Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Bell Mobility, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and BlackBerry sponsored the Raptors Fan Jam presented by Bell which gave fans of Toronto's NBA basketball franchise the opportunity to see their favourite players, pose for photos as well as see some of them in action.
The event was held at the Maple Leaf Gardens, one of the city's historic treasures and which has been transformed into a modern athletic centre by Ryerson University.
It's a great time to be a Raptors fan. The team is currently doing well and is a strong contender in the Eastern Conference and are leading the Atlantic Division. It seems things have improved dramatically after trading Rudy Gay, our star player, to Sacramento for a solid trio of players.
Another perk from being able to attend this event at courtside was that I was able to finally put my Sony CyberShot RX100 MK II camera to the test. Sony says that it has the power and range of a DSLR but designed to fit in one's palm. It doesn't have the innate speed of a DSLR but it certainly held its own and I was truly impressed by the quality of the photos I was able to take without a tripod and shooting mostly in aperture priority mode.
The Toronto Raptors are also well represented in next week's All Star Weekend in New Orleans. Guard DeMar DeRozan will be a reserve for the East and will also take part in the Taco Bell Skills challenge, Center Jonas Valančiūnas will be playing at the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge and reigning Sprite Slam Dunk champion Terrence Ross will defend his title (and the Raptor's Slam Dunk Contest cred) in that most awaited event.
It's been a while since the Raptors were well represented in the all-star game and having a number of key player competing is great for the team and for the sport in Canada. Not bad for the league's 18th most valuable team (out of 30).
The Fan Jam was a nice way to celebrate with fans before the mid-season break. Visitors were treated to appearances by the the Raptors' Foot Locker dance pack as well as the antics of substite Raptor mascot Stripes, whose high energy kept the spectators engaged.
There were giveaways, various shooting and three-point contests involving the players and an amateur slam dunk contest to keep fans excited. The Raptors had a good opportunity to celebrate their success with their fans before heading off into a road trip and then hunkering down for the second half of the season heading into the playoffs.
Remember that Toronto has to have a good showing in the next few years. We're hosting the 2016 All-Star Weekend which is a big deal since it is the first time Toronto is hosting the event.
What I saw from courtside, courtesy of tickets won on Twitter thanks to Bell Mobility, was a young Raptors team with almost every major position filled and a deep bench with the necessary veteran presence. Sure, we could use another point guard of Lowry's caliber and we're in need of a consistent 3-point shooter but this team is an improvement over what we've sadly come to accept in the past years.
What we have is a good roster of developing talent, a hunger for redemption and some of the most athletic young players in the league. What's evident is that they seem happy to be playing for Toronto and by extension, Canada.
So, the general feeling at the Raptors Fan Jam was one of excitement and hope that the Toronto Raptors may be seeing a renaissance and with enough hard work (and luck), they could be getting that much wanted playoff spot.