General NBA thread

[MantyMadTown]

I really don't think Portland has a chance over Golden State. The Bucks have been really good during these playoffs, plus the Raptors have a history of choking in them, so I think the Bucks will win against the Raptors in 5. I really think they'll surprise the Warriors in the Finals and give them a run for their money. My pick is Bucks in 7.

Fear the deer!

Update: My prediction of the Bucks making the Finals was dead wrong

[ET21]

NBA lottery was 

[Big John]

^^ especially with the Knicks fans convinced they would win the lottery.

[Alps]

^^ especially with the Knicks fans convinced they would win the lottery.

Not convinced, just hopeful, and resigned to the expected disappointment.

[MantyMadTown]

I hated this lottery. The top 4 picks seemed completely random this year and I'm pretty pissed that the Lakers got the number 4 pick. I was pretty disappointed that the Knicks didn't get number 1 (because they had the worst record and I wanted Zion to be a good rival to the Sixers, Raptors, and Celtics), but at least the Pelicans get number 1 and the chance to draft Zion instead of some less-deserving big-market team like the Lakers.

[Henry]

I hated this lottery. The top 4 picks seemed completely random this year and I'm pretty pissed that the Lakers got the number 4 pick. I was pretty disappointed that the Knicks didn't get number 1 (because they had the worst record and I wanted Zion to be a good rival to the Sixers, Raptors, and Celtics), but at least the Pelicans get number 1 and the chance to draft Zion instead of some less-deserving big-market team like the Lakers.

As a Bulls fan, I hated that they missed out on the Number 1 pick, but this isn't the first time a less-deserving team won the lottery. One draft that comes to mind is 1993, in which the Magic, who had just missed the playoffs by a hair at 41-41, won their second straight lottery, while the worst teams like the Mavericks (11-71) and Bullets (21-61) were more deserving and could've really used it. Of course, they traded their pick to the Warriors, and the guy who had been drafted No. 1 that year eventually ended up in Washington (where he oversaw the Bullets' transformation into the Wizards) before moving on to Sacramento (where he helped them achieve their greatest success so far).

[MantyMadTown]

I hated this lottery. The top 4 picks seemed completely random this year and I'm pretty pissed that the Lakers got the number 4 pick. I was pretty disappointed that the Knicks didn't get number 1 (because they had the worst record and I wanted Zion to be a good rival to the Sixers, Raptors, and Celtics), but at least the Pelicans get number 1 and the chance to draft Zion instead of some less-deserving big-market team like the Lakers.

As a Bulls fan, I hated that they missed out on the Number 1 pick, but this isn't the first time a less-deserving team won the lottery. One draft that comes to mind is 1993, in which the Magic, who had just missed the playoffs by a hair at 41-41, won their second straight lottery, while the worst teams like the Mavericks (11-71) and Bullets (21-61) were more deserving and could've really used it. Of course, they traded their pick to the Warriors, and the guy who had been drafted No. 1 that year eventually ended up in Washington (where he oversaw the Bullets' transformation into the Wizards) before moving on to Sacramento (where he helped them achieve their greatest success so far).

Hey, even the Bulls deserved it more than the Lakers, despite also being a big-market team who won 6 championships in the 90s. The thing is that the Lakers have always gotten so much attention, and now that they have LeBron, I bet there are people out there who would want to make the Lakers the next superteam. The Bulls don't really have anybody, at least not since Derrick Rose.

It's kinda sad that I'm even pitying the Bulls and the Knicks, choosing them over some big team from California such as the Lakers.

[Stephane Dumas]

Tonight the night to see if the Raptors win against the Bucks and go the finals against the Warriors or if the Bucks win and force a game 7.

[Buck87]

Toronto won, and will be making their first NBA Finals appearance.

There are now 24 of the current 30 NBA Franchises that have made it to the finals.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

This also marks the first time a team from outside the USA has made it to the finals. Too bad the Grizzlies have been in Memphis for quite a long time now...

