They will be playing their games at Amalie Arena, where they have already played 1 of their 3 preseason games Friday against the Miami Heat (not that it matters because it’s preseason, but they lost 117-105).
The Raptors might still be relatively new to Tampa Bay natives, so here’s some background information on what to expect from the team, both on the court and with their in-house activities, in case you’re thinking about going to one of their games.
Their team of in-arena game hosts include Jamia Erban as the in-game host, John Pelkey as the PA announcer, and Chrisitan “DJCJ” DeLeon as their in-arena DJ (yes, they are going to be playing plenty of Drake). “We wanted to get talent that’s not only very diverse, but has the experience of working in this type of industry“ Anton Wright, Director of Game Presentation for the Raptors said. “We wanted people with the fun personality to work well with the Raptors.” The Raptors are only allowing up to 3,800 fans to attend the games, while they allowed only 3,200 for the preseason games.
Despite the limited attendance for the first preseason game, the crowd was described as being incredibly energetic and exciting. “Those fans Friday night were amazing,“ Erban said. “The energy that we had, that we gave off each other, was amazing… Tampa is ready to go.” Fans are expected to receive “socially distanced seating,” while also being expected to wear a mask at all times (excluding fans under the age of 2).
Due to the nature of the socially distanced seating, the in-arena game hosts are focusing on more of a “one-on-one experience,” according to DeLeon. “Fans have more opportunities to really enjoy the game and they have more opportunities to be on the cam,” said DeLeon.
The Raptors finished the 2020 season in the Bubble with an Eastern Conference Semifinals exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics, taking Boston to 7 games in a close series that was quite entertaining to watch, including an electrifying buzzer-beater by OG Anunoby that won Game 3 for the Raptors.
What should we expect this year? Well, not to sound like I’m being a suck-up to Tampa’s newest team in hopes of convincing them to stay a little longer, but the Raptors are one of the most consistent, well-respected teams in the NBA. They’ve made the playoffs the past 7 seasons, only finishing lower than 3rd in the East once (they finished 4th in 2014-2015), and I wouldn’t expect them to do anything different this year. They have the deepest, most well-balanced team in the NBA and they are certainly going to have a very good regular season and probably a solid playoff performance too. But, any expectation of another championship (they won it all in 2019 with Kawhi Leonard leading them to victory over the Golden State Warriors) should probably put on hold; the East is very top-heavy, with the Brooklyn Nets getting Kevin Durant and a full season of Kyrie Irving and the Milwaukee Bucks making some interesting offseason moves to help reigning 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo get a ring. Both of those teams are the favorites to win the East, and rightfully so; they have far more star power than anyone else in the conference and while the Raptors have some great role players and young talent, they lack the firepower to keep up with those guys.
But, that doesn’t mean it won’t be an incredibly entertaining and interesting season to watch, especially since they’ll be playing games right down the road. With guys like Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet, the Raptors will be not only competitive but incredibly successful. I have them finishing 3rd in the East and getting knocked out in the second round again. While Tampa’s recent run of incredibly successful sports teams might make that sound like a bit of a disappointing run, as a lifelong New Orleans Pelicans fan, let me tell you, it is not. Besides, the Houston Rockets’ James Harden is still seeking a way out of Houston, and while the Raptors have only just recently been mentioned as one of the teams vying to trade for the former MVP, Raptors President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri is certainly known for being bold. He orchestrated the trade for Kawhi Leonard that sparked the Raptors’ championship run in 2019, despite the former Spur only having a year left on his contract (Leonard left the Raptors for the LA Clippers after his contract expired), and having to give up the Raptors’ best player DeMar DeRozan in the trade.
So who knows? Maybe the Raptors pull another rabbit out of the hat and are able to trade for The Beard, and if that crazy stunt happens, it would put the Raptors in the conversation for the best team in the East.
As for their opening game against the Pels, expect the Raptors to take the victory. The Pelicans have an almost completely new roster, with second-year phenom Zion Williamson as the longest tenured Pelican on the roster, and a new head coach in Stan Van Gundy, so expect them to struggle against the very steady Raptors.
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This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2020.