Basketball in Canada - Page 47

isaidso · #**921** Posted **May 15, 2019, 10:34 PM**

Bucks in 5.

Berklon · #**922** Posted **May 15, 2019, 10:35 PM**

I also don't see the Raptors making it to the finals. The Bucks will take it in 5 or 6.

It sucks that when LeBron is finally out of the Raptors path, the Bucks have become a dominant team.

Doady · #**923** Posted **May 15, 2019, 10:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berklon

I also don't see the Raptors making it to the finals. The Bucks will take it in 5 or 6.

It sucks that when LeBron is finally out of the Raptors path, the Bucks have become a dominant team.

Raptors are a dominant team too, aren't they?

Lebron didn't seem to be too much an obstacle for Kawhi in 2014.

suburbanite · #**924** Posted **May 15, 2019, 10:56 PM**

Raptors were a dominant regular season team who, when playing at their best, can truly beat anyone in the league.

In classic Raptors fashion though they've had several players completely disappear in the post-season. The depth isn't there anymore, and if any of the starting 5 start to slip, things get wonky real fast.

Berklon · #**925** Posted **May 15, 2019, 11:00 PM**

Dominant in regular season isn't the same as dominant in the playoffs.

Like the Leafs, the Raptors have some depth issues. You can only ride the Kawhi train for so long - the other guys have to step it up big time.

Doady · #**926** Posted **May 15, 2019, 11:48 PM**

I never said anything about the regular season. Fact is the Raptors are one of only 4 teams left in the playoffs.

Do you guys seriously believe they had an easier path getting to this point, going through the Magic and Sixers, than the Bucks, going through the Pistons and Celtics? The Raptors are a tested playoff team, the Bucks simply are not.

The Bucks are probably better, but don't act like it's such a huge gap.

suburbanite · #**927** Posted **May 16, 2019, 12:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doady

I never said anything about the regular season. Fact is the Raptors are one of only 4 teams left in the playoffs.

Do you guys seriously believe they had an easier path getting to this point, going through the Magic and Sixers, than the Bucks, going through the Pistons and Celtics? The Raptors are a tested playoff team, the Bucks simply are not.

The Bucks are probably better, but don't act like it's such a huge gap.

Raps are one of the 4 best teams in the league, they deserve to be there. That has nothing to do with the gap between them and the Bucks, who have proved to be a vastly more consistent and better 3 point shooting team so far.

JHikka · #**928** Posted **May 16, 2019, 1:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by suburbanite

In classic Raptors fashion though they've had several players completely disappear in the post-season. The depth isn't there anymore, and if any of the starting 5 start to slip, things get wonky real fast.

Classic Raptors would have lost that game 7 against the 76ers.

blueandgoldguy · #**929** Posted **May 16, 2019, 8:03 PM**

If they lose to the Bucks, I think Kawhi is gone regardless of how well Raps play. It's now or never.

rousseau · #**930** Posted **May 16, 2019, 9:10 PM**

Pessimistically speaking, that was probably the best that Kyle Lowry is going to play this post-season. I don't see him doing that again.

They looked so good for three quarters. It's a shame that Kawhi ran out of gas in the fourth. It's just one game, but it seems to me that a whole lot of players need to have a whole lot of special games for the Raptors to win this series.

isaidso · #**931** Posted **May 16, 2019, 9:57 PM**

On the bright side this was a winnable game. If they had contained Lopez better and done a better job on the boards this would have been a win. Regarding Kawhi, if they lose to the Bucks in 7 and the games are close he might think twice about leaving. He's getting everything he's asked for in Toronto.... including a team that can contend.

MonctonRad · #**932** Posted **May 17, 2019, 2:20 AM**

The Moncton Magic defeated the St. John's Edge at Mile One Stadium in St. John's this evening by a score of 130-120 to complete a four game sweep in the National Basketball League of Canada championship series. This is the first NBLC championship for a Moncton team.

isaidso · #**933** Posted **May 17, 2019, 4:45 AM**

Congratulations. Was it on tv down east?

MonctonRad · #**934** Posted **May 17, 2019, 1:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by isaidso

Congratulations. Was it on tv down east?

Only via streaming. The NBLC should be doing whatever it can to try and emulate the success of the Canadian Premier League. The NBLC in Canada should have the same relationship to the NBA as the Canadian Premier League has to MLS. So far this hasn't happened, and now they have to compete with the new Canadian Elite Basketball League for attention.

In any event:

isaidso · #**935** Posted **May 18, 2019, 12:28 AM**

Optimally I'd like to see a merger between the NBL and the CEBL. The NBL is more established but some have mentioned that the CEBL is better managed with better connections. A combination of the 2 would give us a 16 team league that stretches from coast to coast. They'd be 6 teams in Atlantic Canada, 7 in Ontario, and 3 in the West. It would already be at the stage where one's just adding tuck in teams like Sherbrooke, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Regina, Kelowna, Victoria. I left out Montreal and Vancouver as they'd almost certainly go to the NBA instead. NBL in blue, CEBL in green:

Cape Breton Highlanders
Halifax Hurricanes
Island Storm
Moncton Magic
Saint John Riptide

St. John's Edge
KW Titans
London Lightning
Sudbury Five
Windsor Express

Guelph Nighthawks
Hamilton Honey Badgers
Niagara River Lions
Saskatchewan Rattlers
Edmonton Stingers
Fraser Valley Bandits

SaskScraper · #**936** Posted **May 18, 2019, 12:45 AM**

Quote:

originally posted by isaidso

Optimally I'd like to see a merger between the NBL and the CEBL. The NBL is more established but some have mentioned that the CEBL is better managed with better connections. A combination of the 2 would give us a 16 team league that stretches from coast to coast. They'd be 6 teams in Atlantic Canada, 7 in Ontario, and 3 in the West. It would already be at the stage where one's just adding tuck in teams like Sherbrooke, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Saskatoon, Kelowna, Victoria. I left out Montreal and Vancouver as they'd almost certainly go to the NBA instead. NBL in blue, CEBL in green:

how many more CEBL teams do you think Saskatoon can support? haha

...probably doesn't add much cred to the discussion when wouldn't know where the current teams reside... just sayin'

isaidso · #**937** Posted **May 18, 2019, 1:10 AM**

Ya, I just saw that I wrote Saskatoon instead of Regina. I obviously knew where the teams were as I listed them.... just sayin'.

SaskScraper · #**938** Posted **May 18, 2019, 1:47 AM**

mmm, i still don't believe you

but glad i could straighten you out though,
& you are welcome!!
...just sayin'

Berklon · #**939** Posted **May 18, 2019, 3:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doady

Do you guys seriously believe they had an easier path getting to this point, going through the Magic and Sixers, than the Bucks, going through the Pistons and Celtics? The Raptors are a tested playoff team, the Bucks simply are not.

The Bucks are probably better, but don't act like it's such a huge gap.

Do you still feel the same way now?

GlassCity · #**940** Posted **May 18, 2019, 9:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I've definitely noticed a trend of "settling for less" in terms of what fans gets excited about and define as team and urban lore. Thinking of Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators fans in particular here. This may be true of the Raptors too if they don't go all the way this year.

All of this is probably because Canada is on the light side when it comes to pro sports, and by extension, when it comes to pro sports championships. Compared to most western developed countries, we to tend have fewer leagues, fewer teams, no cities with multiple teams in a single sport/league, and therefore fewer chances for some of our cities to celebrate the type of championships that most people would get excited about.

Not to mention that many of the teams we do have, people don't care about. I was pretty excited about the BC Lions Grey Cup win in 2011, but it's not the same celebrating alone in your living room.