1. 25/4/2014 Raptors fans hitting the road to support team in Brooklyn
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Sports / Raptors
Raptors fans hitting the road to support team in Brooklyn
With Games 3 and 4 coming up, some Raptors fans are finding it easier to get tickets in Brooklyn than
at the Air Canada Centre.
GEMMA KARSTENS-SMITH / TORONTO STAR
Raptors fan Burhan Ehsan and friends will be in Brooklyn for Game 3 of the Raptors' playoff series on Friday night.
By: Gemma Karstens-Smith Staff Reporter, Published on Thu Apr 24 2014
They’ve become known recently as some of the most enthusiastic, diehard fans throughout the NBA.
More than 20,000 people flocked to the Air Canada Centre for each of the first two games of the
Raptors’ playoff series against the Nets, cheering so loudly that, at times, players couldn’t hear each
other on the court.
And they’ve made a presence on the road as well. Raptors jerseys were seen wherever Toronto
played on the road this season. Toronto supporters in Detroit were so loud during a game two weeks
ago that they often drowned out the local fans.
But come Friday, Raptors fans will face a new challenge — cheering on their team in Brooklyn in a
playoff game. It will be the Raptors’ first post-season game on the road in six years and some
dedicated fans are making the trip to what’s likely to be a hostile Barclays Center.
Brooklyn’s Kevin Garnett issued a bit of a warning after Raptors GM Masai Ujiri riled up the crowd in
Maple Leaf Square Saturday by yelling “F--- Brooklyn!”
“I don’t know if you can say ‘eff Brooklyn’ and then come into Brooklyn. So we about to see what it’s
like,” Garnett told media.
But fans such as Burhan Ehsan — a Raptors follower who’s heading down to Game 3 with about seven
friends who all plan to dress in Raptors gear — feel there’s safety in numbers, and he’s anticipating a

2. 25/4/2014 Raptors fans hitting the road to support team in Brooklyn
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lot of Raptors fanatics heading down for the game.
“I’m not scared per se, but if they make me feel uncomfortable in their own home, they’re not real
fans,” he said, adding he still expects to get heckled for wearing Raptors gear.
“We’ve just gotta represent our team. Hopefully they can pull out a win.”
Pooja Rao and her friend are driving more than seven hours to New York for Friday’s game.
“It’s a good way to support them. And it’s a little getaway as well,” Rao said.
A “huge fan” who has been following the team since the franchise started in 1995, Rao was
disappointed when she couldn’t get tickets to Game 1 of the series. Heading to Brooklyn was the next
best option.
“I was looking for a really exciting game, and I thought that’s what the first game in Brooklyn will be,”
she explained.
Rao snagged seats just a few rows behind the Raptors bench through Ticketmaster and said they cost
less than half of what similar tickets would have sold for at the ACC.
Ehsan bought tickets in Barclays Center’s 100 section for Game 3, and said they cost about 30 per
cent less than what he paid to watch Game 1 and 2 in Toronto.
“Maybe it’s because we haven’t been in the playoffs for a while. Other teams are probably like ‘Yeah,
it’s round one. We always do this,’” Ehsan, owner of Raptorfan.com, said of the price difference.
Ticket prices for Nets home games are “significantly cheaper” than Toronto, said Tim Macdonell,
owner of Elite Sports Tours.
His company is offering customizable hotel and ticket packages to Games 3 and 4 starting at around
$200. More than 100 people have already signed up for the packages. A similar package to see a
game in Toronto would cost 40 to 60 per cent more, Macdonell said.
Fans wanting to show the Raptors some love in Brooklyn still have options.
Ticket websites such as StubHub still have tickets to Game 3 available. Nosebleed seats along the
upper baseline were selling for $124 (U.S.) Thursday afternoon.
Fans willing to shell out a bit more cash can experience the playoffs in luxury with a package from
Fandeavor.com. Starting at $1,495, the package includes sideline tickets, two nights in a four-star
hotel and dinner with someone from the Raptors front office.
No matter what the price, fans are eager to see the Raptors in action.
“Honestly, the feedback for the Raptors this year has been greater than any other year,” Macdonell
said. “They showed the world that Canada cares about basketball, not just hockey.”