[nexus73]

2nd place in a beauty contest has been decided.  GS schemed their way to a few extra losses in the regular season so they could celebrate a sweep on their home floor for a change...LOL!

Rick

[Henry]

Who'd have thought that a Canadian team would make it to the NBA Finals? Seeing that the Blue Jays last made it to the World Series in 1993 (and went back-to-back wins that year), I think Toronto deserves this moment the most.

[MisterSG1]

This also marks the first time a team from outside the USA has made it to the finals. Too bad the Grizzlies have been in Memphis for quite a long time now...

Who'd have thought that a Canadian team would make it to the NBA Finals? Seeing that the Blue Jays last made it to the World Series in 1993 (and went back-to-back wins that year), I think Toronto deserves this moment the most.

Yup, this is the first time the Raptors are here, and for many of us, we thought we'd have a shot to be here since 2016, but LeBron stopped the party each time.

Just a bit of semantics, I'm in the minority on this issue, but I'm not much of a fan of the term "Canadian team", the only thing Canadian about the Raptors really is that they play their home games in Canada, that's about it, there is no domestic requirement in that the Raptors must be mostly Canadian players. In fact, this very Raptors team has only ONE Canadian on the team, the majority of the players are of course American players.

I am hoping however that this series does not turn political like the 1992 World Series did, (the 1992 Jays for the record by the postseason had NO Canadians on the team) but I blame that moreso on the fanbase regarding the Jays. Which is something to talk about for another day. The Raptors don't have that silly nationalistic flag waving like Jays fans do for the most part, there are some that do it but it's not on the same level at all.

Incidentally, the 1993 Blue Jays were the last team based in Canada that has won a Big 4 Championship.

[Stephane Dumas]

Incidentally, the 1993 Blue Jays were the last team based in Canada that has won a Big 4 Championship.

About Toronto championships, I spotted that post on Skyscraperpage forum that might be worth to mention here. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=8584934&postcount=2172

One thing I've noticed is that in the celebrations over the Raptors success, people have been exulting that this is the first time that a Toronto based team has been a championship series since the Blue Jays in 1993. These people have pointedly talked about the "big three sports" in the city, deliberately ignoring the Argonauts. I guess the Argos don't count because they play in an all Canadian league.

If soccer popularity still keep to rise, would we talk soon of a "Big 5" championship?

[thspfc]

author=Stephane Dumas link=topic=24154.msg2419001#msg2419001

If soccer popularity still keep to rise, would we talk soon of a "Big 5" championship?

MLS attendance is the third highest of any pro league in America. Even though that is kind of a skewed statistic, at least MLS stadiums are nearly always full, compared to NBA arenas of teams that are tanking.

[MantyMadTown]

Pretty disappointed that my Bucks didn't make the championship. We seemed to play well in the first 2 games, but then we ended up choking and losing our next 4. I wonder what went wrong?

Still pretty salty about it so I don't really give a shit who wins the Finals. I hate both teams so I don't care if Toronto or Golden State wins.

[Stephane Dumas]

Pretty disappointed that my Bucks didn't make the championship. We seemed to play well in the first 2 games, but then we ended up choking and losing our next 4. I wonder what went wrong?

Some blame it on a jinx or curse known as the "Drake curse".
https://nypost.com/2019/05/16/drake-banned-on-milwaukee-radio-station-as-rappers-curse-continues/
https://www.businessinsider.com/drake-trolls-milwaukee-bucks-instagram-photo-manager-daughter-mallory-edens-2019-5
http://archive.fo/TvGrU

Others mentionned another curse from the Sixers Mike Scott.
https://brobible.com/sports/article/mike-scott-sixers-drake-curse-nhl/

[MisterSG1]

Pretty disappointed that my Bucks didn't make the championship. We seemed to play well in the first 2 games, but then we ended up choking and losing our next 4. I wonder what went wrong?

Still pretty salty about it so I don't really give a shit who wins the Finals. I hate both teams so I don't care if Toronto or Golden State wins.

