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Scotiabank Arena was absolutely rocking on Tuesday night. Fueled by lingering excitement of their team's stunning double-overtime win 48 hours earlier, Toronto Raptors fans were loud from the opening tip to the final buzzer of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, another Toronto victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that evened this series at two games apiece.
The actions of one extra hyped-up fan, though, sparked widespread criticism after the game. Rapper Drake, sitting in his usual courtside seat near the Raptors bench, put on a sideshow of his own throughout Game 4, equal parts cajoling the home team to victory and antagonizing the Bucks. While more ardent league followers have come to understand just how much Drake likes to insert himself into the action at Raptors games, he took that desire to a new level during the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game, giving a brief, impromptu shoulder rub to Toronto coach Nick Nurse on the sidelines.
The Raptors' unflappable first-year coach, though, apparently barely noticed the gesture of his team's most famous fan.
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“I didn't even feel it,” he said on Wednesday, per Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet. “It didn't distract me at all.”
Video of the incident confirms Nurse's sentiment. He barely moves upon having his shoulders randomly rubbed by a courtside attendee, and doesn't even look to acknowledge Toronto's favorite son. Clearly, Nurse had other things on his mind than worrying about Drake.
Milwaukee, suddenly locked in a best-of-three after taking the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, obviously does, too, but that hasn't stopped both coach Mike Budenholzer and Giannis Antetokounmpo from commenting on Drake's presence following Game 4. Maybe he's in their head? If so, the Raptors will take every advantage they can get with a berth to the NBA Finals on the line, almost no matter how it materializes.
