It is the most wonderful time of the year... no it's not Christmas, it's Spurs in Toronto day - a Spurs in the 6 annual tradition!
With the Spurs up and down this season (with more downs than up), I was not sure what to expect this year. That said, it's #GoSpursGo #AlwaysGoSpursGo and the biggest dilemma leading up to the game was deciding which pair of Spurs kicks to wear.
If nothing else, it would be great to see Timmeh in person again, even he was just on the sidelines.
As the Spurs took to the court, it was time to get ready cheer on the Silver & Black and spot some other Spurs faces. And yes, DeRozen received a big cheer the first time his face appeared on the video screen during warm-ups.
With my two favourite teams on the court, I have gotten use to the funny feeling I experience every time the Spurs and Raptors tip-off.
Interestingly, DeRozen was wearing a pair of bright red Nikes during the first quarter. After a dreadful first quarter, DeRozen changed into a pair of black Nikes to start the second. It seemed to work...
The inevitable DeRozan tribute video was well done. The Jakob Poeltl tribute video was also a nice touch. You can watch the full videos here and here.
The Spurs were lucky to only be down 8 at the half.
As the Spurs warmed up before the third quarter, Chip England was on the court with the players, clapping and shouting encouragement. One other interesting move, this time by Pop, was to start Poeltl at centre. Poeltl was early the best Spur during the first half. With Aldrige's new found touch from 3, will we see more of Poeltl in the starting lineup going forward?
Alas, the start of the third quarter didn't go well for the Silver & Black and the Spurs eventually found themselves in an 18 point hole.
Then the Spurs switch into a zone defence and this happened:
Oh. My. Goodness.
This moment also produced my new favourite Spurs GIF:
The Spurs proceeded to whittle away the Raptors lead... closed within one and then, much to my delight and surprise, took the lead!
With Spurs getting to the line more often, two shots!, they pushed the lead up to seven, before miraculously hanging on for a one point win! Sending this Spurs fan home happy!
