After 55 games, the Toronto Raptors have the same 37-18 record that they had last year. So why will this team avoid the disappointment the Raptors had a year ago? The 2014-2015 Raptors finished the regular season 12-15 and were mercilessly swept by Washington in the first round. Toronto hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2000-2001 season, when this columnist was in the seventh grade. So why and how is this Toronto team a legit contender, perhaps the only contender, who
Sprung: Best takeaways from All-Star Weekend 2016
TORONTO— Say this for Russell Westbrook: It’s only fitting that someone who embodies Kobe Bryant’s ceaseless competitiveness would take home the MVP award in Bryant’s final All-Star game. Westbrook-ASG Russell Westbrook scored 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists to take home his second straight MVP award in a 196-173 win— a record number of points in the game and for the winning team— for the West over the East on Sunday night at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. “That’s
Sprung: Carmelo Anthony Will Wait And See On Long-Term Future With Knicks
TORONTO– Carmelo Anthony is sick and tired of losing with the Knicks, but not yet tired enough to do something about it. Or so he says. New York stands at 23-32 at the All-Star break, 12th in the Eastern Conference. Unless the Knicks’ fortunes change rather dramatically over the final 27 games of the regular season, Anthony will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season. “It’s tough,” Anthony told a horde of reporters in the basement of the Sheraton in downtown
What to Expect as Toronto Hosts First NBA All-Star Game North of The Border
In just a week, the best of the NBA will head to Toronto for the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, taking place at the Raptor’s Air Canada Centre February 12-14. Fans still looking to score tickets to any of the weekend’s events should be prepared to dig deep into their pockets. Ticket prices for not just the 2016 All-Star game, but all events that weekend are the most expensive the NBA has ever seen. According to Rukkus, the average ticket price for the 2016
How the Raptors recruited DeMarre Carroll
LAS VEGAS– In a free agency period where LaMarcus Aldridge took what seemed like two dozen meetings and DeAndre Jordan’s recruiting process turned into the most bizarre sequences in years, the Toronto Raptors lured prized wing DeMarre Carroll away from the Atlanta Hawks before he left to meet with anyone else. So how did they do it? Well, $60 million over four years certainly helped. But it was more than that. SheridanHoops conducted one-on-one interviews with Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, coach Dwane
NBA Rumors and News for November 4, 2013
Monday, November 4 Daily Trivia: Who won the first NBA MVP award? Answer below. [Read more…]
Abrams: Which NBA Players Will Be Traded? Odds Say …
The offshore sports book Bovada recently published odds on certain players to be traded at any moment this season, which has created a bit of a buzz in the NBA sports betting industry because of its intrigue. Some offshore sports books have offered these type of proposition bets in previous years, but with the early intrigue and excitement of this upcoming season I believe the exploration of these particular players and their teams’ current situation is definitely of note. As many of you
NBA Rumors and News for November 2, 2013
Saturday, November 2 Daily Trivia: Who coached the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Championship? Answer below. [Read more…]