Basketball in Canada

[Acajack]

So I picked up the Globe and Mail yesterday in the Maple Leaf Lounge of a Canadian airport that shall remain nameless.

In it there is a special souvenir section on the Raptors.

Since the Globe is behind a paywall for most here are some of the interesting tidbits I found in the lead article that waxes poetically about the victory.

... the Toronto Raptors, Canada's only basketball team...

Basketball is played fast on a short court and lets you see more shoulder and arm and leg than other sports... which use pads and protect... basketball's more intimate and personal than Canada's dominant sport, hockey... interesting point, actually

... you don't have to be from here to represent here.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by Acajack

So I picked up the Globe and Mail yesterday in the Maple Leaf Lounge of a Canadian airport that shall remain nameless.

In it there is a special souvenir section on the Raptors.

Since the Globe is behind a paywall for most here are some of the interesting tidbits I found in the lead article that waxes poetically about the victory.

... the Toronto Raptors, Canada's only basketball team...

Basketball is played fast on a short court and lets you see more shoulder and arm and leg than other sports... which use pads and protect... basketball's more intimate and personal than Canada's dominant sport, hockey... interesting point, actually

... you don't have to be from here to represent here.

It's getting to be really a bit much over the top. Once the parade is over maybe CBC Toronto will finally shut the fuck up about the Raptors.

[rousseau]

Any hockey guys looking in here? I'm really out of the loop with hockey, so I don't know how things are, but I'm curious: does an NHL team have to have two or more superstars on the roster to win the Cup?

That's how it is with the NBA. You simply can't win without at least two certified superstars on the court, the notable exceptions to the rule being this year's Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and the Pistons in 1989 and 1990. A gritty and determined NBA team with just one future Hall of Famer (or less) winning 16 games in the post-season is a rarity.

It has something to do with the nature of the way the game is played, I think. In the playoffs you shrink the roster actually getting onto the floor down to eight players, and the superstars will play the entire fourth quarter if it's a close one. Whereas with hockey you're still switching lines throughout, right?

Would you ever have a guy play the whole third period in hockey?

[Doady]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

It's getting to be really a bit much over the top. Once the parade is over maybe CBC Toronto will finally shut the fuck up about the Raptors.

And hopefully people will finally shut the fuck up about people not shutting the fuck up about the Raptors.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Doady

And hopefully people will finally shut the fuck up about people not shutting the fuck up about the Raptors.

Well, the former could not exist without the latter.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

It's getting to be really a bit much over the top. Once the parade is over maybe CBC Toronto will finally shut the fuck up about the Raptors.

The people in the non-NBA basketball milieu in Canada are really good sports about Raptors mania. They're 100% behind and pumped about the Raps even though the Raps and most of their fans pretend they don't exist and basketball in this country ceases to exist when you cross Bremner Blvd.

I am not a basketball fan anyway but my Raptors mania was definitely cooled by this attitude.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Any hockey guys looking in here? I'm really out of the loop with hockey, so I don't know how things are, but I'm curious: does an NHL team have to have two or more superstars on the roster to win the Cup?

That's how it is with the NBA. You simply can't win without at least two certified superstars on the court, the notable exceptions to the rule being this year's Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and the Pistons in 1989 and 1990. A gritty and determined NBA team with just one future Hall of Famer (or less) winning 16 games in the post-season is a rarity.

It has something to do with the nature of the way the game is played, I think. In the playoffs you shrink the roster actually getting onto the floor down to eight players, and the superstars will play the entire fourth quarter if it's a close one. Whereas with hockey you're still switching lines throughout, right?

Would you ever have a guy play the whole third period in hockey?

The Blues were in last place at Christmas and ended up winning the cup.

Bruins Defenceman Chara played 3 games with a broken jaw.

Only the goalie (unless he's pulled) will play the entire game. You may shorten your bench to 3 lines but if your fourth is contributing you play all four to keep them fresh. The speed and collisions are such that you'd have to be Captain America to play a period without a rest.

