It’s a historic day for the Toronto Raptors as they get ready to face west conference champions Golden State Warriors in their first ever NBA finals game on Thursday.
Fans in Lethbridge are excited to see the day finally arrive.
“We have a chance to play now, against Golden State Warriors in the finals, and I still feel like I’m in a dream,” fan John Thai said.
Basketball fever has been spreading far and wide across the nation as the Raptors progressed further in the east conference and, after taking the title over Milwaukee on Saturday, fans across Canada can’t wait to see the team make franchise history in their first-ever finals game.
While fans in Toronto may be going crazy, waiting hours outside Jurassic Park to get a glimpse of the game, in Lethbridge, many are also thrilled to catch the start of this historic series.
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“It’s super exciting after everything Canadian basketball has gone through to reach this point,” Jackson Kasko, a local basketball player at Lethbridge College, said.
“It’s also super inspiring that they were able to do that and show that it is attainable for a team to be able to do that from Canada.”
“Toronto is having the whole country behind it and some of America too,” Thai added, “because they don’t want to see Golden State win anymore.”
A Lethbridge assistant coach said he’s found a new passion in basketball this year during all the excitement.
“I’ve found myself watching more the of the NBA playoffs over the NHL playoffs this year and that’s a first for me,” Neil Fraser said.
While they may be perceived as the underdogs going up against an all-star stacked team, some fans believe the Raptors have a good shot at winning the whole thing.
“I do think the Raptors will win,” Fraser said. “I think it will be Game 7, you know, Golden State is missing Cousins and Durant.”
“I think it’s going to be a really, really hard Game 7. It’s going to go all the way through. I wish it was going to end sooner so my heart can relax for the summer time,” Thai laughed.
With excitement on the rise, many bars such as Average Joes and Hudsons are also gearing up for big audiences, telling Global News they’ve been fielding several phone calls from excited fans.