

15. Nick Nurse

16. The DeRozan Era

17. CB4

18. Pascal Siakam

19. Fred VanVleet

20. Mighty Mouse

21. We Beat Michael Jordan

22. Raptors Make Their Playoff Debut

23. Raptors Revenge

24. T-Mac Breaks Toronto’s Heart

25. The Giant GM

26. Raptors Are First-Time Division Champs

27. Good-Bye, Rudy and Hello, Record-Breaking Season

28. Drake, the Raptors’ Global Ambassador

29. Isiah Thomas

30. Bryan Colangelo

31. The 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend

32. Raptors Pass on Kobe

33. Kobe Drops 81 on Toronto

34. LeBronto

35. VC and the Nets Ruin the Playoff Party

36. Antonio Davis and the Metric System

37. Tim Leiweke

38. Butch Carter’s Strange Exit

39. F--- Brooklyn!

40. Visit Jurassic Park

41. #WeTheNorth

42. The Purple Dinosaur Jerseys

43. Dwane Casey

44. Sam Mitchell

45. Vinsanity vs. The Answer

46. A Dream Come True?

47. Chris Childs, What Were You Thinking?

48. Rob Babcock

49. Oakley, the Enforcer

50. Mo Pete

51. Watch Vince Carter’s Top 100 Dunks

52. Man, We Love These Guys!

53. Primo Pasta

54. Jose Calderon

55. We Love Toronto

56. Meet The Raptor

57. Just Plain Ugly

58. The 1998–99 Lockout Season

59. Done Deal

60. The NBA’s United Nations

61. What’s Your Name?

62. Salami and Cheese

63. Vince, Time to Be Clutch

64. Who Needs You?

65. The 20th Anniversary

66. Do You Really Know Your Raptors?

67. MLSE Buys the Raptors

68. 1–15

69. Richard Peddie

70. Oh Canada!

71. The Red Rocket

72. Why Raptors Fans Are More Fun Than Leafs Fans

73. Moving Out of the SkyDome

74. Chant Let’s Go Raptors! at a Leafs Game

75. Yes, He Was a Raptor

76. Terrible Trades

77. Do You Have a 50?

78. Mother Nature Can’t Stop Junkyard Dog

79. Shake the Hand of the Raptors’ Superfan

80. Skip to My Lou

81. The First Raptors Squad

82. The Naismith Cup

83. The Other Head Coaches

84. Dunk You Very Much

85. Herbie Kuhn

86. Take a Raptors Road Trip

87. Hello, Mr. Williams

88. Former Raptors Gone Bad

89. NCAA Champion Raptors

90. Best Off the Bench

91. Rooming with Montell

92. Meet a Raptors Player

93. Go to Real Sports Bar & Grill

94. Triple-Double Treats

95. Baby Dinos

96. Remember 1995

97. Master P Tries Out for the Raptors

98. The All-Time Starting Five

99. Stan Van Gundy Doesn’t Like Free Pizza

100. Vince, We Forgive You

Sources

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword by Matt Devlin

When the Golden State Warriors took Game 5 in a fan-filled, tense Scotiabank Arena, the Raptors still found themselves leading the NBA Finals 3–2. But it was a different feeling leaving the building that night. The Raptors’ first ever championship felt close, so the disappointment over the missed chance was real.

It was after midnight when my family and I were leaving the parking garage. As we drove toward the exit ramp, I saw Raptors head coach Nick Nurse standing alone off in the distance. I rolled down the window, leaned over, and said, Coach with a deep sigh. Nick looked up from his phone and calmly said, Keep your head up, Matty. No one said it was going to be easy. Confidently, Nick added, We’ll get this! Nine hours later we were at the airport getting set to fly back to the Bay Area.

Prior to that exchange, I was purposely staying in the moment. Maybe in some small way, I didn’t want to jinx it. I was not allowing myself to think, What if the Raptors win this?

I’ve announced thousands of games in my 27-year-career and I have never decided what to say prior to the game unfolding. After spending countless hours preparing for a game, I allow the game to dictate where I go with my call.

This was different. This was the NBA Finals. An entire country was part of this team’s journey. We now had potentially two games left in the series, and Coach Nurse’s confidence—even in defeat—allowed me to start thinking about the moment when the Raptors would win it all. How would I summarize this incredible ride in one line? How would I capture what this country would feel in that moment? How would I give these Raptors fans their proper place in history?

