Raptors appear to place 'lucky' toonie under Tampa practice court

Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam keeps the ball away from assistant coach John Corbacio. (Jacques Boissinot/CP)

If it works, it works.

The Toronto Raptors are once again turning to the magic of Canadian currency in hopes of securing the franchise's second NBA title.

In a video posted to Twitter on Monday, Raptors president Masai Ujiri is seen placing a toonie under the hardwood as the court is installed at what appears to be the team's practice facility at a reconfigured hotel ballroom across the street from Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena, their temporary home for the 2020-21 season.

"This is for the Tampa Bay Raptor-neers," Ujiri jokes in the video, using a portmanteau of the name of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It's a tradition that began at the 2002 Olympics when a Canadian ice crew hid a loonie underneath the rink surface and saw Team Canada win its first gold medal in men's hockey in 50 years, and its first-ever gold in the women’s event.

The move also paid off in 2019 when arena staff placed a one-dollar coin under the court for the series-clincher of the Raptors' Eastern Conference Finals win over the Milwaukee Bucks en route to the team's first NBA championship.

Hey, it's worth a try.

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