As he searched for a way to describe the Raptors — what they are at their collective essence as the stress and pressure and intensity of the NBA playoffs is upon them — Fred VanVleet came up with an adjective not normally associated with championship teams.
“Seeing the ups and downs throughout the playoffs last year allows us to be a little more tranquil, I guess, is the word,” the Raptors guard said.
Tranquil: Free from disturbance. Calm.
Makes entire sense and, really, it’s an apt way to describe the team that begins defence of its NBA title Monday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets.