The email was sent about 12 hours after the Cleveland Cavaliers got spanked by the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon, so maybe 24 hours after the Toronto Raptors had won a playoff Game 1 for approximately the first time since actual dinosaurs roamed the earth. The message went out to ESPN’s entire NBA apparatus, with some logistical housekeeping.
“(It said), ’Make sure your passports haven’t expired, just in case Toronto makes the finals,’” recounted ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe on his highly respected podcast. Lowe added, “Man, we never got that email before. We didn’t get that email last year.