Braving the elements for the love of the Toronto Raptors
Die-hard Toronto Raptors fans withstand the cold and rain for an epic Game 7 win.
As thousands of fans roared (comfortably) inside Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, the crowd that gathered around the outdoor Jurassic Park were unstoppable Sunday night. The goosebumps weren't from Kawhi Leonard's miraculous "buzzer beater" either.
Dressed in hoodies, ponchos and even some parkas, these true Raptors supporters, who traveled far and wide, didn't let Sunday's miserable weather stop them from cheering on an unbelievable Game 7 win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
"I can't believe it gets that cold in Toronto," said a fan in a Reddit blog post while watching the scenes from Jurassic Park Sunday night. "I'm here in the west coast wearing shorts and a tank top."
COLDER TEMPERATURES THAN JANUARY
At the time of the game, Toronto's evening temperatures were hovering around 5°C. Combine that with a steady light rain and it was downright miserable for the outdoor viewing.
Perspective: "We saw nine days warmer this past winter than our forecast high of 7°C on Monday," says Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton. "On February 4th, the city actually reached 13°C."
Cold and rainy or not, there was no weather that could put a damper on the ending of this game. Fans watched in awe as Kawhi Leonard hit a miraculous moon shot from the corner with only four seconds left in the game.
"I saw it go up. Everybody around me just started jumping and I was like ah, that's not going in. It bounced twice, then fell and that was the craziest moment ever," excited fan Adam Saddiq told CBC News while watching from outside the Scotiabank Arena.
The Toronto Raptors have now advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals set to begin against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
MORE SCENES FROM THE COLD AND RAINY JURASSIC PARK
(Before the game, Raptors fan Mark Sosa said the photo of Kawhi Leonard dunking on the Philadelphia 76ers will be a preview of what's to come. Kawhi Leonard would hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer. James Wattie/CBC)