One missing link makes difference in NBA
 |
| A Kawhi Leonard card. |
On Friday, the Raptors 2019-20 campaign came to an end when they fell 92-87 to the storied Boston Celtics in Game 7 of an NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Celtics took the best-of-seven set 4-3 with all games being played in the NBA bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.
The Raptors
were unable to repeat all their exploits from the 2018-19 campaign.
During the
2018-19 campaign, the Raptors had the second best record in the NBA regular
season with a 58-24 mark. In the 2019 playoffs, they went on to win their first
NBA title in team history.
The Raptors
first hit the court in the 1995-96 NBA season.
As the
Raptors advanced through the 2019 post-season, there were massive watch parties
held across Canada including quaint gatherings of 300 people that packed Civic
Square in downtown Saskatoon for Games 5 and 6 of the NBA final.
On June 13,
2019, the Raptors knocked off the powerful Golden State Warriors 114-110 in
Game 6 of the NBA final at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., to capture the
NBA title winning the best-of-seven series 4-2.
The
Warriors had a championship pedigree having won the NBA crown in 2015, 2017 and
2018.
The Raptors did all that with star guard Kawhi Leonard in the fold, who is considered one of the top five players in the league and its best defensive player.
After that one season in Toronto, Leonard decided he wanted to return home to Los Angeles and signed as a free agent with his hometown Clippers. Leonard had arrived in Toronto in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs on July 18, 2018.
The Raptors did all that with star guard Kawhi Leonard in the fold, who is considered one of the top five players in the league and its best defensive player.
After that one season in Toronto, Leonard decided he wanted to return home to Los Angeles and signed as a free agent with his hometown Clippers. Leonard had arrived in Toronto in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs on July 18, 2018.
 |
| A Kyle Lowry card. |
After
Leonard moved to L.A., many wondered if the Raptors would remain one of the
NBA’s elite clubs and continue to contend for a league championship.
Of course,
no one could imagine how crazy the 2019-20 season would be due to the onset of
the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Raptors completed the bulk of their
regular season schedule, when the NBA decided to pause its campaign on March 11
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That was
the first domino that saw the rest of the sports world in North America follow
suit.
The NBA
resumed play in August, and when the dust settled, the Raptors again had the
second best regular season record in the league at 53-19. The team’s regular
season schedule was ultimately shortened by 10 games.
The last
eight games of the Raptors 2019-20 regular season was played in the NBA bubble
at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Still, the
Raptors finished first in the Atlantic Division for the sixth time in last
seven seasons, and they won 48 or more games in each of the last seven
campaigns.
Into the
NBA playoffs the Raptors went, where they promptly swept the Brooklyn Nets 4-0
in a best-of-seven first round series.
The Raptors
were riding all sorts of momentum going into their next series, which was the
set with the Celtics. The Celtics won the first two games to go up 2-0, but the
Raptors showed their championship heart.
In Game 3,
Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry fired a smart pass to small forward OG
Anunoby, who hit at three-point shot at the fourth-quarter buzzer to give the
Raptors a 104-103 victory and a new life.
 |
| An OG Anunoby card. |
In Game 7
on Friday, the Raptors led 68-67 with 1:45 to play in the third quarter. The
Celtics proceeded to get momentum and built an 88-78 lead with 4:45 remaining
in the fourth quarter.
The Raptors
went on a 9-1 run to cut the Celtics edge to 89-87 with 1:21 remaining in the
fourth. Toronto had one possession to try and tie the contest but couldn’t. The
Celtics closed the 92-87 victory on free throws.
During the
series, the Celtics were more consistent than the Raptors in executing in the
half-court game. Too often in key moments, the Raptors would get the ball
offensively, spread the floor and settle for a jump shot.
That
scenario played out in Friday’s Game 7 loss.
If the
Raptors still had Leonard in the fold, they likely would have won the series
against the Celtics. Offensively, Leonard draws double teams which cause more
favourable match ups for his teammates on the floor.
Defensively,
Leonard causes all sorts of havoc when the opposing side tries to execute
offensively.
Leonard is a special type of player you can’t replace, and in the game of basketball, your team’s chances of winning a championship increase greatly when you have a special player like Leonard.
Leonard is a special type of player you can’t replace, and in the game of basketball, your team’s chances of winning a championship increase greatly when you have a special player like Leonard.
Still, the
Raptors had a great campaign in 2019-20, but one wonders if this is the end
this particular chapter of success in team history.
Other key
players like guard Fred VanVleet, centre Marc Gasol and forward Serge Ibaka are
all set to enter free agency. An end of an era might be coming for the Raptors.
 |
| Fans in Civic Square in Saskatoon enjoy the Raptors NBA title win in 2019. |
The Los
Angeles Lakers with all-time great in forward LeBron James have a berth in the
Western Conference championship series. They will face the winner of a Tuesday
Game 7 Western Conference semifinal series encounter between Leonard’s Clippers
and the Denver Nuggets.
No matter
how the NBA post-season plays out, the Raptors left their mark on Canada. Over
the past two seasons, the Raptors drew support from people of all cultures.
Their
ability to be a unifying force should not be overlooked, and it was great they
could perform that role for a short time.
Huskies lucky to have Hardy for time they
did
 |
| Dave Hardy. |
With that
said, the 73-year-old, who doesn’t seem like he should be that old, has well
earned the right to do whatever he chooses in his life.
Last
Wednesday, the University of Saskatchewan announced a search had started to
find Hardy’s successor as the chief athletics officer for the University of
Saskatchewan Huskies athletic program. Hardy will stay on as the CAO until his
replacement is found.
