3. Toronto Raptors Make Use Of Unique Advantage

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented some obstacles for teams and players to overcome over the last two years. This year the NBA set a record for players to appear in a game as teams scrambled to ensure they had enough eligible players for games throughout the season.

The league has its regulations for any personnel that may test positive, but some cities have had more strict mandates when it came to vaccinations. Canada, for example, has strict rules that if you are unvaccinated you cannot travel into the country, with no exceptions.

That presents a unique advantage to the Toronto Raptors, who reside in Canada. Anyone that they go up against could be short-handed if their entire roster isn’t vaccinated. While the NBA hasn’t released a comprehensive list of who is and is not vaccinated, there are a few players that we know about and they all reside in the Eastern Conference.

The Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors’ first-round opponent, will be without defensive ace Matisse Thybulle for the games in Toronto as he remains unvaccinated. Irving’s vaccination status has been a topic of discussion all season as he missed home games nearly all season.

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The Boston Celtics reportedly have two players in Jaylen Brown and Al Horford who aren’t vaccinated and would be ineligible.

It is hard enough to win on the road when you are at full strength. Having to go into Toronto, potentially short-handed because of the vaccine mandates in place, would make it that much more difficult. They will take full advantage, winning at least one series this postseason.