The city of Toronto will always be home for Raptors players Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam. But given the unfortunate circumstances brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two All-Stars have also grown to love their temporary home base in Tampa.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the Raptors' 120-106 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, Lowry and Siakam addressed the franchise's fan base in Canada following reports that the team will play the rest of their home games at Amalie Arena in Tampa, creating anything but the northern comfort this franchise has come to enjoy, love, and appreciate.
Here are Lowry's sentiments about this wrenching and highly unusual situation, as relayed by TSN Sports' Raptors correspondent Josh Lewenberg.
Kyle Lowry on Toronto: "That's our home city, that's the country we play for… We still know that the fans are supporting us… We would love to be home, we would love to be in front of our fans. It sucks that we can't be but the connection is still there"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 12, 2021
Lowry on spending rest of the season in Tampa: "We understand why the country of Canada & the government is really tight right now. It's for the best of the society & the citizens up there. For us, now we know that we're gonna be here so guys can really settle in a little more"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 12, 2021
Like Lowry, Siakam admitted feeling a bit homesick since leaving Canada for Florida as members of the Raptors.
Siakam on spending the season in Tampa: "Obviously we want to be in Toronto but we understand what's happening & want to keep everybody safe. It's tough but 2020 taught us that we have to be ready for anything, and that's what we've gotta do… That's the type of year it's been."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 12, 2021
After finishing last season inside the confines of a bubble at Walt Disney World (for the Raptors and all other playoff teams), the NBA re-opened its arenas in the 2020-21 campaign.
While the 29 other teams managed to return to their respective cities, the Raptors were forced to find a new place to play in due to the strict travel restrictions in terms of crossing borders.
Tampa gladly stepped up as a temporary refuge for the Raptors. But since the restrictions are not easing up anytime soon, the team has decided to stay in Florida for the rest of the season.
The Raptors have gone 6-5 so far at Amalie Arena and 12-14 overall, good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They struggled against the daunting Celtics defense on Thursday, which snapped their two-game winning streak.
Kyle Lowry finished with 24 points and six assists in the losing effort for the Raptors, while Pascal Siakam added 23 points, four rebounds, and two dimes.
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