Rain can't dampen enthusiasm at Jurrasic Park West

Torontosun.com
June 8, 2019
Joe Warmington

There’s no raining in basketball!

Well, not normally.

Turns out for Game 3 of the NBA Finals not only was there rain but fog, too.

It was perfect. The We The North crowd is never going to complain.

Out in Jurassic Park West at Mississauga’s Celebration Square none of it could dampen the spirits of Raptors World --several thousand who didn’t care about what the weatherman had to say and came out to enjoy the first road game of the NBA Finals on the big screens broadcasting the game from the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Aimee Kisman and daughter Kryotle got right up to the front.

“Best seats in the house,” joked Aimie.

Kind of like courtside. Screenside.

“There’s no place we would rather be,” she said.

Well, except perhaps, for being at the actual game in Oakland, which the Raptors won 123-109 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Rick Sturino, an Etobicoke realtor, was one of the lucky ones to score tickets and flew out to the Bay area to take in the game.

Turns out it was a 55th birthday present from his wife, Caroline.

“We were at the first game in 1995 and have been fans all the way through and I thought he should be there,” said Caroline. “He deserves it. He loves the Raptors.”

He certainly was having a blast when I spoke to him on the phone from his seat 20 rows up.

“It’s so exciting here,” he said. “The fans here are great and there are many Raptors fans as well making some noise.”

In fact some of that was being led by none other than superfan Nav Bhatia, who was leading the charge after flying out there Wednesday.

Rick said being there he almost had to pinch himself.

It’s certainly a birthday he will never forget.

And the best birthday present ever.

“My wife is amazing,” he said. “She’s so supportive.”

What a game too. This finals is going to go down in the books as a classic.

“I think it’s going be a long one,” said Rick.

No one is complaining. It’s like we don’t want this ride to end.

But when it does, hopefully it’s with an NBA championship.

Either way, this Raptors journey has sure brought people together. There’s something contagious about good news.

“We were not going to miss this,” said Aimee Kisman. “Short of being at the game, this is the place to be.”

It’s certainly not as expensive.

No need to take out a loan to participate here. It’s free.

And new friends are quickly made.

People sharing picnic tables who have never met before was common.

“We all have the Raptors going for a title in common,” said Fariha Khan who joined Kelly Da Fonseca and her 12-year-old son, Jonathan Fonseca.

The crowd for this game wasn’t quite the 20,000 who were on hand for Sunday, but with the constant rain and the threat of lightning, it’s understandable that there would be less.

“We will be back up to more than 20,000 Friday,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

Rain or shine, it was all music to Crombie’s ears.

“It’s just a great community who not only support the Raptors but also the Raptors 905, which we are also proud of,” said Crombie.

Mississauga was celebrating not only being We The North but We The West, too.