First time ever - Canada has a team in the NBA final! Game 2 tonight. Playing Golden State Warriors (from California). Raptors won Game 1.

Confession: I dislike basketball. Squeaky shoes on the gym floor. Bodies colliding. Sweat flying. Games too long.

But.

I'll watch tonight even though the Raptors' home is Toronto ("back east" to us here on the west coast), with which we have a friendly rivalry in all things. Because it's the NBA finals!

I can't really take the suspense either. If the Raps are way ahead I can relax. If close or tied or the worst, behind, I have to look away.

But it's fun seeing such excited committed fans. I love it when a human endeavour brings such happiness to folks.

That's why sports, any type, is better than unwholesome religion, any day.

I remember being shocked, completely shocked, as an investigator, seeing a basketball court in the stake centre. And then getting to know the missionaries and seeing them often, watching them play basketball on their P-days. All the missionaries I knew were from America. I knew that basketball is big in the States. I just couldn't fathom it being so popular that they would include a court in their church buildings, even here in Canada.

That still seems surpassingly strange to me.

So now there's another reason for me not to care too much for basketball. The darn thing reminds me of Mormonism!

But tonight - tonight I watch. Joining in the fever. For the sake of my country. :)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2019 06:00PM by Nightingale.

I am sure the country is grateful!

I corrected the name of the opposing team - I had initially written Milwaukee Bucks. But in the finals it's the Warriors.

My local team is the Warriors. People are so devout for the Warriors where I live that. I see their merchandise almost every day. Some people feel so entitled to wins over here that when warriors start losing a couple games or so, they are called “a trash team” by locals. It is really amazing the Warriors are doing well because before 2013, they were a losing team that no one really followed that closely, even by locals. My first season following them was a losing season (2010-11).

While the Raptors are a good team and they were the team I hoped to play the Warriors in the finals (finally not the ever loathed Cavs and a new team is in the finals), Go Warriors!

Go Raptors Go !!!!

Born and raised GTA, now somewhere between the 6 and Detroit

The 6 is slang for area code 416 btw

Drake is a crazy court side Raptors ambassador. He was the disabled guy in the wheelchair in The tv show Degrassi, now the hugely famous hip-hop artist.

This is a big deal for us Canadians as the Raptors are the only Canadian bball team

The GTHA, greater Toronto Hamilton area has a population of 8 million.
Or also called the Golden Horseshoe.

Toronto is the most culturally diverse city on the planet, with 52% of it population born outside of Canada. If you've never been here, it's worth the visit to see all the cultures of the planet in one city. We embrace and celebrate the diversity.

Go Raptors go!!!!

Toronto is an awesome city. I have visited it several times for work and for pleasure and find its cultural diversity and sensibility unforgettable.

My high school boyfriend was from Toronto, lived in BC (where I met him) for a couple of yrs, fled back to The Big Smoke when he left home. I visited him there once, when I was a JW in Quebec. He was/is atheist. We were ill-starred lovers in that regard. I still feel fondness for him. Hope to visit again one day. This time with the emphasis far far away from being a proselytizing JW and all on checking out the city. He and I both, unexpectedly, remained single forever. Almost, in his case. He just got married for the first time recently and now has two young children. I would have never thought it. Guys are lucky that way, having a longer time line (due to marrying younger women).

Every time I hear of Toronto I think of Thom. Great-looking guy. Got under my skin. Obviously.

That's a touching story. I think religion gets in the way of a lot of people's better matches. It's tragic.

I love it as well, although it's been many years since I've been there. Great food, theater, events, and nightlife. It's a city that really embraces its cultural diversity.

It's Toronto so I officially don't care.

thanks for validating what I said to my SO, that there is a huge difference between parts of Canada, especially East to West

Hating everything Toronto is a national pastime to many of us Canadian folk. There are however some misguided souls (even in my family) who sport inappropriate sports memorabilia in public. I don't have a dog in this particular fight as I quite caring about the NBA after Steve Nash retired.

Not sure the last time you were in the 6, but if you visited today you would be in awe of the growth before the "not caring" would kick in.

To see the architectural growth and culturally diversity would preoccupy your thoughts.

My SW Ontario city is growing leaps and bounds with help wanted signs everywhere and radio ads pleading for workers. New subdivisions here there and everywhere.

