I love it!! Becoming a hockey fan would have just been sooooo cliched!
A little OT but your comment simply made me think of this -
I am not sure how many Canadians know Hockey Night In Canada : Punjabi Edition exists.
Pardon my ignorance - I'm not really a basketball fan, just bandwagoning the bejeebus out of this!! Can someone explain why Kawai Leonard gets so much attention? He's playing kinda "meh" but I am loving Van Vliet's hustle and Gasal seems like a force of nature!!
I have never played Annette. But I do back the ball right into the net really well during intense nerf basketball! And have been at Raptors games since the very beginning, at the Skydome.
So whatever it is worth-
Let's start with VanVleet, who I couldn't shut up about on last year's NBA thread - adore him, and compare him to Leonard.
VanVleet's skills are pure drive and heart - he's scrappy - they do not come from pure athleticism.
Athleticism, at times super-human athleticism, is Kawhi in a nutshell (That's not to say he doesn't have intense drive but he has crazy athletic skills)
Here is his game -
* As Hikergirl said he is not having his normal game in this series. I have gone further and said he is injured/not 100%. Yet he still adds to other parts of the game (some fold when off their offense/injured)
*you can see something is not right in his legs - normal speed not there and elevation/power on the boards
*most superstars are named that due to offense (think Steph Curry). Leonard's d is unbelievable. Watch how he traps people.
*his unbelievable physical strength to the basket.
*Watch his rebounding on both ends. Sometimes he rebounds his own missed shots right from under players already perfectly set for the rebounds. Some thinking they have boxed out all others.
*the man is an illusionist Annette - this is what makes him a superstar. All stars do not care if they are double teamed or even if there are even more trying to get them in the lane - it is like it doesn't matter for them. Like them, his focus is his only who cares who is there - focus to the basket. It is like the other players blocking his path have zero impact to him - he makes it look like that. I thought it was complete ******** when people were saying Warriors stopped him on D in game two. Nope. Normally that has no impact for him. He either had a bad game or injured.
*he is a patient player. Lets the game come to him. Seemingly puts zero pressure on himself clock wise.
*some great feeding/assists.
*WATCH HIS HANDS! WATCH HIS HANDS! Even in last nights game I pressed rewind on him twice. I find it hard to believe he is human with those hands - he extends for the ball in ways that are not of this earth. Insert wink!
*left-handed dunks!!!!! What the hell!?!?! He uses his opposite hand like no other. Obviously he worked very hard on that in his youth (a skill good coaches push). He also uses his left with lay-ups to create room around the basket.
Unlike Stephen A. Smith I know what a talent the man is!
yeah baby, stick the stake in their cold dark heart
I was confused by the must win comment. It’s only game 3.
I am unsure who said it. But most say that because the skill level of the Warriors, the ability to take over a game in the blink of an eye, and momentum. Momentum is huge in basketball. But most have not seen the Raptors all season either, our play in early series was not our normal. And although regular season is not playoff ball we beat Golden State both games. One in OT if my memory is good (ie. staying focused under pressure)
Last night was really like a game one. We started a best of five, with the split in Toronto.
So even you decided to cheer for Toronto tonight?
Low-key was cheering for both Milwaukee and Toronto early on. And has no love for Golden State.
And even felt for Toronto all those years that we had to deal with Cleveland, over and over and over.
My apologies kimblebee if you were being facetious. Or you knew all the above.
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Feeling a little nervous...weren't we up by a bunch at the half last game? Let's everybody just keep their wits about them and don't crumble in the 3rd.
Maybe it's because the Raptors losing makes me sad...and we can't have that, right?
