"After that, there was hardly anything, and it made me wonder about the sold out status - that is until I walked outside and saw thousands of people lined up, sprawled across the block and campus. Eventually the arena filled, to capacity, and left what I can assume was still thousands of people on the outside. Calgary loves these Raptors, and probably could've merited a trip to the Saddledome to house them all. Anyway. The arena was full, and Calgary showed out."
"The player introductions are always fun. Everyone gets a huge cheer. Earlier this week there were college kids camped outside of practice and they lost their minds when they briefly saw David Roddy step outside to use their bathroom. Roddy received loud cheers for his introduction. RJ Barrett & Scottie Barnes had roars that rattled my eardrums. I remember growing up in Saskatchewan and knowing how starved I was to see NBA basketball. It's really nice to see this community get to see this."
"Points of interest? Gradey Dick was gunning. He put up a lot of shots and may have shot 30-percent or so. He missed a couple wide open triples. However, he hung in better on defense, usually sticking RJ Barrett. It was a not-entirely-efficient-but-more-points-than-shots-taken performance, and it was highlighted by a step back triple in Ingram's face. Quickley was particularly good, and composed, as he knifed into the second unit's defense repeatedly to set up his teammates."
Thousands of fans lined campus blocks and filled the University of Calgary arena, leaving many still outside despite a sold-out attendance. Student sections surged for closest seats and comprised roughly 40% of the crowd early on. Player introductions drew massive cheers, with college fans cheering when David Roddy appeared and RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes receiving especially loud roars. The opening game, two quarters long, functioned as a showcase for energetic young players and a controlled outing for veteran contributors. Gradey Dick launched many shots with limited efficiency but contributed defensively against RJ Barrett. Quickley operated with composure, repeatedly penetrating the second unit's defense to create looks for teammates.
Read at Raptors Republic
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