Mavericks defeated the Raptors ~ Dirk drops 31 points and collects 13 boards for the W

18 seems to be the magic number.  Magic number for what?  18 is the point margin of victory for teams who have defeated the Toronto Raptors over the weekend.  First the Phoenix Suns came to town and won by 18 on Friday night.  Tonight (i.e. Sunday night) the Dallas Mavericks came into the Air Canada Centre and defeated the home team by the same margin. 

Dirk Nowitzki was the hero of tonight's game by dropping 31 points and collecting 13 rebounds.  Shawn Marion added 20 points to the winning effort.  

Bosh is gone.  Let's get this
kid a DeRozan jersey.

For the Raptors, Andrea Bargnani didn't play.  Amir Johnson had 21 points and DeMar DeRozan added another 19 points in tonight's losing effort.

Here's a picture I had to take of a little boy in a Chris Bosh jersey.  I realize Bosh played for the Raptors for many years, but can we please upgrade this boy's jersey?  He shouldn't have to have Bosh's name on his back.

The Dallas Mavericks were just in Washington DC on Saturday night, so maybe that explains the Mavs' slow start tonight. The Raptors came out hot in the 1st quarter.  Dallas held the lead initially (i.e. when Dirk Nowitzki scored the 1st bucket of the game) but then the Mavericks' offense was missing in action for quite a while.  At one point the Mavs were down by a score of 22-3.  Finally in the 3rd quarter, thanks to a bucket from Shawn Marion the Mavericks took the lead 62-61, and the Mavs never really looked back.

Tonight's match-up wasn't much of a ball game, but it was a good one if you were rooting for the Mavs.  Mark Cuban was sitting behind the bench watching his team closely.  As the Raptors came out to shoot around after half time, a few of them went over to shake his hand.  I'm sure a few of them wouldn't mind playing for him at some point in their careers.

The final score for tonight's game was 116-94.  Mavericks earned the "W".

****  My stint in Toronto has come to an end.  I've enjoyed my return visit to this city, and the couple of games I was able to watch this trip.  Thank you, Toronto, for a great time!

THE WIRK

Suns scorch the Raptors ~ Vince Carter and Steve Nash's return to Toronto

Last night, I was able to check another venue off of my list as I visited the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.  I came out to Toronto to watch a couple of games this weekend and up first was the Phoenix Suns v Toronto Raptors game.  This game was intriguing for a number of reasons.  Two of which were the return of 1) Vince Carter and 2) Steve Nash.  Sure these two have returned to Toronto before, but that fact doesn't make it any less special.

The Air Canada Centre looked full last night.  I asked the women, sitting next to me, if that was the normal size of the crowd or of it was a larger crowd because Steve Nash was back in town.  They estimated that there were about 25% more people in the arena, because of Nash's return.  ****  I'll be back at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday for the Dallas Mavericks game so I'll have a better handle on crowd size then.



I'm really not plural,
but I'll take it.

The Toronto crowd's reaction to the return of Vince Carter to the Air Canada Centre was somewhat similar but not even close to Cleveland's reaction to when LeBron James (i.e. vilified) returned.  Toronto's wounds aren't as fresh, when it comes to Vince Carter, but make no mistake ~ from the sound of it, they haven't forgiven him for leaving. 

Vince Carter hasn't played for the Toronto Raptors since 2004, when he was traded away.  If I didn't know any better, based on the crowd's response, I'd have thought that it was just yesterday that he and the city of Toronto "broke up".  Every time Carter touched the ball, the crowd would boo.  Really?!?!  It's been more than  6 years, and Toronto still boos him.  At any rate, I guess it's good to see that the city supports its team. 

Steve Nash's ovation was much more positive from his home country.  The crowd in the Air Canada Centre cheered for Nash, regardless if they wanted the Raptors or the Suns to win.  Further, former teammate Leandro Barbosa and Nash hugged at half court prior to the opening tip. 

As I watched the game, I couldn't help but notice the man in front of me with a Washington Nationals hat on.  I found this interesting since the Nationals aren't very good and I didn't expect them to have a following in Toronto.  Further, I was in from DC, so funny that he was sitting in front of me. 

Another interesting moment was when they showed Bill Bellamy on the jumbotron.  Why was he at the game?  Turns out he's performing at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Saturday (i.e. tonight) at 8PM.  ****  After the game, my friends and I went to Real Sports.  Guess who was there.  Yes, Bill Bellamy.  He seemed like a nice guy, but I only said, "Hi".

After the game, I waited until Vince Carter completed his post-game interview before heading into the tunnel.  There was an older man asking a security guard if Charles Barkley was here.  What?!?! Why would Barkley be here?  However, the older man was adamant that he could see Barkley.  As I heard him describe the man in question, and point towards the guy he thought was Sir Charles (aka the Round Mound of Rebound) I couldn't help but chuckle.  "That's Scott Williams," was my reply to the older man.  Too funny, and for the record, my friend Scott does not look like Charles Barkley.

As for the game, for the most part, the Suns had a 18 point lead.  Ironically, the final score was 110-92, as the Suns won their first game of the 6 game road trip. 

For the Suns, Marcin Gortat  had a double-double (i.e. 17 points and 11 rebounds).  Vince Carter also contributed 17 points, and Channing Frye added another 16 points.  Steve Nash, Canada's own, played a relatively quiet game, but added 7 points with 11 assists.

For the Raptors, Andrea Bargnani came to play and contributed 26 points. Leandro Barbosa was the second highest scorer with 15 points.

When the game ended, and after a few post-game interviews, we were off to Real Sports.  After my friends and I left Real Sports we headed to Maison on Mercer for Steve Nash's fundraiser.  Walking in easily with the Phoenix Suns and being outfitted with the appropriate white wristband, it was a fun night.  DJ Clue killed it and it was fun chatting it up with the Suns and Leandro Barbosa.  Good people, great music, fun times!

The Suns hope to continue winning on their road trip against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.  The Raptors are also active on Sunday against the Mavericks.


THE WIRK