The slumping Toronto Raptors are set to play the Portland Trail Blazers in a Sunday afternoon matinee today, and I’m kinda dreading it — because the combination of “slumping” and “Sunday afternoon matinee” makes me fear this could the worst yet of the Raptors’ many underwhelming and disappointing games this season.
We’ve all seen it before: teams come out listless and disorganized in these afternoon games, sometimes because they’ve been partying the night before, but more often just because it’s a change in routine that messes up the players’ rhythm. Afternoon naps and workout routines are thrown off, you’re heading to the arena at a weird time, heck even the vibe in the arena from an afternoon crowd is often different.