On Thursday, June 13th, the Saskatchewan Rattlers beat the Fraser Valley Bandits in a sparsely attended CEBL contest in southwestern British Columbia. Of course, the poor attendance was forgivable, as a far more important basketball game was being played 777 miles to the south of Abbotsford in Oakland, California. Here, the Toronto Raptors were scratching out an arduous 114-110 victory over the seemingly insuperable Golden State Warriors in game six of the NBA Finals, bringing the NBA championship north of the border for the first time in its history. It was the end of an historic playoff run that inspired an entire nation from coast to coast; apparently, the handful of Abbotsfordians who showed up to the comparably meaningless CEBL game were living in another country, at least mentally speaking. But Toronto's triumph augurs well for basketball in Canada. Poorly attended though the Rattlers/Bandits showdown was, the Raptors' championship might be enough to solidify basketball as a profitable Canadian commodity...and it might just ensure a second season for the CEBL.
