Matt Shantz

@shantz.bsky.social

4936 Followers 285 Following

Raptors fan, basketball lover, tea drinker, cyclist. Former writer for Hoops Habit & Raptors Republic. I apologize in advance for my puns.

There are moments in time where you watch the game of basketball and quickly understand a very simple concept: He can hoop. There have been a lot of moments that I've watched Graves play for the Summer Raptors and exclaimed this exact sentiment with some sort of expression on my face. It's likely the little things that stick, the ability to compete on both ends, but the lack of hesitation is what really feels like the ceiling raiser.
Rosa Diaz and her dog Arlo in Brooklyn Nine Nine, but instead of the caption being about Arlo, it is about Nate Bittle. It reads: "I've only had Bittle for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself."
Raptors Dino logo doing the Vince Carter between the legs dunk
Chicken skewers on a BBQ grill.
Screenshot of Kelly from The Office in a staff meeting. Caption reads "Yeah, I have a lot of questions. Number one: How dare you?"
Visualization of Izaiyah Nelson's NBA Draft Combine athletic testing, where it looks like the shape of a star.
Brown leather totebag with a white/black/grey flannel lining.
Screenshot from Shoresy when character says "Sticks are unbelievable."
Picture of Zuby Ejiofor on a high school team from Dallas called BeastUp, where the jersey borrows the Toronto Raptors' dribbling dinosaur logo.
A brown and silver labradoodle named Scout sitting in the winter sunlight coming through the window.
Wooden horse and city of Troy meme for March Madness. With Troy being written over the city (representing Troy University) and the wooden horse representing the University of Nebraska.
Tweet that says: “I’m not falling for that hot take. That’s clearly someone with a fetish for getting yelled at. I refuse to participate in that kind of perversion.”
A labradoodle named Scout, wearing comically oversized glasses against her will.
A beautiful labradoodle named Scout waiting patiently for the vet to bring results. She sadly has a fever.
Bobby Webster of the Toronto Raptors with a big smile.
Schedule for the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour in Canada, where it will travel to Vancouver (April 10-11), Calgary (April 12), Winnipeg (April 13), Montreal (May 22), Halifax (May 23), Ottawa (May 24), and Toronto (May 25-26).
ovies The Streaming Guide MLB The Ringer 107 Events Simmons Pod Rewatchables Big Picture The Watch Higher Learning House of R The Town Plain English By Michael PinaJan. 30, 7:26 am CST • 10 min NBA The Raptors Are Funky, Confusing, and Lurking at the Trade Deadline Toronto’s weird success has it circling big ideas—and bigger names Getty Images/Ringer illustration I’m never surprised by the outcome of a Toronto Raptors game. Give up 138 points in a gut-punch loss to the Washington Wizards? Naturally. Throw a blanket on the Thunder in Oklahoma City to take down the defending champs? Right on. Nearly 50 games into the season, and less than a week out from the trade deadline, I can’t tell if being completely unfazed by these results is a good or bad thing—whether it speaks to some strange kind of resilience or a structural inconsistency. Either way, the Raptors are massive (albeit confusing) overachievers, currently in fourth place, and only one victory away from tying last year’s 30-win total. This is an endearing, flawed, unpredictable team that has had its opening-night starting five for just 12 games all season. Somewhat remarkably, they’ve exceeded expectations, boasting the league’s fifth-best defense, ranking first in fast-break points, and trailing only OKC in turnover differential. At the same time, their offense is about average, only two teams have enjoyed a luckier schedule health-wise, and their outside shooting is a big problem; they rank near the bottom of the league in both 3-point percentage and rate. Nothing they do offensively is a harbinger of postseason success, and none of it should be dismissed. Yet Toronto is one of this season’s biggest success stories, with a sensibly rabid style of play, an abundance of talent, a smart coach, and a bunch of intriguing options before next week’s trade deadline. For those who believe the Eastern Conference is up for grabs—a.k.a. anyone who has been following the Eastern Conference this season—it’s time t…
A lost of names for Winnipeg's new plow names.
