Preseason: Celtics AT Raptors - Sunday, October 18th

[Darth Celtic]

i have 6 friends from canada i talk to for hours a day every day in vent. not one cares about basketball, watches basketball, or pays any attention at all to basketball. it's all hockey.

where most the us guys i talk to have some team the pull for even if they don't watch all the time.

who cares where the game was invented 600 years ago. you have 1 team, and a bad one at that for the whole country with 0 finals or championships. and easy to find a player or coach in US with more, His name is bill. OWNED>

[ryaningf]

The Canadians are a great people and a great county...but the Raptor fan base (no matter which country they hail from) as a whole doesn't know much about basketball, stemming probably from the fact that they follow the Raptors in the first place....not much history there, nothing to draw on...if somebody becomes a Celtic fan, they can pick up a book by Red or Russ or Larry and learn a ton about basketball and life....what does a Raptor fan do...scour Wikipedia for tales of Isiah Thomas and Damon Stoudamire?...the only thing you can learn from the Raptor past is self-loathing.

Tommy is obviously a homer, in the tradition of Harry Carry or Johnny Most, but he can still drop knowledge in the midst of that bias, which gives him some redeeming value.....Toronto announcers are worse...they're homers *and* ignorant just like their fans. It's like one big feedback loop of self-loathing and ignorance for the Raptor fans...and it's going to be like that until you win anything...kinda sad, but that's the way it is for 'new' teams. Meanwhile you keep wondering why you suck...it's because it's all you've ever known.

That said, the Raptors have some good offensive talent, which is probably good enough for a .500 record and a short playoff run, assuming good health. You should be able to beat up on the really bad teams this season....

Wow

Sorry, but that is just dribble in the guise of intellectualism.

Let me get your points straight:

1. Someone from Canada cannot learn from a book written by someone from the Celtics organization. You seem to indicate we can only read books about basketball written by Canadians or individuals from the Raptors organization.

No; Canadians are more than capable--I have nothing but good things to say about them. It's Raptor fans who--by virtue of following the Raptors--are the intellectual equivalent of basketball adolescents. You have no 'history' of following basketball...so while it's quite possible and probable that there are plenty of knowledgeable basketball coaches, players, fans in Canada, the fanbase following the Raptors is filled, by a vast majority, by people with little or no experience following NBA basketball... On the other hand, teams like the Cs have fanbases that stretch back generations and that kind of tradition and history is invaluable in educating a fanbase. I'd go as far as to say that if you took two average Canadians, had one follow the Raptors and had one follow the Cs, the Canadian following the Cs would be more educated about basketball than the one following the Raptors...not because of anything inherent, but because our fanbase is more knowledgeable because of our collective history and experience following winning basketball and that experience would filter down to them...you know what filters down to Raptor fans...an inferiority complex.

2. No history of basketball in Canada, although the first NBA game was played in Toronto, and basketball was invented by a Canadian. It's amazing how well Nash's hockey skills translated into being one of the best players in the NBA.

Yeah, nothing's wrong with Canada, or the basketball minds of Canadians...it's just the people following the Raptors...by and far a bunch of basketball adolescents.

3. Toronto's announcers are ignorant.

If it makes you feel better, *most* announcers are ignorant, Toronto's included, at least when it comes to basketball, just like the fanbase they speak to...

Matt Devlin is from the USA. He must have had all basketball knowledge erased from his brain as he crossed the border. Or was he ignorant when he did play-by-play for Memphis, Charlotte, and TNT?

Like I said above, most announcers are ignorant, especially in comparison to Mike Gorman, who has been announcing C games since 1980... Matt Devlin is a moron and working for the Raptor organization only worsened that condition...

Leo Routins - Head coach of the Canadian National Basketball team, former NBA player.

Like I said above, it's the fanbase, not individual Canadians that lack knowledge.

"The Coach" Jack Armstrong - born Brooklyn New York- won New York State Division Coach of the Year. Yeah, he knows nothing!

Again, there are plenty of individual Canadians that have plenty of good basketball knowledge, greater than mine or most posters on this board, even. Doesn't change the fact that most of the people following the Raptors don't know squat...

[Celtic Esquire]

I can't wait to play the Raptors in a regular season game.

[Nothingface]

Yeah.....that sounds like Tommy......wrong to say but.....I love it. So what if it's the not the "right" thing to say....it's no more then what people post in here....Tommy has leeway to get away with alot and he does.

This is my whole point. Darth Celtic took issue with something stupid a poster said, regarding a grave and defecation. But what that poster said, was more or less on par with things Tommy has said. How can you call out a poster who is just writing as his subject matter speaks???

Personally I think Tommy crosses the line. He says stupid things, but without humour, tongue no where near cheek. I wonder what things he has actually held himself back from saying.

The way Tommy is defended by Celtics fans reminds me of good ol' boys defending their racist friends (to add more stereotypes ). Wrong is wrong.

[Nothingface]

I can't wait to play the Raptors in a regular season game.

I can't wait to play the Celtics in a post season game.

[Gant]

Yeah.....that sounds like Tommy......wrong to say but.....I love it. So what if it's the not the "right" thing to say....it's no more then what people post in here....Tommy has leeway to get away with alot and he does.

This is my whole point. Darth Celtic took issue with something stupid a poster said, regarding a grave and defecation. But what that poster said, was more or less on par with things Tommy has said. How can you call out a poster who is just writing as his subject matter speaks???