The resolve, the consistency, the dedication…this Raptors team was just like you, our fans. I knew I wanted to honour all of them when that final buzzer sounded. It weighed on me over the course of those two-plus days, building up to Game 6. In my 11 seasons as the voice of the Raptors, I’ve witnessed firsthand the greatest fans in the NBA fill every arena in this league, cheering on their team. A major part of my thought process was how to pay tribute to the best fans in the NBA from those who have been there since Day One in 1995 to those who just became wrapped up in this movement after The Shot.

We travel to the east and meet fans from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. We head out west and spend time with fans from Alberta and British Columbia. The games in the upper midwest bring the dedicated fans from Manitoba and Saskatchewan. And as we all know, when we head to Detroit, it becomes Toronto West! Every stop along the way, we meet our devoted fans from every province and territory in this great country.

It became clear to me the morning of Game 6. It was simple, to the point, and hopefully it summed up this wonderful and amazing journey we’ve all been on. I hope you realize that this Larry O’Brien Trophy is yours. Without your dedication and support, this resilient and unselfish team would not have won it all. I hope my words captured the moment and I hope you will enjoy reliving some special Raptors moments in the following pages.

Dave Mendonca not only goes into great detail about this signature moment in Raptors history, but also the other memorable times and players from Toronto’s basketball history for the updated version of 100 Things Raptors Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. It all culminated in the club’s historic NBA Finals run. It was 24 years in the making. It’s happened. It’s real. As I said at the end of Game 6, Canada, the NBA title is yours! The Toronto Raptors are the 2019 NBA champions.

—Matt Devlin

Toronto Raptors’ play-by-play announcer

Foreword by Jerome Junkyard Dog Williams

I’m often asked where my love affair with the city of Toronto started. Well, it all began one afternoon on the campus of Georgetown University in 1994. Before the Raptors ever graced the floor of the SkyDome, the basketball fans of Toronto were treated to some great college basketball. The game—Georgetown versus Memphis—featured a star-packed lineup on each side. This was must-see basketball. George Butler, Lorenzen Wright, Allen Iverson, and Othella Harrington were all seen as future lottery picks in the NBA, and we were all headed to the famous Maple Leaf Gardens.

I had never really heard of Toronto. So I asked Hall of Fame coach John Thompson, Where is Toronto? He chuckled and said it’s in Canada. My reply, of course, was: Canada? Why so far for a game? My teammates were just as shocked. We knew nothing about Canada other than it’s cold and far from home. The first astounding feature of Toronto was the fact that it was actually a quick one-hour flight from the Washington, D.C., campus. Second was the look of the city, which also reminded me of my D.C. hometown because of its city lights and one-way streets. And the third feature that began my love affair was the friendliness of the people. It was all around the city from the airports to the bus stops to the coffee shops, hotels, and restaurants—you name it. The people’s friendliness got my attention.

The game itself lived up to its billing as we edged Memphis in an overtime thriller that had the fans of Toronto on the edge of their seats. I can honestly say the DoggPound was born that night because the fans were firmly behind the Hoyas, and we felt the love. Toronto had made a lasting impression on me. I fell for it, and soon it would fall for me!

Fast forward a few years to the birth of the Raptors organization. I’m playing for the Detroit Pistons and loving it. When we would fly to Toronto for games, I was so excited to tell teammates about my old college story involving the city. But my love was under the surface because for many NBA players Toronto had a kind of negative connotation. We’ve all heard stories of bad taxes, bad schools, bad food, etc. You never heard of the many good things like good communities, good health care, low crime, and great sports fans.

So in February 2001, I received a call from the Pistons that I had been traded to the Toronto Raptors as the key player Toronto wanted. Initially, I experienced heartache because I was leaving my original DoggPound and the people and organization that had supported me for years. Second, I had the fear of acceptance in a new city and organization that didn’t know anything about me. Third, I was a newlywed and had to inform my wife and stepdaughter we were about to move to Canada. I had a lot to be concerned about, and my mind was racing.

After speaking with Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald on the phone and hearing his excitement, he still seemed a bit hesitant about when I should join the team as he wanted me to have all the time I needed to adjust and make plans. My next move was not a calculated decision; it was on the spot and all natural. I decided to drive through a snowstorm that night to be on time for practice the next day to greet my new teammates. (This decision became legendary.)