I know it sucks, but at least it looks like the Bucks have a future, the Raptors don't exactly look hopeful once the high of this season comes crashing down. I'd be willing to bet my life savings that Leonard won't be playing in Toronto next season. The Raptors, despite their records have been the persistent underdogs in the playoffs since 2016, failing each time to LeBron. The reality of the Raptors is that despite their popularity within the city and surrounding area, as far as the NBA is concerned they are a "ghost market" as I like to say. So this is extremely big for fans in Toronto.

Especially with the NBA, its two main channels it airs games on, ESPN and TNT are not even available in Canada due to a duopoly the CRTC holds on Canadian consumers. As for the rare time, the Raptors are on an ABC broadcast, viewership numbers even in Canada into ABC don't measure into the overall effect. So these networks really don't even acknowledge the Raptors exist for the most part, because why would it be in their interest to, they legally cannot make money off Raptors fans, as they would be the smallest group of fans within the US. The best example of this was Chris Bosh, he was basically a nobody in Toronto, but when he joined LeBron in Miami, he was a superstar. There's also the issues of taxation why playing in Toronto is very undesirable for players. Basically, retention of Toronto players is an uphill battle.

Giannis will most likely get you there next year, and Toronto will be very lucky to see June basketball again, I'm just stating what most likely will happen, but I could be wrong.

Incidentally, the 1993 Blue Jays were the last team based in Canada that has won a Big 4 Championship.

About Toronto championships, I spotted that post on Skyscraperpage forum that might be worth to mention here. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=8584934&postcount=2172

One thing I've noticed is that in the celebrations over the Raptors success, people have been exulting that this is the first time that a Toronto based team has been a championship series since the Blue Jays in 1993. These people have pointedly talked about the "big three sports" in the city, deliberately ignoring the Argonauts. I guess the Argos don't count because they play in an all Canadian league.

If soccer popularity still keep to rise, would we talk soon of a "Big 5" championship?

This is actually something I've researched my own quite a bit, but remember this is an NBA forum, I'd be willing to discuss it in another thread. Basically, the Argonauts ever since the Blue Jays were founded in 1977 have taken a backseat in relevance, heck they are practically constant moochers since then. It's also interesting that this guy from Moncton mentions this, because Toronto FC won a MLS Cup in 2017, the reaction upon them winning, which has a fanbase leaps and bounds ahead of the Argonauts, was not nearly the kind of reaction and following that the Raptors got for just winning the Eastern Final.

Honestly, I grew up with the attitude that the CFL is very much akin to the AHL, although this isn't entirely the case because they play Canadian Football, which many will say is a totally different game from American football, but again, this is a topic for another day. It's the general big league attitude of Toronto why the Leafs can sell out, while the Marlies have trouble giving away tickets.

In fact call me crazy, but I believe it's inevitable that the Raptors become more popular than the Leafs in the future, and within the city itself, this is arguably already the case.

If Toronto (and I mean the city and area) was not chained up by the demands to play a version of gridiron that no one else plays in the world, I'm fairly sure there would have been an NFL team in this city established back in the 1950s. Interestingly enough, there was supposedly a version of baseball played in Ontario in the late 1800s that had 5 bases, but thankfully that died away, can you imagine, by force having to play this version of baseball that no one else around the world plays? And I use baseball as an example as it's more of a worldly sport than gridiron is.


One other token to think about regarding popularity of the MLS, remember that their games are mostly a weekly affair, similar to football. Thus a weekly game is more likely to draw larger groups of fans than something non consistent like the NBA or the NHL. Also, regarding the MLS Cup in Toronto back in 2017, the CHEAPEST seats for that game were around $100 a pop.

I seriously considered purchasing Game 7 tickets but backed out when I learned that the WORST seats in the arena would have costed $1100 a pop, I have photo evidence to prove it. Attendance in seats isn't the best way to judge how popular specific sports are.

