There is no getting around this: We have to talk about the weather. It鈥檚 , and 海角社区官网is a great city full of brilliant restaurants and mind-blowing parties and beautiful people, though it鈥檚 hard to tell, because if the beautiful people are smart they are wrapped in a great pile of layers so that they don鈥檛 get frostbite. It鈥檚 cold. There, we said it.
鈥淵eah, this is bad. Yeah, nobody鈥檚 happy about it,鈥 says Detroit Pistons all-star Andre Drummond.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all we鈥檝e been talking about. The first question is, how are you staying warm?鈥 says Indiana Pacers all-star Paul George.
鈥淚t鈥檚 worse than New York was last year, and New York was pretty cold. We鈥檙e definitely talking about it. It鈥檚 freezing here,鈥 says Washington Wizards all-star John Wall.
Yes, they are talking about it. We鈥檙e all talking about it. This is Toronto鈥檚 moment in the NBA spotlight, an incredible confluence of celebrity and community and glamour, and if you are from Toronto, every conversation with a visitor is like a talk about erectile dysfunction in the movies: You know, I鈥檓 so sorry, this never happens, honestly. Saturday morning the temperature at Pearson Airport was measured at minus-26.0C, which was the coldest reading since January 16, 1994. People are soldiering through, but the local representatives are being asked about it.
鈥淓very day,鈥 says 海角社区官网Raptors all-star DeMar DeRozan. 鈥淏ut nobody seems to believe me when I tell them this has been the worst. It鈥檚 been great. It鈥檚 been a great winter. Until these last couple days. But nobody seems to believe me.鈥
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe him,鈥 says George. 鈥淚鈥檝e been here in January, and it was similar to this. When it gets below 10 (Fahrenheit) it all feels the same.鈥
That鈥檚 not strictly true. With the wind chill, it was forecast to reach minus-31C on Saturday night, and that鈥檚 about minus-24F, and that is panic cold. That is fumble-with-your-phone-before-your-hands-freeze cold. All-star weekend means parties: There were at least 13 big parties held in downtown 海角社区官网Saturday night, and that usually means people in short skirts and other clubwear lining up outside. That is not advisable.
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鈥淚 played here, but I can鈥檛 remember it being like this,鈥 says former all-star and former Raptor Tracy McGrady. 鈥淕ood Lord. For me, when it鈥檚 cold like this, I stay my a— inside. You鈥檝e got to layer up, put them clothes on, and then when you get to the club, you鈥檙e hot as hell. I鈥檓 not with that.鈥
Long before this weekend began, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told then Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke that he didn鈥檛 want to have to deal with a second straight ice party, not after New York last year. Leiweke told him 鈥淎dam, I can control a lot of things, but I can鈥檛 control the weather.鈥 It feels like a hilarious cosmic joke that temperatures will be above freezing Monday, the day everybody leaves. We need to tell people. It鈥檚 been a mild winter. It鈥檚 not always like this.
鈥淥h?鈥 says Los Angeles Clippers all-star Chris Paul. 鈥淚 thought it was like this often.鈥
Oh no. This is our reputation now. 海角社区官网will never snag a superstar NBA player again. We are doomed, doomed. Sorry, Chris Paul. We The North Pole.
鈥淚 did not know that, and look, it falls on all-star weekend,鈥 marvelled Paul. 鈥淟ike, how often does it snow in Dallas? When (the game) was in Dallas (in 2010), there was a snowstorm. And I love Toronto. If you polled all the NBA players, I think it鈥檚 probably one of the top two, three NBA cities, as far as guys enjoy coming to. But I still stick that all-star weekend should be in warm locations.鈥
That鈥檚 fine, makes sense, but: wait: a top-two, top-three city?
鈥淲ell, I don鈥檛 go outside and run or anything like that, I鈥檒l do my workout inside, I鈥檓 sure,鈥 says West all-star coach Gregg Popovich. 鈥淏ut Toronto鈥檚 a great city. It鈥檚 so diverse, the food and wine are both great, the people are friendly. So it doesn鈥檛 matter if it鈥檚 cold or not.
鈥淚 can tell you, we look at the schedule when it comes out, we鈥檙e hopeful it鈥檚 not a back-to-back, so the night before the 海角社区官网game we can go to dinner. So it鈥檚 one of our favourite cities. And usually, you can walk around. So in that sense it鈥檚 like New York, it鈥檚 like Seattle, it鈥檚 like San Francisco, it鈥檚 like Chicago, where you can walk around and enjoy the place.鈥
Do you hear that? 海角社区官网is loved. This will not ruin our reputation in the NBA, probably. Yes, this weekend feels like it鈥檚 taking place in Regina. (Forecast Saturday overnight: minus-6C, feels like minus-12.) Hopefully, everything works out.
But we are a beloved city, and things are going fine. The Enercare Centre, the giant fan nerve centre featuring dozens of basketball courts, was packed with families and fans on Saturday, lining up to see NBA stars or just to shoot hoops, and they were as diverse as this great city. The events are proceeding. The parties abide. There is still the game Sunday night, and a wrap for this weekend that was swathed in steam and smiles and fun. You can鈥檛 see the smiles, because they鈥檙e wrapped behind scarves, probably. But they鈥檙e there.
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