In the tiny hamlet of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, more than 3,000 kilometres northwest of Scotiabank Arena, the Toronto Raptors’ famous slogan takes on a whole new meaning.
“One of our big jokes is the line ‘We the North.’ And up here we kid, ‘We the real North,’” said Paula Cziranka, a high school teacher in the remote community that’s home to roughly 1,600 people — less than a tenth of the capacity of Scotiabank Arena.
In a phone interview Sunday ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Raptors and Golden State Warriors, Cziranka said nearly everyone in town was awaiting the outcome with “bated breath.