A good game and a day to recall good speeches

So what’s everyone getting excited about?

The HOTH beat a sub-.500 team at home. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?

But it must have been a fun afternoon nonetheless.

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THREE POINTERS

Change needed

I don’t know if it has to be done through the competition committee or board of governors or what but there does seem to be one change needed in the way the game is officiated.

It’s the fourth quarter, the Raptors get a steal and two of them are headed up the court for an easy layup.

Except that behind the play, Kobe Bryant waves his arms in disgust – hardly the most demonstrative he’d been all game – and a referee (Ken Mauer?) blows his whistle to hit him with a technical.

It robs Toronto of an easy basket, Kyle Lowry misses the free throw, Raptors don’t score on the ensuing possession and the Lakers do.

It was a call that went by the letter of the law but something has to be written into the rule book that says technicals should – if at all possible – be called during stoppages in play if they are to be assessed to the team without possession.

That would seem to make entire sense to me.

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An added bonus

I know Landry Fields’ jump shot still looks wonky and his free throw shooting can be an adventure but, you know what, the dude can flat out play smart basketball.

He knows how to cut to space and finish at the rim and in traffic and if he and Jose do develop some kind of chemistry, Fields is going to keep getting easy baskets.

I still think in a perfect world you want a more consistent shooter and offensive threat at that spot but if Fields keeps giving them 10-plus rebounds a game and plays the kind of defence he has been, that position it at least under control.

And I won’t have to hear people whine about the contract.

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The Lakers?

Yikes!

I know it’s a terribly small sample size and this is a rush to judgement at the level I don’t usually like to do but, man, I honestly don’t know if they can get it together to even scrape into the playoffs.

They look old and slow and play defence like the worst Raptors teams of all time, Toronto absolutely carved them up with screen-roll stuff.

And here’s the thing that really caught my eye:

I don’t know that they really “like” each other. At no point in the game – and I know they were down early and never led after Steve Nash made the first basket of the game in the first 10 seconds – but at no time did it look like they were having anything like fun out there.

I know it’s a business and a business of winning but isn’t there supposed to be some level of enjoyment apparent when you’re playing the game you love? Yeah, I thought so, too.

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More? Sure.

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You know what I like? A lot?

A good speech.

Something that’s forceful and stirring and hits the listeners at the very heart.

I like speeches that inspire and challenge and are filled with brilliant turns of phrases and raw emotions.

I bring this up only now because today is Inauguration Day in the United States and it also happens to be Martin Luther King Day.

The world doesn’t seem to have as many great orators as it should, right? We live in a time of sound-bytes and “lines” and talking points, we seem to have lost the great speakers.

I’m not sure who I’d put on the list today – Obama might be at the top – and it’s not like Canada is blessed with women or men who can command an audience and stir them to crazy levels of passion with mere words.

Best speaker that I can think of off the top of my head?

You’d probably put Churchill up there, right? And Dr. King? And John F. Kennedy, right? How’s that for a list.

Top Canadians in my lifetime? Can’t really thing of one; maybe Trudeau but it was more the strength of his personality rather than his speech-making abilities.

And I know this is long but given the day and given what you’ve just read, watch this.

It may be American-centric but the words should still resonate worldwide.

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Line of the day Sunday?

Someone asks Dwane about the technical that Howard got to earn his ejection. Dwane says he has “no clue” what the chatter was about.

“Two dogs barking is all I saw.”

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Man, we are in for one classic Super Bowl since my picks San Francisco and New England both made it.

What?

Oh.

Okay, never mind.

Here’s a quick question, though: Which are you going to tire of more quickly, Ray Lewis or the Harbaughs.

I say it’s going to be a tie and we’ll be gagging ourselves on those stories before the teams even get to New Orleans.

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It would appear by every report out there – and this is just representative because there are a lot of stories floating around – that the Sacramento-to-Seattle thing is done and settled, we’ll be back in the Pacific Northwest for a second city next season.

Probably talk a bit more about this tomorrow once more details emerge but I hope that whatever joy there is in Seattle today is tempered by the fact they are benefiting from the same kind of situation that made them feel so horrible when the Sonics bolted for Oklahoma City.

I’ve been in Sacramento at the highest time in franchise history – I was at the Game 7 overtime game against the Lakers, I saw the passion dozens of times over the years – and that’s a tiny city that supported its team very well; it got screwed over by owners who couldn’t make a deal with a city that bent over backwards to keep its team.

Too bad.

But I wonder what KO will be doing next fall, maybe we can have dinner at the Metropolitan Grill again.

