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Saluting the Raptors Twitter All-Stars

By Dan Rankin

May 23, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A general view of the Air Canada Centre with t-shirts laid out on seats in a Canadian flag pattern prior to Toronto Raptors hosting Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A general view of the Air Canada Centre with t-shirts laid out on seats in a Canadian flag pattern prior to Toronto Raptors hosting Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Raptors Twitter is a passionate and funny group. Let’s give some shout outs to those who made watching this playoff run almost as fun as the players did.

The Toronto Raptors’ improbable run to the NBA’s Final Four has come to an end, and it’s still too early to do much more than speculate about what the team will look like next fall. Don’t get us wrong, we’ll be doing plenty of that, but this is also still a good time to reflect back on all the great things we just experienced together.

This season more than any before, fans across the country were able to experience the games together – and I’m not talking about in Jurassic Park. Many fans are now experiencing the playoffs on two screens; one showing the game, of course, and one showing their Twitter feed, where they can get a glimpse of the thoughts of fellow fans, comedians and beat writers who are also watching the game in real time.

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Raptors Twitter is a passionate, intelligent and truly funny group of people, so what better time than now to give some shout outs to the All-Stars who made watching this year’s playoff run almost as fun as coach Casey and the players did?

A salute to Raptors sports writers

Outside of the select few sports fans actually inside the confines of the arena, most people watch playoff basketball from their couches, where they’re completely at the mercy of their local broadcaster for all the information they take in and the footage they witness.

That’s why it’s fantastic that Twitter lets sports writers spill their guts about everything that’s going on from the comfort of their press box seat. They provide us with insight into what the crowd is getting up to off camera, and hit us with box score stats and historical information way faster than the TV broadcast can – in terms that haven’t been sanitized for prime time television.

NBA News Editor at The Score, Chris Walder (@WalderSports)

Notable for Excellence in…

Sharing of a Cathartic Meme:

Capturing the Moment:

Media Criticism:

Master-Level Twitter Burns:

Toronto Raptors NBA Beat Reporter for TSN Radio 1050, Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050)

Notable for Excellence in…

Statistics:

Television Studies:

Trolling the American Media:

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due:

Toronto Star sports columnist Bruce Arthur (@Bruce_Arthur)

Notable for Excellence in…
Frustratedly stating the patently obvious:

Frustrated thinly-veiled criticism of NBA refs:

Frustrated bemusement at off-day pundit-spun narratives and ACC promotions department:

Excellence in Biz-mania:

Sportsnet 590 Raptors Radio host Eric Smith (@Eric__Smith)

Notable for Excellence in…

Making you feel like you were at Quicken Loans Arena:

Making you feel like you were at the season-ending press conference:

Making light of the conspiracy theory that the NBA hates Toronto:

Longtime Toronto Star Raptors Reporter Doug Smith (@SmithRaps) 

Notable for Excellence in…

Calling out the Refs:

Pointing out Our Faults:

Pointing out the Silver Lining:


Contributor for HOOP Magazine, Vice Sports and Raptors.com, Holly MacKenzie (@StackMack)

Notable for Excellence in…

Expressing childlike wonder:

Sportsnet and Vice Sports basketball writer Eric Koreen (@ekoreen)

Notable for Excellence in…

Telling it like it is:

A Salute to Raptors Twitter fans

To hell with non-partisanship. Raptors fans wore their hearts on their sleeves this postseason, and nowhere was that more evident than on their Twitter feeds. Here’s a sampling of tweets from just two of our favourite Raptors fans.

Toronto blogger and bartender, @MyLifeasRach

Notable for Excellence in…

Dealing with bros:

Balancing work and playoff basketball:

Rooting against the Cavs:

Self-examination:

Actor and comedian Mark Little (@MarkMarkLittle)

Notable for Excellence in…

Comedy sketch writing:

Cartoonishly negative portrayals of the Cavaliers:

Cartoonishly positive exuberance towards the Raptors:

Next: Biyombo Says He'd Take a Discount to Stay with Raptors

Who was your favourite follow during the Raptors postseason? Let us know in the comments below.

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