In 2019 the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers met in an Eastern Conference Semifinal and it went the distance to a deciding seventh game in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
And, befitting a seventh game, it went down to the wire.
With two minutes remaining, the game was tied at 85. The Raptors scored four straight points before Philly countered with three free throws of its own to make it 89-88 with 12 seconds left.
Kawhi Leonard made just one of two free throws with 10 seconds left before 76er Jimmy Butler’s jumper knotted the game at 90 with four seconds left.
With that as the backdrop, Leonard played the role of hero, nailing a fadeaway baseline jumper as the clock expired to not only give the Raptors the 92-90 victory (they went onto win the franchise’s only NBA Title), but also yielded this week’s epic #FanTeaser image.
Shot by NBA Entertainment’s Mark Blinch, it was described by The Guardian as a “Flemish masterpiece” (whatever that might mean) thanks to all of motion, emotion, and lighting found in the shot.
It went on to win a World Press Photo Sports Singles 2020 Award and, I must say, it seems for good reason.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.