When I put on the Raptors jersey that night, my heart pounded with anticipation. I was so excited to be a Raptor and to be playing alongside Vince Carter, Alvin Williams, and Mo Pete. But nothing had prepared me for what was about to happen when they announced my name to the sell-out crowd of 21,000. I received a standing ovation and the loudest DoggPound salute I had ever heard. And thus the DoggPound was reborn, and yes, I will always love my city.

DoggPound for life.

—Jerome Junkyard Dog Williams

Toronto Raptors power forward (2001–2003)

Introduction

I’m speechless. For the introduction of the first edition of 100 Things Raptors Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, I ended it by writing: This club has come a long way since my first game in 1996 and, even though the Raptors had a tough end to the 2015 playoffs, I’m still optimistic that their best days are yet to come. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the trip back in time and will get pumped up for an exciting future ahead.

When I typed those words, I never envisioned the miracle that would unfold during Toronto’s surprising 2019 NBA championship run. Yes, I was positive things would get better for the franchise, but oh man, I didn’t see that awesomeness coming. What a journey it has been.

In my combined time as a TV sports reporter, basketball podcaster, author, and Raptors fan, I’ve followed the club from its infancy to the group that did the unthinkable when it won the Larry O’Brien Trophy. I remember the franchise’s bad times—the awful losses in the early years, Vince Carter telling us he didn’t want to dunk anymore, Tracy McGrady bolting for Orlando, Chris Bosh leaving us for LeBron James, Kobe Bryant torching the Raptors for 81 points, Carter missing a last-second Game 7 shot that could have secured a series win against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 playoffs, James dominating us in the postseason, and so on.

Disappointment and heartache were just part of the package with this team. That’s exactly why Toronto’s unlikely march toward the NBA title was so shocking. That kind of good fortune didn’t happen to the Raptors. But for some reason, the basketball gods decided to give them every single break imaginable. Kawhi Leonard. Game 7-winning shot against the Sixers. Enough said.

Probably one of the biggest delights I had was watching how Canada embraced and celebrated the club’s playoff wins in every round. This squad brought people together from coast to coast. It was such a patriotic and communal feeling that this was our team, and we were finally successful on a major level.

If you had told me in the early 1990s, when I was a New York Knicks fan, that Toronto would get an NBA team and actually win a title before the year 2020, I might have questioned your sanity. But here we are.

I was a Knicks supporter for a while and when the Raptors came on the scene I became a fan of both clubs. I know I committed a sports fan crime there, but I don’t care. It was an interesting balance, but I would later ditch my allegiance to New York, a prophetic move considering the state of that franchise. So now being a 100 percent Raptors fan feels pretty great.

I remember when I used to cover the team as a sports reporter for The Score Television Network (now Sportsnet 360). I loved it. Nothing was better than sitting in the media section at courtside seeing guys like Carter and opposing stars dazzle us with their on-court skills and then interviewing them afterward before heading back to the TV station to create my on-air reports that would be broadcast across Canada. I never considered myself a reporter when checking out those games. I was always a basketball fan first who was enjoying the spectacle and feeling giddy that I was getting paid to do it.

Today, I watch the Raptors from a different angle. It’s no longer about covering the club and delivering postgame reports by a deadline. Now, it’s all about just enjoying the ride, and that’s what Raptors fans did in 2019. The capper was being at the championship parade. It was an early start that day because I was making a national television morning show appearance on CTV’s Your Morning to talk about the team’s success.

The live interview took place in a makeshift tent/outdoor TV studio on a catwalk that overlooked Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto, where the Raptors later spoke to the masses. Just being there felt like I was a part of history.

After having a fun and energetic interview, I walked around the city with my wife until the parade started, and then we visited some of the streets where the Raptors buses would travel. They were packed. A sea of humanity filled the sidewalks where you couldn’t budge if you were a poor soul wedged in there.

But it was worth it when you’d catch a glimpse of the Raptors as they slowly drove by. We all extended our arms in the air, holding our smartphones above the crowd in hopes of taking the perfect picture while baking in the sunshine. It’s a day my wife and I will never forget.

So when I was asked to write an updated edition of 100 Things Raptors Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, I just had to accept. This book is filled with some great memories of the club’s epic run to the NBA title, so I hope it will always put a smile on your face when you reflect back on the time when your Raptors were no longer a disappointment—but champions of the NBA universe.

1. We The Champs!

Many Raptors fans never thought this day would come. Toronto was finally playing in the NBA Finals, had a championship-tested superstar (Kawhi Leonard), and home-court advantage. For many years, this club was a laughingstock and now it was playing on the league’s biggest stage. Raptors fans were so used to seeing the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers win multiple titles, have championship parades, and get their rings in their season home openers. Could it really be the Raptors’ turn?

