Traina Thoughts: These Seven Photos Sum Up Toronto's Excruciating Game 5 Loss
1. From ecstasy to agony in three minutes. That's what the Raptors and their fans went through Monday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Toronto held a 103-97 lead with less than three minutes to go in the game—and season. But at the 2:32 mark, Klay Thompson drained a 3-pointer and then with 1:22 remaining, Stephen Curry sank a three to tie the game at 103. Thompson then nailed another clutch shot from downtown with 57 seconds left in regulation and just like that, the Raptors went from being NBA champs to getting on a plane and flying across the country for Game 6 on Thursday.
Photographers captured the swing of emotions Toronto fans at Jurassic Park went through while watching the game slip away. All of these shots were taken during the fourth quarter and are presented in chronological order.
And that's the life of a sports fan.
2. Speaking of Jurassic Park, you know that Raptors fans in the arena cheered when Kevin Durant went down with his injury. The behavior of the Raptors' faithful was actually worse at Jurrassic Park.
3. And speaking of insensitive behavior, I bring to you the backpage of today's New York Daily News.
4. This is great news for ABC/ESPN, but keep in mind, you'll always get a big jump from a Friday night game to a Monday night game.
5. Jimmy Kimmel tested the loyalty of Raptors fans Monday night and they failed miserably. Watch them don Warriors gear just to "appear" in an NBA Finals "promo."
6. Joe Buck and Brooks Koepka are still having fun with Buck botching the name of Koepka's girlfriend on live TV a couple of years ago.
7. The latest episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features interviews with Action Network Senior Executive Producer Darren Rovell and New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand. Rovell discusses the blowback he got from spoiling the end of James Holzhauer’s Jeopardy! streak, how many followers he lost, whether he’d do it again and whether Twitter can do a better job handling spoilers in general.
Marchand then joins the podcast to talk about the ramifications of athletes not speaking to the media after a game, NBA Finals ratings, a big behind-the-scenes Monday Night Football move, Sunday Night Baseball’s issues and more.
You can listen to the full podcast below or download it on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play.
8. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released on this date in 1986.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
IN CLOSING: I know everyone is fixated on the confusing timeout that Nick Nurse took, but how on Earth does Kyle Lowry get the last shot of the game instead of Kawhi Leonard?