But still not like Toronto. They have to turn down condo buildings because the roads and subways can't possibly move the influx of people.

Just saying...

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly known as Lew Alcindor) was in my graduating class at UCLA. I watched him play once or twice. Unfortunately, basketball has never been my cup of tea. I didn't like being forced to play it in gym, never understood enough about it to enjoy watching.

I had a class with Lew Alcindor when I was at UCLA. It was a big class so they got a private room with screen for basketball players and dental students.

It was a class on Don Quixote. So long ago.

a certain basketball fan / former POTUS got a standing O at the game;
there's a pic of the whole auditorium standing, his pic on the big screen.

not to mention any name(s), ha ha...

GNPE Wrote:
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> a certain basketball fan / former POTUS got a
> standing O at the game;
> there's a pic of the whole auditorium standing,
> his pic on the big screen.
>
> not to mention any name(s), ha ha...

he should enjoy being so well thought of and received, while it holds up

To bring things back a bit more on topic, who could ever forget young Elder Danny Ainge's rookie baseball card all suited up as a Blue Jay?

Evidently Toronto never grew to love him so he took his outsized ego and moved on to seek glory in another sport.

So the Raps lost by 5 points. Eww, that hurts. If it was 20 it feels better to me. Five and you can't help but think WHAT IS WRONG GUYS? Three more baskets and youd'a won.

I could relax if we were two games up. But tied going to USA for the next two? Yikes. Those Americans are scary strong. On their own turf - look out.

But it's fun too. Nerve-wracking fun.

Here's hoping the run continues - maybe we can get at least one game out of the next two.

So, yeah, now this is off topic, wholly. Sorry. But it's exciting. And somehow basketball always reminds me of the Mormon missionaries in the stake centre gym where I spent more than one P-day watching their basketball chops. One of the missionaries I knew had apparently been a top player back home. See how missions can interrupt even the most essential and promising of life endeavours. It's not right. The worst time, in fact, to interrupt life and go on a church trek seeking converts that just aren't there. A total make-work, busy-work project to indoctrinate (even more) the young Mormons. Anything done by coercion is not of much value. And is an unjust exercise of power from the so-called adults in the room.

I let two elders come over and watch basketball finals at my place a few times, not on P-day. I just couldn't comprehend why that would be wrong. Give them time off and treat them like the young adults they are, I say. I hope that at least some of "my" missionaries got the heck out of Dodge at some point. If so, I hope they feel good about it. The brainwashing, though, runs deep in so many cases, as we know.

Nightingale Wrote:
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> So the Raps lost by 5 points. Eww, that hurts. If
> it was 20 it feels better to me. Five and you
> can't help but think WHAT IS WRONG GUYS? Three
> more baskets and youd'a won.

A team can not afford to let 6 minutes go by with out scoring (first half of the third quarter, game two ) IF they expect to win an NBA championship, especially if they are playing the warriors. That is just like committing basket ball suicide.

Interestingly basketball was invented by a Canadian, from Ontario, in the USA. Things are finally coming around full circle!

I love your enthusiasm, Nightengale! It's contagious!

I can't believe I watched four basketball games, my least favourite sport - even behind curling! Being fairly unfamiliar with the nuances of the game, all I see are guys running back and forth up and down and it's so very same-ish and L.O.N.G. (But those ARMS - kind of incredible).

Weird how bb reminds me of the Mormon missionaries. They seemed to live for their P-day games on the court in the stake centre. I still remember how strange it seemed to me to see a bb court in a church. And one of the mishies I knew was apparently a great player and may have been going home to a bb scholarship at least. I didn't get too many details, even though he and his faithful comp talked a lot of bball. I marvelled that someone would interrupt such a pursuit to go on a (mundane) mission out of a sense of duty (which is the impression I got from that pair). I didn't fully realize, even when I was attending the church, how much emphasis is placed on Mormon youth (males in particular) and their (inevitable) mission above all else.

As for me, if it's summer, it's Wimbledon (tennis), pretty much one of my absolute favourites. I have a fun little ornament I bought long ago in Edinburgh, one of my most beloved places. It's a cute chubby blue and white duck popping half out of a yellow eggshell. I christened him Wimbleduck and he comes out of the china cabinet every June and sits watching tennis with me. (I know, I'm weird in some ways). But it's fun. And it's not basketball. :)

But - those bball arms on the pro players. Amazing!

