Toronto Raptors Blogs

So. In what could be a season-defining game against a weakened Bucks, TO deferred to the shooting wisdom of King Solomon and were gunned down 13-0 in the final two minutes of the game. Was Triano thinking: no way Ukic can keep replicating those top draw fourth quarter performances? No way Bargs is going to go 6 of 7 from the arc? No way Bosh is going to keep having the hot hand for his 15th shot? QED, let's take a pot at the king.

Continue reading "Vicissitudes"

Good evening ladies and gentleman. I am tonights entertainment (sorry couldn't help referencing Dark Knight.) This is my inaugral blog about our lone Canadian team, the Toronto Raptors.

This will be a live blog. Check back for updates.

Continue reading "The Pilot"

Chris Bosh has been the cornerstone of the Raptors since Vince Carter painfully dismissed himself in 2004 and got traded to the NETS. He's a constant competitor and the ultimate professional when it comes to dealing with the media, the fans and teammates. He's always taken the high road after painful losses, instead of blaming teammates he's always saying how much the team as a whole have to play better both defensively and offensively.

Continue reading "CHRIS BOSH : TOP 3 IN THE NBA BUT ..."

It was a tough weekend for Raps fans, to be sure. In fact, it was tough to decide which was the worst deal of the three - 1. Jermaine O'Neal getting hauled down by Sean Williams and spraining his precious, newly rehabilitated knee (and not getting a free throw out of it, even though a single make would have prevented no. 2.: Wince single-handedly tying and winning a closely fought game amidst a hailstorm of boos. Not only did he do exactly that, but he did so in such a fashion that made us pause and dream in awe of exactly how good the Raps would be right now if we were to re-swap Joey Graham back for him at our pathetic 3-spot. The same way you look at your ex in her new dress and you know things would never have worked out but still, the possibility kills you. And we've almost just about healed those wounds. Anyway, as if those 2 weren't enough, the Celtics game brought us no.3.: Bosh looking so frustrated that had Raps fans panicking about 2010 in a whole new way. And it wasn't really anything anyone could have done anything about, the Raps were just entirely outclassed in that game. I'm a Raptors fan through and through but I will readily admit that teams above .500 are a challenge for us to handle right now, not until Bargnani is at least at a 15ppg clip, Calderon and O'Neal are back to all-star form and Parker/Kapono put in their 5 3ptfgs a game. I'm not asking too much, am I?

Continue reading "Chin up, Raptors fans"

As I angrily screamed at the T.V. (Raptors vs Nets) Friday night I realized something.  Since Vince Carter left the Raptors they have yet to find a closer.  I love Bosh and what he brings, but he is not a closer.  The Raptors need 'that guy' who can bring the ball up and create his own shot or create a teamates shot in the final minutes.  Too many times have I wacthed the Raptors let Calderon throw it to Bosh in the high post and the rest just watch.  The Celtics have Pierce, the Lakers Kobe, Cavs Lebron, the Pistons now have Iverson.  Even Vince still showed he is a closer Friday night.  The best teams have that guy who you know is going to get the ball in the closing minutes and make something happen.  The Raptors look good this year.  They will never be great until they find that closer. 

Continue reading "Raptors still in need of a closer"

So here I am writing my first Toronto Raptors post. I thought I would thus begin by writing about what it is to be a sports fan. In times like ours where our modern cushy lifestyles does not afford us the luxury of hurling our bodies into bloodthirsty battles for life and death, how do men satiate that unquenchable urge to prove their manhood through war and conquest? I believe this was why sports was created. Sports has provided us a welcome outlet to fuel this genetic bloodlust. We have traded in our swords for jerseys, but we still stand strong under flags and banners that unite us. Men obviously suffer more from this primal desire to fight for a cause. A higher calling, so to speak, so above and beyond us that we don't question what we do in the name for it, ever.

Continue reading "My love-hate relationship with the Raptors"

I recently got talked into playing fantasy basketball this season.  We had our draft the other night and I was able to draft both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics. 

Continue reading "Celtics Look The Same in '08 as in ..."

With the NBA pre-season coming to an end, speculation has started to surround the Raptors. The last few seasons have been a dream to say the least for Raptors fans. Under Bryan Colangelo the Raptors have gone from an under .500 team, to a strong playoff team. However, recent setbacks have caused the general public to worry. Are the Raptors destined to remain a 1st round playoff loss?

Continue reading "Are the Raptors Strong Enough?"

So I normally title my Monday blog: Monday Mourning due to being hungover from a full day of drinking and watching sports, hence the “mourning” because I have to get up, go to work, puke in the bathroom, and subsequently fall asleep in all of my meetings and get absolutely no work done. But today is different, mainly due to the fact that CBS’s and Fox’s regional coverage of NFL games in my area was HORRIBLE. Games that had a spread of +11 with no fantasy implications at all were being aired, so I went and watched polo (you know, the sport where guys on horses trot around and whack a ball with mallets). I had never been to a polo game before but we decided to go due to the possibility of attractive females (there are always beautiful women at horse events). We mingled with a few and made up some elaborate lies that we were just checking out the competition and had our horses stabled a few miles away. We were obviously out of place, with our cheers of “nice pass man!” and “shoooooot it!” but we wholeheartedly plan on attending it every Sunday for the rest of the season – pending what NFL games are on of course.