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(Oh yeah, those pics up there? My Man Rene was in the building snapping away all day yesterday; does great work)

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Comments

[sam]

I was out of town this weekend and missed the Lakers game....
The first lady of the house, who is not really a sports fan and has never visited your blog or the IGBT watched the game, and was feeling a little lonely. She tells me she followed the IGBT for most of the second half, and enjoyed the company of you and some of the irregulars....So thanks Doug for keeping her company on a snowy afternoon.....

Bill Clinton is probably one of the best public speakers I've ever seen....His talk at the last Democratic convention was brilliant......

[JT]

Raptors played well and the Lakers played like the Cavs. Ouch. Nash is completely wasted on a team and in a system where Kobe wants the ball and holds onto it so he can play some one and one ball. You can have any PG do that which is bring the ball up half court and play a half court offense. Howard is completely useless in this system as well. He barely gets the ball. No triangle offense. where's the screen and roll with Howard and Nash? Is it "above" Howard to come to the top of the circle to set screens? You've got 2 great bigs in Howard and Gasol and they are wasting them.

[doug]

I think Churchill was the greatest ever when you consider the situation and dire straits his country was in and he and he alone kept the country believing and moving forward....bloody brilliant....never saw game was up in Bobcaygeon the place the Hip sing about but good win for the home side and the Lakers need to make a trade, either one of Howard or Gasol needs to go.....read your IGBT post-game one little innocuous remark caught my eye, you stated to paraphrase "Raps blow a in-bounds play again not surprisingly"...they need to get that corrected as it will bite them in the butt again in a close game as other teams now know it, if its a on-going problem it's a coaching issue.....

[AT]

I would be curious to hear everyone elses opinion and one game is a small sample size, but Steve Nash was pretty ordinary yesterday.For all the hysteria around here back in the summer, I am sure glad he did not come here. It can't be said enough how under rated Jose is. Arguably, for whatever minor offensive upgrade Nash "could" be over Jose , he gives it away with his liabilities on defense. I realize now is not the time to extend Jose's contract but if he is here a day after the deadline and was not traded for an upgrade, Jose's contract should be extended.

[Lorie]

Morning Doug!
As far as Canadian orators...I'd be adding Stephen Lewis to that list. Extremely moving speaker, especially during his tenure as the UN's special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. But, I think he's one of those speakers who could describe how to make a grilled cheese sandwich and it would be compelling listening. And there's no segue to this, but The Monks! Wow. Hadn't thought about that band in a while...and there was a time we wore a role through the vinyl on Bad Habits...and speaking of 'high fidelity', a sort of rock and roll movie I remember enjoying was 'Empire Records'. With a very young Rene Zelleweger taking part in the quintessential end-of-rock-and-roll-movie-scene-featuring-the-entire-cast-and-an-impomptu-concert-on-a-rooftop. (The Beatles' legacy lives on, eh?)
http://youtu.be/qUJkM9jAzkk
And @sportschic...all the best questions come with a preamble...and the more "amble-y" the "pre", the better I've always thought. :)
Oh, and one more thing - Jose mentioned post-game that he was able to catch Landry's eye a couple of times and 'know' to pass to him. How that happens during the speed and flow and pace of the game is remarkable to me. Just remarkable. And very cool. Cheers!

[Johnnyc]

Sacramento was a b ball hotbed in the day....Vancouver losing the franchise still resonates with me....fans more than supported a less than satisfactory product...At one time thought the Raps were in the danger zone... Always gratefull to Wayne Embry... Felt the unloading of the Jalen Rose contract was magicial and the kick start to a better product

[Avinash]

Dr. King's speech - what a way to start the morning! Thanks for it, and happy MLK Day Mr Smith!

The pics are outstanding. A W is a W, n'est pas? Anytime 'Mr 81 against HOTH' is playing, I flinch. And when was the last time we won one with Cap'nCanada as a visitor? I've been fortunate enough to see him in person, and he'd smoke us. Lol, this is our year!

Avinash

[bobby]

Steve Nash is not Capatian Canada.
Ryan Smyth of the Oilers is Captain Canada.
He has represented Canada without whining about being tired.
And he's almost the same age as Nash.
And unlike Nash plays a tough mans game.
So enough of kissing Steve Nash's butt just because he's made it in the US of A.
He could care less about you or this country

Blogger's note: Bitter much? Aside from being shockingly misinformed. But thanks for reading.