Congrats, Canada. Have fun, Toronto!

I'm not a sports fan and couldn't name a single basketball team besides the Raptors. But of course it's been on the news constantly over the past few weeks.

As a Toronto-born and raised gal, I'm happy for the team, being their first championship and all.

I don't even know any of their names, but in the end I found myself going, "Come on, guys. Just get it done." LOL

Happy for them.

Don't quite get the animosity, Lethbridge. No one in Toronto hates any other part of Canada. We love to explore the rest of the country. My Mom's from Newfoundland. It's a beautiful Province too.

We're just proud to be Canadian.

Hi Greyfort. I can name the Golden State Warriors. :)

Newfoundland is indeed beautiful. My BIL is from there. The travel commercials entice me.

I'm deliriously happy to be Canadian. Great place, nice people. I was born in England and all the extended family is there. I wouldn't have minded living there as far as I can tell.

Funny thing about the Warriors. They have over 20 Cdn players. Maybe subversive tactics were at play. :)

Sorry to be so off topic. But it's not often our teams win major championships against the U.S. It's exciting.

>Funny thing about the Warriors. They have over 20 Cdn players.

NBA rosters have a maximum of 15 players.

They mentioned several times all the Cdn players. Maybe I misheard or misunderstood. I definitely heard them say over 20. I'll have to check the details.

There may be 20 CDN players in the NBA....the whole league I mean but Toronto had none on their team.

You are all correct. I did mishear through lack of attention. The bb commentators were apparently talking about hockey when they mentioned the 21 Cdn players - on the St. Louis team.

I was distracted, doing several things at once, and missed the leap in their conversation from basketball to hockey. Sorry!

https://nationalpost.com/sports/basketball/canada-cheers-on-the-raptors-but-st-louis-blues-are-the-most-canadian-team-in-a-sports-final

Would there be more delirium if the Leafs (or any Canadian hockey team) had won the Stanley Cup? When I lived in Toronto (a lifetime ago) ice hockey was the only sport that mattered and I can barely remember the last time the Maple Leafs won the trophy. Toronto is a Canadian city and the Raptors are technically a Canadian team but there's not much Canadian representation among the players to really say they won for Canada.

kentish Wrote:
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> Would there be more delirium if the Leafs (or any
> Canadian hockey team) had won the Stanley Cup?

Oh, I think so. Although the basketball fans came out onto the streets in droves. Funny to see that even here in the West, especially for a city team from back East with which we have a (somewhat friendly) rivalry in all things.


> When I lived in Toronto (a lifetime ago) ice
> hockey was the only sport that mattered and I can
> barely remember the last time the Maple Leafs won
> the trophy. Toronto is a Canadian city and the
> Raptors are technically a Canadian team but
> there's not much Canadian representation among the
> players to really say they won for Canada.

Yes, we feel the pain every hockey season that Cdn teams don't make it into the playoffs easily and often don't go far. The big bruiser American teams predominate. Some people get disgruntled, considering it "our game". But that's the way it goes. Our Vancouver Canucks had an amazing line-up for a few years not long ago but still couldn't bring home the Stanley Cup. Now all those players are dispersed - traded or retired. It felt like if we couldn't do it then, when??

True enough, kentish, that the Raps weren't technically playing "for Canada". But we'll take it - a good reason for a big party and some positive news amidst all the negative. One of the few times even Westerners are in a good frame of mind about Toronto!

Looks like I’m 0/3 for championships this year. I picked Tottenham Hotspur, Bruins, and Warriors (my home team) to win. Oh well, good game!

redskittle…. do some us a favor and pick the NE Patriots this coming season, some other team needs to knock them off their perch.

I'm a Spurs fan as well! Isn't their new stadium awesome? One of my ambitions is to go to a game there one day. This past season, I loved curling up on my couch with a cup of coffee and watching the Premier League on weekend mornings.

Is it very bad of me that I like Arsenal as well? lol ...and Fulham, BCA, and Manchester City.

Raptors baby!!!!

Thursday night, 9 pm ET start sucked as I watched the game at the local Boston pizza (a Canadian restaurant/sports bar)

Turned down watching it with my 2 sons and a bunch of other Mormon guys as per

Congratulations to Toronto and to Canada! What a great win!