Basketball in Canada

[bomberguy]

I don't expect the Raptors to win the series so every win is just gravy. Sweet sweet gravy.

Great win over Lebron James and co.

[Berklon]

Beautiful win by the Raptors.
Even if they were to lose the next two games (and the series), they've accomplished a lot.

According to MLSE, Jurassic Park held 2,200 people for the game... and another 2,500 watched from outside the fences. That's awesome. TV ratings will probably be in the 1.5mill range as well. The Raptors are winning over the city, province and even Canada.

[Ramako]

I wouldn't be surprised if this game got over 2 million. Victoria Day probably added a lot of eyes.

[bomberguy]

WOOOOHHHHHHH!!! I can't believe they tied the series!

[HomeInMyShoes]

I can't either. Hats off to them for hanging tough and making Cleveland work.

[MonkeyRonin]

The NBA isn't even trying to hide the fact that they don't want the Raptors in the finals anymore. The reffing in this series has just been atrociously one-sided - which makes these wins all the sweeter. I doubt it'll actually come to pass, but how great would it be to see an OKC vs. Toronto finals instead of the Cleveland vs. Golden State matchup that they so clearly want?

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Beautiful win by the Raptors.
Even if they were to lose the next two games (and the series), they've accomplished a lot.

According to MLSE, Jurassic Park held 2,200 people for the game... and another 2,500 watched from outside the fences. That's awesome. TV ratings will probably be in the 1.5mill range as well. The Raptors are winning over the city, province and even Canada.

Places in surrounding towns also had jam packed attendance, i hear celebration square in mississauga was particularly boisterous with 1000-2000 watching.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

Places in surrounding towns also had jam packed attendance, i hear celebration square in mississauga was particularly boisterous with 1000-2000 watching.

Yea, there's decent support even in Hamilton. Sports bars are getting good business during games. A restaurant down the street has a full patio when the Raptors games are on (they have TVs set up on the patio playing Jays and Raptors games).

[TorontoDrew]

I noticed a ton of people in the Hammer this weekend wearing Raptors gear, I even saw a guy wearing a "6" hat.

Great game last night, even with the league obviously trying their best to give our Canadian team bad calls. I'd love to see them take this in 6 back in Toronto.

[hipster duck]

Did anyone else catch the game on ESPN? Wasn't it funny when that analyst during half time talked dropped a rapid transit analogy?

He said something like: "In Toronto they have a rapid transit line under Yonge street, and under Bloor street. And in Toronto all lines head downtown. Just like in this second quarter"

He was referring to Kyle Lowry making successive shots from behind the 3 point line, but referencing transit was soooo Toronto.

[Ramako]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Did anyone else catch the game on ESPN? Wasn't it funny when that analyst during half time talked dropped a rapid transit analogy?

He said something like: "In Toronto they have a rapid transit line under Yonge street, and under Bloor street. And in Toronto all lines head downtown. Just like in this second quarter"

He was referring to Kyle Lowry making successive shots from behind the 3 point line, but referencing transit was soooo Toronto.

That analyst was Jalen Rose, who used to play for the Raptors. He always likes to show off his knowledge of Toronto.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Did anyone else catch the game on ESPN? Wasn't it funny when that analyst during half time talked dropped a rapid transit analogy?

He said something like: "In Toronto they have a rapid transit line under Yonge street, and under Bloor street. And in Toronto all lines head downtown. Just like in this second quarter"

He was referring to Kyle Lowry making successive shots from behind the 3 point line, but referencing transit was soooo Toronto.

I've always found the way the term "downtown" is used to be a bit odd. It means "from outside the three-point line," but you'd think it should actually mean right under the basket, because downtown is generally associated with being at the centre of things. And basketball is traditionally an urban "downtown" game dominated by urban "downtown" folks, by contrast with more pastoral sports on grass playing fields.

I don't get it. Three-pointers should be from the outskirts of town, "from the moon," or "from outside the galaxy." The metaphor should be associated with being far away, not the opposite. This is a total mystery to me.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I've always found the way the term "downtown" is used to be a bit odd. It means "from outside the three-point line," but you'd think it should actually mean right under the basket, because downtown is generally associated with being at the centre of things. And basketball is traditionally an urban "downtown" game dominated by urban "downtown" folks, by contrast with more pastoral sports on grass playing fields.

I don't get it. Three-pointers should be from the outskirts of town, "from the moon," or "from outside the galaxy." The metaphor should be associated with being far away, not the opposite. This is a total mystery to me.

Think about it in Reverse, if your in the hood, or in the suburbs, downtown is still a good distance to make a basketball shot, right? So if you're in Compton and someone hits a a three from outside the line, its like they are hitting the shot from downtown Los Angles. (brooklyn/Manhattan / Northside/Southside-Chicago / Overtown-Miami/ Scarborough-Toronto) Get it??

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

The NBA isn't even trying to hide the fact that they don't want the Raptors in the finals anymore. The reffing in this series has just been atrociously one-sided - which makes these wins all the sweeter. I doubt it'll actually come to pass, but how great would it be to see an OKC vs. Toronto finals instead of the Cleveland vs. Golden State matchup that they so clearly want?

