If you don't know about RawStreams.com, man did you miss out. Those like me that try to stream games online for free know about the horrendous quality you get for not paying. As a fellow cord cutter, everything I watch is streamed in some way. Since I focus my betting efforts on the NBA, I usually splurge on NBA League Pass each season to be able to watch all most of the games. This all changed this season when I came across RawStreams.com.

I thought I was dreaming when I first came across the site. There were no ads to be found and every single game, every single night, were all in beautiful crystal-clear 1080p. Not only was there a stream of every game, but it had the feed of both home and away broadcasts. I could listen to Stacey and Neil when the Bulls were in Utah. If the announcers in Philadelphia clearly didn't get a crap about the five 2nd round draft picks on the court, I could switch over to the Atlanta feed to learn about the team's improvements and life after DeMarre Carroll. I could even watch the games on my phone with ease in the same high resolution. It was heaven.

Then the bad news hit as I attempted to catch the end of the Pelicans/Spurs game tonight: "It was a good short run, but unfortunately I (the owner of the site) got a direct email from Neulion saying that they will take legal action if I do not shut down the website." That was it. Last night I was streaming the Bucks/Blazers game on my phone before I went to bed. And now it's as if it never existed. There will be similar sites out there, maybe as soon as tomorrow, but who knows if they'll last as long or be nearly as good.

To close, here are some farewells and thank you's from RawStreams.com users:

"I would like to thank you for your contribution. You had the best streams hands down. You can go to bed telling yourself that many people appreciated what you did."

"Your memory will be preserved in 1080p in our hearts."

"At least (the owner) can forever know that his website was so great that it got authorities involved immediately compared to all the shitty websites that are still up."

Rest in peace RawStreams.com. You may have had a short life, but your legacy will live on in beautiful HD.

-Stephen