What to know
- Toronto’s basketball fans are reckoning with the losses both the Raptors and the Tempo faced this week, but say they aren’t fazed just yet.
- On Wednesday, The Toronto Raptors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs.
- The Toronto Tempo lost to the Connecticut Sun in their first preseason game also on Wednesday.
Toronto basketball fans are feeling the loss of both the Raptors and the Tempo, and hope the home court advantage will tie up the NBA playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
On Wednesday night, Toronto’s National Basketball Association (NBA) team lost 120-125 in Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, bringing their playoff round one standing to 2-3.
Toronto’s untimely loss brings the Cavaliers one game away from moving on in the season.
It doesn’t help that several crucial Raptors players are plagued with injuries, including small forward Brandon Ingram, who left the court in the second-period of Game 5. Power forward Scottie Barnes took a hit to the leg, causing him to move slower during the game, and point guard Immanuel Quickley can’t play at all due to a hamstring injury.
The city’s Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, Toronto Tempo, was also handed a tough loss during their first pre-season game against the Connecticut Sun. Tempo scored a valiant 78 points against Connecticut’s 83.
Kia Nurse, the team’s first Canadian player, scored Tempo’s first basket, sinking a three-pointer during the game’s first pre-season game. The Tempo play their next game Friday night at 8 p.m. at the Target Centre in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Lynx.
Is Toronto down bad?
It seems Toronto’s professional sports teams aren’t doing so hot: the Raptors are one game away from losing the playoffs, the Toronto Tempo just lost their first home game, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are dead last in the Atlantic Division.
Is the city down bad?
Torontonian Justin T. hopes the Raptors will use their home court advantage and bring some fire to their playing. He says if they win against the Cavaliers, then the next team might not be as challenging.
“They just have to avoid all the wasted laps down to their own zone with no scoring. They seem to be struggling with that. Cleveland’s defense is really tough, so if they can avoid wasted trips down the court, capitalize, and score points on every transition, they have a chance.”
Although it feels like Toronto is having a rough time, Justin thinks it’s just a wave.
“You have to be resilient, you have to be tough, you just have to believe and take the good with the bad.”
Meanwhile, Mike B. says the Raptors losing in the fourth quarter is due to the “Cleveland Curse.”
“We were strong for the first three quarters and just fell apart in the fourth. We were looking good, I think we’re up by 10 [points] at one point. And then the Cleveland curse [hit]. We haven’t got a win in Cleveland.”
As for the Tempo’s loss in their inaugural game, Mike reassures fans that it’s just the beginning.
“I’m sure they have a lot to figure out and work through, but I wish them the best this season. I hope we can win a championship for a season. That’d be great.”
However, casual sports fan Ariana A. isn’t worried. She says “Toronto goes through waves.”
“Now we’re down bad, but summer’s coming, and Toronto’s always on the up in the summer. So that’s the vibe. Okay? This is just a phase.”
