Nelson Terroba is the former head coach of the Saint John Riptide. (Submitted/Saint John Riptide)
This year’s NBA Finals are drawing lots of attention from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.
The Toronto Raptors have become the first Canadian team to play in the league final. They are facing the Golden State Warriors in the best-of-seven series.
Nelson Terroba, head coach of the Saint John Riptide basketball team, thinks it will be an exciting series.
Terroba said the Raptors can defend Golden State better than anyone else in the post-season.
“They’ve got guys like [Pascal] Siakam and Kawhi [Leonard] that can defend multiple positions,” said Terroba. “The guards play big with [Kyle] Lowry and [Fred] VanVleet and Danny Green.”
Terroba — a Texas native who has traditionally been a San Antonio Spurs fan — thinks the Raptors will take the series in seven games.
“It’s going to be tough to beat Golden State,” he said, “but I just think they have more defensive answers over time.”
It's not a city that's on fire, it's an entire country. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/BYakGCo6us
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 2, 2019
Terroba said having Toronto in the NBA Finals is great for other basketball leagues, such as the National Basketball League of Canada, which the Riptide is part of.
He hopes all the hype surrounding the Raptors will translate to more Canadian basketball fans.
“Maybe a more traditional hockey fan that might not tune into the Raptors and see what it’s all about,” Terroba said. “I think you’ll have a lot of fringe fans kind of start flocking in a little bit more. I think that’s good for the game, hopefully.”
Terroba said he does not see many people jumping on the Raptors bandwagon because the team already has a loyal following.
“Everybody in Canada loves the Raptors, it seems like.”
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