Raptors Will Play Remainder of Regular Season in Tampa, No Decision On Playoffs Yet
The Toronto Raptors will play the remainder of the 2020-21 NBA regular season in Tampa, the team announced Thursday, though no decision has been made regarding post-season play, according to Raptors PR.
"Because of ongoing border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mindful of public safety measures in Canada, the team has decided they will continue to play their home games at Amalie Arena," according to a team release.
In November the Raptors announced they would be heading south to start their season in Tampa. It was a decision made after much deliberation with the Canadian government, but due to federal border restrictions, the team determined it would have to start its season outside of Toronto.
“The Raptors worked diligently with public health officials at the local, provincial and federal level to secure a plan that would permit us to play our 2020-21 season on home soil and on our home court at Scotiabank Arena," Raptors president Masai Ujiri wrote in a statement "Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida."
There had been hope that if the situation with the pandemic improved the team would be able to return to Toronto for the second half of the year. Unfortunately, three months later little has changed from a pandemic point of view, and with the emergence of COVID-19 variants and the tightening of travel restrictions the team
“Florida has been really welcoming to us and we’re so grateful for the hospitality we’ve found in Tampa and at Amalie – we’re living in a city of champions, and we intend to carry on the tradition of winning for our new friends and fans here,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said in a press release. “But home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto. We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again.”
If the situation improves before the playoffs the team has not ruled out a Toronto return. The playoffs commence on May 22 and could run through July 22.
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