[Arlene]

Some great speakers I would add to the list are Stephen Lewis and maybe Tommy Douglas.
Calderon played an awesome game yesterday. Seems to be having a career year and so far has avoided injury (touch wood or whatever...hope I didn't jinx him) and Raps should definately keep him.
Fields blossoming into player they expected, while Derozen in a slump but did some good things defensively yesterday. If Fields demonstrates scoring ability, that might create more space for DD.
Great game for Davis and Amir.
If Bargs doesn't return before all-star break, guess he can't be traded until summer. Interesting to see how he plays when he returns.

[Tim H.]

Hey Doug:

It seems to me that Mother Star has a number of outstanding photographers. You being able to showcase some of their photos in your blog makes that very evident. They deserve congratulations.

[DaveB]

Happy MLK day. Last April I had an opportunity to visit the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. I think we were there over four hours and didn't get to see everything. I did the audio tour and it was fantastic. I think it is something everyone in North America should do. MLK's "I have seen the promised Land " speech was phenomenal. It was obvious from that speech that he knew the end was coming. And any speech where the orator has to be held up at the end shows the effort and passion used in that speech.

I will be back in Memphis in two weeks on my way to Corpus Christi. Have you ever eaten at BB Kings? I will finally get a visit to the Rendezvous and I have eaten at Blues Cafe. Just wondering how BB Kings compares.

Blogger's note: Been to BB's several times, it's the usual haunt. Food's ok, music's better. And the Beale Street Juke Joint near the bottom on the other side from BB's has great music. I'd eat at Blues City Cafe, go across street to hear band at BBs then wander down to the Juke Joint

[Rob.V]

I don't think I had ever watched that speech (in full) before. Thanks.
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Great point JT. We all know of the Lakers troubles (and are quite happy for them) however you've said it best. 3 players attempting to play 3 different systems (Kobe,Nash,Howard)... not going to work.
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Jim Harbaugh? - I thought SVG was bad on the sideline (love his quotes though) however this cat takes it to a whole new level of annoying.
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Raptors. Agreed, yesterday was no big deal. The Lakers have banners however this team is terrible. Boy do those losses to the Bucks and Sixers sting. I mean, they really hurt. Badly!
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I know it does us no help to look back however: Bucks, Sixers, Chicago las week as well, Indiana opening night, one against Brooklyn, Utah OT, Charlotte- no foul at the buzzer... and I'm sure a few more I've already forgotten.
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This is a .500 team. Their record doesn't show it however talent wise they are what we thought they would be, a .500 team chasing the 8th spot. It's unfortunate they haven't had a little more success in the W-L column.

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I'm as quick as the next scheming bugger to take pleasure in someone else's misfortune, particularly when those someones are a despicable abuser of women and a seven foot tall pathological whiner. But for some reason I just can't get into relishing the woes of the Lakers. Not sure what it is--maybe it's just that the rest of the league has so many stories that are more interesting than what's happening in LA. For years I've felt that the villainous Kobe deserves a comeuppance. But these days, I find I just don't care.

On to topic 2: when Bargnani comes back, what is going to change with the Raptors offence? What we've learned in his absence is that option number one is whoever has gotten himself into the best position to score. It seems to me that Bargnani is going to have figure that out, move to the basket and make himself a target. I would guess he won't be hanging around the 3 point line as much anymore-not because he isn't a threat from there, but because it forces the other players to be stagnant and stand around.

If the Raps are thinking of trading Bargnani I figure they'll want to showcase him a little bit to show that the goods aren't that damaged. At the same time, they won't want to mess too much with the success we're seeing inside with Johnson, Davis and Fields (and JV when he's back). Going to be interesting to see what Casey draws up.

AG, Toronto

[james]

It was fun to finally see them win one live. I am in complete agreement with others who have praised Calderon, particularly since he was matched up with a former defensive player of the year. He is the heart and soul of this team. And this was a total team effort. I also completely agree with your remarks about L.A. It sometimes seemed as though they'd just met up at the gym in a pick-up game.

[g.t.]

I think the circumstances are what brings or at least let us witness the greatness you speak of. Churchill, MLK were leading through extreme circumstances, in the case of MLK it cost him his life. Canada may have great speakers but fortunately as a nation Canada didn't have to endure persistent enemy bombing of WW2, or violent civil rights protests and assasinations of the turbulent 60s. This forces the public to pay close attention to what their leader is saying and also forces leaders to show what they are made of. As for Trudeau, his legacy in many ways is shaped by his leadership in Canada's turbulent 70s, the October crisis etc.

[Kevin Murray]

Hi Doug,
It is generally interpretated at other levels of ball that the referee can hold the whistle on the technical foul until the team in control of the ball is no longer in a position where they have an advantage. Let them have their shot or lay-up. Whistle the play once the shot is taken (no team control) and access the penalty.

