Searching for a star and a second favourite team

A handful of digressions and list and a look back at some atrocious Thursday night picks.

Yes, it was a quiet day of travel and no involvement with the HOTH so …

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Was walking up the tunnel after the game the other night in Phoenix with a guy I know and we’re quickly dissecting the game and the season.

“How’s it going,” he says.

“Well, they’re 20-51, kids who don’t quite know how to play yet. Can’t wait for it to get over, to tell you the truth.” And the guy looks at me and says, without hesitation:

“They need some stars, guys who can do it themselves.”

There’s the rub.

Neither of the team’s two best scorers – DeMar or Andrea – can create for themselves yet and when it comes down to the final minutes of a close game, they have run plays rather than give the ball to one “star” to make something happen.

Now, maybe it gets better, maybe DeRozan evolves into a guy who can break down his defender and get to the rim and we’ve sure seen him try, most recently on the last drive the other night when Gortat blocked him at the rim.

But until he does, those end-of-game situations are going to be tough, and likely not that successful.

Eleven to go!

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Hey, Air Canada!

Get into the 2000s and put some self-service check-in kiosks in the Phoenix airport, would you?

Perhaps you’ve noticed you run quite a few flights there and since you’re always blathering on about being the “best this” and the “best that” do some folks a favour and start acting like it.

Please.

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You’ve only got a few hours left to get in the MGD Best Seats thingy. The hope is to reach the winners this afternoon so they can have, you know, really anxious time between now and Wednesday all a’tizzy with anticipation.

Click right here to get your name in.

Thanks.

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What’s up with the Warriors?

This is.

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How about those NCAA picks, eh?

Got, what, one of four right last night?

Glad none of you used them for your own purposes.

But, if you’re sitting around today trying to figure out the rest of the Elite Eight, you’d be wise to go with North Carolina, Richmond (gotta love the Spiders!), Ohio State and Virginia Union. Commonwealth (sorry, Sherm; must have had Oak on the mind)

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Speaking of those games last night, it was the first time I’d really had a lot of time to sit and watch undistracted and I have to tell you, there’s something about this Jimmer kid that’s kind of compelling.

Now, I don’t know if he’ll turn out to be Adam Morrison or JJ Redick, to be honest, but I know some NBA team’s going to take a shot at him and hope he develops into some kind of offensive specialist who can have a long career.

But, thankfully, there’s no way these guys here are going to have a shot at him unless the grab up a later first round pick and I don’t see that happening.

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Oh, I knew this was coming.

Q: Hi Doug. Your Magnum reference on Thursday simply begs the question: what are your top 5 TV theme songs of all time?

Gale M, Toronto

A: Okay, here are the rules. You have to realize the era in which I grew up, the songs have to have lyrics because singing sure beats humming and here you go; in no particular order:

Beverly Hillbillies

The Flintstones

Gilligan’s Island

Cheers, and,

 

 

 

Green Acres, which might be No. 1.

I know Cheers is a bit of a cliché so I can be convinced otherwise.

Another digression ended.

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Going to stay up late tonight and watch this one from Oakland?

Might be a good idea if you like free-flowing games with little or no defence.

You’ll also probably see a lot of early offence; the Raptors lead the NBA in fast-break points (18.7) and the Warriors are second (18.6) so it could be zany.

Now, there’s one thing I’m not too sure of anymore. For the longest time, the Warriors seemed to be everyone’s “second favourite” team. Maybe it was Nelly and the way he coached ‘em but they did seem a lot more fun and memorable than they are now.

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Dell’s kid play and Keith Smart does trot out some unusual lineups but Golden State seems to have lost some of its cachet, no?

I’m not sure who’s supplanted the Warriors as everyone’s second-favourite team. Maybe Oklahoma City, although the Thunder are legit and doesn’t really fit into that “lovable but non-threatening” category that clubs like the Warriors do.

Maybe there isn’t one?

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Now, I know that in your sub-conscience, so many of you want to chat and ask questions, right?

Well, here’s your chance to do it for real and give me something to do after I take a trek to the peninsula tomorrow.

Click here. Write down some words. Send ‘em along. They’re always welcome.

