Wizards' Beal on rowdy Raptors crowd: 'It gets real in there'

Good thing Monty Williams doesn't have to cross the border.

The Toronto Raptors' northern uprising over the last two seasons has reinvigorated and electrified a long passionate fanbase, and that passion has manifested itself in some of the NBA's rowdiest playoff crowds.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett praised the atmosphere during their first-round series against the Raptors last season (as members of the Brooklyn Nets) and now Pierce's Washington Wizards teammates are getting a taste.

"It made the United Center seem small, honestly," guard Bradley Beal said, comparing Toronto's Air Canada Centre to the Chicago Bulls' home arena, where the Wizards won three times in last year's postseason.

"Just how loud it was, fans were active," Beal added, as reported by CSN Washington's J. Michael. "When they have somebody to sing the national anthem but the whole crowd sings it? It gets real in there."

An estimated 8,000 fans jammed the aptly nicknamed 'Jurassic Park' to watch Saturday's Game 1 on a giant screen outside the arena, while a sellout crowd of 19,800 took in the festivities inside.

Drake, the team's Global Ambassador, was not one of those 19,800, as the hip-hop superstar was in California headlining the Coachella music festival. He'll be back in his hometown and sitting in his usual courtside seats next to the Raptors' bench for Game 2, however.

"We expected that," Beal said. "We just got to be prepared for another coach on the sideline."

After dropping Game 1, the Raptors host the Wizards in Game 2 on Tuesday.

Toronto finished fifth in total attendance in 2014-15, with 809,824 fans making their way to the ACC during the regular season.