Things looked a little drastic early, didn’t they? The Raptors opened yesterday’s matchup with the Vancouver Memphis Grizzlies by shooting 1-for-9, including 0-for-6 from three-point range, in the first six minutes, finding themselves in an 11-4 hole. Thankfully, they broke out of that funk by the second quarter and although the Grizzlies fought to the end, the Raptors looked more like themselves for the bulk of the afternoon.
Before we get to the thoughts, let’s reflect for a moment on why Kyle Lowry chose to put “education reform” on the back of his jersey. When this was announced as one of the NBA’s chosen few jersey messages, I feel like there were some eye-rolls, and maybe it doesn’t feel as immediate right now as Black Lives Matter, but it’s an important message nonetheless.