The Raptors won a basketball game tonight. It is 2026 and Jakob Poeltl is wearing a large chain around his neck. The chain is symbolic, usually given to the best defender, but it is also a very heavy piece of jewelry.
Jakob seems like the kind of guy who would rather be organizing a very efficient cabinet, but instead, he is being celebrated for his verticality. He had a tip in late in the game after RJ Barrett drove into the paint, which is where RJ spends most of his life. It was a productive evening for a man who rarely changes his facial expression.
The Art of the Stop
Jamal Shead did something that should not be biologically possible. He was alone against three people on a fast break and he simply took the ball away. It might have been Ron Holland on the receiving end, or perhaps it was a ghost; it is hard to tell when Shead is moving that fast.
Defensive highlights are strange because they are essentially just moments of someone being told "no" very loudly. Shead is good at saying no. He plays defense like he is trying to get his security deposit back from a landlord who is definitely going to overcharge for paint chips.
Halfcourt Logistics
The clutch offense looked like actual basketball, which was a pleasant change of pace. Immanuel Quickley came back into the game and the spacing suddenly made sense. We saw Scottie Barnes and Quickley running a pick and roll that led to an open three for Brandon Ingram.
Ingram is here now, and he hits pull up jumpers that feel very inevitable. RJ Barrett also hit a step back in the paint. It is nice when the ball goes through the hoop during the final five minutes of a game, as opposed to the usual alternative, which is the ball hitting the front of the rim and everyone feeling sad.
Provisions and Pizza
Naturally, because the Raptors won and did some things well, people are asking for their free pizza. There is a specific code for this. It is a tradition in this city to seek out lukewarm pepperoni slices when the local team achieves certain statistical benchmarks.
I wonder if the players ever think about the pizza. Probably not. Jakob Poeltl likely has very specific opinions on Austrian bread that make Pizza Pizza seem like a confusing hallucination. Regardless, the code is out there, and the chain belongs to Jak. Life goes on.