Raptors

Ripples, Prospects, and Twenty Dollar Chicken Strips

The Knicks prepare to face the Raptors as Ja'Kobe Walter rises, Ulrich Chomche returns to the gym, and fans seek the best snacks at Scotiabank Arena.

Published on March 7, 2026

Ripples, Prospects, and Twenty Dollar Chicken Strips

The New York Knicks are coming to town tonight. It is 7:30 PM on a Tuesday in March (which is a month that feels like a long hallway with no doors). People call this a rivalry, but usually a rivalry involves two sides winning at somewhat similar frequencies.

We are all looking at the path to prominence, which sounds like a street name in a subdivision that has not been built yet. I hope the path has fewer potholes than the DVP. The Knicks are here, and we are here, and that is just how the schedule works.


The Youth are Doing Things

Ja'Kobe Walter is rising, apparently. This rise is said to be fueling a cascade of ripple effects. I imagine a pebble hitting a pond (but the pond is in Waco, Texas) and the ripples eventually making their way to a gym in Toronto.

Speaking of gyms: Ulrich Chomche is back in one. There is a photo of him, and he looks very tall, which is a good trait for a person who plays basketball for a living. Seeing a prospect in a gym is like seeing a bird in the sky (it is where they are supposed to be) but it still makes people feel better about the future.


Concessions and Existential Queries

Someone on the internet is asking about food recommendations for their first game at the arena. They want unique local specialties. I usually just suggest the popcorn because it is consistent and it does not ask anything of you.

Stadium food is a strange concept if you think about it for more than three seconds. You pay twenty dollars for a chicken strip while watching ten millionaires run back and forth on hardwood. My uncle says the best local specialty is an undervalued parking spot, but you cannot eat those.

Things to Consider While Watching

We will watch the game because it is what we do on Tuesday nights in March. Pascal Siakam is gone, OG is on the other team now, and the world keeps spinning. We all spin, eventually, if the defensive rotation calls for it.