Jermaine O'Neal to Raptors

The best news today was my realization that Calderon is a restricted free agent. That means we can match any offer made to him! We will likely be able to retain him, and it becomes even more important now that TJ is no longer with us.

I liked TJ, but when compared to Jose, Calderon is better. I still think TJ is one of the fastest guards in the league, but his poor shooting really hurts the offense. Also, uncertainties about his health really make him a question mark in the Raptor's long term plans.

O'Neal used to be a great player, especially in his earlier years (when I had him on my fantasy team :) ). The key is whether he can come back from injury, and play like before. Bosh and O'Neal have very similar games, where they excel in the isolation post, so hopefully they won't get in each other's way. I am hoping it will work out like David Robinson and Tim Duncan did, although Bosh and O'Neal can't be compared to those two.

But overall, I'm happy that Colangelo isn't afraid to make big trades. Now they just need a SG and SF, one of whom will likely be a defensive specialist. Go Raptors!

Celtics/Lakers

Well the best possible matchup (entertainment) has happened! Even though it took some bad officiating in the Lakers/Spurs conference final, my wish has come true!

I think the Lakers are a better team overall, since their big 3 of Kobe, Gasol and Odom match up quite well with Boston's big three of Pierce, Ray Allen and Garnett. Plus they have the best player on the court in Kobe with a killer mindset that no one on Boston can match. Ray Allen has been struggling and if he is a nonfactor, Boston's chances are even slimmer. I'm going to pick Lakers in 6 (they'll have to win in Boston since the series is 2-3-2).

Regardless, I think it's going to be entertaining, who wants to get together to watch some ball?

NBA Playoffs Round 3

Sorry, I haven't been blogging recently because I've been trying to get my star in MarioKart Wii, which I've finally achieved today. I also hit up Bomber last week, which brought back so many good memories. So many good times there :) I posted some photos on facebook.

But I wanted to get my predictions in before the series got far:

Boston vs Detroit: I think Detroit will win because they are the underdogs and they need something to motivate them to play their best. Boston has been really fragile mentally, and I have no confidence in their play down the stretch in a close game. Their road problems will eventually do them in. Unfortunate, because Boston is more fun to watch. Detroit in 6.

Lakers vs Spurs: A tough matchup for both teams, but I think the difference will be Kobe's clutch play. The Spurs keep on surprising me, so I suppose I shouldn't count them out yet, but I'm still picking Lakers in 7.

David Stern must be shitting bricks right now. On one hand he could have a ratings bonanza if the Boston and Lakers faceoff or he can have a complete bomb if the Spurs and Pistons advance. I, like Stern, will be hoping for a Boston/Lakers final.

NBA Playoffs (Start of Round 2)

They are starting Round 2 today, even though the Boston/Atlanta series hasn't been resolved yet. I haven't caught any of the that series' games, but the result is surprising. Boston was never challenged and they don't have a clear go to guy which is causing some problems. I still think Boston will be able to win at home tomorrow. If they do I'll be 6/8 in my predictions.

I watched most of the Suns/Spure series and it was hard to watch. The Suns couldn't execute and made numerous mental mistakes. Hack-a-Shaq was super effective and really broke the flow of the Sun's offense. It didn't help that Nash looked like he aged 5 years during that 1 week and made numerous mental mistakes. Like I mentioned before, not having Marion to use defensively really hurt them. The Suns couldn't stop Manu or Parker from getting into the paint, something Marion would have helped with.

The most exciting development from that series is D'Antoni might be leaving the Suns. And the perfect place for him to go is Toronto! It would be great to have a real coach in Toronto, not some impostor like Sam Mitchell. It's going to be an exciting off season.

Onto my predictions:

Spurs/Hornets: This will be an exciting series with Paul leading the way. He really made Dallas and especially Kidd look stupid and I think he can do more of the same with the Spurs. But the Spurs have Bowen to sic on him. I think that'll make the difference so Spurs in 6. If the series goes to 7, I think NO will win at home.

Lakers/Utah: Another exciting series that is going to be physical. I wonder if Gasol and Odom can handle Utah physically, and how much Deron Williams is going to dominate. But the difference will be Kobe in the end. Lakers in 6.

Orlando/Detroit: Probably a boring a series. Detroit will not show up to 1 or 2 games, so we'll likely see this series go to at least 6 games. If Howard gets into foul trouble, Orlando will have trouble scoring on Detroit's tough D. Detroit in 6.

Boston/Clevland: If Boston wins, I think they'll be able to handle James in 5. As long as they don't trash talk James.