I only watched the last half of the NBA Finals Game 6 and I couldn't believe that there was zero rebounding battles. It seemed that as soon as the guard made a shot everyone was running back up the court and the defending team very rarely had a person in their face for the rebound.

The final .9 seconds was very anti-climatic.

[samne]

We got some PuckHeads lurking in here.

Toronto is the most bandwagon city in the world. I have no problem with the temporary mania basketball is getting. Glad basketball and The Raptors are getting their due attention in Toronto and I guess Canada. To me the NBA have the best athletes in the world. People are starting to "get it".

I was talking Raptors with people I would never have before.

In a wider North American or global sense Toronto is the "It city" in the "It sport".

[theman23]

Originally Posted by logan5

This thread is basically a Raptors thread in the Canada section, and that's fine, but if somebody wants to talk about the NBA returning to Vancouver in the Basketball in Canada thread, they have every right to do so. This is the place to do just that. Go to a different basketball forum if you don't like hearing about other things besides the Raptors and Drake the Fake.

And Vancouver is not way down on the list.

Vancouver can barely support the Canucks, doubt the Grizzlies can be a feasible team here especially with the weak dollar and the fair weather sports fans in this city.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by Gresto

I, too, find the celebrations and attention to the NBA finals and win vastly overblown, and it rankles when I turn on the national news, expecting to hear some world and national news of consequence, and see nothing but "Raptors win/parade plans" for the first 15 minutes. It's neato that the Raptors won, and it's good for this city, but let's move on. There are important things going on in this country and across the globe.
But I can tell you one thing: a small proportion of Torontonians may be fixated on all-things-Toronto, as some denizens of all cities are with their hometowns, and those boosters and homers are as intensely irritating to me as they are to you (hopefully you feel the same way about Vancouverites of that ilk), but not a single person in Toronto looks to or cares what Vancouver thinks about Toronto. Sorry to break the news. I would venture with some assurance that Vancouver and Montreal have far more city-aggrandizers and city-solipsists per capita than Toronto. Torontonians as a rule are very critical of this city, which has a reputation among longtime residents of "working despite itself".

Having lived in Vancouver for 5 years now and having grown up in Toronto, this is pretty much the truth.

And I much prefer living in Vancouver BTW.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by logan5

...if somebody wants to talk about the NBA returning to Vancouver in the Basketball in Canada thread, they have every right to do so.

Of course they do. I don't think there's any rule on the forum against discussing fairy tales.

[megadude]

Forgot to mention that Raptors 905 also won the championship in this time frame. A team that FVV and Pascal were on.

Even more pressure for the Leafs.

Originally Posted by megadude

So... TFC, Marlies, raps and Argos (just before acquisition) have won championships in past two years but MLSE’s other property, the lame leafs, have been nowhere close. And they definitely would have had a great chance this year with a coach that isn’t a dinosaur IMO. And an overpaid one at that too.

Let’s hope mlse gets the message that you can have a rookie head coach win a championship instead of one you pay $7m a year who in the past won with loaded teams.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by theman23

Having lived in Vancouver for 5 years now and having grown up in Toronto, this is pretty much the truth.

And I much prefer living in Vancouver BTW.

This may be true of Vancouver but Montreal obsesses over Toronto similarly to how Toronto obsesses over Montreal - not very much.

[megadude]

So what's the order of the top 5 Raps of all time? If criteria is production, tenure, impact and likability then it's some order involving these guys, no?

Vince
CB4
DeMar
Lowry
Kawhi

For honourary guys based on cult following or likability and respect then we can throw in guys like Mighty Mouse, Alvin Williams, JYD, Bismack, etc. Gotta be a few more. And couple guys on this team will join that list soon enough if not already.

[megadude]

Loving all the narratives and unique history being made.

Serge and Pascal, two Africans, each the first from their nations to win the title. Must mean a lot, especially with all the work Masai does in Africa.

