For the third season in a row, the Toronto Raptors are in the playoffs. For the third season in a row, they’ll open said playoffs with the early Saturday game.
The Eastern Conference’s 2-7 matchup will see the Raptors host the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday at 12:30. Here’s the full schedule for the series:
Game 1: Indiana @ Toronto, Saturday, April 16, 12:30, ESPN
Game 2: Indiana @ Toronto, Monday, April 18, 7, NBA TV
Game 3: Toronto @ Indiana, Thursday, April 21, 7:30, NBA TV
Game 4: Toronto @ Indiana, Saturday, April 23, 3, TNT
Game 5: Indiana @ Toronto, Tuesday, April 26, TBD, TBD
Game 6: Toronto @ Indiana, Friday, April 29, TBD, TBD
Game 7: Indiana @ Toronto, Sunday, May 1, TBD, TBD
To be completely honest, this is a worst-case scenario for yours truly. I was supposed to move on Saturday. I’m also running a half-marathon on May 1.
It’s probably also not what the organization would have preferred. I don’t have any source on that, but it stands to reason they would have liked a higher-profile spot on the schedule, and maybe a little more time to prepare – the Toronto Rock play at the ACC on Friday night, and the Raptors just played a back-to-back, meaning they’ll only have one full day of practice to prepare for Indiana. (Luckily, Indiana just played a back-to-back, too, and both teams got their key players ample rest.)
And it’s not at all surprising. As good as the Raptors have been, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are probably the teams the league looks at as its marquee draws in the East, and those teams drew later Sunday start times (3 and 5:30, respectively) as a result. Atlanta-Boston got the more preferable Saturday start time at 7. I know some are going to be a little steamed about this, and I’m kind of disappointed, too, but it is what it is. Cleveland has LeBron James, Miami’s always a popular team, Boston’s a huge U.S. market, and Toronto’s strong national audience maybe doesn’t move the needle much for the league, and the league is going to do what it thinks is in its best overall interest.
I’d be curious to see how a poll of general/casual fans would rank the four series in terms of viewing interest, just to see how much the Raptors’ strong season and standing as a two-seed might actually move the national needle. Toronto’s local audience may not do much for the league, but it’s possible they’ve caught plenty of attention south of the border.
In any case, it’s just one game. It sucks, but it’s really not that big a deal. And this is coming from the guy who now has to change his moving date.
The Heat, by the way, wound up with the three-seed opposite the Charlotte Hornets. Should the Raptors defeat the Pacers, they would stand to face the winner of Heat-Hornets in the second round.