Well, Toronto would have to earn it against one of the greatest NBA championship dynasties of all time—the Warriors. Going into this series, Golden State had won three of the past four titles, including back-to-back crowns, and it was now appearing in its fifth straight NBA Finals. However, the Warriors’ star-studded line-up featuring three-time champions—Stephen Curry (who used to live in Toronto when his father, Dell, played for the Raptors), Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green—wasn’t at full strength. In the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, reportedly injured his right calf in Game 5 and missed the rest of that series and the Western Conference Finals, too.

So Golden State began the NBA Finals without the four-time NBA scoring champion, and there was concern he may not play at all. This was a huge break for the Raptors who were heavy underdogs.

During the regular season, the two teams only played twice against each other, but Toronto won both times. On November 29 at Scotiabank Arena, the Raptors were victorious 131–128 in overtime despite Durant’s 51 points, though Curry, Green, and new addition DeMarcus Cousins were all out due to injuries. But on December 12 in Oakland, Toronto won 113–93, even though Leonard sat out and the Warriors were at full strength except for missing Cousins.

Leading up to Game 1 of the NBA Finals, all of Canada was pumped. Mini Jurassic Parks were popping up throughout the province of Ontario and eventually across the nation. Just before Game 1 tipped off, Scotiabank Arena was filled with electricity after a goose-bump-inducing rendition of the Canadian national anthem sung by an operatic pop group trio called The Tenors.

It was the first ever NBA Finals game outside of the United States, and Canada was ready.

One man in particular, forward Pascal Siakam, was really ready. The kid from Cameroon surprised Draymond Green and the rest of the Warriors with his assortment of ambidextrous layups, spin moves, perimeter shooting, athleticism, and speed. Once the final buzzer sounded, Siakam had a playoff career-high 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting in Toronto’s 118–109 victory.

After the game ended, things got testy. Drake, who was trolling Curry by wearing his dad’s old No. 30 Raptors jersey, participated in a heated exchange with Green where it appeared the rap star called him trash. It wasn’t really a scuffle because I didn’t hit him, and he didn’t hit me. And I didn’t push him, and he didn’t push me, Green said. We talked. We barked a little bit, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider that a scuffle.

Once things simmered down, Siakam reflected on a historic Raptors win. The fans are amazing, man, Siakam said. From coming out for warm-up to the end of the game, it was just the support and then going crazy. I’ve never seen anything like that.

The Siakam game gave the Raptors a 1–0 series lead, but the Warriors are champions for a reason and responded in Game 2. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to change it up by starting Cousins, their big offseason prize, who not only returned from an Achilles injury during the regular season, but also missed time after suffering a torn quad in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. The move worked, and Cousins played well with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while watching his teammates unleash one of their signature explosive runs by scoring 18 straight in the third quarter (a 20–0 run dating back to the end of the first half) to put Golden State in control.

The Warriors received an injury scare in the fourth quarter when Thompson landed awkwardly after shooting a three-pointer and then had to leave with a hamstring issue. He scored 25 before his exit, and his banged-up Warriors went on to win 109–104. Curry had 23 points, and Green had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists to tie the series. See you in the Bay, Aubrey, Thompson told Drake. Weren’t talking tonight, were ya?

As for Thompson’s injury status, Kerr knew the five-time All-Star would return to action. Klay could be half dead and he would say he would be fine, Kerr said. It was a great win. Now we gotta to go home and protect our home floor and we’ll see about all the injuries.

Kyle Lowry holds the trophy aloft while Serge Ibaka (left) and Danny Green (third from right) celebrate with teammates after the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. (AP Images)

On the other side, the Raptors’ rookie NBA head coach, Nick Nurse, told his team in the locker room after the defeat that they needed to win just one of the upcoming two road games. Leonard responded, F--- that. Let’s get them both. The franchise wasn’t used to this championship attitude. It embodied confidence and the belief the Raptors could actually win this thing.

With Thompson missing his first career postseason game in Game 3 due to his hamstring injury and key backup big man, Kevon Looney, out with a chest injury, the short-handed Warriors had to rely on the sharp-shooting Curry to lead the way. He responded with a playoff career-high 47 points, but Toronto’s balanced attack was too much. Six Raptors scored in double figures, including all five starters. Leonard led the way (30 points) in a 123–109 win to give Toronto a 2–1 series edge.

