Stanley C. Lartey
Tuesday, December 19, 2000. Toronto Raptors were at home against the Utah Jazz at the Air Canada Centre (ACC). For the first time as a Raptors fan, I got free tickets from a Community Centre I was working at the time. Enough to give away. We sat in one of those Executive Loge Suites. LS519 to be precise.
By the time we reached there, the game was deep into the first quarter. Amidst the cheering crowd and music from the speakers, I realized the Raptors were leading 29-21.
An attendant was waiting for us. She told us to hang up our coats in the closet and asked us what we would like to drink. Yes, believe it! I didn't know this was how some people watch the game, on a regular basis.
The Raptors led by eight after the first quarter, and by five at half time. By the third quarter, they were clearly playing the better game. This quarter saw the daunting duo of Karl Malone and John Stockton combine for just one point as the Raptors led the Jazz by 16 points.
Vince Carter led all scorers with 33 points, going 13 for 30 from the floor. Charles Oakley and Antonio Davis had 15 and 13 rebounds respectively.
This was the game I saw Donyell Marshall play for the first time. He played a solid game for the Utah Jazz and was their leading scorer, scoring 24 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Stockton had 12 points and 7 assists, while Karl Malone had 12 points and 4 rebounds.
Watching the Raptors beat the Jazz from LS519 was certainly an uplifting experience, and a day to remember. According to the official announcement at the end of the game, about 18,636 spectators attended the game. In the end, the Raptors won 103-95.
