RAPTURE ERUPTS IN WE THE NORTH AS RAPTORS WIN NBA TITLE

MUSKKOA — What a difference a day makes.

Back-to-back-championships.

If you’re a sports fan, it doesn’t get much better.

We The North are NBA champions — only 24 hours after St. Louis ended the blues by winning the Stanley Cup.

From bed to bar that’s how I celebrated the two titles.

Hockey may be our sport, and watching the bearded Blues gather at centre ice while reclined was a fun way to end Wednesday, but nothing compared to Thursday night’s rapture.

1970s GHS Gryphons basketball team guard.

I’ve been a basketball fan since playing on GHS teams in the 1970, because of the constant scoring.

And I was in Toronto in 1995 at the NBA Draft when the Raptors were born with their first pick Damon Stoudamire.

So it’s been a fun quarter century run.

It’s great to wake up — and start your day — knowing your team won and is the champion.

Maple Leafs fans must have been gritting their teeth as they cheered this week, many not even born in 1967 lasted hoisted the Cup.

And Blue Jays fans can only lament 26 years without back-to-back World Series.

In all the Jurassic Park mania from Maple Leaf Square to Muskoka, it was interesting to see Drake wasn’t in Oakland, but leading the charge in Toronto.

For he was the one behind the “6 in Six” chant — which will no doubt make it onto the dozens of different T-shirts that fans will clamour for this summer. The rapper and Raptors pitch man refers to Toronto as the ‘6’ for its area code, 416.

Fans were already lined up this morning to purchase Raptors NBA Champions merchandise.

It’s a good thing they won, because a Game 7 Father’s Day might have been too much for dad’s ticker.

After all, the win was a great game that came down to the buzzer, so it wasn’t exactly a dominant Dino display. They did get lucky, when Clay Thompson (30 points) fell and injured his leg.

Still, they are the champions.

Horns were honking and lights flashing at the Muskoka Drive-In after the Raptors won NBA championship last night. (Muskoka Drive-In Facebook post)

At the Muskoka Drive-In, where a lot the Jurassic Park North mania began with Game 5, there were a lot of honking horns last night.

Friday morning they FB’d: “Just wanted to say a special thank you to all of you who endured bad weather to see an historic night of the Raptors winning here on the Drive In screen!
“You cheered, you flashed your lights & honked your horns… you all made the two nights we did this amazing. On top of that you raised money & donated over 100 pounds of food to the area food banks. So hats off Muskoka!!!
”Jurassic Park North is now closed… BUT we hope that we are able to do it all again next year !!! Lets go Raptors….”

And it won’t be over until long after the championship parade Monday morning at 10 a.m. from Exhibition Place to Toronto City Hall.

And many Muskoka fans will be along the parade route.

Will you be there?

Muskoka jumped on the basketall bandwagon like never before, with viewing parties indoors and outdoors.