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Speaking of mail, let’s get one done now.

(Mostly because I don’t have a lot of items and would like to get this to the usual length)

Q: Hey Doug. Can you comment on the overall mood of the team these days? It's been a tough season and I worry about how it affects the team going forward. There are a lot of young guys and possibly some fragile egos. How does the atmosphere around the team compare to other losing seasons?

Thanks

 

 

 

Simon G, Belmont

A: There is no effect going forward and the mood, given the circumstances, is just fine. Sure, they’d all like to be 50-22 and headed to the playoffs but there’s also a feeling that there’s something brewing that will take some time to fully cook but will be well worth it when it’s done. And, because of the youth of the team and the promise they think that holds, it’s a far more pleasureable mood than, say, at the end of the KO year or the 27-win season of 2005-06, or even last year when there was a huge No. 4 cloud hanging over the franchise.

No one’s “happy” but no one’s thinking this is the worst thing in the world.

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All right, no IGBT tonight or tomorrow, right? Game’s are too late, I’m likely to be planted on some sofa watching them through tired eyes and I’m pretty sure a lot of you have, you know, lives to lead.

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Comments

[DOW]

I think the new favorite 2nd team are the Blakers. Blake Griffin is a pretty exciting player to watch.

[m]

"but Golden State seems to have lost some of its "cache" no?"
perhaps you mean "cachet"?

Blogger's note: Yeah, perhaps I had a typo. Thanks

[Dave in BG]

Love the TV songs list, and since we are from (sorta) the same geneeration, I will generally agree.
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The only change I would make is to add the theme from M*A*S*H* instead of the Flinstones. A true piece of music, with a haunting quality. I know it was only an instrumental for the TV series, but if you ever catch the original movie, there are lyrics, and they are quite thoght-provoking (and probably wouldn't get past censors today).

[Dave in BG]

Oh boy, now my morning is shot thinking about classic TV themes.

How could I forget the theme from Welcome Back, Kotter? Gimme a Lovin' Spoonful of that any time ;)

[Smalahove]

A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse, of course..
*
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky...
*
Cheers sux, Pat Buttram rocks!

[jimt]

lol almost chocked on some cashews when i got to your response on the cachehhhh! Tough break for the hornets and david west,but that was great divine intervention on the mopete heave at the buzzer.WoW

[Lorie]

Oh, Doug!
Best. List. Ever.
Yours are absolutely iconic. Good picks. But, here are a couple for your consideration. And, your blog, your rules, so sing-ability counted.
1. Rawhide (thanks to the Blues Brothers for introducing this to a whole new generation)
2. Greatest American Hero ("Believe It Or Not")
And my choices had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that one series featured Clint Eastwood and the other, Robert Culp. Just a coincidence. Seriously.
Cheers! (That's not another pick by the way. I kept it to just a couple, as promised.)

[The Other KG]

Hey Doug... a bit of a tangent, but this story involves basketball, airport customer service and twitter, so I think it's relavent :)

I am heading on a business trip shortly, with a very brief layover in Houston.

As a longtime fan of the Rockets, I tweeted the team to see if I could pick up any authentic gear while at the airport.

No go, I was told - nothing available (to their credit, they responded to me within 2 hours).

Next day, I get a tweet from Houston International Airport (@iah) asking what terminal I was flying into. They directed me to two different retail outlets that I could shop at, and told me which transit to take to get to them and approximately how long it would take to get there and back to my plane.

THAT is how you use social media for customer service.

Kudos to them.

[Steve]

I'm with Dave ... MASH is a huge omission.

[elwyn jennings]

theme song from "Top Cat" is my numero uno.

[nate]

I'll throw out a couple to represent my generation:

"Saved By the Bell"
"Frasier" (my classy selection)
It's recent, but I have to include "The Big Bang Theory"

anyone else from Ontario who only got two channels in the early 90's has to know "Breaker High." (Thank goodness The New VR broadcast the raps in the early years).

And the all time favourite HAS to be "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air".
Probably a generational thing. We'll see who agrees or thinks I'm nuts.