He
officially stepped into the role on August 12, 2019 for a term of up to two
years that could possibly be extended. Of course, the changes in the world due
to the COVID-19 pandemic played a part in this decision.
“The world
has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and university athletics was by no
means spared,” said Hardy in a release. “The road to recovery is going to be a
long one, and I feel it is in the best interest of Huskie Athletics to have
long-term leadership in place.
“I have
been proud to have had the chance to contribute to the university’s storied
athletic program during these challenging times, however I feel that it is the
right time to begin the search for a new CAO.”
Hardy has a
storied career in the Saskatoon school system as a teacher, principal and
school superintendant. He is a former president of Vancouver College, and he
led that institution to new heights in academic and athletic excellence.
That
included facilitating a capital fundraising campaign that exceeded $20-million.
In
Saskatoon, Hardy is widely remembered for guiding the Saskatoon Hilltops as
head coach for 10 seasons from 1988 to 1997. The Hilltops won two Canadian
Junior Football League titles in 1991 and 1996 under Hardy’s guidance.
Hardy
posted a 70-18-1 regular season record guiding the Hilltops as head coach. In
1995, Hardy was named the coach of the year for the entire CJFL.
When he
departed from the Hilltops, Hardy was at that time the team’s longest serving
head coach.
He is an
alumnus of the Huskies men’s basketball team and coached basketball for
extended stints during his time in the Saskatoon School system.
To use a
cliché, Hardy has done his part for king and country. If he decided to continue
to play a part in Saskatoon’s sports community, everyone in Saskatoon’s sports
community would be better for it.
The Huskies
were blessed to be able to have him on board for a little over a year. Even
Huskies football head coach Scott Flory, who has been able to draw from a lot
of mentors, said he has learned a lot from Hardy.
Still,
these COVID-19 pandemic times have been hard on the sports world in Canada. The
sports world in Canada is likely at the start of a major reset.
At the U of
Saskatchewan, Huskie Athletics will likely be trying to navigate waters on how
it will keep all 15 of its varsity teams. Preserving teams is likely a concern
for every program across U Sports as multiple sources of revenue dry up that
normally wouldn’t dry up due to the pandemic.
The U of
Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams don’t have a home as Merlis
Belsher Place has been taken over by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and
turned into a “Linus blanket” COVID-19 field hospital in waiting.
The Huskies
hockey teams are currently operating out of the SaskTel Centre, which is home
to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and the NLL’s Saskatchewan Rush.
Merlis
Belsher Place will not be available as a sports facility for the 2020-21 sports
campaign, and it is highly possible it won’t be a sports facility for some time
after that. Even if it was green lighted for use as a sports facility in
2021-22, there are rumblings it is going to needed some decent work to rebuild
the inside for it to become a sports facility again to undo modifications that
made it a field hospital.
Those are
just some of the things the incoming CAO for Huskie Athletics will have to
navigate through.
Of course
when Hardy became the CAO for Huskie Athletics in August of 2019, no one
expected a pandemic would throw the world into flux.
With all
that considered, Hardy has done mammoth world in the sports world in Saskatoon.
If he decides to go into retirement, he deserves to enjoy all the perks that
part of life offers.
Huskies football to hold passing showcase
The Huskie
Football Passing Showcase is open to all high school students in Grades 10 to
12.
The showcase runs from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on five Saturdays including September 19 and 26 and October 3, 10 and 17 on Fields 10 and 11 north of the Education Building.
The sessions include practices and games.
The passing showcase is for quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, linebackers and defensive backs.
The showcase runs from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on five Saturdays including September 19 and 26 and October 3, 10 and 17 on Fields 10 and 11 north of the Education Building.
The sessions include practices and games.
The passing showcase is for quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, linebackers and defensive backs.
Anyone
looking to sign up for those camps can do so by clicking right here.
Hilltops to hold evaluation camp
The
Hilltops, who have won 22 CJFL titles, will run the camp from 10 a.m. to 12
p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. this coming Saturday at their clubhouse. All current
COVID-19 protocols the team has put in place will be followed.
The camp is
also free to all who register.
All the
players need to bring to the camp is a helmet. Registrations are being accepted
by Wednesday, and those looking to register are asked to email allisonwalker1616@gmail.com.
There are a
limited number of spots available for the camp.
Valkyries to hold fall camp, new players
welcomed
The camp is
slated to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The
cost to attend the camp is $50 and all the equipment that is required are
running shoes or cleats and a water bottle.
Those
looking to register for the camp can do so by clicking right here. All
questions can be sent via email to saskatoonvalkyries@gmail.com.
Pats’ phenom Bedard going to train in Sweden
On Monday,
the WHL’s Regina Pats announced the 15-year-old phenom forward from North
Vancouver, B.C., is heading to Sweden to train and practice with the HV71
junior program until the start of the 2020-21 WHL campaign.
Bedard is
the first player in the history of the WHL to be granted exceptional status,
which allows him to play in the major junior ranks as a 15-year-old on a
full-time basis. The Pats selected Bedard first overall in the WHL Bantam Draft
that was held last April.
“I’m really
looking forward to this unique opportunity,” said Bedard in a release. “I look
forward to being able to develop in Sweden with HV71 and prepare myself for
when I arrive in Regina.
“Hopefully,
we can be playing in front of the fans in December.”
Bedard, who
stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 165 pounds, played for West Vancouver Academy’s
under-18 team this past season in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He
piled up 43 goals and 41 assists for 84 points in 36 games.
For his
efforts, Bedard was named MVP of the CSSHL’s under-18 division.
At the
moment, the WHL’s start date is slated for Dec. 4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On a side note, Sweden is the only country in Europe that has not enacted any
COVID-19 lockdown measure.
If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
-------
