Two days after Raptors guard Fred VanVleet wondered aloud whether a historic NBA boycott might be the only way to get action, Toronto's playoff game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night has been postponed.
But the NBA, reeling after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play Game 5 of their opening-round series against Orlando on Wednesday, hopes to resume its post-season Friday or Saturday.
The Raptors were among the first players to speak about boycotting. The defending NBA champions had just come off a 4-0 opening-round sweep of Brooklyn, but were in no mood for celebrating. But after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wis. -- which is about 65 kilometres south of Milwaukee -- last weekend, some players, including a couple of Raptors according to coach Nick Nurse, considered going home.
Demanding change and ending racial injustice has been a major theme of the restart. The phrase "Black Lives Matter" is painted on the arena courts, players are wearing messages urging change on their jerseys and coaches are donning pins demanding racial justice as well. Raptors forward Pascal Siakam said Wednesday that players were feeling "stuck." Norman Powell said "taking a knee is not getting it done."
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