Host Samson Folk details the Raptors Game 7 loss vs. the Celtics. Thank you so much for listening all year. Reggie Evans Award: Kyle LowryQR Comment: moderate_observer

Host Samson Folk is joined by Zarar Siddiqi to talk Game 6. We talk:- Kyle Lowry's greatness- Dealing with isolation plays- Pascal Siakam's struggles- Pascal Siakam's defense- OG's balls- Fred VanVleet improving passing- More

Host Samson Folk discusses the Raptors-Celtics series thus far with the lovable Matt Shantz.

Host Lukas Weese chats with Senior Basketball Writer for NBA.com and the host of "The Hang Time" Podcast Sekou Smith.Topics include:- Life in the NBA Bubble.- Reporting on the unprecedented NBA Playoffs.- How the Boston Celtics outplayed the Toronto Raptors in Game 5.- Raptors Pascal Siakam as the number one scoring option.- The emergence of Jamal Murray and the plethora of Canadian Basketball talent.- Interviewing broadcasters Kevin Harlan, Taylor Rooks, and Jared Greenberg.- Transitioning to digital from working in newspapers.- Advice for young journalists.

Host Samson Folk details the Raptors latest loss to the Boston Celtics. Reggie Evans Award: OG AnunobyQR Comment: Rubb1n$

Host Lukas Weese chats with Senior Basketball Writer for Bleacher Report and the host of the "Full 48" podcast Howard Beck.Topics include:- Reporting virtually on the NBA Playoffs.- The importance of cultivating relationships in sports media.- Writing on the impact of no home-court advantage in these playoffs.- Interviewing former Raptor Danny Green and current Raptor guard Fred VanVleet.- How the voices of VanVleet and Norman Powell accelerated the NBA/NBPA action plan to combat anti-black racism and police brutality.- The major storylines of the NBA Playoffs, including the Raptors/Celtics series.- The future of long-form, feature sports writing.

Host Samson Folk details the Raptors Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics. Reggie Evans Award: Pascal SiakamQR Comment: Mark Boothe

Host Samson Folk breaks down the Raptors miraculous win over the CelticsReggie Evans Award: OG AnunobyQR Comment: Niagara_Dude

Host Samson Folk brings on youtube superstar and coach, Evin Gualberto. Raptors - CelticsBucks - HeatNuggets - JazzLakers vs. Rockets

Host Samson Folk details the Raptors tough loss to the Boston Celtics. Reggie Evans Award: OG AnunobyQR Comment: Rambo

Host Samson Folk details the Raptors disappointing loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 1. Reggie Evans Award: OG AnunobyQR Comment: Arshdeep Singh

Host Zarar Siddiqi is joined by Prof. Marie-Jolie Rwigema to provide historical context to the current social climate and discuss the NBA's path forward.Marie-Jolie Rwigema, Ph.D, MSW, is currently a post-doctoral researcher. She has taught social work at York University and the University of Toronto. She has twenty years of community/social work practice experience that includes mental health counselling/therapy, arts-based education, community-based research, group facilitation and documentary filmmaking working primarily with Black, racialized, immigrant and LGBTQ communities.Her research interests include: 1. Anti-Black racism, colonialism and mental health for Black communities; 2. Black LGBTQ communities; 3. Histories of anti-racist activism in Canada.- What was the impact of the three-day strike?- John Tory's stance and words, and why they can be harmful.- Defining systemic racism and looking at its roots.- Parallels to NFL and college sports.- Personal histories of players and why they need to be heard.- What are the keys to maintaining momentum, both for players and the general public?- Response to the argument, "This is not a race issue, this is a class issue?"- Are NBA players and their labour being exploited ?- The economics of an industry driving social justice decisions.- Is capitalism at odds with social justice?- The American Dream was a lie.- The denial of history being a fundamental issue with progress being made.- The tendency to contain and control these uprisings rather than face them head-on.- Subjugating a people and then portraying them as a as threat.- How would you advise Adam Silver?- Long-form discussion on the race topic by NBA players- Players being able to speak without penalty- Reading recommendations