Just a thought here but isn't it a bit odd to attach so much importance and pride (civic, "national") to a sporting competition where you think/suspect that the organizers are going to stack the odds against you so you can't win? Simply because of the country you happen to be located in?

I mean, I know there is merit and even glory in beating such odds (assuming the suspicion is true), but what are the chances, really? And what does that say about the respect that the said sporting competition deserves from you?

I hadn't really thought about this in this way until I read your post.

And I can't help but think that part of the Great NHL Tune-Out by Canadians is related to this perception: that the NHL does not want its Canadian clubs to be successful. Or at least, not *too* successful.

Again, assuming that any of this is true... why would we want to play ball with these guys?

Would countries like Brazil invest so much in their world cup soccer squads if they had the slightest doubt that FIFA really, really wanted only European countries to win?

[rousseau]

But yeah, last night's win was a total thrill. As a kid growing up watching the 76ers and the Pistons as my teams (and who was the selection for my school for the all-star game in Hamilton--downtown vs. mountain!), where the idea of having your own NBA team always seemed like a far-fetched fantasy, this year's playoff run has been exciting and deeply gratifying, especially with a GTA-guy on the team making a solid contribution.

Needless to say, my anticipation for game 5 tomorrow is off the charts. Were the last two wins more to do with having home-court advantage? Or, more optimistically, did the well-rested Cavs simply blindside the exhausted Raptors with a couple of haymakers in Cleveland? Are the Raps back into a groove? Will the return of Valanciunas be the X-factor in all of this?

The possibilities are tantalizing.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Just a thought here but isn't it a bit odd to attach so much importance and pride (civic, "national") to a sporting competition where you think/suspect that the organizers are going to stack the odds against you so you can't win? Simply because of the country you happen to be located in?

I mean, I know there is merit and even glory in beating such odds (assuming the suspicion is true), but what are the chances, really? And what does that say about the respect that the said sporting competition deserves from you?

A Golden State vs. Cavaliers matchup in the finals would generate more revenue for the NBA & their sponsors, simple as that. These are elite teams with superstar, celebrity players. People would pay attention to them in a way that they just wouldn't for an outsider, underdog team like the Raptors. They have talent, but they don't have the star power to bring in ratings from beyond their market.

I'm not normally one to indulge these sorts of complaints, which usually come off as whining when your team is losing, but it's now been 4 games of consistently one-sided calls in favour of the Cavs. Even Dwayne Casey called out the officiating in this series - and was fined $25,000 for it.

[Coldrsx]

Let's go wraptorz!

Loved the 'We the south' comment hahaha.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

A Golden State vs. Cavaliers matchup in the finals would generate more revenue for the NBA & their sponsors, simple as that. These are elite teams with superstar, celebrity players. People would pay attention to them in a way that they just wouldn't for an outsider, underdog team like the Raptors. They have talent, but they don't have the star power to bring in ratings from beyond their market.

I'm not normally one to indulge these sorts of complaints, which usually come off as whining when your team is losing, but it's now been 4 games of consistently one-sided calls in favour of the Cavs. Even Dwayne Casey called out the officiating in this series - and was fined $25,000 for it.

I get all that, but my question still remains the same.

The absolute best World Series scenario for MLB is Yankees-Dodgers. Does that mean there are blatant calls that are made by refs in order to make it happen in years where it's a possibility?

[rousseau]

Everyone knows that the refs have a bias against Toronto, there's really no question about it. There are just too many bad calls against the Raptors to be a coincidence.

I don't think it's a top-down directive, as any sort of paper/digital trail like that would be way too damning. They're not that stupid. It's clearly a combination of two things: the refs themselves have taken the initiative to throw a few calls against Toronto because they've bought into the idea that having the Raps in the finals would be bad news financially for the NBA; and good teams with superstars tend to get more favourable calls. That Toronto is an upper echelon team hasn't really been fully accepted by the officiating crews yet.

I get the ESPN feed on NBA Game Time, and the commentators have been calling out bad calls against the Raptors over and over again. There are just way too many of them to pass the smell test. And everyone knows it, which is why the whole arena applauded so sarcastically when a foul on Cleveland finally got called in the second quarter of last night's game.

[TownGuy]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Just a thought here but isn't it a bit odd to attach so much importance and pride (civic, "national") to a sporting competition where you think/suspect that the organizers are going to stack the odds against you so you can't win? Simply because of the country you happen to be located in?

I mean, I know there is merit and even glory in beating such odds (assuming the suspicion is true), but what are the chances, really? And what does that say about the respect that the said sporting competition deserves from you?

I hadn't really thought about this in this way until I read your post.

And I can't help but think that part of the Great NHL Tune-Out by Canadians is related to this perception: that the NHL does not want its Canadian clubs to be successful. Or at least, not *too* successful.

Again, assuming that any of this is true... why would we want to play ball with these guys?

Would countries like Brazil invest so much in their world cup soccer squads if they had the slightest doubt that FIFA really, really wanted only European countries to win?

It's not necessarily that the Raptors are a Canadian team it's that they have little to no star power. Back in the Vince Carter days the Raptors were one the marquee teams in the league and they got featured prime time games in the US. They were also one of the biggest draws on the road. Lets put it this way, imagine if a LeBron James were a Raptor.