For the first time in their 24-year history, the Toronto Raptors are going to the NBA Finals. On Thursday, they will hold home court advantage as they take on the Golden State Warriors who have won three of the last four NBA Championships. The Warriors are favored in the series although they aren't exactly the team that most people are rooting for. Despite not even being from America, a new chart reveals that the majority of Americans are rooting for the Raptors to win it all.
The chart was created by BetOnline and is based on geotagged data from Twitter, according to SFGate. Forty-seven out of 50 states are said to be cheering on the Raptors which is based on the fact that more people are tweeting #WeTheNorth than #DubNation. The three states that are still rooting for the Warriors are Califonia, Nevada, and Hawaii.
Perhaps this trend is because people are just fed up of the Warriors winning all the time. When a team starts to become a dynasty, people tend to turn on them and it seems like the Warriors are starting to hit that point. Not to mention, the Raptors are such a great story that you can't help but want them to win, even if they might be from a whole other country.
Meanwhile, Raptors president Masai Ujiri is touched by the support and the way people have embraced the franchise.