Playoffs Here I come

Raptor Playoff tickets went on sale to the general public last Saturday at 11 AM. So Saturday at 10:50 AM I start hitting F5 in Firefox. Surprisingly, the site is not slow at all, so I slow down. Right at 11AM, the page loads and there's an option to buy tickets. I quickly look for some upper bowl tickets hit search....and seats are found!! OMG! I quickly fill in my purchasing info and I have a pair of Raptor Playoff Tickets! Yay!

I tried searching for more, but by 11:10 AM they were all sold out. I have never been to a Raptor playoff game before so it should be exciting. Unfortunatly, my prediction for the series is Raptors will lose in 4 (five at most), and I have tickets to game 4. Nevertheless, ACC will be rocking because the Raptor fans never disappoint. Man, I'm so excited!

Like I've mentioned before, this has been an amazing NBA season. Here are my thoughts on the playoffs.

Lakers VS Denver: Lakers in 6. Kobe will be too much for Denver to handle, but I think Denver can win some games at home, especially behind the offense of Iverson and Melo. Gasol will have trouble with Camby and Kmart, but overall I doulbt Denver's D. Oh yeah, Kobe has to stay away from resorts and 19 year old girls and Lakers should win.

New Orleans vs Dallas: I'm picking New Orleans in 6. Even though I have only watched one New Orleans game, I think they will surprise as they have during the regular season. New Orleans really seem like a cohesive unit, while the Mavs haven't looked good with Kidd. I think Kidd is past his prime. The x factor will be whether Dirk can forget about the last two season and play like the Dirk of old.

Suns vs Spurs: Unforunately I didn't watch any of the later Suns game beyond the first two weeks with Shaq. From what I've read, they've been playing well, so I'll pick the dog and go with the Suns in 7. SA is getting older and Horry won't be around to cause trouble.

Houston vs Utah: Houston is banged up and overacheived, but I think their luck has run out. I really like Utah's team and I think they can do better than they did during the regular season. Sloan will have them prepared to battle, so Utah in 5.


BOS vs ATL: Bos in 4. Not much to say here.

Philly vs Detroit: Detroit in 4. Again, not much to say here.

Orlando vs Toronto: Toronto has been playing like crap. Calderon needs to start again, Bargnani needs to wake up and Bosh won't be able to handle playoff defense and the additional contact allowed by the refs. Who will guard Howard? Moon and Parker will have their hands full with Rashard and Turk, and I don't expect them to do well. Toronto will have to push their advantage at PG and hope Howard bricks all this free throws. Orlando in 5.

Wizards vs Cavs: The most exciting Eastern conference matchup, which is also the 5th most exciting matchup after every single Western conference series. The Cav's supporting cast is abysmal, while the Wiz have a well-balanced team playing well together. I think the Wiz will have the upper hand, but it'll take 7 games despite Lebron's inevitable brilliance.

This is the only time of the year that I wish I had cable TV. I guess streaming will have to do. And most importantly, I'll be able to watch a game live! I'm so pumped!

Basketball Playoffs

Almost every year, I go to watch some Raptor games. This year, I haven't attended any yet, but my plan is to save my money so I can attend a playoff game. My cousin Eric went last year (or the year before) and said it was worth it.

Last year would have been good, because Vince Carter was in the house. This year, he apparantly is taking on more of a leadership role now that Kidd got traded to Dallas. Really? Seriously? Check out the leader Carter:



LMAO! Leader? Really? Are you sure?

But the Raptors can't say much, since the Nets beat killed the Raptors in the 1st round last year. Hopefully they'll be more experienced this year and do better. Now if only Bargnani would stop sucking. At the very least, the fans gave something back to Carter:



So if I'm fortunate enough to get some tickets this year, I'll be embarassingly cheering myself hoarse.

The Love of the Game.

The NBA season has been incredible this year. Absolutely incredible. If you are a fan of basketball, you already know this. I think there are two big reasons why.

Number one, the level of talent in the NBA is off the charts right now. There haven't been any expansion teams to dilute the talent in recent years and it seems there are good players on all the teams, with the elite teams having a 3 or 4 all-star caliber players. Kobe, Odom AND Gasol! Nash, Amare AND Shaq! Nowitzki, Howard AND Kidd! Boozer, Kirilenko AND Williams! Pierce, Allen AND Garnett! Incredible teams, which have the star power reminiscent of the basketball in 80's.

The second reason is the (hand checking) rule changes that have really opened up the game for a faster paced, offense oriented game. The game itself is exciting to watch as players race for fast breaks and good point guards are able to get into the paint at will. Good thing Toronto has two top tier PG's :) Plus, the fact that I can actually watch the games I want is a big bonus.

