Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors have become used to having rowdy home crowds during the playoffs in recent years. The Jurassic Park setup outside Scotiabank Arena also brings a party atmosphere before and after games.
The Raptors will obviously not have the advantage of playing in front of their loud fans this year, and Lowry is going to miss that experience:
Kyle Lowry: "We just miss the fans in general. Our fans in Toronto are the best fans in the NBA, I truly believe that. So that will be missed, Jurassic Park, and all that."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) August 16, 2020
Of course, even without the support of their fans, the defending champion Raptors are going to be formidable down in Orlando. Toronto went 7-1 in its eight seeding games and finished with a 27-9 road record on the season, matching the Los Angeles Lakers for the best road record in the NBA.
Thanks to their sterling play in the bubble, the Raptors finished their shortened season with a 53-19 record overall. The .736 winning percentage bests last season's .707 mark, even after losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
Toronto will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs. While the Nets' roster is depleted, they still went 5-3 in their eight seeding games and nearly ended the Portland Trail Blazers' season. Caris LeVert has been terrific in the bubble, and he'll be the Nets' go-to guy when the playoffs get underway on Monday.
The Raptors are confident, though, and they're the heavy favorite in the series. It remains to be seen if they'll be as dangerous in the playoffs without Leonard, but Lowry, Pascal Siakam and company are going to put up a valiant fight as they attempt to defend their title.
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