[GM]

Yes, it's sad for Sacramento fans, but he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword, and all that. If the Kings had started out in Sacramento, that would be one thing. But they've been in Rochester, Cincinatti, Omaha and Kansas City before.

I always thought Vancouver supported the Grizzles appropriately enough considering the product. They had excellent attendance that only dropped off significantly in the lame duck season when we knew the team was moving. And consider that at the time (not sure if it's changed since) the Grizz had the worst 5-year record of any team in the history of the NBA. No city is going to wholeheartedly support losing. Not Seattle, not Sacramento. We know all three of those cities will come out and support good to decent NBA teams.

[LeeZ]

I pvr'd the Lakers game, so I don't know what Landry's shot looked like. But having watched him in dozens of other games this season, you can add his name to the pantheon, the Hall of Shame, if you will, of Raptors with horrific shots. Your Julian Wrights. Your James Johnsons. Your Demar Derozeans (pre-2011-12 season). Fields seems to shot-put his jumper. His dominant hand, instead of coming from underside the ball and leading his forearm and elbow to elevate through to the follow-through, is ON TOP of the ball, which flattens out his shot completely. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite as ugly. I'd be interested in hunting down some video of his jumper back in his first season, when he had a very good shooting percentage, to see what (if anything) has changed. Any intrepid Irregulars willing to do the grunt work on that? Or perhaps we can appeal to Doug's crack team of highly-paid researchers?

[Nick M]

Doug, I agree with your sentiment on the technical foul call.
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And I hate to give credit to the NHL for doing something right, but the technical foul call in the NBA should be called like a penalty in the NHL. The technical foul should be called when it happens but the play does not stop until the team assessed the technical foul gets possession of the ball.

[Phil A]

I am well aware that Kobe is one of the greatest players to ever play the game but over the span of his career, he was never able to make his teammates better. I truly believe that he's one of the reasons why the Lakers are struggling this year. He's not buying into the system and he's trying to do too much. That is why, to me, when it's all said and done, Lebron James will have a better career regardless of how many rings he wins. He makes everyone around him better.

[joeu]

@ GM

Isn't is misleading to view the whole team re-location game as " Fan base vs. Fan base" ?

In pretty much every case a franchise is moved because the OWNER is getting more grease somewhere else. And I'm sure they don't mind the misdirected antipathy to distract people from that fact.

The Sacramento fans should get the same sympathy as the Vancouver fans and the Seattle fans, and whoever loses their team next.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

I can't imagine Jose Calderon's stock has ever been higher than it is right now. Does that mean sell? I'd say hell no. Hang on to that gold – it's shining bright and looking better by the day!
And I will definitely second @sam: I regard Bill Clinton as the best speaker of my lifetime, whether a prepared speech or, even more impressive, extemporaneously. I'd put MLK and anything ever uttered by Muhammad Ali a quarter-step down on the same pedestal. Winston Churchill might be the best ever, but I didn't get the chance to hear any of those rousers live and in the moment. He and FDR made quite the teammates!
Cheers. Go Raps!

[Geoff Read]

Lorie's got it right: when it comes to Canadian speechifying, Stephen Lewis' name has to be at the top of the list.

I've always thought Churchill was overrated - I think his reputation is mostly a product of his historical circumstances. But maybe my negative view of him is conditioned by the fact that I find the man an immoral hypocrite who defended freedom in Britain and the West with passion while simultaneously trying to deny it to Britain's colonial subjects. The fact that Churchill was an avowed colonialist is too rarely remembered in my view. And while you might say that his views "were a product of their time" I don't really buy that: by the 1930s there were plenty of people in the West - mostly on the left, granted - who were awakening to the injustices of European imperialism.

On things basketball: I love Steve Nash but it does look to me like he might have lost a step... and that goes for Kobe and Pau Gasol too. And what is with Dwight Howard??? He looks like a shadow of his former self. Superman has become mediocreman.

[Steve]

What the discussion about that technical foul on the breakaway in the comments here is missing is that while the NBA does not have a rule specifying that referees must wait for the play to stop before calling them there is also no rule that says that they have to call them immediately.

That is why usually NBA referees *do* use their discretion and wait until the play has ended and come back to call the technical (in fact this happened to our own LK earlier in the season).

[ptboscott]

haven't had time to read the rest of the comments (yet!) but just in case nobody has mentioned it, i have to say that stephen lewis gives as good a speach as i have ever heard. the way he weaves the personal in with grand humanitarian ideas is sometimes truly overwhelming. if you can come away from one of his speeches with dry eyes you may indeed be part robot. thanks doug