WARMINGTON: Fans fill Jurassic Park to root for Raptors until bitter end


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Win or lose, it didn’t matter because this was the place to be.

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And thousands of Torontonians were at Jurassic Park.

It was the hottest ticket in town and no one was complaining about a cooler-than-usual spring.

It was off-the-charts steaming both inside and outside The Vault for this classic Game 6 battle for the ages between the hometown Toronto Raptors and their Philadelphia 76ers rivals.

It doesn’t matter that the Raptors fell short in their quest to make history and be the first team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit. Despite falling by a score of 132-97 in the elimination game, they gave it one heck of a try.

They made it a series and gave the fans something to be excited about.

There is no quit in the Toronto Raptors.

“What a series,” said Christina Gilligan, who was with the thousands in Jurassic Park on the street, watching the game on the giant jumbotron. “We will never forget this night.”

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Christina Gilligan, her daughter, Zoe, 10, Gilligan Rain, 9, and friend Rae Ellis are all smiles down at Jurassic Park.  JOE WARMINGTON/TORONTO SUN
Christina Gilligan, her daughter, Zoe, 10, Gilligan Rain, 9, and friend Rae Ellis are all smiles down at Jurassic Park. JOE WARMINGTON/TORONTO SUN

She was with her daughter Zoe, 10, and her pal, Rae Ellis, and her daughter, Rain, 9, for a memorable night out.

“It just doesn’t get any better,” she said.

While some people paid thousands to be inside for the big NBA playoff game, this group enjoyed free admission into the public square. Other than a couple of pops and pizza, there was no other expense.

Talk about good value.

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It’s just a great spot for families.

“We love it,” said Vera De La Pena, who brought her kids DJ and Jovie.

The atmosphere outside in the park — whether it’s in the closed-off section fans have to book online in advance, or the other street sections — is always electric. Every shot is as exciting as the last.

And the Raptors staff do such a good job of making it special from the two hours before the game until after the final buzzer sounds.

No argument from Brenna McPhee.

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It was a 22nd birthday she will not forget.

She was there from Hamilton with her dad, Sean, mom, Karen, and sister, Morganne, who had a surprise for her. From the stage, they announced her birthday to her and then all the fans sang happy birthday to her.

“I was shocked,” McPhee said.

What a cool thing.

The other neat thing about this experience is you just never know if you may end up inside the game. It happened to Priyanka Giri and her pal, Abdul Siddqui, who came in from Brampton to be in Jurassic Park but ended up upgrading.

Abdul Siddqui, left, and Priyanka Giri were outside early on, but wound up scoring tickets for the big game inside Scotiabank Arena.  JOE WARMINGTON/TORONTO SUN
Abdul Siddqui, left, and Priyanka Giri were outside early on, but wound up scoring tickets for the big game inside Scotiabank Arena. JOE WARMINGTON/TORONTO SUN

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Priyanka.

She was selected to not just get into the game but also be seated courtside.

“This is our lucky day,” she said. “We were happy to be outside with the fans but this is a dream come true.”

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She had only been to two games previously inside the arena and Abdul had been to just one. But they come down to show their support every chance they get.

Now they will be able to brag about being down near where Drake and Superfan Nav Bhatia sit.

“Wow, what an incredible experience,” Abdul told ths Sun after the game. “So grateful for the opportunity to witness a game courtside. It was truly a dream come true for both of us! It sucks they lost but we’re gonna remember this day for the rest of our lives.”

Abdul Siddqui, left, and Priyanka Giri courtside.
Abdul Siddqui, left, and Priyanka Giri courtside.

Wherever people watched this classic game, it was a spectacular night of basketball. It was also a great season.

After what the whole city, country and world have been through with the lockdowns and pandemic, it sure was nice to be able to cheer again.

And no one cheers better than these great fans in Jurassic Park.

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