They showed up early, hundreds of lifelong Raptors fans ready to fill Jurassic Park and party long and hard in the hours ahead of Thursday night’s clash against champion Golden State Warriors.
Some wanted to stake out a good position to watch the game on the giant screen outside Scotiabank Arena. Others figured getting there early could give them a chance to win one of several raffles, perhaps even for last-minute chance to watch from inside the arena.
“It’s usually a struggle for me to get up very early but this is the Finals, man,” said 19-year-old Neeraj Varma from North York, who arrived before 7 a.