As an aside, my fantasy basketball playoffs start this week. I had high hopes for my team this year, as I had the #1 spot late in the season, but fell to 5th in the last weeks. It's been really competitive this season, as the top 8 teams all had a chance at placing #1. My approach this year was to not punt categories, so I had to look for guys with low TOs and high %s. It was working for most of the season. But now, with only 3 days left in the 1st round playoff, I'm behind 6-2. My #1 player Marion has decided to sit out (there is no way he's sitting if he were still on the Suns). My amazing waiver pickup, Jose Calderon, gave up the starting job to TJ this week. These two things screws my team up completely. Sigh, another year, another dismal finish. At least I had some balls to pull of some trades this year, unlike most years. Next year will be my year.

There are so many other reasons to love the NBA right now. I read this article about the current state of the NBA and agree with every single point. Give it a read, if you are a true NBA fan. There's not much say beyond what's in the article, so in conclusion the NBA is where amazing happens:

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! This year I'm a bit lonely since I'm spending it away from family. My sister is in NYC and my family is in Toronto, while I'm in Waterloo. I decided not to drive home partly because of the weather and because it's a weekday. I'm always tempted to take the day off of work, but I have never done so. Has anyone ever missed school or work because of Chinese New Year?

But the craziest news today is the Shaq-Marion trade. The Suns were my favourite team to watch, but now they won't nearly be as exciting. Marion was great on the fast break and now that Shaq is on the team, I don't see as many fast breaks happening. I guess he could be the one that initiates the fast break with the rebound, but marion was one that could either start (by rebounding or steal) and finish fast breaks. Shaq can only start them. Will Phoenix's half court offense be better? I don't think Shaq will draw many doubles anymore to help Phoenix. He will just get in the way of Nash/Amare's pick and roll. No team is going to cover Shaq when he's away from the basket. This means there might be an extra help defender when Nash does his pick and roll, limiting his choices.

On the defensive end, Marion was by far Phoenix's best man to man defender. Now they have to use Raja Bell in that role and increase his minutes. Shaq is suppose to help with the interior defense, but I have my doubts as to whether he can stay out of foul trouble. He also won't be able to play big minutes, so Amare will end up at C most of the time anyway.

And the biggest issue is Shaq's health. He is way overweight and has multiple injuries. By the time playoffs roll around, Shaq could be injured and then this trade will be for naught. Next year it'll be even worse. The year after Shaq will probably be retired.

Then the salary cap problem of bringing Shaq onboard. The Sun's owner doesn't want to pay the luxury tax, but by bringing Shaq on, he's on the hook for $20 million for two more years. Two more years after this one.

In conclusion, I'm sad they broke up this entertaining Suns team. :_(

NBA Draft

The two most exciting nights in the NBA are the NBA draft lottery and the NBA Draft itself. These two events probably affect teams more than anything else. This year Portland got Oden at #1 and Seattle got Durant at #2, in a loaded draft year.

As a Raptor's fan, I remember clearly how this has affected our team. For example, the 2nd year as a franchise, the Raptors won the lottery, but due to our new (unfair) Franchise rules, were not allowed to pick first. We ended up missing out on Allen Iverson and got Marcus Camby instead.

A more recent travesty is having the 3rd highest chance in the 2003 draft - the draft that included Lebron, Darko, Carmelo, Bosh and Wade. We weren't able to move up and actually moved down one position to the fourth overall pick. We had a fairly good shot at Lebron, and should have had at least Carmelo. We winded up with Bosh, which isn't too bad, especially since he's seems to like Toronto and is unlikely to skip out of town like certain thin-skinned athletes have in the past. But to this day, I still think of what could have been. Sigh.

When we do get lucky, it happens during a weak draft year. Last year, we had the fourth highest chance and wound up with the 1st overall pick. Usually that's spectacularly good news, but since it wasn't a strong year, we got Bargnani - not #1 pick material in my opinion. I think that even if we stayed at the number four pick, we still would have ended up with Bargnani.

Anyway, this year's draft featured two Chinese players. Yi Jianlian is suppose to be pretty good. He's an athletic forward who can score. Unfortunately, he went to Milwaukee of all places. I think there are 3 chinese people living there. What a terrible fit. I hope he gets traded to Golden State or something, where he'll be appreciated. It's going to be really tough for him to adjust to the American culture, especially when he's in the middle of no where. I feel for him. The other Chinese player, Sun Yue, is not that good, but at least he was drafted by the Lakers. It'll be a bit easier to adjust, but I don't think he'll get much playing time.

Too bad the Raptors didn't have any picks this year, but I have to say that the Raptor's progress was impressive and I am looking forward to next season already!