Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from dominant Game 1 win vs. Nets

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Players take a knee during the Canadian national anthem before the start of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Raptors get emotional boost with lineup intros

Not having the Scotiabank Arena crowd to get the Raptors players hyped up for Game 1 must’ve been a weird feeling.

Fortunately, the team borrowed an idea from the Phoenix Suns by having their starting five announced by family members and it went as expected. No disrespect to OG Anunoby as he might need to have a chat with his representative, but there’s no doubting the impact those introductions had.

The best one had to be Kyle Lowry‘s family where his kids replicated his introduction to perfection and seeing his reaction was well worth it.

"“They got me hyped,” said Lowry to reporters after the game. “I wanted to cry tears of joy. It got me going. That right there shows who we play for: our fans, our families, our friends.”"

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At a time where the players have been away from their families and don’t have the passion and emotion of fans to get them going, it’s impressive to see the amount of intensity these games have had.

There were many who were unsure what the playoff games would be like and fortunately, the players have been dialled and getting themselves hyped up.

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