Basketball in Canada

[TorontoDrew]

12 games in a row, not too shabby. While we are a ways off and I don't think it's possible for any team without Kobe on it to win this year but I feel safe to say we have a team that can go deep into the playoffs again.

[suburbanite]

Anyone who predicted the Raps to miss the playoffs wasn't watching them much last year given their record without Kawhi. What Nurse has managed to get out of this team's internally developed talent despite the multitude of injuries is beyond expectations though.

Don't forget we were getting manhandled by the Bucks last year until Nurse made the decision to put Kawhi on Giannis. Even after that and the triple teams in the paint, we got bailed out by his teammates missing a ton of their open looks on Giannis's kickouts. He's only gotten better this year and the conference is the Bucks to lose at this point.

That being said, at the beginning of the season I thought 4-5 seed was realistic, making it to the second round and playing a good series against a Sixers/Celtics team would've been a success. Now I think there's no reason they can't go back to the conference finals.

[Maldive]

Hope the injury bug takes a long vacation... Norm Powell was playing out of his head until he busted a finger (too many slam-dunks?).

Hopefully Gasol returns soon but these guys have proven they can win with 70% bench players... emerging talent for sure.

Need the quarterback (Kyle) healthy of course. Great streak... more please.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by rousseau

(up until about 2013 there were lots of games that I didn't even bother watching, but I haven't missed a single one since then).

The Raptors play, what, 70 games a year? You've watched every single game in its entirety (plus playoffs) in the past 7 years?

And you're still married?

[megadude]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The Raptors play, what, 70 games a year? You've watched every single game in its entirety (plus playoffs) in the past 7 years?

And you're still married?

My BIL is nuts. Huge Leafs fan since early 80s and Pats fan since 1985. Doesn't miss a game.

Even when the Leafs tanked to get Auston he watched every minute. Half the the time he had to PVR it due to shift work. Would come home and watch every minute while only skipping breaks.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by megadude

My BIL is nuts. Huge Leafs fan since early 80s and Pats fan since 1985. Doesn't miss a game.

Even when the Leafs tanked to get Auston he watched every minute. Half the the time he had to PVR it due to shift work. Would come home and watch every minute while only skipping breaks.

I was definitely like that in my teen years (and into the latter part of them even) but I haven't been able to swing that in decades- nor would I really care to TBQH, as my interests have changed.

Obviously I've been busy raising kids for the past two decades, but even prior to that, I must say "comprehensive" sports fandom started to level off considerably when I started having more serious girlfriends in my 20s.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The Raptors play, what, 70 games a year? You've watched every single game in its entirety (plus playoffs) in the past 7 years?

And you're still married?

Last year they played 106. And I watched every single one, yes.

My secret is NBA League Pass. I wait until the game's almost over, or even later in the evening, before I start watching so that I can skip the time stoppages, free throws, timeouts and halftime.

I watch the game in less than an hour at the time of my choosing.

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Anyone who predicted the Raps to miss the playoffs wasn't watching them much last year given their record without Kawhi. What Nurse has managed to get out of this team's internally developed talent despite the multitude of injuries is beyond expectations though.

Don't forget we were getting manhandled by the Bucks last year until Nurse made the decision to put Kawhi on Giannis. Even after that and the triple teams in the paint, we got bailed out by his teammates missing a ton of their open looks on Giannis's kickouts. He's only gotten better this year and the conference is the Bucks to lose at this point.

That being said, at the beginning of the season I thought 4-5 seed was realistic, making it to the second round and playing a good series against a Sixers/Celtics team would've been a success. Now I think there's no reason they can't go back to the conference finals.

I agree with a lot of what you said hence why seeding is critical this year.

But dont forget it's not purely luck that giannis's teammates were missing open looks in the playoffs. It's a totally different ball game than the regular season, The Bucks are still relatively young and the playoffs require mental toughness and experience that we saw in the 2019 warriors and now the 2020 raptors veteran core.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Acajack

...I must say "comprehensive" sports fandom started to level off considerably when I started having more serious girlfriends in my 20s.

I didn't watch sports between high school and my thirties. When I came back to Canada from Taiwan the realization that Toronto had an NBA team was something of a shock, and I regained the passion.

It's really only the Raptors that I follow religiously. I watch some European cycling when I can, though with the Raps doing well these days I'm pretty much up to my limit with sports watching.

The only exception is the World Cup. My wife is even more fanatical about it than I am. She absolutely loves it, and for the month of June we barely leave the house.

[Rollerstud98]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

12 games in a row, not too shabby. While we are a ways off and I don't think it's possible for any team without Kobe on it to win this year but I feel safe to say we have a team that can go deep into the playoffs again.

So you’re saying there will be no championship handed out this year?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Great news, IMHO:

The deadline is done, and the Toronto Raptors did nothing. That was always going to be the most likely scenario. The team has a very set rotation, and the cost of upgrading around the margins seemed to be too high in terms of limiting Toronto’s long-term flexibility. There were no stars available, so Toronto couldn’t really make any drastic changes, either.

