Raptors GM Masai Ujiri on Saturday "shouted 'F--- Brooklyn!' at a fan rally outside Air Canada Centre" prior to Game 1 of the Nets-Raptors playoff series, but later apologized "during a brief session with reporters at halftime," according to Mazzeo & Youngmisuk of ESPN N.Y. Ujiri said, "Wrong choice of words out there. ... Just trying to get the crowd out there rattled -- wrong choice of words. I apologize to kids out there and to the Brooklyn guys. Nothing against them. Just trying to get our fans going. That's it" (ESPNNY.com, 4/19). SPORTSNET's Michael Grange wrote under the header, "Ujiri's Rallying Cry Ushers In New Raps Identity." Ujiri "wasn't just paying a visit to some of the Raptors most faithful, the ones who had woken early to get in line to stand outside the arena where their team was playing their first post-season game in six years." He was "staring out at a courtyard packed with hope; crammed with Toronto Raptors fans harbouring years of playoff-free pain in need of a catharsis after suffering under the thumb of loss and rejection for so long." Looking out "on the sea of red and white, the clear blue sky above them, Ujiri knew they needed a message, something to cling to, the way a thirsty man needs water." He "opened a fire hydrant for them, his rallying cry instantly becoming part of Raptors lore." Grange: "As mild-mannered as Ujiri generally comes across he burns hot and when he gets hot he speaks like a sailor. It’s charming and real and a big reason why only the prudest of prudes ... could reasonably take offense to his offering" (SPORTSNET.ca, 4/19). The GLOBE & MAIL's Cathal Kelly writes the Raptors are "using the playoff spotlight to mark themselves as a team that creates its own narratives." They are "willing themselves to become big league." Ujiri's comments marked "table-turning of the highest order." The Nets are "the $180 million bully," and the "skinny kid from Toronto just walked over and put them in a headlock at the prom" (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/21).
IMAGE MAKEOVER: The NATIONAL POST's Eric Koreen writes while it is "easy to be cynical" about MLSE's motives behind the Raptors' new "We Are North" campaign, the team is "clearly trying to redefine themselves." No more "marketing to European players because they are the only ones that can acclimate to Toronto's global feel." Instead "make Toronto feel as if it is isolated, and as such, a renegade." While the campaign may not "help the Raptors win this series," it will "turn the Raptors into ... something." And that "beats the recent past, when they have been faceless" (NATIONAL POST, 4/21).
GOING FOR A PREMIUM: ESPN's Marcellus Wiley noted the cheapest ticket on StubHub to Nets-Raptors Game 1 were $155 and said, "It seemed like they named that price before they knew who they were playing against. They must have thought the Heat were coming to town or something because that's just too much money right there." ESPN's Max Kellerman asked, "Are we talking Canadian dollars?" ("SportsNation," ESPN2, 4/18).
