I went to the Raptors-Celtics Game on Sunday....

... and left thoroughly disappointed. Man, that game was not even close, and it reminds all Raptors fans just how far the team has to go before we can consider them an elite team, or even a playoff team at this point. I mean, I expected somewhat of a letdown after Friday's debacle against New Jersey, but, holy shit, this team had nothing from the get-go.
Never mind the 10-0 run to start the game, this game was shitty to watch from start to finish. Perkins abused Bosh and O'neal inside, and Rajon Rondo blew by Calderon at will every time he had the ball. At least JO came out to play, albeit for 13 minutes. In the second half, the Raps starters played the Celtic's bench for pretty much 20 minutes, and left still down by 20. Embarrassing. Parker scored 15 or something, but had a horrible defensive game, giving Ray Allen shot after shot from the corner. The Raptor mascot was pretty awesome, he did a great Vanilla Ice dance routine, which was highly entertaining, we got free pizza, and there was a girl I recognized a few rows ahead of me, who I went to high school with, but I didn't get a chance to catch up with her. Small world, though. One other highlight was after the game in the booth where they film NBATV post-game crap, the fans were chanting " Fire Mitchell" super loud. Maybe they are right. The team was not prepared, was over-matched at every turn, and the defensive lapses have to fall on someone, and Sam IS the coach, so I dunno...

Mugsy's First Raptors Game

All I can say is that I enjoyed my first NBA game so much more than I thought I would. I have seen one other "pro" game, in 1994 in Hamilton for the World Championships. Dream Team 2, baby. But that was a long time ago. This time, it is the Toronto Raptorials vs. the Miami Heat. So, anyway, I have side prime tickets, which are about twenty rows back from the floor seats. Great tix. Great game. 22 lead changes after 3 quarters. D-Wade is dunking everywhere. J-O is blocking all shots. Bosh is Bosh. Calderon, is, well, sitting out with a pulled hammy. That was the only downer about the game. But on the bright side, I bet my buddy that Bargs would outscore Jose. Cha-Ching!
The highlight for me came when Jermaine blocked a lay-up attempt by I believe it was Mario Chalmers, and Ukic ran it down court, flipped it to Kapono for a transition 3-pointer. The crowd went nuts and that capped a 15-2 run. Game over. Free pizza too.

Compare this to my first Maple Leaf game of the year, last night at the ACC. We got tickets against the glass!!! Ten seats from the players bench. Pretty fucking crazy. Got 'em from the scalpers at 67% off pretty much. Great game, lots of hits, one fight, and good action end to end. BUT, everyone one around us was a corporate suit. I guess that's what to expect with such expensive seats. We were by far the loudest, most obnoxious people in our section. Every time we tried to start the "Go Leafs Go" thing, the suits looked at us as if we were high on the dope. It was demoralizing. Some arseholes behind us were even talking about mergers and profit margins or some shit during the fight! Totally unacceptable in my book. So we decided to get progressively louder and drunker. We paid pretty good cash the the seats, and if the jerks behind us don't want to stand up, they can sit down and stare at my fat ass. They actually asked us to sit down during the last minute of the game, when the Leafs had multiple opportunities to score. The shame. The worst fans in the league, no doubt. So at the end of the game, I decide to climb against the glass for a picture opportunity. I fell into the first row of seats, then rolled out onto the aisle way. We got kicked out. Well, not so much kicked out, but as we were leaving and yelling at the ushers(whom we called bouncers for some reason), they were yelling for security. Then we proceeded to make fun of a Bruins fan with a mullet, and I flicked my cigarillo(quit smoking regular smokes) at him.
One observation- Raptors fangirls are waaay prettier than Leafs fangirls, for whatever that is worth. and much more knowledgeable about their respective sports.

Doug Smith: nihilist

On Prime Time Sports tonight, Stephen Brunt floated absurd rumours that Vince (He Who Shall Not Be Named) Carter might return to Toronto through a trade.

In discussing Carter's ugly departure from the Raptors, Toronto Star beat writer Doug Smith said: "Everything always ends badly everywhere."

Is Doug Smith goth?

