Title: ‘Juice’ and chemistry: Behind the scenes of a remote TSN Raptors broadcast
Date: September 1, 2020
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I spent a playoff game in the studio with the Raptors broadcast to see what makes the crew tick and how a pandemic-era remote broadcast works.
It is a quintessential Jack Armstrong game.
The Toronto Raptors are on cruise control midway through the fourth quarter and Armstrong’s foot remains firmly on the pedal. Armstrong thrives at the end of blowouts, pivoting seamlessly from detailed analysis to catchphrases, cries for alcoholic beverages and, on the right occasion, a song. On this day, he is flanked by his broadcast partner, Matt Devlin, inside their makeshift broadcast studio located a 30-minute drive west of Scotiabank Arena, in Oakville, Ont.
As the Raptors’ bench plays out the final minutes of last Toronto’s 150-122 win over Brooklyn on Aug. 23 to secure the franchise’s first-ever playoff series sweep, Armstrong’s voice rises with each Devlin setup. Were he not so jovial throughout a 29-point blowout, Armstrong’s Brooklyn-Irish accent might make it hard for the uninitiated to know whether they are watching the Raptors broadcast or the one for Armstrong’s hometown Nets.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 