One day before Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Toronto Raptors fans in the city remain confident that the team will win it all in Oakland.
On Wednesday, fans walked through Jurassic Park taking selfies—most were smiling, confident that the team will be taking the title.
“It feels like a small town right now,” Anthony Kozak said of Toronto. “Everyone is in a good mood, everyone seems to know each other, even though we don’t.”
Kozak works at the Sport Chek near Jurassic Park and told CTV News Toronto that Kawhi Leonard jerseys are by far the most popular, despite the uncertainty over his future with the team.
Other fans believe this year’s Raptors are a turning point for Toronto sports teams.
“I think this is kind of getting rid of the Toronto stereotypes of chokers and the teams of the past and the playoff disappointments we've had,” said Andrew Uyede, who picked up his NBA Finals ball cap Wednesday morning.
To show how much the city is behind this team right now, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra played a particularly timely piece of music—the theme song to the movie “Jurassic Park”—before the second set of their matinee performance on Wednesday.
“As you can see, we’ve caught Raptors fever,” announced the TSO’s Principle Pops Conductor Steven Reineke after he stepped up to the front of the orchestra wearing a bright red Raptors t-shirt over his black attire.
In a break from protocol, Reineke asked the audience to take their phones out and record the performance. Before the orchestra began, the crowd erupted in “Let’s go Raptors” cheers.
As the city rallies around the team, Kozak said it would be “kinda poetic” if the Raptors won the series on Thursday.
“Six in six,” he said.
The next NBA Finals game is scheduled for 9 p.m. at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