Magic Vs. Bird

So, in the early going of the new season, Boston and LA are the class of the NBA once again.  I hate that with all the changes and trades and awesome rookies that came into the league this year, that we will most likely end up seeing the same two teams battle it out for the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.  They are so obviously better than all the other teams that I just know this is going to happen.  I know, it is 7 months away, anything can happen, etc., but, barring any serious injuries to any rotation guys, the whole regular season is just a formality.  Don't believe the hype on the Atlanta Hawks.  I implore you.  I mean, they are good, that is true, and played the champs close, but they are still Atlanta.  They are okay, but they are Toronto Raptor okay, if that makes sense.  Being a Raptors fan is tough, I don't know where to start.  I guess they are where they should be, hovering right about at .500.  Bask in you mediocrity, Raptors!  JO has been alright, if a little inconsistent,  Bosh is his usual beastly self, Calderon is regressing a tiny bit in my book, but is still All-star material, the bench sucks, Bargs is way too inconsistent, and we all know how I feel about the shooting guard/small forward positions.

I guess if  I had to pick a "sleeper" team, or a team to watch, I would say the Portland Trail Blazers, just like everyone else.  But, I must say, once Utah gets on a roll, watch out!  I have a man crush on Deron Williams, and Kirlenko is a Fantasy demi-god.  As far as the East goes, I do not think anyone is really that good (besides Boston), and talks of the West's supremacy over the league being in jeopardy are vastly untrue.   

Draft Mike Bozzer

Despite being a combo guard with good size and the ability to attack the basket, Muggsy Boz was never drafted by the NBA. Fortunately there is more than one NBA, and the Nunavut Bozzer Association is making Mike Bozzer its first and only overall draft pick.

http://draftmikebozzer.blogspot.com.

Frozen Five Ball Tournament This Weekend

So, the time has finally arrived. The first tournament of the season, with a record 5 teams participating. We have the High School Musicals, a bunch of players from the local school; the NunaBombers, an ornery bunch of old pricks, who are favoured every year because they pick their team weeks ahead of time and get all the good players; Our Magic Johnsons, the best team in all the land (mine); the Fab Seven, which has no ring to it whatsoever; and the Underage Underdogs, who are a bunch of young random dudes with no game.
Games start at 9:00 am Saturday until 5:30, and Sunday from 9:00 to the championship game at 4:00pm.

I encourage both readers to come out and watch some overweight, undersized, unskilled players chasing after the glory years of high school.

Obama abuses McCain in swing states, low post

First of all, let's give John McCain some credit for a classy, educated and humane concession speech last night. Too bad he's a Republican and that kind of oratory doesn't go over well with the GOP core, who booed like pricks throughout most of McCain's speech. Especially anytime he mentioned Barack Obama's name. It was shameful, and by the way he cringed you can tell McCain thought so too.

I don't know what the Republicans were so upset about. They're rich and they live in Phoenix where it's warm. Just go grab a margarita and go to bed. Tomorrow is another day.

I don't have to tell anybody about the significance of what happened last night. But the sight of what, 100,000 in Grant Park, a crowd of normal people, of all races, all of whom were freaking out happy was pretty moving. Seeing Jesse Jackson crying was pretty amazing. What made me sad was that we all wanted Obama to get off the stage ASAP so no one would shoot him. The next hurdle is seeing America electing a black president and not having to worry about that.

Regardless, after having lived through eight years of delusional, criminal, kleptocratic Bush rule, today is a good day for the human race.

What has this to do with basketball? Duh, Obama's got good low-post moves and is a deft passer. Just ignore the wiener doing the play-by-play. Mute it or something.

AI, A Bad Boy

Wow. What a trade that may or may not happen today. According to Truehoop, Allen Iverson is going to Detroit in exchange for Antonio McDyess and Chauncey Billips. I think this is a great move for both teams. It gives the Pistons a major scorer, and a shakeup after only one championship and 5 semi-finals appearances. Denver gets a true point guard, and this is also a homecoming for Billips, a University of Colorado product.
Crazy, crazy day. I have heard of this trade for about a year now, but it is finally coming to fruition. It also bodes well for my Fantasy Team, anchored by Carmelo Anthony. I see him averaging about 29 points a game, with more assists as well. Maybe I should have held onto Jason Maxiel, who is prime to get bigger minutes for the Pistons now that Mcdyess is a goner.