Fans across Canada ready to roar again
There are three unforgettable images from last year’s Raptors playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets.
DeMar DeRozan hovering over Kyle Lowry after the final, heartbreaking Game 7 missed shot; Raptors GM Masai Ujiri saying “F--Brooklyn” in Maple Leafs Square; and the overhead photos showing the teeming crowds of fans in what has been colloquially referred to as Jurassic Park.
It’s fitting the last two examples occurred outside the Air Canada Centre, as while the players and the games are always absolutely the main focus, those crowds outside are important, as they show the changing face of sports in this city as well as helping to legitimize Raptor fandom across the NBA.
“People outside of Canada were just blown away at the passion that people have here for basketball,” says Matt Devlin, the Raptors’ TV play-by-play announcer. “It was the talk of the league, no question about it. It was something that carried over not only through playoffs, but when I was in Las Vegas at the summer league for NBA TV everybody talked about it. I think it really opened up their eyes to how great it is as far as this being a great basketball city.”
The plaudits came league-wide, with tweets from legends like Magic Johnson. Turner NBA analyst Charles Barkley has been effusive in his cheerleading for Toronto, both as a team and city.
The other amazing thing is the feedback loop created between the fans and team, as prior to Game 4 in Brooklyn, Devlin says coach Dwane Casey had images from the square sent into the Raptor locker room.
“It really galvanized the team. It’s pouring rain and here are all the fans,” he says. “For the players, it really says you’re not just playing for yourselves, you’re not playing for a city, you are playing for a country.”
Those crowds are going to be there again, living and dying with each Raptor win or loss. But one thing is clear — while it may now officially be called Ford Square, with the Leafs entering rebuilding mode, the Raptors have an opportunity to truly make something special and solidify it as Jurassic Park over the next few years if they continue their winning ways.
Beyond the die-hard fans at the ACC and square, the playoffs are really when the Raptors become Canada’s team, as television ratings grow from an average of around 200,000 in the regular season to quadruple that with last year’s Game 7 hitting an average of 912,000 — the third-most watched Raptors game ever.
For the opening round against the Washington Wizards, one big factor might be the emergence of a potentially great villain, the man they call “The Truth.”
“Well, there’s a built in storyline with Paul Pierce because of comments he made recently in an ESPN article, stating that he didn’t think the Raptors didn’t have the ‘it’ factor. Define it, right?” says Devlin. “He had the game-winner in Game 1 and then in Game 7 he made an important play at the end of game to ultimately lead the Nets in victory over the Toronto Raptors, so that is going to be an underlying theme throughout the series.”
TSN has the rights to the Raptor playoffs games, so Devlin is getting set to call the games with the always colourful Jack Armstrong, while the in-game panel will feature Rod Black and analysts Leo Rautins and former Raptor Morris Peterson.
Cabral “Cabbie” Richards will be reporting live from the Ford Fan Zone in the square and former Raptors coach (and current Timberwolves assistant coach) Sam Mitchell will be pitching in with some commentary during the road games. The games will also air on TSN 1050 and be available digitally on TSN GO.