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TORONTO — As Jonas Valanciunas prepared for the tip-off against Houston’s Joey Dorsey on Monday evening, four of his teammates stood up at the far corner by the Toronto Raptors’ bench. James Johnson, Patrick Patterson, Greg Stiemsma and Landry Fields were all out of their seats, arms outstretched.
Channeling their avian instincts, they then began moving their arms up and down, as if they were flapping. This was nothing new.
Channeling their avian instincts, they then began moving their arms up and down, as if they were flapping. This was nothing new.
Rewind more than five years to Chris Bosh’s final season on the Raptors. (Do not feel bad if you have blocked most of that season out of your memory, save for some unintentional comedy from Hedo Turkoglu. It was a painful one.) Journeyman wing Antoine Wright played 67 games for that team, including 10 starts. An even less noteworthy footnote to Wright’s Raptors career: He became known for hollering “Get up, bird” whenever the team charter took off, willing the airplane to work as designed.
For some reason, that phrase has stuck around the Raptors all these years later, even though DeRozan and Amir Johnson are the only commonalities that link that year’s roster and this season’s team.
For some reason, that phrase has stuck around the Raptors all these years later, even though DeRozan and Amir Johnson are the only commonalities that link that year’s roster and this season’s team.
The saying has made its way into the mouth of Valanciunas. Before every game, as part of his pre-game routine, Amir Johnson jumps up to hang on the rim, swinging back and forth. That is when Valanciunas shouts the line. The Raptors decided to repurpose it for arguably the least consequential moment of any given game.
“It has to do with the tip,” Fields said. “During the season, we’d been losing some tips. That’s not a huge thing for the course of the ball game. But, whatever: It’s just starting off on the right foot.”
http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/...n-the-outfield
“It has to do with the tip,” Fields said. “During the season, we’d been losing some tips. That’s not a huge thing for the course of the ball game. But, whatever: It’s just starting off on the right foot.”
http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/...n-the-outfield
Ahhhhhh Antoine Wright.... The good ol' days. It was always easier being a Raptors fan when they sucked.... who knew?
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