Trade Deadline Open Thread: No trades for Toronto

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Rollerstud98

So you’re saying there will be no championship handed out this year?

LOL, I meant Kawhi Leonard

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Great news, IMHO:



Trade Deadline Open Thread: No trades for Toronto

Excellent!

[isaidso]

Although I enjoy women's basketball I do get frustrated by aspects of it. They are usually their own worst enemy: missing way too many open shots, missing way too many free throws, not coming down with rebounds they should get, and an astonishing aptitude for turning the ball over. It gets very frustrating. This game shouldn't have been close but it was. Next up will be Sweden on Saturday. A win would put Canada at 2-0 and assured of a spot in Tokyo.

Canada keeps getting stronger each year and is now ranked #4 in the world behind the US, Australia, and Spain. If we're to take the next step and reach the podium we'll have to knock off one of those teams. We're not at the level of the US yet but beating Australia and Spain is an attainable goal over the short/medium term. Btw, does anyone know why Aaliyah Edwards isn't on this team? Too young?

Canada 61, Belgium 56


Courtesy of FIBA

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Great news, IMHO:



Trade Deadline Open Thread: No trades for Toronto

Not surprised to see Andrew Wiggins traded to Golden State. He's never lived up to his potential, unfortunately. He was supposed to have turned a corner this year, but his days have probably been number in Minnesota for quite a while already.

There's talk of the Raptors trying to get Giannis in 2021, but I doubt that's very realistic. Maybe this summer they'll go for Wiggins?

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by rousseau

There's talk of the Raptors trying to get Giannis in 2021, but I doubt that's very realistic. Maybe this summer they'll go for Wiggins?

The chances of us getting him are ultimately pretty slim, just given the math of having 29 other teams also vying for his interest; but Giannis is nonetheless probably the best shot we've ever had at signing a major free agent.

[suburbanite]

Why would we go after Wiggins with one of the worst contracts in the league? This summer is about staying lean in the salary cap by taking advantage of young, cheap talent that we have. The chance of signing Giannis is slim, but he does have a strong African connection with Masai and Siakam. Last night he shot himself in the foot drafting his all-star team when he took Joel Embiid and Siakam first and second because they're from Africa. Masai is actually one of the first people to have discovered Giannis, helping him and his family immigrate to Greece when he was a kid. Then he tried desperately to move up in the 2015 draft to acquire him when he was far from a sure thing. Masai's work with the Giants of Africa would undoubtedly be a draw.

One problem I see would be if the Raps actually do end up facing the Bucks in the ECF. If the Raps beat the Bucks, I highly doubt he would make the switch over after everyone saw the backlash that KD received for doing the same with the Warriors after being up 3-1 in the WCF. His championships being labeled undeserved and calling into question whether he could ever win without a super team. The Raps are not quite the 2016 Warriors, but image is extremely important for NBA players nowadays and I'd be surprised if we see anyone make a move like that again in the near future.

If the Bucks win, than there's less of a reason to leave the team, and Giannis has always stated he doesn't care about being in a big market. If Milwaukeee looks like the best place to win, he likely stays there.

[isaidso]

Canada clobbers Sweden to clinch Olympic berth



Courtesy of FIBA

With the 80-50 win, Canada has now qualified 8 teams to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Canadian women's soccer team qualified for the Olympics yesterday with a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica. The all time high at a non-boycotted Olympics is 5 teams. And Canada isn't done quite yet. Victoria, BC plays host to one the Olympic qualifying tournaments in men's basketball a few months from now. It will be a tougher ask as only 1 of the 6 teams will earn a berth.

[isaidso]

This is awesome to see. I imagine everyone except Carleton fans are tired of Carleton beating absolutely everyone. Men's college hoops needs more parity. With 2 weeks to go in the regular season the February 4-10th Top 10 rankings are as follows. Even with the loss it's hard to see Carleton losing its #1 ranking to Dal. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Dalhousie ranked #1 in men's basketball. Maybe they can win a national title this year.


1 Carleton 19-0
2 Dalhousie 14-1
3 Alberta 17-1
4 Calgary 16-2
5 Lakehead 15-3
6 Ottawa 15-4
8 Ryerson 12-6
9 Manitoba 15-3
10 Saskatchewan 12-6

Other teams receiving votes: UBC (13), Victoria (6)

No. 6 Gee-Gees take down No. 1 Ravens before 8,103 fans in Capital Hoops Classic

The 13th edition of the annual Capital Hoops Classic, featuring the Ottawa Gee-Gees and crosstown rival Carleton Ravens facing off in a pair of high-profile OUA men’s and women’s basketball games, took place at The Arena at TD Place (home of the OHL’s Ottawa 67s) Friday, and it saw top-10 clashes on both the men’s and women’s sides. On the men’s side, the No. 6 Gee-Gees (15-4 heading into this) edged the No. 1 Ravens (19-0) 68-67 in front of 8,103 fans.

https://usports.ca/en/sports/basketb...-hoops-classic

[JHikka]

15 in a row for the Raptors, now third in the NBA after Milwaukee and the Lakers.