So who had the Raptors and Nets providing the most newspaper and tabloid fodder through the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs?
Sure, Golden State and Los Angeles raised their voices and kindled their budding rivalry, but there were few in-game moments of bravado and showmanship that showed up the Raptors and Nets battle. Toronto and Brooklyn might actually hate each other.
It started before the game when the Toronto Sun’s headline read: Raptors vs. Dinosaurs. And then continued when Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri addressed the crowd gathered outside Air Canada Centre, who did not even had a ticket for the game and was watching the game on TVs on the plaza, and gave a NSFW address to the borough of Brooklyn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlowIBQu-y4
Jason Kidd is still wondering who Ujiri is, by the way.
The war of words continued during Toronto’s telecast of the game when Canadian-born rapper Drake had some choice words for former Nets owner Jay-Z:
But who does not love fondue, Drake? I ask you, who does not enjoy some fondue?
Paul Pierce got the last laugh however. He poured in eight points in the final moments of the game and put it away for the Nets as they took Game One and stole homecourt advantage. He shouted at the Toronto crowd to make sure they knew exactly who The Truth was and why he was with the Nets:
I guess the Truth set the Nets free.
Game Two is Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. on NBATV in the States.
