Game Day: Raptors return without fans

The Toronto Raptors will take the court tonight for their first competitive basketball game in what seems like an eternity.

It was a little over four months ago that 18,306 fans packed into Utah’s Smart Home Arena to watch what seemed like a regular Monday night game between the Raptors and Jazz. Little did we know that two days later Jazz center Rudy Gobert would test positive for COVID-19 and the entire sporting would shut down.

Tonight the Raptors will return for their first of three scrimmage games, taking on the Houston Rockets on a neutral court in Orlando without fans in the stands. It will be the first taste of what will become the new normal for Raptors fans for the foreseeable future.

For Raptors players, however, things won’t be too different. Playing without fans will be strange when it comes to NBA games, but every NBA player has played competitive games in empty gyms on pickup courts throughout the country and around the world.

Raptors guard Norman Powell said some of the most competitive games he’s ever played in came without fans in Balboa Park in San Diego where he used to play pickup games for hours.

“If you lost that was probably your only game for the day,” Powell said. “It was really competitive trying to beat the older guys and fight with them and stay on the court. And that was the one place growing up where it was always, always a great competition.”

To Powell, it doesn’t matter if there are 20 thousand fans cheering or he’s dribbling up and down a silent gym, if someone is going to win or lose, Powell is going to compete.

The same is true for Patrick McCaw, who said some of his best games came without fans. To him, having no fans means guys will be more focused and locked in on the task at hand.

“I think it’s a huge factor,” McCaw said. “I think it’ll be good for us.”

But McCaw will acknowledge there is something special about hearing the roar of the crowd after a crucial play.

“It’s always a great feeling,” McCaw said. “Just having the crowd behind you after a big play or a made shot. That’s always the best feeling, definitely.”

The Raptors will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. for what will be a 40-minute scrimmage game broadcast on TSN.