Four months after the day when COVID-19 closed the NBA, the Toronto Raptors were finally back on the floor together.
The Raptors, who had been based in Naples, Florida for the past two weeks, but limited in practice to one player per circle, took to the track for the first time Saturday at Walt Disney World for the restart of the NBA after the team’s move his COVID-19 tests.
It seemed in part like the first day of the training camp, they said. But even a bit like the NBA champions had never been separated.
“For the most part it was really good … the confidence factor really did appear,” said coach Nick Nurse. “A lot of guys are doing a lot of things we normally do, right from the start which has been fantastic.
And we come back, and we come back, and we come back. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/vhFhpWRrOL
– @ Raptors
“Obviously there was a bit of rust and some things that stick out to keep an eye on, or that we will have to change, but from a starting point today it seems like an excellent starting point.”
The reigning champions of the NBA made the two-hour trip from Naples on Thursday in style, dragging Disney World in two black buses that, unique for the Raptors, had “Black Lives Matter” painted with huge white letters.
They were immediately tested on arrival in the NBA semi-bubble, which hosts 22 teams. They were tested again at 19:00 local time on Friday, so they received Saturday at 10 in the morning
The nurse claimed that the testing protocol has become the new normal.
“I think the first two times we did it here and certainly going back to March 11 (the day the league stopped the game), when we left and we were tested, your anxiety level was much higher than sure, “Nurse said. “But I think it’s always: cross your fingers, knock on the wood, good thoughts, all those things every time.”
The Raptors, who overturn the eight-game seeding round of August 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, could be at Disney World for the next three months. The nurse packed her guitar. Marc Gasol has arrived with his Nespresso coffee machine. Players checked into rooms decorated with family photos – courtesy of Raptors staff.
“I miss playing basketball”
Pascal Siakam said he spent 36 hours in the hotel quarantine playing video games and thinking he was “mentally ready and excited to be back together as a team.
“We just want to play, man. I miss playing basketball. It definitely felt like a basketball atmosphere, and that’s all I really care about.”
Mask on pic.twitter.com/neUWDUTcA8
– @ Raptors
The nurse said he had made his way through the first tests he had trained in four months.
“I had some ideas of what the structure of the practice would be like and we made it totally different from what we would normally do,” he said. “Again just based on the situation, I think it’s important for us to play, but I also think it’s important to loosen up a little or decrease a little bit because we are aware of health in general.”
The coach, who raved about his players’ fitness level last week, got heavier than he expected, and “I just told the guys to self-monitor and don’t get carried away, we got a long way from walk here today. “
Siakam said that while there was rust, the Raptors, who were second in the Eastern Conference when the league ended, were all excited to be back on the floor together.
“This is what you want to see, you want to see the people who want to play,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how long you stayed, once you get on that level, the competitive spirit comes out and everyone wants to win, and that’s what you want to see from a team.”
‘Long way to go’
Fred VanVleet said there was a “first day of school” feeling for the whole team.
“We have to get rid of some things in the next two weeks and get ready to play, but in a way we take a marathon approach, we still have a long way to go,” said the guard.
In Naples, the Raptors had not left the hotel grounds except to practice. They had done a few rounds of golf and tennis games in the hotel park.
Siakam has received a new appreciation for tennis.
“I love tennis. I always watch it. Even at home, I used to watch tennis a lot,” he said. “I thought it was easy enough to be honest until I got there. They are certainly tough athletes in the things they do. I respect him much more. It’s difficult. I don’t think that’s for me. Marc is pretty good, actually. I feel that Marc is definitely the best I’ve ever played. “
The Raptors will have the opportunity to explore their new excavations in the coming days.
Good weeks of training in Naples. Ready for the bubble !! pic.twitter.com/9IVHuT9Ge6
– @ Theiceman_21
“I think there will be a little more things to do for us over time, and everyone will be tested, safe and locked up, I think we will have more things to do,” said VanVleet.
Florida has been ravaged by COVID-19 in the past few weeks. Sunshine State has surpassed 250,000 cases with around 10,300 new cases reported on Saturday.
VanVleet said there is a greater sense of security in the NBA bubble.
“When we were in Naples, we couldn’t control everyone else,” he said. “I think everyone within this bubble is under the same guidelines, so that’s probably the biggest difference.”
