This past season was a difficult one for the Toronto Raptors as they were forced to play away from Canada. Instead, the Raptors found a home in Tampa Bay where they spent the entire season away from their families. This was all due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that the Canadian border was closed to those in the United States. Now, travel between the two nations is permitted as long as you are getting PCR tests before entering Canada.
Throughout last season, many Raptors players spoke about how they missed Toronto and that playing away from home led to a lack of motivation. This issue was notable thanks to the team's poor results out on the court. Thankfully, the team is finally getting some good news.
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According to The Canadian Press, the government of Canada has officially given the Raptors the green light to play all of their games in Canada this season. Now, the team will get to prepare for their season in Canada and they will even play their first preseason game in Toronto, on October 4th against the Philadelphia 76ers. This is very exciting for the Raptors and we're sure the players are happy about this return to normalcy.
As for crowd sizes, there is still no word on whether or not the team will be able to run at full capacity. Regardless, fans are still expected in the building, which can only be a good thing for basketball in Canada.
[Via]
