There is no way to sum up the 2014-15 season for the Toronto Raptors without including the word disappointment. You can debate the extent of it, of course – the team did win a franchise-record 49 games and saw point guard Kyle Lowry start in the All-Star Game – but the basic conclusion remains the same. Touted as a new power in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors exploded into last season borne on a wave of “We the North” expectation. This
When the final buzzer sounded on the Toronto Raptors last season, the team was left deflated on its home court after a crushing last-second Game 7 loss. It was an ending to a season that no one – not pundits, not fans, maybe not even management – could have predicted. After 18 games and a 6-12 record, it appeared as though the Raptors were destined for yet another forgettable season, lodged firmly in the bottom third of the NBA. Instead, after
Brazil entered Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal match against Germany facing extreme obstacles. Their captain, Thiago Silva was due to miss the match having accumulated two yellow cards, and star forward Neymar had suffered a fractured vertebra in their quarterfinal match against Colombia. Even with such losses, they were still expected to play well, perhaps carrying out the role of underdog to move on to the finals. The match was highly anticipated and was garnering a lot of media attention and hype.
Amid a flurry of NBA free agency rumors and transactions, there was devastating news from the 2014 FIFA World Cup Friday. Brazilian National Team forward Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, generally known simply as Neymar, was injured during the host nation’s quarterfinal match against Colombia. Colombian full back Juan Camilo Zuniga collided with Neymar in the 88th minute, driving his knee into the Brazillian star’s back while jumping to head the ball away. The collision was beyond painful—for the host team, their
The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is quite captivating. Today, perhaps, more than any other for American fans. Just hours before the NBA Draft makes headlines across the nation, the United States Men’s National Team faced their biggest game early in the world’s largest sports tournament. They faced Germany, currently ranked No. 2 in among all teams. A win or tie and America would advance. A loss, however, could open a couple possibilities. [Read more…]
Day two of the 2014 Brazil World Cup may have had the most anticipated match of the group round. Spain, winners of the 2010 World Cup, had been selected to Group B with Chile, Australia and the Netherlands—the team they defeated 1-0 in the finals four years ago. That match was 0-0 through 90 minutes before the Spanish got the go-ahead goal in extra time. Their first match in this year’s World Cup? A rematch of the 2010 final against Netherlands. This matchup
Tuesday night the NBA held its Draft Lottery to determine the top three picks in the forthcoming draft. Somehow, someway — conspiracy theorists have at it — the Cleveland Cavaliers won the top overall pick with only a 1.7-percent chance at it. This makes the second consecutive year that Dan Gilbert’s team has won the lottery, third time in the past four years. The results are in! The #Cavs hold the No. 1 pick in the upcoming @NBA Draft on June 26th.
Some performers transcend time. Their work is too great; too inspiring; too moving to ever be forgotten. Michael Jackson, otherwise known as the King of Pop, is one such performer. Sunday, the 2014 Billboard Music Awards invested loads of money into developing technology to showcase a hologram performance of “Slave to the Rhythm” by the King of Pop from his latest posthumous album, Xscape. Enjoying the new MJ album on a Monday afternoon drive, Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson seemed to get into