It was quite a show on Wednesday night at the Air Canada Centre. At one point a number of people in media row looked around and said, "Who are these guys in the white uniforms?" It was one of the best efforts all season by the Raptors as they played with energy, emotion and an awareness that almost saw them take down the vaunted Lakers. While it is certainly something to build on, the bottom line is, even though they were right there, Toronto still came away with a loss.
Interesting take by Phil Jackson who has coached both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as he commented on the huge scoring games they each have had at Madison Square Garden. Jackson noted that Bryant's 61 points came against the "quick shot" Knicks, implying that New York aided Kobe's cause with its up tempo style. Jordan on the other hand scored his "double nickel" of 55 points against Riley's Knicks who were known as a hard-nosed, defensive minded team. So in that context, Jordan's 55 against the Knicks of that era garners a slight edge in these eyes (Jackson did call Bryant and Jordan two-of-a-kind when it comes to their competitive fire).
The participants for the three-point shootout at All-Star Weekend in Phoenix have been announced and Raptor forward Jason Kapono will try to join a very short list of consecutive three-time champions. Larry Bird (1987-1989) and Craig Hodges (1990-1992) are the only ones to have turned the trick and Kapono spoke about the event. In his usual light-hearted manner Kapono chatted with a few media members about the finer points of the three point competition.
In his first victory Kapono talked about how quickly the pressure built. He went in to the contest figuring that somewhere in the neighbourhood of 20 or 21 points might be good enough to walk away with the trophy. Heck, Bird won hitting 16 and 17 in two contests. But to Kapono's surprise both Mike Miller and Jason Terry grabbed his attention as they hung up 23 each in the first round.
The two-time defending champion in a group with Peja Stojakovic, Jeff Hornacek, and Mark Price who have also claimed two three-point shoot out titles, also talked about the subtle pressures involved. Kapono pointed out that unlike a game, there is no help and you are basically like a tennis player or a golfer, out there on your own and as he put it, "it's all you". He noted how important it is to focus in the circus like atmosphere. With all the cameras in your face and with TV cables strewn about the floor, if you are not careful, distractions will get the best of you.
In Kapono's books, another key aspect of the contest is rhythm. If your stroke is on and you get in a groove, it spells trouble for fellow competitors; but if you're off, there isn't a lot of time to start over. Kapono draws the comparison to an accomplished golfer with a single digit handicap:
"Hey, it's not like golf where you can use the breakfast ball, (his name for the Mulligan, the first tee shot of the day at an early hour when you haven't eaten breakfast and you decide to tee up another one) or the commuter ball (that's the late afternoon version when you drive to the course and step up to the tee cold and then tee it up for a second try)," laughed Kapono. "You got to try and turn it around quickly with little time if you're going bad."
So with two titles, where does he keep championship trophies?
"The bathroom," deadpanned Kapono. "That way I get to see them four or five times a day." After a good chuckle that sent me searching for the truth that eventually came from his better half. Laughing loudly at her husband's response, Ashley Kapono, finally let it be known that one of the trophies is at the couple's off-season home in Las Vegas and the other is kept at their place in Northern California. But not without her comedic side, Ashley did say, when in party mode, she will hold the trophy over her head and run around the house.
I received many e-mails regarding the comment made to me by Boston's Paul Pierce's a couple of weeks ago. With the defending champion Celtics in town for a Sunday afternoon tilt with the Raptors, Pierce called Toronto on of the NBA's top three cities. He made the observation while sitting in his locker as I stood with veteran NBA writer Marc J. Spears who currently works for the Boston Globe. Spears who also travels to all NBA outposts, as he covers the entire league and not just the Celtics, is also a big fan of the city. You can hear his conversation with my broadcast partner Eric Smith as Spears weighs in on Toronto's popularity in the NBA and the Stephen A. Smith issue.
