The break around the NBA all-star game ostensibly offers players and coaches a reprieve from their in-season routines, but some get further from the game than others and some, like Raptors coach Nick Nurse, barely get away at all.
Nurse and his staff coached Team Giannis in Sunday’s star-studded game. By Tuesday, he had travelled to Oshawa for his work with the Canadian men’s team. And Wednesday, he was back on the floor for an optional Raptors practice, which brought out starters like Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka and nearly all of Toronto’s bench guys.
It doesn’t sound like much of a break, yet Nurse had enough time to reflect on the Raptors’ first 55 games and their 15-1 run heading into the break.