Fans in Brampton and Mississauga will be able to cheer on the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals right at home.
MLSE has granted permission to transform Garden Square into Jurassic Square in Brampton and Celebration Square into Jurassic Park West in Mississauga.
Fans will be able to watch home and away games, beginning with Game 1 on Thursday night, at both locations throughout the finals as the Raptors take on the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the only rule for those attending the viewing party is “you can’t be a Golden State fan.”
“I don’t think anything can compare to what happens in Toronto – it’s been unreal – but Raptors fever has certainly hit the 905 and there are thousands and thousands of Raptors fans that were asking for the city to play it at our Garden Square,” Brown said while speaking with CP24 on Tuesday night.
“We’ve got a giant 100-foot screen right in the heart of downtown Brampton and given the enthusiasm, the excitement, the energy, they wanted to gather together and celebrate together in what will hopefully be an historic moment for the Toronto Raptors.”
Brown said the city may have to close down a few roads if the crowd gets too large.
Shortly after, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie told CP24 she is strongly encouraging west-ender to put on their Raptors jerseys and cheer on the team surrounded by other fans.
“We have a capacity of over 30,000 people and I can’t think of a better place for west-enders, for Mississauga residents to come together to cheer for the Toronto Raptors,” she said. “We are going to be raising the Raptors flag at city hall and lighting our clock tower red and black on all game nights.”
“We are going to be louder, brighter, more colourful, more dynamic, our cheers are going to be louder – it’s going to be the place to be.”
MLSE, which operates Jurassic Park just outside of Scotiabank Arena, is the parent company of the Toronto Raptors.
Ahead of Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Toronto against the Milwaukee Bucks, fans were lined up to fill Jurassic Park as a thunderstorm rolled through the city. Ariel footage of the line up to get into the square showed thousands of people wrapped around the downtown core.
Jurassic Park could not accommodate the massive lineup of fans so police were forced to shut down nearby streets to make up for the overflow.
This is the first time in franchise history that the Toronto Raptors have made it to the NBA Finals.
Tipoff for Game 1 is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.