Continue reading "Monday Mourning"

With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

Continue reading "The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs"

Hello Everyone!

If we haven't talked yet, my name is Zach "Z.V." Sanders and I have been writing here since May.

This past January I set up another sports site called 24/7 Sports Stop as a side project of mine. My current writing staff has gotten lazy and stopped posting, and I am looking to add new writers.

Continue reading "To All Bloggers"

Did you miss me?  Sorry for the extended hiatus once again, but I was busy being cooped up in a metal box for days on end, plus I had to go ahead and lose all of my money to various undeserving casinos and their patrons, so I've had no time to reflect on the world of sports.  Many of you are probably expecting to read (or at least skim) some bitter, semi incoherent rambling post about Tom Brady's left knee and the dirty Chiefs and the especially classless fans of the NFL who actually had the gall to celebrate and commemorate a horrific injury to the league's best player, but I've gotta leave something for Simmons to do, so that will not be a part of my post today.  Instead, I'm going to hide from my problems inside the twisted world of the NBA, where my beloved Boston Celtics are still champions, and my mistresses, the Portland Trailblazers are looking better than ever and are brimming with talent and potential.

Continue reading "Little Wing?"

You may have noticed the small icons at the bottom of your blog posts linking to MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Stumble Upon and other social media websites.  These icons allow you to quickly link your blog post to these sites.  You should be using these links a lot.  Submitting to social media sites is free and easy and can really increase the traffic to your blog.  Consistently using them is the easiest way to build a following and increase your traffic.

Continue reading "How to use social media websites ..."

We've added some additional functionality to our " Headline Widget" so that our bloggers can now promote their blog posts through the widget.  Simply go the "Headline Widget" page, type in your username in the appropriate blank, and copy the HTML to any webpages (i.e. your MySpace profile page or your personal blog) where you want your blog posts to appear.

Continue reading "Headlines Widget updated to include ..."

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Inbound link contest winner announced!"

   WHEW!!!! The U.S. is beating the Greeks like they owe them not only rent money, but gas, electric, and a car note too!!!!

     I personally did not believe the Dream Team would just blow them away like that. This is the best they've looked defensively. They've stepped out on and switched on their screens. They've found a happy medium where they pressure ballhandlers but not over exert themselves to give up easy scores.

Continue reading "U.S. serving up Revenge Pie in First Half"

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

Continue reading "Inbound link contest - Win $100!"

"It's not a game, it's an arms race" - Kanye West and Fallout Boy belt this hook over and over again on a recent hit with that same title. In that context, Kanye and the Fallout Boy guys are referring to the battle of musical artists not only surviving in a competitive worldwide market, but one with hindrances around every music sharing online ripping program. While that's an issue for another day and another blogsite, it's relevance is crucial when talking about the current state of Major League baseball and the National Basketball Association.

Continue reading "From the NBA to MLB, the Arms Race Has Begun"

Welcome to the NBA DRAFT 2008!

We have many young prospects out here, really young...frankly giving a new meaning to the saying Diaper Dandy!!!

 The winners of this draft comes through the laws of relativity. You see folks, this is not 2003, the draft that spawned the new wave of superstardom with Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. No, this is more like the Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry baby draft that is different only by the NBA's latest plan to change the landscape with their "19 Year Old" rule. So be it. While I'm not sold on many players in this draft- Derrick Rose included, my winners follow the common theme- getting the most from the position from which you stand. So without further adieu... 

Continue reading "The NBA Draft- Winners... Losers still to come!"

The Lakers' rapturous Kobe-powered 121-101 win over the Raptors was no doubt fueled by the trade made for Pau Gasol -- aptly-named. With rock-steady veteran AND current season avgs. of 19 pts. and 9 rebounds, he is precisely the pow and gas the Lakers need to fill the void left by the injured absence of the newly-emergent Andrew Bynum.

Continue reading "TRIUMPH OVER TORONTO TRUMPED BY PAU GASOL TRADE"

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/01/60-of-nba-players-broke-after-5

Continue reading "60% of NBA Players Broke After 5 Years..."

I know it's more traditional to do this kind of report after the first twenty games. I, however, am a very non-traditional fellow. So here is your twenty-six game report.

Let's start with what we know about the Dallas Mavericks: nothing. Okay, we know a couple of things. However, if you take everything we know and shine a light on it, what you end up looking at is, well, nothing. At least nothing of any significance. But let’s try anyway.

Continue reading "Dallas Mavericks Early Season Report"

The win last night was phenomenal. Down by 11 at the half and then by 17 at one point in the third, things were looking pretty bleak for the Raptors. After their big win at home over Dallas on Thursday, I was starting to wonder if all their energy had been spent on the Mavs.

Continue reading "Jason Kapono Makes A Statement in ..."