Toronto Raptors: 9 Revelations from Game 1 win over Wizards

6. Kiara Morrison is Back Doing the Raptors Shot Clock

Hear that shrill voice coming through your TV speakers, counting down the shot clock when the Toronto Raptors have the ball? No?

Ever notice how you didn’t notice that all season this year? That’s because it wasn’t there. That excruciating voice that you hear over the broadcast is DeRozan’s ex-fiance Kiara Morrison. When they were together over the past few years, you could hear her screeching the shot clock as the numbers ticked down.

During this legendary Raptors season, DeMar and Kiara seperated. Obviously horrible for DeRozan, but the quiet during stressful shot clock situations was a pleasure for sore ears throughout the second half of the season.

Morrison was back for Game 1. Are Morrisson and DeRozan back together? I don’t know, this isn’t TMZ Toronto. All I know is the shrieking is back…

7. Dwane Casey has Mastered his Bench

If there was ever a way to stunt on Coach of the Year voters, Casey figured out how.

Conventional wisdom says the playoffs means a shorter bench. But the Toronto Raptors’ bench has been such an outrageous strength throughout the season, it seemed ludicrous to follow conventional wisdom.

The Raps played 11 players and the Bench Mob outscored the Wizards bench 42-21.

The turning point of the game was when the Wizards activated coach Casey’s trap card, Lucas Nogueira, in the final quarter. With Jakob Poeltl struggling to defend drives to the rim, Casey subbed in Bebe after an idiotic flagrant foul by Michael Scott. The next possession this happened:

Then this happened:

And the game was never the same. When the majority of your bench would be starters on other squads, why wouldn’t you play them?