A new poll suggests that the Toronto Raptors’ run into the NBA Finals is attracting new fans to the team — and some of the bandwagonners are actually here to stay.

In a randomly sampled nationwide poll conducted by Forum Research, 38 per cent of respondents said they have watched the Raptors during the NBA playoffs. Unsurprisingly, the Raptors seem to be most popular in Ontario, where 53 per cent of respondents in the province said they’ve watched a Raptors playoff game.

Across the country, those in the 45- to 54-year-old range are the most likely to have watched a Raptors playoff game, with 42 per cent of respondents saying they have.

Only 27 per cent of respondents said they had seen any Raptors games prior to the 2019 playoffs.

Some of the new fans say they’re sticking around — 34 per cent of respondents said they’re likely to follow the Raptors next season regardless of the outcome of the Finals. For respondents who have been watching the Raptors’ playoff games, the figure jumps to 73 per cent.

The study was conducted between May 31 and June 2 with a sample size of 1,633 participants through an interactive voice response telephone survey. The margin of error is three per cent and the results are considered accurate 19 times out of 20.

The Raptors take on the Warriors on Monday night, when the Raptors could secure the championship.