[dvferyance]

This also marks the first time a team from outside the USA has made it to the finals. Too bad the Grizzlies have been in Memphis for quite a long time now...

Why is that too bad? I think it's dumb enough we have one team from Canada two would be worse.

[Max Rockatansky]

This also marks the first time a team from outside the USA has made it to the finals. Too bad the Grizzlies have been in Memphis for quite a long time now...

Why is that too bad? I think it's dumb enough we have one team from Canada two would be worse.

Its pretty hard to say a city located in a Metro Area with six million people doesn't justify a top tier professional team.  The NFL is the only big four North American sports league without a real presence in Toronto.

[MisterSG1]

This also marks the first time a team from outside the USA has made it to the finals. Too bad the Grizzlies have been in Memphis for quite a long time now...

Why is that too bad? I think it's dumb enough we have one team from Canada two would be worse.

I'm assuming you're still sour because you lost....just for some NBA history here pal.

The Basketball Association of America is the precursor to the NBA, it was formed in 1946, it would merge with the NBL in 1949 to form the modern league.

Anyways, in this league, the Toronto Huskies existed for just one season, the first ever game played in history, which now the league considers to be so occurred on November 1, 1946 and it involved the Toronto Huskies hosting the New York Knickerbockers in Maple Leaf Gardens. Only two other teams from that initial year of the BAA survived along with the Knicks, the Boston Celtics, and the Warriors, who started out in Philadelphia.

The point I'm making, the NBA had a presence in Canada right from day one as the first ever game in that league was played in Toronto.

And for the record, the reason the revival NBA team in Toronto nearly 50 years later was not named the Huskies, because it was believed that their logo would look too similar to the T'Wolves logo. Jurassic Park was massively popular when the team naming occurred, and well that is that.

Its pretty hard to say a city located in a Metro Area with six million people doesn't justify a top tier professional team.  The NFL is the only big four North American sports league without a real presence in Toronto.

Ah, the NFL, this is really deserving of a thread all on its own, but to put it simply, the NFL doesn't exist in Toronto mainly because of the existence of the CFL. Many groups and people here in the Greater Toronto Area have been chasing the NFL dream since the 1950s, however, Toronto's most realistic time to get into the NFL which they missed out on, was the early 1990s, around the time the Jaguars were created. From what I can say right now, London and Mexico City are more likely candidates for expansion/relocation, even considering the language barrier or the Atlantic ocean. As well, the NFL if you ask me has the perfect balance for scheduling, as the way the league is aligned, any expansion would throw off that balance.

[thspfc]

I've always been in favor of expanding American sports leagues into Canada, particularly NBA, MLB, and MLS. Not really with the NFL, though, because the NFL is done expanding, period. 

[nexus73]

I've always been in favor of expanding American sports leagues into Canada, particularly NBA, MLB, and MLS. Not really with the NFL, though, because the NFL is done expanding, period. 

Lebensraum...LOL!  There was a time when the CFL expanded into the US for two years.  Who won the title in one of those years?  Baltimore.  Making this tale even stranger is that Baltimore's team had NO nickname at the start.  They were just the Baltimore Football Club then.   It is the only time a Grey Cup was won by an American based team.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Stallions

Rick

[Henry]

Raptors steal Game 1 in the Finals...who would've thought that?

[nexus73]

Raptors steal Game 1 in the Finals...who would've thought that?

The Golden State strategy in the 1st quarter was to let the Raptors sit behind the 3-point line totally undefended and let them shoot the ball whenever they were ready.  That dug the hole which the Warriors fell into.  Hard to believe a team which did so well at defending the three when playing Portland would look like a bunch of junior high girls playing basketball for the first time in a PE class.

Then again this Warrior team also found a way to blow a 31 point lead to the Clippers earlier in the playoffs.  The Clippers?  Yeah, THE Clippers...LOL! 

Now watch GS go on a 4 game winning streak and be stuck hoisting the trophy on da' road.

Rick