Raptors coach Nick Nurse goes viral with hilariously familiar reaction

Since he was appointed head coach of the Toronto Raptors in 2018, Nick Nurse’s winning culture has been rewarded with an NBA Championship and a Coach of Year award. While he may be recognized and envied around the league as one of the brightest minds in the game, many basketball fans appreciate him just as much for his charisma and frivolity.

He is also no stranger to being the subject of endearing jokes on NBA Twitter, where he found himself once again Saturday night.

During the Raptors’ preseason contest against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, the Carroll, Iowa, native went viral when he was captured in disbelief by the broadcast, frozen still and mouth agape, baffled by a controversial call made by the match referees.

The internet noticed and predictably had its fun with it, as they did two years ago with an eerily similar moment involving the Raptors coach.

Nurse reacted exactly the same way to a call made in Toronto’s first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic in 2019. The instant-classic meme made the rounds on social media over the following weeks, and is still used regularly to this day.

Toronto suffered its second loss of the preseason at TD Garden, in a tight affair that came down to the wire. Fred VanVleet led the way for Nurse’s squad with 22 points, while off-season acquisition Precious Achiuwa scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

While the Raptors won’t be touted to make a run to the NBA Finals as they did in Nurse’s first year at the helm, fans are certainly in for a treat as the organization turns to its exciting young prospects. When Toronto officially kicks off its season on Oct. 20, Canadian basketball fans will not only be entertained by their team on the court, but also by its charming, ever-exuberant bench boss.

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