Toronto Raptors make the playoffs
Okay, this is my first sport blog, but since a number of my other political friends were posting on the Canucks, I thought I would do something on sports. I've never really been a hockey fan, however I use to be a basketball fan back when Vancouver had the Vancouver Grizzlies and I am now begginning to become a Raptors fan.
Despite having no star players, the team has played really well as a team and therefore has made the playoffs and is in third seat in the Eastern conference. While I cannot see them winning the NBA championships, I would love to see them make it to third round, which they've never done and maybe even the Finals since the strongest teams are in the Western conference as opposed to the Eastern Conference. I am also glad to see Phoenix in second in the West since their star player Steve Nash is Canadian so if Toronto cannot win the championships, it would be great to see a team whose strongest player is Canadian win it.
In addition it is easier to cheer for the Raptors and Blue Jays than either of the Hockey teams since I don't have conflicted loyalties due to the fact I live in Toronto, but lived most of my life in Vancouver.
Despite having no star players, the team has played really well as a team and therefore has made the playoffs and is in third seat in the Eastern conference. While I cannot see them winning the NBA championships, I would love to see them make it to third round, which they've never done and maybe even the Finals since the strongest teams are in the Western conference as opposed to the Eastern Conference. I am also glad to see Phoenix in second in the West since their star player Steve Nash is Canadian so if Toronto cannot win the championships, it would be great to see a team whose strongest player is Canadian win it.
In addition it is easier to cheer for the Raptors and Blue Jays than either of the Hockey teams since I don't have conflicted loyalties due to the fact I live in Toronto, but lived most of my life in Vancouver.
posted by Monkey Loves to Fight at 7:13 PM
9 Comments:
I lost interest in basketball when the Grizzlies left. You could say I'm still bitter about it.
The 00:51 point of this video was one of the greater moments in Vancouver sports history. The Grizzlies won their inaugural home opener at the end of double overtime.
Too bad they had to lose the next 19 (or whatever it was) in a row.
I also lost interest in basketball when the Grizzlies left until I moved to Toronto.
How can you be bitter about the Grizzlies leaving? They were awful! They barely won a quarter of their games. What an ebarrassment to Canada!
I'd say the only cities that could merrit bitter feelings about their professional sports teams leaving would be Montreal (the Expos), Quebec City (Nordiques, who once the left and settled in Denver won the Stanley Cup), and Winnipeg (the Jets).
The Raptors are okay. If I lived in and/or around Toronto I'd cheer for them. They did well from 99-01 but in the last six years they've been pretty brutal. Hopefully they can pick it up this year in the playoffs.
Miles, the Raptors are in an extremely weak divison and thus don't necessarily need to be over .500 to win their division. I much prefer going to the basketball hoop that's in my complex and practice my shooting as opposed to watching players practice their flopping like clowns. I also hate the way the final minute or so takes like an hour to complete.
How can you be bitter about the Grizzlies leaving?
How can I not be?
Michael Heisley (or "Heist-ley" as we call him in Vancouver) bought the team swearing up and down that he was going to keep it in Vancouver. The bastard even made a show of singing O Canada at the beginning of a game to dupe us into believing he was loyal to Vancouver.
Yes, their record was an embarrassment, no question. But had they stayed and found the right management, they could have turned it around. Having said that, what Heisley did would have been despicable no matter what their record was.
Basketball was probably already fourth on my list of preferred sports (behind hockey, football and baseball) anyway, but since the Grizzlies left I haven't give a damn about the sport.
Even soccer is more interesting to me now.
The Grizzlies did suck, but so did management who never really tried to make the team succeed. I think many saw Vancouver as the wrong place for a basketball team and pretty much were determined to see it leave.
The Toronto Raptors are in the 3rd seed and are above .500. Now true the Eastern Conference is weaker, but since they won't have to play a Western Conference team unless they make the finals, I see this as a good thing.
Toronto is also a large enough market it can host both a basketball and baseball team and probably could even have an NFL team if it wanted, whereas no other Canadian city can go beyond a hockey or CFL team. There are 5 million people in GTA and over 7 million within an hour's drive of Toronto (this includes Hamilton, Niagara region, Kitchener, Oshawa, Barrie, Guelph, Peterborough, heck even Kingston and London are only 2 hours away), whereas in Vancouver there are only 2 million within an hour's drive so a much smaller market.
Yeah, I'm definitely happy about this. I'm hoping they can win 7 of their last 9; if they do, they will beat their franchise-best record of 47-35.
I doubt they will make it farther than the second round (that is, IF they can knock off the Bulls or Heat), but it's refreshing to see the Raps have a REAL leader with some REAL loyalty in Chris Bosh, and not some traitorous whiner like Vince Carter.
If only MLSE could look at how well the Raptors are doing and apply the same model to the Leafs. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening to soon.
I am glad to see them doing well, while the Leafs I really don't care for, since I am not a huge hockey fan, plus I still have the Canucks to cheer for. Instead I am a Raptors fan and possibly may become a Blue Jays fan as well, at least there is only one Canadian team in both leagues.
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