Personally I think Tommy crosses the line. He says stupid things, but without humour, tongue no where near cheek. I wonder what things he has actually held himself back from saying.

The way Tommy is defended by Celtics fans reminds me of good ol' boys defending their racist friends (to add more stereotypes ). Wrong is wrong.

You have no idea of who Tommy is, what he accomplished, how he played, how he coached, how he competed, and how that comes out in these statements that so deeply offend you, do you?

He was one of the smartest players on the smartest, winningest team of all time. He was a brilliant coach leading the smallest team in the league to two titles in three years. He's a frightingly fierce competitor who talks as an announcer the way he acted as a player and coach. He's the high priest of running basketball. He calls the games as if he was in the games.

Tommy stood up against racism in the 50's when people that did so had real courage. You didn't know that did you? He was instrumental in organizing the players. You didn't know that either.

If people listened to him they would learn a ton about this sport, but instead they just hate him because they hate the 17 banners, hate getting beaten, and hate the Celtics. Know-nothings hate him because he covers his team and doesn't fawn over their precious favorites that play elsewhere. Are they that insecure that they need Tommy's approval?

You don't like him? WE DO NOT CARE. Quit illegally streaming Comcast New England preseason feeds if you don't like Tommy.

Above all, what in the world do you hope to accomplish with this HERE??? We love Tommy. If you don't that's fine, but you're not changing anyone's mind.

[Nothingface]

You have no idea of who Tommy is, what he accomplished, how he played, how he coached, how he competed, and how that comes out in these statements that so deeply offend you, do you?

He was one of the smartest players on the smartest, winningest team of all time. He was a brilliant coach leading the smallest team in the league to two titles in three years. He's a frightingly fierce competitor who talks as an announcer the way he acted as a player and coach. He's the high priest of running basketball. He calls the games as if he was in the games.

Tommy stood up against racism in the 50's when people that did so had real courage. He was instrumental in organizing the players.

If people listened to him they would learn a ton about this sport, but instead they just hate him because they hate the 17 banners, hate getting beaten, and hate the Celtics. Know-nothings hate him because he covers his team and doesn't fawn over their precious favorites that play elsewhere. Are they that insecure that they need Tommy's approval?

You don't like him? WE DO NOT CARE. Quit illegally streaming Comcast New England preseason feeds if you don't like Tommy.

Above all, what in the world do you hope to accomplish with this HERE??? We love Tommy. If you don't that's fine, but you're not changing anyone's mind.

I already addressed your points about Tommy being so great, etc, and how that does not excuse anything.. I do not feel the need to go over that again.

edit: Believe me, I heard much anti-Tommy talk on RealGM when Boston was the worst team in the league. Get off your high horse about people being jealous etc.

I did not start the conversation about Tommy, Darth Celtic did. How the hell do you get off saying I can't respond to a topic of conversation initiated by someone else?

[Gant]

You have no idea of who Tommy is, what he accomplished, how he played, how he coached, how he competed, and how that comes out in these statements that so deeply offend you, do you?

He was one of the smartest players on the smartest, winningest team of all time. He was a brilliant coach leading the smallest team in the league to two titles in three years. He's a frightingly fierce competitor who talks as an announcer the way he acted as a player and coach. He's the high priest of running basketball. He calls the games as if he was in the games.

Tommy stood up against racism in the 50's when people that did so had real courage. He was instrumental in organizing the players.

If people listened to him they would learn a ton about this sport, but instead they just hate him because they hate the 17 banners, hate getting beaten, and hate the Celtics. Know-nothings hate him because he covers his team and doesn't fawn over their precious favorites that play elsewhere. Are they that insecure that they need Tommy's approval?

You don't like him? WE DO NOT CARE. Quit illegally streaming Comcast New England preseason feeds if you don't like Tommy.

Above all, what in the world do you hope to accomplish with this HERE??? We love Tommy. If you don't that's fine, but you're not changing anyone's mind.

I already addressed your points about Tommy being so great, etc, and how that does not excuse anything.. I do not feel the need to go over that again.

I did not start the conversation about Tommy, Darth Celtic did. How the hell do you get off saying I can't respond to a topic of conversation initiated by someone else?

Tommy needs no excuses. no apologies, and no explanations. He's done nothing but bring joy and glory to this franchise. If he offends others, if others don't like him, that doesn't matter. Not one iota.

[Nothingface]

[

Tommy stood up against racism in the 50's when people that did so had real courage. You didn't know that did you? He was instrumental in organizing the players. You didn't know that either.

I did know that. Thanks for assuming.

[Nothingface]

Tommy needs no excuses. no apologies, and no explanations. He's done nothing but bring joy and glory to this franchise. If he offends others, if others don't like him, that doesn't matter. Not one iota.

And some people have to realize others have legitimate reasons to not like the guy. If you don't like to talk about it, yell at the guy who brought it up!

[floyd]

Nothingface, try getting the pole removed from your ass, that might help.

[Nothingface]

Nothingface, trying getting the pole removed from your ass, that might help.

lol, that's the best you could come up with?

[Nothingface]

Anyways, I have made my points. I appreciate those who actually put thought into the conversation.

Good luck this year.

[floyd]

I don't need to run on for paragraphs in mock outrage to prove a point. Namley that you're probably not much fun at parties if you think Tommy Heinsohn "crosses the line."