It will be a much different feeling Saturday evening when the Toronto Raptors host the Golden State Warriors inside Scotiabank Arena in a rematch of the 2019 NBA Finals.
Local COVID-19 mandates in Ontario now conclude that starting 12:01 a.m. EST venues with over 1,000 people will be limited to 50% capacity.
All of this comes with the Omicron variant making its way through North America and a major uptick in virus cases around the NBA itself. This will also include the Toronto Maple Leafs’ next home game Dec. 24 against the St. Louis Blues.
Toronto Raptors could be the first in changing NBA dynamics
NBA Vice President Mike Bass just recently talked about the growing number of COVID-19 cases within the league. He referred to uncertainty surrounding the new variant and the need for the Association to stay proactive as it relates to COVID-19 policies.
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“Like the rest of the country, and as was predicted by our infectious disease specialists, we have seen an increase of cases around the league,” Bass said in a statement. “As we have since the pandemic began in March 2020, we will continue to follow the science and data and will, in close partnership with the Players Association, update our protocols as deemed appropriate by our medical experts.”
A number of star NBA players have been placed into league COVID-19 protocols in recent days. That includes multiple former MVP winners.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- James Harden, Brooklyn Nets
- DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
- Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
- LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
- Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
That’s an All-Star lineup right now. As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 40 NBA players were in the aforementioned protocols.
As for the Toronto Raptors, this new local mandate has to be seen as troublesome. Remember, they were forced to play all of last season in Orlando. The hope here is that this new variant and the uptick in cases don’t force Toronto into the same situation.
From a competitive standpoint, having games against teams like the NBA-best Golden State Warriors at 50% capacity can’t help the Raptors. Of course, these mandates are local in nature. We could see some notalbe cities in the United States follow the lead, New York City and San Francisco included.