Kyle Lowry, who had been heavily criticized over the years for his poor playoff performances, added 23 points with five three-pointers and nine assists, and Danny Green, who had struggled badly from beyond the arc before the NBA Finals, found his groove by hitting six threes and scoring 18 points.

But there was some controversy. In the fourth quarter, Lowry tried to save a ball from going out of bounds when he accidentally crashed into the first and second-row seats. A fan named Mark Stevens, who was later revealed as a Warriors minority owner, reached across to intentionally shove Lowry. The two had a verbal exchange, and Stevens was escorted out of the arena. There’s no place for that, Lowry said. He had no reason to touch me. He had no reason to reach over two seats and then say some vulgar language to me. There’s no place for people like that in our league. Hopefully, he never comes back to an NBA game. Stevens later apologized but was still fined $500,000 and banned from attending NBA games for a year.

In Game 4 Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, started the third quarter by hitting back-to-back three-pointers and then dominated the rest of the period by scoring 17 of the Raptors’ 37 points in the frame. His beastly performance included 36 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals as the Raptors grabbed a surprising 3–1 series advantage.

Even though Thompson returned from his strained hamstring to score 28 and Curry chipped in with 27, the Raptors received some extra support from Serge Ibaka (20 points) and Siakam (19 points) to help win the road game 105–92. After the victory a large section of Raptors fans in the stands started singing O Canada! But the Raptors remained measured. You’ve just got to be patient with it, Leonard said. We were two games away, four games away. It doesn’t matter until you get that fourth win. We just have to stay confident in ourselves, be patient, don’t try to rush things.

Durant returned for Game 5. He had a good start, going 3-of-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc for 11 points in 12 minutes, but then disaster struck in the second quarter. As Durant tried to get past Ibaka, he pulled up after planting his right foot and then clutched his lower leg. It was later revealed he ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Once he was hurt, a few fans cheered, which caused Lowry and Ibaka to tell them to stop. That’s classless, Green said. For me I’ve always witnessed Canadians be the nicest people I’ve ever encountered, and that was classless. But after Durant was leaving the court, the arena gave him a supportive standing ovation and chanted KD, KD, KD.

So the Warriors had to play without Durant again. But they seemed up to the challenge.

After Leonard scored 10 straight Raptors points as part of a 12–2 run in the fourth quarter that gave Toronto a six-point lead (103–97) with 3:28 to go and the chance at winning the title at home, Nurse called a timeout. We had two free [timeouts] that you lose under the three-minute mark, Nurse said. We just came across and decided to give those guys a rest. We had back-to-back ones there that we would have lost at the three-minute mark and just felt the guys could use the extra energy push.

But after that break, the Splash Brothers erupted instead. Thompson hit a three-ball to make it 103–100, and then Curry hit a triple to tie it at 103. Thompson followed with another three-pointer to give Golden State a 106–103 lead with under a minute to go.

The Raptors had one last opportunity. Now trailing 106–105, Lowry attempted a corner three-pointer, but Green got a piece of it, and the Warriors stayed alive with a 106–105 win that disappointed basketball fans all across Canada. Curry finished with 31 points while Thompson scored 26.

Lowry, who was playing with a sprained left thumb he suffered in Game 7 of the conference semis, wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip away in Game 6. He let it rip early in the first quarter. He hit three triples and scored Toronto’s first 11 points to give the Raptors an 11–2 start. But in the third quarter, both Lowry and Leonard picked up their fourth fouls. Things got worse for the Raptors. A three-pointer by Andre Iguodala with a minute left in the quarter gave the Warriors a five-point cushion—their biggest lead to that point—and ignited the loud Oracle Arena crowd. But then disaster struck the Warriors again.

With 2:25 remaining in the third quarter and Golden State on a fast break, Thompson was going in for a dunk, then was fouled by Green from behind, and landed awkwardly on his left leg. With the crowd stunned, Thompson left the game with what would later be revealed as a torn ACL in his knee. He did return briefly—to the fans’ delight—to hit both free throws on the way to a 30-point night, but he’d leave the contest for good afterward. Golden State just couldn’t escape the injury bug.

In the fourth quarter, the Raptors received a huge spark off the bench. Enter Fred VanVleet. Since his son, Fred Jr., was born on May 20, the Raptors guard was on fire after having a rough time earlier in the 2019 postseason. He was clutch when Toronto needed him the most. He had three huge triples