During the first quarter of a disastrous Game 1, the Toronto Raptors decided to prove that karma is a verifiable phenomenon.
The home team was dominating play. The Indiana Pacers looked as if they were shooting a medicine ball. The expected jitters hadn't yet materialized.
Then, during a commercial break, Air Canada Centre game-ops broadcast a canned bit on the big screen entitled 'Top Ten Best Things About Indiana.'
Amongst the witty observations: "They have a lot of farms there" and "Indiana law states that baths may not be taken between the months of October and March"
This was the sort of material that would have gotten you forcibly ejected from the writers' room at 'Hee Haw.' It wasn't even stupid-funny. It was just stupid.
Right then, you knew. The crowd certainly did. As the bit stretched on forever and ever, they grew very quiet. 'Mortified' probably captures it best.
All those in attendance had been burned too many times before. They knew in their hearts that this tin-eared triumphalism would boomerang on a team riding its nerves. And, of course, it did.
Toronto didn't lose Game 1 by a score of 100-90. As is their habit at this time of year, they blew it.
It was a sloppy, choppy contest from both squads, but the Raptors had to put real effort into pooching it. Thirty-eight per cent shooting coupled with 20 turnovers managed the trick nicely.
In their two decades of existence, the Raptors have never won an opening game in the first round of the playoffs. That's not bad luck. That's a tradition.
What went wrong? A little bit of everything. But the problem began and ended with the stars.
After getting down on bended knee and promising the city things would be different this time around, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan resumed their habit of taking lieu days in the post-season.
The pair cumulatively went 8-for-32 and made only half their free throws. When one did notice DeRozan, it was as he was being repeatedly torched by Indiana's offensive fulcrum, Paul George.
One of the comforting storylines going into the series was George's inconsistent history against Toronto. After a 27-point second half in the first game, that comfort is gone.
Some of the supporting cast – notably Jonas Valanciunas (a franchise playoff record 19 rebounds) and Cory Joseph (18 points in 24 minutes) – played above themselves. But with Lowry and DeRozan effectively inactive, that was never going to be enough.
Now settle back as we parade our favourite clichés for your amusement: It's just one game; Tomorrow's another day; This is no time for panic.
This is Toronto. It's always a good time for panic.
Knowing that, the Raptors were at pains to seem blasé about the loss.
Coach Dwane Casey: "It's a long series."
Kyle Lowry: "We're positive."
DeMar DeRozan: "There's nothing to be worried about, honestly."
And while that's all true, it also sounds awfully familiar. The Raptors keep saying they aren't awed by the moment or thinking of their bad juju from years past, but if you spend five minutes watching them, you can hear the hum they're giving off. The guys who matter are all pulled tighter than bowstrings.
Even Casey – as generous a spirit as you will encounter – was coming out of character in the post-game presser.
"Our fans were great. I know they were locked in at the beginning of the game …" – that's good, banal stuff. Then the wobble – "… We'll find out our true fans. Who's on your side and who's not."
The Raptors have made a meal of their outsider status. I'm not sure it's a smart idea to extend your Us vs. Them mentality to your own support. A franchise with this sort of history doesn't have 'good' fans and 'bad' fans. It has any sort of fan it can get.
Given the way things have gone over the last couple of years, pessimism isn't a moral failing. It's a smart default position.
One great performance on Monday could turn this whole thing around. Toronto – its teams and their supporters – are as changeable as weather.
But if the Raptors can't reverse the on-court tide, the tolerance for their excuses will be at its lowest ebb in memory.
They won 56 games. They set all sorts of records. We're only a few hours into what could still easily be a long playoff run.
Yet strangely, just in this moment, the Toronto Raptors seem balanced on the edge of a very deep, very dark hole. The time to step back would be right now.
Cathal Kelly