Game number five of the NBA finals between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors gets underway tonight. Mosaic Stadium will be opened to the public and the game shown on the MaxTron screen with no admission fee. If Thursday night’s gathering of basketball fans downtown Regina was any indication, I have a feeling it’ll be a full and very enthusiastic crowd at the stadium.

That’s the spell that the Raptors have cast across the country. They have rejuvenated and inspired the nation in multiple ways. Not only have they created thousands of new fans of the franchise but they have renewed interest in professional basketball across the country. We tend to get wrapped up in the sports of hockey, football, and baseball in the west and forget about basketball, but not this year thanks to the Toronto Raptors during their incredible season. I believe there will be several more prairie kids look at professional basketball more seriously as a sport to aspire to and excel in.

My generation grew up with the names of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, and others but after this season don’t be surprised to see more people walking around in Raptors gear with names like Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, and Fred VanVleet among others. On a personal note, I don’t ever remember being this excited about the sport since the good ole days of the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan and company when they had that massive winning streak in the early 1990’s. I can recall having Bulls shirts and hats that I proudly wore all over. So, good luck to the Toronto Raptors tonight as a very exited nation will be watching from coast to coast.

(Photo by Gloria Evans)