Emma Lynch, a Toronto Raptors fan to the core, celebrated her 18th birthday as the team hit its peak by lifting its first NBA championship in 2019.
Five years later, Lynch decided to attend the last game of the season at home against the Indiana Pacers along with two friends the day she blew out 23 candles on April 9.
Not a trace remained of those boisterous Raptors that shook the NBA from the North. If something remained from that team, it was Pascal Siakam, but he was wearing the visiting team’s jersey.
It’s a cynical reminiscence.
“I wish Siakam was here,” Lynch said. “It wasn’t a good decision trading him amidst the season. But I guess the Raptors had to.”
“For young fans who have grown up seeing the Raptors winning, this is hard [to lose]. But we’ll come back.”
Toronto fans want to stay positive despite the dispiriting season of the stumbling Raptors, the most disappointing in more than a decade.
Raptors fans cheered the team with enthusiasm in the last game at home against the Indiana Pacers. Photo credit: Antoni Canyameras Rojas
The team finished the season last Sunday with a lopsided loss in Miami by 118-103, finishing in the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 25-57 record, their worst since 2012.
The franchise started its rebuilding process this season after the exit of Fred VanVleet in the summer and the in-season trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
Scottie Barnes has definitely emerged as the face of the Raptors.
Andy Lu, a fan donning a Siakam jersey in the last game of the season, said Barnes is a reason to remain optimistic.
“I love Scottie Barnes. He is great, and he is probably (going) to be greater next year. This season wasn’t good, but we are going to be better next year,” he said.
While the Raptors shedded emblematic figures, the franchise hit home by incorporating Mississauga-native RJ Barrett and Toronto-native Kelly Olynyk.
Both of them are considered pieces of the new core led by Scottie Barnes, sneaky point guard Immanuel Quickley and sharpshooter Gradey Dick.
And Toronto is expected to sign between five and 10 new players this upcoming summer, General Manager Bobby Webster said.
Lu said it’s positive the Raptors are bringing more Canadians into the game.
“It’s pretty cool they could bring back Barrett and Olynyk and have Canadian boys from the GTA,” he said.
As Lu walked to the stands, another fan, Dallas Johnson, was checking out a stand with the jerseys of Vince Carter.
He also said a more Canadian-centred Raptors team is a reason to like the new squad.
“It’s nice to see they recruit Canadian players. I think it’s good having more representation for Canada,” Johnson said.
“I don’t think the season was that bad. It’s hard to see one my favourite players like Siakam on another team, but we are in a position to rebuild a team that can be good in the next two years,” he said.
Besides giving up the remaining players of the championship, the Raptors have had to deal with other problems like injuries and the suspension of Jontay Porter, who was banned for life by the NBA for betting on April 17.
Emma Lynch had a bittersweet birthday watching the Raptors end the season at Scotiabank Arena with a painful defeat to the Pacers.
However, she said she thinks the rebuilding Raptors can build unforgettable memories like the ones she enjoyed on her birthday.
“They have a lot of development to do, but yeah, we are going to get another ring in the next few years,” she said.