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NBA GMs say Raptors have league's best home-court advantage

NBA general managers think the Raptors have the best home-court advantage in the league. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Toronto Raptors fans got a nice ego boost on Tuesday when the NBA's general managers voted Scotiabank Arena as the best home-court advantage in the league.

The Raptors dethroned the Utah Jazz for the title by claiming 21 percent of the vote in the annual survey of the NBA's decision-makers. The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets tied for second place while the Golden State Warriors and Jazz rounded out the top five.

Toronto went 24-17 at home in 2021-22 as the team returned to play in front of its own fans after playing in Tampa, Fla., the season prior due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After more than a year apart, the boisterous Raptors fans clearly made a strong impression on the rest of the league.

Nick Nurse and his coaching staff also received a lot of love from the GMs. Nurse was voted the second-best head coach at making in-game adjustments, the second-best at defensive schemes, and the third-best at running an offence. Adrian Griffin was chosen as the third-best assistant coach in the league.

Elsewhere, star forward Pascal Siakam picked up at least one vote for being the NBA's most versatile defender and Toronto was an honourable mention as the league's most fun team to watch.

While Toronto got its fair share of praise in the overall survey, the team was not pegged as one of the top six in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks were the overwhelming favourite to earn the top seed, with the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers following behind.

The Raptors are no strangers to being slept on, having blown away expectations with a 48-win season in 2021-22 that saw them earn the fifth seed in the East. They'll look to prove their doubters wrong once again when they tip-off the new campaign on Oct. 19 against the Cavaliers in front of a raucous crowd at Scotiabank Arena.

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