Host Zarar Siddiqi is joined by University of Toronto professor, George Dei. Prof. Dei is an author of several books focusing on education and has written extensively about the intersection of race, class and gender in the anti-racism discourse. He has a PhD. in anthropology from the University of Toronto, and a Masters in the same from McMaster University. He has taught at OISE and has won countless honours and awards.With the backdrop of the players strike we discuss the course of action in the fight for social justice.- Players responsibilities towards their communities given their stature- Why is it the NBA players that are leading this charge and not social and government institutions?- Pressuring politicians by attacking income generation- Missed opportunity in Montgomery- Protests that work, i.e., suffrage movement- Continuing conversations at home and treating it as our problem, not black people’s- How to help the powerless and marginalized?- What are the responsibilities of the powerless and marginalized?- Is voting the answer or is more dramatic action needed?- Hard to see what a revolution looks like, but we know it has to be a collective.- The importance of not being apathetic when change doesn’t come- Something different is possible.- Equitably sharing the resources across our communities while avoiding disproportionate negative outcomes.- We can’t expect the players to do it – the owners have to step in.- The oppressed acknowledging their own “existence” and avoiding fatigue.- Rich neighborhoods and the lack of policing indicating a need to redirect resources.- When we don’t acknowledge that we don’t have a policing problem, we become even more resistant to change.- Inability to listen leading and the necessity of listening to people’s pain.- Responsibilities for those who have power and those who don’t.- “I am what I am because we are”.- Addressing privilege without looking at it as a zero-sum game and “giving up privilege”.- Courage – action in the face of fear.- Rewarding the resistance for change instead of punishing it.- Importance of younger generation speaking about environment, racial injustice, sexism , homophobia, classism and how that is productive for society; dangers of suppressing that voice.- Spiritually and emotionally wounding implications of lack of change.- The model of collective black leadership instead of a single person; importance of youth leadership.- Social media raising awareness; social media wasting time.- Looking beyond the US and at the intersection of Black Lives Matter in the African subcontinent.https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/sje/People/1608/George_JS_Dei.html

Host Samson Folk brings on Coach Nick from BBallBreakdown to tee up Raptors vs. Celtics.

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Host Samson Folk details the Raptors sweep clinching win over the Nets. Reggie Evans Award: Serge IbakaQR Comment: Rambo

Host Samson Folk details the Raptors win over the Nets. Reggie Evans Award: Pascal SiakamRodions Kurucs Award: Rodions KurucsQR Comment: Wasabi Jones

Host Zarar Siddiqi is joined by Jamie Mottram. He is currently the president of the innovative apparel firm, Breaking T. Previously he was Director of Blogs at Yahoo, where he helped create the iconic blog, Ball Don't Lie, and is known to be credited for the blog style of sports journalism. Jamie was Sr. Director of Social Strategy for the USA Today Network where he helped start For The Win, and he's also been a producer at AOL. We discuss the internet business models in the age of social media, the survival of the free press, innovations in content delivery, the journey of Breaking T and a lot more. Here's some more detail:- Jose Bautista's bat flip propelling a company- Kawhi Leonard's shot impact- The origins of Ball Don't Lie and the Mottram Model- Why Ball Don't Lie became a money maker and not a loss-leader- Need for high traffic to rely on display advertising- Social media platforms repeating the benefits of publishers while hurting them- USA Today's FTW and social media's impact on it- When subscription models work and when they don't- The unfulfilled promise of social media- Degradation of user experience- Revenue diversification in the media business- Publishers as a charity to support for the public good- Should social media companies compensate publishers?- The Players Tribune model and a look inside their Manhattan offices- Up and coming innovating business models - The newsletter/substack model and keys to sustainability- Why ESPN's business model is incomparable to anything out there- And more...

Host Samson Folk brings on the wonderful and charismatic, Sean Woodley. The fellas discuss coaching in the NBA, the Nets-Raptors series, exercise, and Masai Ujiri's horrible experience at the end of Game 6.

Host Lukas Weese chats with Toronto Raptors writer with Complex Canada and Raptors Republic Vivek Jacob about Game 2 of the Raptors/Nets series.Topics include:Covering the Raptors remotely.Norman Powell's rim-finishing.Pascal Siakam's defense.Raptors half-court offense.

Host Samson Folk details the Raptors Game 2 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.Reggie Evans Award: Pascal SiakamMitchell Robinson Award: Rodions KurucsQR Comment: TotesPotato

With game 1 in the books and surprisingly ending in a win, the guys get back to the pod. On this episode of Talking Raptors Nick and Barry chat about what's gone on since the last time.The discuss:Family IntroductionsNational AnthemsBrooklyn NetsAdrian GriffinAround The LeagueTwitter QuestionsAll this and a bit more. As always we hope you enjoy and we thank you for listening.

Host Samson Folk details the Raptors game 1 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.Reggie Evans Award: Fred VanVleetQR Comment: Kingsmoothiezion

Host Samson Folk brings on the brilliant Katie Heindl to discuss the upcoming Raptors - Nets playoff series.

Host Samson Folk previews the 4 playoff matchups in the Eastern Conference's first round with the the insightful and talented Jackson Frank.