Toronto-based Pizza Pizza and the Raptors “have combined for years on a points-for-pizza promotion that is normally a tasty hit with fans,” but after losing to the Magic on Monday, fans “opened up with lusty cheers in the dying seconds of the game as their club hit the 100-point mark, which left some explaining to do,” according to Mark Zwolinski of the TORONTO STAR. Under terms of the promo, should the Raptors score 100 points in a game -- win or lose -- "everyone in the house gets a free slice.” After hearing of the promotion, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy joked about the promo and said that fans should get a whole pizza. Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, “I heard what coach Van Gundy said and I agree. If we get 100 points, we should get a whole pizza. A slice is not enough for us to score 100 points. That’s a lot of labour for us to get 100 points. We should get a whole pizza. So let’s talk to the pizza company and make sure we get a bigger piece than just one slice.” He added, “It’s tough when your fans get more excited about a slice of pizza than us winning.” Pizza Pizza CMO Pat Finelli said that the “pizza-for-points affair has received a mention on ESPN.” Finelli: “I’m kind of speechless. It’s getting all this attention.” Zwolinski noted the pizza company “also stages variations of the promotion for the Blue Jays and Maple Leafs.” Finelli said, “We’ve done it probably 10 years now. I don’t know what’s different with this game. I think the fans just want to go away with something.” He added that he has “received numerous phone calls about Monday’s game, from both sides of the border” and if it “became a big enough issue, the pizza maker would consider altering the promotion.” Finelli: “I’m a Toronto fan and I’ve always been a team player. If they want to change it to maybe 100 points in a win, then sure, we’d look at it.” MLSE Exec VP & COO Tom Anselmi said that the fans “seem to like the promotion.” Anselmi: “It’s been harder to hit 100 points than in some years but our fans love it.” He added that MLSE “is not considering any changes to the promo” (TORONTO STAR, 3/28).
