Clippers - Raptors in Vancouver. Basketball's Back!

The last time we saw our beloved Raptors, they were getting boom kicked off the court in Washington as part of a 4-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs.

After having the summer to let our expectations of this team marinate, there's a palpable sense of apprehension about where this team stands in an improved Eastern Conference. We've had tons of coverage on this over the past couple of months, so be sure to look through the Raptors HQ archives for our thoughts on the Raptors' offseason.

Today should offer us our first glimpse of a number of new guys in Raptors colours -- Anthony Bennett, Bismack Biyombo, Cory Joseph, Luis Scola and DeMarre Carroll were all brought in as free agents. Draftees Norman Powell and Delon Wright should be interesting to see as well.

As for the Clippers, their offseason was basically a script right out of Hollywood (#LosAngeles), with the DeAndre Jordan saga absolutely shutting down Twitter for a day. They already showed off all their new toys in a game against the Nuggets a couple of days back, so they should have a step up on the Raptors in terms of preparation.

In other storylines, this also continues the Raptors' pursuit of a national identity as they kick off their preseason in Vancouver. Today will also mark our first look at the new jerseys in game action. FEEL THE HYPE.

Welcome back to another season of Raptors basketball, everyone. Join us for the gamethread!