Screenshot of the Sacramento Kings' Reddit header, which reads "Welcome back to Basketball Hell!"
A dog named Scout is watching the Raptors 905 on TV.
A mug of tea in the foreground, and a labradoodle asleep in her bed on an ottoman.
A labradoodle named Scout sleeps contentedly curled up on her bed.
An unhappy labradoodle wears a Christmas sweater and snowman sunglasses. She has accepted her fate, but is livid on the inside.
A man holding a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mug he got for Christmas.
A blanket fort in a living room, with a blizzard taking place in the window behind, and a Christmas tree in the corner of the room.
A labradoodle named Scout is sitting on the couch with a Christmas tree behind her. As always, she looks nervous.
A man wearing a knit hood and mask while walking in below -30 weather in Winnipeg.
A brown/silver labradoodle named Scout looking tentative while carrying toy boots as saddlebags across her back.
Legally Blonde meme, about the Raptors being in the top 7 for offemce and defense.
Steve Jones excited to talk about the Raptors on The Dunker Spot on Nov. 25, 2025.
A bike pulling a chariot trailer crossing a pedestrian bridge at sunrise over the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba. November 24, 2025.
A brown/grey labradoodle named Scout is sitting on a couch while wearing a festive Christmas bowtie. Behind her is a fully decorated Christmas tree. She looks suspicious about the whole thing.
A bike on a pedestrian crossing bridge over the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Taken on the morning of November 14, 2025, there is a beautiful sunrise over the water and a crescent moon in the top corner.
The original New Orleans Pelicans mascot, Pierre the Pelican, before they gave him "plastic surgery" to make him less scary for children (and everyone else).
Picture of Esfandiar Baraheni podcasting for Raptors Republic. Screenshot taken to highlight his majestic moustache.
A blue bike pulling a red chariot trailer, stopped on a pedestrian bridge over the Red River in Winnipeg. The sun is rising behind dark clouds, that are trimmed with pink and orange. The sky is reflected in the calm water, and the bridge is wet as it had recently rained.
Norman Rockwell's Freedom of Speech painting.
A labradoodle named Scout wearing a homemade leather collar, while standing in front of wooden kitchen cabinets.
Mini-bus burned on the road along the side of the Red River in Winnipeg, on Friday, September 12, 2025.
Hallway door that was labeled as a bathroom by a painter, who then painted around the sign.
Foil packets cooking over a firepit with a camper and dining tent in background.
Campsite setup in Manitoba. Includes a pop-up camper and a dining tent.
A labradoodle named Scout resting under the pillows on a bed. Because she wants you to know she can.
Collin Murray-Boyles gets a steal during the fourth quarter of his NBA Summer League debut against the Orlando Magic on July 13, 2025.
Full picture of Raptors veterans in attendance for their first Summer League game of 2025. Includes Quickley, Barnes, Agbaji, Barrett, Dick, Ingram, Poeltl, and Mamu. David Roddy (Exhibit 10) is in the background.
Toronto Raptors build two basketball courts in Vegas hotel ballroom for NBA Summer League. Photo from Ulrich Chomche's Instagram.
Dog asleep on deck chair, resting on balcony overlooking a lake.
Players from Toronto Raptors, Toronto Blue Jays, and Toronto FC in attendance at a Toronto Maple Leafs game 7.
2025 NBA draft workout picture, including Colling Murray-Boyles, Carter Bryant, and Milrs Byrd.
The "Call An Ambulance, But Not For Me" meme, with the Winnipeg Jets surprising the St Louis Blues.
Brandon Tanev player picture.
Samson Folk of Raptors Republic showing some excellent excitement.
Roast turkey in pan.
Blue bike with red chariot trailer, parked on pedestrian bridge crossing the Red River in Winnipeg at sunrise.
Red fox walking on top of fence in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Labradoodle with grumpy face because she is wearing a protective cone around her head.
Igloo being made from colorful bricks of ice, illuminated by a lantern at night.
Text from Michael Grange article on Sportsnet, that reports the Raptors are committed to Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick, but don't view anyone else as untouchable.
Mavs fan with little camera.
Dog with crochet peas balanced on her head.