The Raptors’ in-season tournament floor is under scrutiny following reports about a ‘unacceptably’ slippery surface.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown had harsh words for the new court at Scotiabank Arena while Precious Achiuwa said he was worried he would get hurt.
Malachi Flynn crossed from the shiny black panel of the fancy new Raptors court to the grey portion when his feet slid out from beneath him.
He went careening to the floor — not unlike a baserunner finishing a steal with a nice hook slide — and still managed to flip a pass to teammate Jalen McDaniels who finished the play with a basket.
It was in the final minute of the first quarter of Toronto’s first game in the NBA’s much-hyped in-season tournament and it was when the first eyebrows might have raised about the realities of the new playing surface.
Hours later, after the Boston Celtics had completed a 108-103 victory over the gold-clad Raptors on their brand new court, the harshest criticism of the surface came to light.
It was couched in the reality of times — the desire to turn a new venture into a boon for the entire league at a time in the season when it could use a boost — but it also hit home that all was not particularly well. Not in the Scotiabank Arena, at least.
“I think we all as players are all here for the in-season tournament because it’s going to generate revenue, excitement, competition, but we’ve got to make sure the court is safe to play on,” Boston’s Jaylen Brown said.
“We can’t put our players out there and risk their health. Tonight, I thought the floor was unacceptable. I think guys were slipping all over the place, not just me.”
To be fair, it’s not like the court comprised a couple panels of black ice that imperilled players from the opening tip. At no time did the officiating crew stop play to have any portion of the court mopped up or treated in any fashion and there weren’t dozens of incidents of players falling
