We The North

My heart is broken. The Raptors have been out of the playoffs for over a week now and I'm still not over it.

Darryl and I have loved this team for so long. Although I am one to jump on the band wagon in the eleventh hour when it comes to professional sports, my good friend from high school pointed out to me that is never the case when it comes to my Raptors. I remember in 1995 when I was in grade 7, they announced there was going to be a Toronto basketball team. I was so excited. I wanted them to be called the Toronto Towers. I couldn't wait to go see a game.

And I did go to games. Lots. There were a few Sundays where my friends in my ward and I would hop on a bus right after church to go sit in our ten dollar seats in the Sprite zone section. I remember us all saving up to buy tickets to an at home playoff game against the New York Knicks, and chanting "Sprewell Sucks" and barking at JYD till I was horse. I loved Vince Carter, and I wanted his jersey so badly, I made a plan with my friend at school who worked at Champs that if he could get me a deal on a jersey, I would get him a deal on some t-bone steaks (I worked at Sobeys) I still love that jersey.

When Darryl and I started dating in 2001, we were always going to games. It was by far our favourite date and the good old Sprite Zone seats were still cheap. He would pick me up at my high school as soon as I was done class and we would take the subway from Yorkdale to ACC and eat street meat. I have lots of old, faded ticket stubs from those fun nights. At one game, we were down by something like 12 points with a minute or two to go in the fourth quarter, so we left. Only to get home to find they came back to win in double overtime. It took us a long time to get over that one.

In 2002, I was working at a private school as an EA while Darryl was on his mission, and my bio in the school newspaper highlighted that I loved the Raptors. A very nice older gentleman who owned part of the school gave me 4 of his court side season tickets, and I got to be there the first time the Raptors played Michael Jordan when he came out of retirement to play with the Washington Wizards. It was so amazing.

Once Darryl came home from his mission, I decided I needed to come home from Alberta and marry him. He picked me up at the airport on March 31, 2004 and we drove straight to a Raptors game. We missed the entire first half because we were making out in the car. That was one of my favourite games.

We have brought the kids to a few games now, and they love it. My Dad bought us all Raptors gear for Christmas last year that we wear to the games. Carter's "Raptor" is his favourite stuffie, and insists on sleeping with it every night. When we found out Carter was getting tubes in his ears, we were worried he would be a little freaked out, so Darryl bought Raptors tickets for the same day to surprise him with when he came out of surgery. Turns out he was completely calm about the entire hospital thing, but was soooo excited to find out we were going to a game that night. We were last month when they hung the Atlantic Division Champs banner in the ACC. Also at that game, the Raptor Mascot tapped me on the shoulder on his way by while I was in the hall waiting to use the bathroom with Chloe. They thought that was pretty cool. The triple overtime nail-biter was a highlight for me this season as well, but by far my favourite memory of this season was being at Great Wolf Lodge with the kids for Game 5 of the series against Brooklyn. We ordered room service and watched them win. At one point they were up 80-57 and the whole crowd started chanting "Broooooklyn, Brooooooklyn" and we were doing it right along with them in our hotel room. I had never hated Kevin Garnett so badly or loved Kyle Lowry, my main man as much as I did that night. It was such an amazing game to watch. We listened to them win Game 4 on the radio on a long car ride home from a baptism in Oshawa. We had family over for Game 6 and the heartbreaking Game 7 that I still haven't recovered from. I have to admit, I cried when Kyle Lowry was blocked in the last two seconds and we lost by one point. Chloe came and sat on my lap and said "Don't worry Mom, you still have your family, and that's more important than basketball." We wanted to go to Game 7 and really considered it, even though it was so pricey and more importantly, the Sabbath. But Carter got invited to a birthday party the same day, and we have a strict no birthday party rule on Sundays around here, so we couldn't very well head to a basketball game. It was a good reminder for us. But I could still cry thinking about that Kyle Lowry on the ground with DeRozan after it was all over.

I loved Drake's lint rollers, I loved the We Are The North campaign, I loved how our neighbours who don't have cable came to our door at night and asked to watch because they knew we would be watching. The whole season, the entire crazy ride, I loved every minute of it and we can't wait for next season.

I cheered for OKC today half-heartedly, I'd love to see them go all the way now that the Raptors are gone. I love Kevin Durant and his MVP speech this week was a tear jerker, but it's just not quite the same.

Let's Go Raptors.