There’s plenty new at the ACC for Raptors fans
With a defence-oriented off-season makeover and an Eastern Conference that’s lacking in flat-out dominant teams, it’s difficult to gauge exactly what the Toronto Raptors can do in this new NBA season, which got underway Tuesday night. The oncourt results aren’t guaranteed for the Raptors, but here are five things that fans can count on at Wednesday night’s opener against the Indiana Pacers.
NEW SECURITY MEASURES
The fun in this fun fact is arguable, but did you know that the metal detectors you walk through at airports are known as magnetometers? Raptors fans will get an up-close experience with these devices this season, as both the NHL and NBA aim to “ensure the safest environment possible for all of our patrons,” a September press release explained.
Fans are encouraged to give themselves extra time to get into games this year, particularly in the early portion of the season. Gates will open 90 minutes ahead of tipoff this year to accommodate potentially longer.
MLSE’s Dave Haggith said that going through the same process with the Maple Leafs over the last month and two Raptors pre-season games should make for a smooth transition.
“Any time you have a couple of pre-season games to experiment and educate (it helps),” he said.
NEW SCOREBOARD
The second you step in from the concourse to get to your seat the brand-new scoreboard will command your full attention. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment spent $10 million on the new setup. At 32 x 18-feet, the screens are four times the size of what previously was suspended from the roof at the Air Canada Centre. At the centre of the multi-screened display is a 23-foot-tall aluminum steel Maple Leaf that will turn Raptors red for Wednesday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
NEW UNIFORMS
The Raptors’ uniform continues to evolve, with a clean and simple look this year. The font on the jerseys is the same as the “We The North” campaign and three of the team’s four jerseys will have a silver trim as a means of paying tribute to the Raptors’ purple-jerseyed past. The fourth jersey, an alternate, Drake-influenced OVO look, has a gold trim on the lettering. There’s a maple leaf on the waistband of the shorts to signify the Raptors as Canada’s team.
NEW COURT
The Raptors unveiled their new court the same way that they did their jerseys, through the video game NBA 2K16. The new court officially came to life earlier this month, with a red trim and key, and black lettering on the baselines. The team’s new logo sits at half court in black (replacing the claw), with We The North written in white on the sideline.
INTRODUCTION CHANGES
Dwane Casey’s starting five appears to be set but questions remain as to how those players will be ushered onto the court for home games. The team used Drake’s Back to Back for pre-season introductions, but that doesn’t guarantee it’ll carry over into Wednesday’s game. How the players are introduced apparently won’t be changing. In last Sunday’s pre-season game against Cleveland, the Raptors had in-house host Mark Strong stand at centre court and introduce the starting lineup. Chalk that up to a pres-eason experiment. The team will continue with longtime public address announcer Herbie Kuhn during the regular season.