The Kawhi story line, especially with all the haters from last year.

Lowry redemption story.

Pau and Marc, the first brothers to win the title.

Jeremy Lin fist Asian American to win and his whole background story. Also, dude is from the Bay Area.

McCaw winning 3 titles in first 3 years. Better than Sam Cassel, though he started. Oh and Chris Boucher from MTL with 2 in 2. I had no idea he was on GSW last year.

FVV. Basically no scholarship offers, not drafted, and now major contributor to title winning team. His father also murdered like Kawhi's. Jeremy Lin also no scholarship and undrafted.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by megadude

So what's the order of the top 5 Raps of all time? If criteria is production, tenure, impact and likability then it's some order involving these guys, no?

Vince
CB4
DeMar
Lowry
Kawhi

That's a tough one. To my mind, being the best player on the only team to win a championship in franchise history makes you the best of all time because championships trump everything.

So there's a good argument for putting Kawhi at no. 1.

And I think you have to put Lowry at no. 2 because he was the second best player on this championship team, plus he's got the seven-year Raps pedigree.

I'm not sure how you measure the remaining guys. Impact? Success? Individual stats?

I'd say DeMar at no. 3 because he got the Raps to five consecutive playoff appearances (even if he wasn't so good once they got there).

No. 4: Vince, because he lit a fire under Toronto's/Canada's hoops culture.

No. 5: CB4 was a very good player who was only ever going to be third-best on a championship-calibre team. And so he was.

Originally Posted by megadude

For honourary guys based on cult following or likability and respect then we can throw in guys like Mighty Mouse, Alvin Williams, JYD, Bismack, etc. Gotta be a few more. And couple guys on this team will join that list soon enough if not already.

To that list add Morris Peterson, Jose Calderon, Charles Oakley and, finally, Pops Mensah-Bonsu for his terrific name and a game that was sort of like what Pascal Siakam does (except at nowhere near the same level).

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by megadude

Loving all the narratives and unique history being made.

Serge and Pascal, two Africans, each the first from their nations to win the title. Must mean a lot, especially with all the work Masai does in Africa.

The Kawhi story line, especially with all the haters from last year.

Lowry redemption story.

Pau and Marc, the first brothers to win the title.

Jeremy Lin fist Asian American to win and his whole background story. Also, dude is from the Bay Area.

McCaw winning 3 titles in first 3 years. Better than Sam Cassel, though he started. Oh and Chris Boucher from MTL with 2 in 2. I had no idea he was on GSW last year.

FVV. Basically no scholarship offers, not drafted, and now major contributor to title winning team. His father also murdered like Kawhi's. Jeremy Lin also no scholarship and undrafted.

It's like a storybook. So much good stuff to sink your teeth into.

For me the most gratifying ones are the Lowry redemption story and the belief that Kawhi inspired. The latter is something that no Raps team ever had before. Vince had stretches of superstar reliability, as did DeMar (though never in the playoffs), but nothing on the level of Kawhi. You could count on him not flaming out. It was satisfying knowing that a loss was always due to better shooting or breaks on the part of the opponent, and not because the team froze like a deer in the headlights as in previous years.

Perhaps some people might think, well, where's the suspense or drama in having a reliable superstar who almost always gets what your team needs? Wouldn't that be too predictable? And to that I would say: when you've suffered as a fan through years of playoff awfulness, having the best guy on your team is a lot of fun.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Of course they do. I don't think there's any rule on the forum against discussing fairy tales.

Or non stop jerking off over a sports team, it's all good.

[megadude]

Getting blasted by emails from GO Transit regarding service updates can be annoying, but necessary in the odd case it applies to your train. Non stop stream of emails today saying train 123 is delayed 10 minutes due to passenger volume is not only not annoying but actually getting me more hyped up.

[Berklon]

Someone had a sign that read:

"Started from Bargnani, now we're here"