[Peter G]

How about: "She's Gonna Make It after A-a-a-ll", from the "Mary Tyler Moore Show ?
Change the "She's" to "They're" and it could be next years theme song for the young Raptors.

[doug]

up working in the mountains in BC building a log getaway..no internet, no tv...been a nice change, we have headed into a town for a couple days to watch some b-ball and get supplies....so watched Jimmer Fredette and I am glad they lost as he is just another over-hyped "great white hope" we have in all sports, it's part of life unfortunately...the best guard that played last night and gets nowhere near the press Jimmer does is Kemba Walker, far better all around guard....and it was refreshing to see the 2 teams that rely on outside shooting lose...Duke and BYU , whereas we saw a couple solid inside players in Lamb and that kid for Arizona is a beast,,Derrick Williams saw his draft stock rise...2 songs on mine are Brady Bunch Theme, and Get Smart, no words but all remember that tune...did I miss anything about the Raps?, and they need a "star" as in not a "star" they need a couple more solid first line NBA starters, not a star as in Bosh...he's not only a phony tough guy he's a phony star...cheers back to isolation and being at one with nature...

[Richard]

Baby, if you've ever wondered,
Wondered whatever became of me,
I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, WKRP.

Got kind of tired packing and unpacking,
Town to town and up and down the dial
Maybe you and me were never meant to be,
But baby think of me once in awhile.

I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati..

[Binder]

I know every word of the "Green Acres" theme song, yet I can't remeber my cell phone number. Go figure!.

[Ken C]

You must have been thinking of Oak, Doug. Virginia Union is not in the big dance, Virginia Commonwealth is.

[Steph]

Not to intentionally bring up the pucks, but from an instrumental stand point, the original soundtrack for the NHL was / is iconic.

[chris]

Its a star's league. Even the officiating heavily favors one-on-one penetrating stars. \

btw - not top 5, but see if you remember this one....

By the way glen miller played,
Songs that made the hit parade
Guys like us we had it made
THOSE were the days.....

Blogger's note: What? You think I'm a meathead?

[J.R. MacLean]

What!!! No Petticoat Junction in the top theme songs?

That's movin' kinda slow Uncle Doug.

Top five theme music?

Mission Impossible

Hawaii Five O

Dick Van Dyke Show

The Tonight Show

Hockey Night in Canada

[Mo]

I'm going with Nate on this one.
Big Bang Theory is genius - 20 second history lesson :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W-zNyHC4ok&feature=related

Fresh Prince is also a favourite

Doug, the article today mentioned Reggie having soreness in his surgically repaired foot. Do you think he's been pushing it in his return?

He was supposed to slowly ease his way into his minutes. But with the injuries and all, it seems he ended up going from rehab to game speed instantly. Is this something that can hurt him in the long run?

Blogger's note: When I talked to him the other day he said he was "fine"

[Heath]

Degrassi gets a vote from me.

[Johnn19]

Searching for a STAR !

Raptors in a rebuild mode, I'm afraid are going to have to grow their own STAR.
With the assets available I do not see them able to trade for one, or sign a FA.

A good start would be to draft a dynamic player like Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, or Derrick Williams.

[Phil A]

I'm with @Nate on this one...Fresh Prince has to be the all time favorite for my generation

[Blake Kennedy]

While it's true that the Raptors do need more guys who can create their own shots - well, they need DeMar to improve, another wing who can, and a point guard who can actually create shots for himself as well as others instead of being merely a pure quarterback - it's not their biggest pressing need. After all, last year we had a couple of guys who could "do it themselves": Bosh, Hedo, Jarrett, and we still didn't make the playoffs. We need defense, above and beyond anything else that might happen.
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You can add all the great scorers you want: when you're 29th, 30th in the league in points allowed per possession you're going nowhere. This team has yet to show us they understand that to be a problem nor that they have a concrete plan to remove the problem children and bring in actual defenders. I don't want to believe that Jay is one of the problem children, but he keeps giving them so many minutes it's hard to not conclude that at the very least he's enabling them.

[Blake Kennedy]

But as far as intro music for TV shows, I don't think you can ever overlook the iconic violin piece that served as an introduction for Granada TV's Sherlock Holmes mysteries with Jeremy Brett.