Alright, yes, I’m still around, albeit a bit disgruntled, so allow me to vent on what has been building up inside for the last little while.
It’s nice that the big shots at TSN2 and Rogers could finally get their act together to hammer out a deal, but the conspiracy theorist in me thinks that this had everything to do with the Rogers-owned Blue Jays being atop the American League and half a game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in Major League Baseball.
With the Jays heading into Boston tonight to start a three-game set with the Red Sox, how nice that the games can finally be seen on TSN2.
Too bad basketball fans had to suffer all season missing not only Raptors games, but other key match ups on the channel that most of the basketball fans in Toronto subscribed with Rogers could not get on their TVs.
Just last week, there it was, an NBA playoff double-header where the Celtics and Magic hooked up followed by the Lakers and the Rockets and to quote my cousin from Chicago, "Hey man, where’s the ball at?"
No where to be found, as the decision makers in the ivory towers don’t care as much about hoops as they do about other stuff. In the words of my man Bob McCown, "it’s hockey, hockey, hockey hockey," in this country and not that there is anything wrong with that, but just give the other sports, which people obviously follow, some sort of coverage.
In fact, you can hear and see everything you ever want to know about hockey at all levels here in the GTA, and in all of Canada for that matter, but as a hoops fan, you are usually out of luck unless you subscribe to Raptors NBA TV.
Don’t get me wrong, as I will proceed to sound like the old man for a minute here, but back in the day, I was the king of bars, and any establishment for that matter, where they had a 10 or 12-foot Micro Mesh satellite dish.
I knew all the co-ordinates and could find you a game in an instant. It has become much better, but it’s still a struggle at times, relatively speaking for basketball fans.
I guess that’s what makes us tough and has us persevere as basketball people. And please, don’t tell me about the antiquated ratings system because I’m not buying it.
That discussion is for another time as I have never met anyone that has a "box" in the their house and there was no way they would bring a box into my old ‘hood back in the day when you had at least 10-15 guys around a TV watching a game.
OK, now that I have that off my chest let’s make some predictions for the conference finals.
Don’t look now but I would not be surprised to see both lower seeds win. Yes the Cleveland Cavaliers have been dominant but they need to be leery of the Orlando Magic. Cleveland’s defensive scheme is similar to that of the Boston Celtics where the primary objective is to take away inside scoring in the paint.
The Celtics always did a good job of anticipating the next pass and rotating out to shooters to contest jumpers. Did is the operative word as the Celtics were not able to do so against Orlando in Game 7 when the Magic made 13-of-21 from behind the arc.
If Orlando can make shots and work the inside-out game with Dwight Howard, this will be a long, competitive series.
It’s tough to bet against LeBron James, so I’ll stay with Cleveland. But this won’t be Cleveland running roughshod over the Magic as this will be a seven game series and if the Cavs can’t run the No. 1 team in the playoffs in three-point attempts and makes away from the arc, Orlando will be back in the Finals for the first time since the days of Shaq and Penny Hardaway.
Ditto for the Western Conference Final.
I’m expecting a long series as the Denver Nuggets may be the most athletic team left in the playoffs.
The difference for George Karl’s crew has been Chauncey Billups, who has focused the Nuggets in a way that Karl could not with Allen Iverson. When the coach asks for things, he’s nagging, but it’s different when it comes from a teammate that has a championship ring and a Finals MVP. Coming from the coach it’s pestering, but from a teammate it’s knowledge and experience.
I still remember walking up the tunnel with Karl on New Year’s Eve in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre shortly after the Denver bus arrived before the game as the Nuggets prepared to take on the Raptors.
When I asked how things were going, he smiled and said "I got a point guard."
Billups is in post-season mode now where he watches more video than he does during the regular season as he hones his focus.
His influence on his teammates, not only on the floor but away from the arena, has also been a benefit.
The Lakers’ size on the front line is a big factor, but Denver can match that with its athleticism.
This series will be won with defence.
Remember what I said about betting against LeBron James? Well, the same goes for Kobe Bryant.
It’s really tough to bet against him, so let’s take the Lakers in seven.
Raptors fans are hoping that form holds true in the draft lottery tonight in Secaucus, New Jersey. Since the lottery has been in place the team with the worst record has obtained the first overall pick just four times.
And since the NBA adopted the weighted system to try and help the teams that finished the season with poor records have the best chance, the team with the worst record has garnered the top pick just twice.
Last year it was the Bulls that grabbed the top pick and they selected Chicago native and subsequent NBA Rookie of the Year, Derrick Rose.
But the conspiracy theorist in me says, the Oklahoma City Thunder will get the top pick and draft Blake Griffin.
