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Post by mikecubs on Jul 15, 2012 8:43:40 GMT -6
The Raptors are heading back to Montreal. Toronto will take on the New York Knicks in preseason action Oct. 19 at the Bell Centre. The Raptors beat the Knicks in front of a raucous, sellout crowd of 22,114 there back in October 2010.
This time, the game will comprise half of the first-ever NBA Canada series. The MTS Centre in Winnipeg will host the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons on Oct. 24, the first time the NBA has been in Winnipeg in years. The NBA has previously held marquee international preseason games in Europe, China and Mexico. The Raptors also announced on Tuesday that they will play an intra-squad scrimmage at Casino Rama on Oct. 28 at 1 p.m., just before the regular season opens. Tickets will be available only at the Casino Rama box office and a suggested donation of $25 per ticket to the MLSE Team Up Foundation is recommended. The rest of the Raptors preseason schedule will be announced soon as will be the site of training camp -– which is widely expected to be Halifax. slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NBA/Toronto/2012/07/10/19970446.html
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Post by mikecubs on Jul 15, 2012 8:47:08 GMT -6
This is a great idea to play yearly NBA preseason games in Canada. For sure they should play at least one game each year in Montreal and Vancouver. Once Seattle is taken the NBA is out of realistic relocation/expansion options in the United States. I'd sure love to see Montreal and Vancouver get a team someday if they have the interest.
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Post by TheDeuce on Jul 15, 2012 8:50:34 GMT -6
I'm not a basketball fan by any stretch but I'd give this a go if I didn't have anything else that weekend. Might be interesting.
m.
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Post by whitewater on Jul 15, 2012 12:44:57 GMT -6
I would have loved to see Toronto and NY instead of Minnesota and Detroit. Irregardless, I am so happy that the NBA is back in the MTSC.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2012 11:00:28 GMT -6
Bring the NBA to Winnipeg!!! Actually, one preseason game is plenty enough, thank you very much.
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jmt
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Post by jmt on Jul 17, 2012 10:30:41 GMT -6
Not a huge NBA fan, but court side to a game is on my bucket list. Got 2 seats, first row, court side for $400. Much better than the prices I almost paid to see other games (Bull, Clippers, etc).
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xman
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Post by xman on Oct 7, 2012 1:09:49 GMT -6
Cool! Remember, Minnesota is your bordering area, hence the Timberwolves coming to town! Will be interesting to see the attendance stats.
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Post by jval07 on Oct 7, 2012 10:53:37 GMT -6
I went to a Timberwolves regular season game a couple years ago and spent 80% of the game drinking in the concourse. Despite enjoying watching NCAA basketball I find the NBA extremely slow. Only time I really paid attention for an extended period of time was during the last NHL lockout.
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xman
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Post by xman on Oct 7, 2012 20:07:39 GMT -6
Yeah the idea of putting an NBA team in Winnipeg is probably the equivalent of putting the NHL on the Hawaiian islands. Still cool that a preseason game is going to be played there. As mentioned in the OP it sold out last time it happened in Montreal.
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Post by Jetsfan47 on Oct 8, 2012 15:54:41 GMT -6
I got my tickets to the T-Wolves and Pistons game Centre Court seats (last row) looking forward to it
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Post by mikecubs on Oct 28, 2012 1:23:23 GMT -6
Well the pre season games are in. Minnesota beat Detroit in the Winnipeg game. The attendance was 12,163 not a sell out. Toronto beat New York in the other game. Montreal had another SOLD OUT very loud crowd of 22,144. People are starting to ask could Montreal support an NBA team? www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/2012/10/19/prime_time_sports_chris_mullin_montreal_nba_team/One side note, David Stern did an interview a few weeks ago with the Boston Globe and he said the NBA probably won't ever be able to expand to Europe because their economy couldn't handle the NBA. The NBA was think of having a 5 team European division some day. This was always Sterns number 1 dream. Now that Europe is likely dead I'm more convinced than ever if Montreal showed the interest in wanting a NBA team Stern would put one there in a heart beat since Montreal as close as the NBA is ever going to get to being European.
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Post by wolfmannick on Oct 28, 2012 8:51:18 GMT -6
^ Its also expanding the game. I'm sure the NBA would love to have more successful teams in Canada as the NHL would love to have more teams in the Southern US. (Although the teams in Canada is more likely to work.)
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Post by mikecubs on Oct 30, 2012 5:37:06 GMT -6
^^^ Good point. This was the number 1 reason the NBA did this. The goal was to increase the amount of fans in Canada so they buy more NBA products/watch more games or play more basketball so they become NBA players. A year ago Canada actually produced an NBA lottery pick Tristian Thompson the number 4 pick overall(Cleveland). From what I understand there is a 16 year old phenom in the Toronto area that is going to become the next great thing(I forgot his name). A second or third Canadian team would be a bonus.
In a perfect world the NBA would love to have a second or third team in Canada(I'd love to see it). I'm just not sure it's possible. Competing with the NHL is tough in Canada. Would the interest be there in Montreal for full time NBA? With Vancouver same question with the interest plus you have to ask is the city big enough for both NBA/NHL. Then you have to factor in the likely hood of Seattle getting an NHL team at some point in the near future. How many people shut out of Canuck games would rather have say a 10 game ticket package in Seattle than follow the local NBA team? My guess is given the popularity of hockey in Canada a larger amount of people would rather support Seattles team than follow the NBA.
The sun belt mostly sucked but there were a few hits. The LA Kings are near elite, San Jose was a home run and although they had a terrible last 2 years before that Dallas did very well. The other teams mostly suck but even the other teams like say Tampa/Carolina at least the owner hasn't thrown the keys on the table(yet). That says a little something.
For NBA in Canada Toronto was a home run(fan wise, $$$ wise) but thats it so far. Until Montreal or Vancouver can prove they could support the NBA at least at a weak level it's hard to rank NBA in Canada ahead of the sun belt experiment.
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Post by jetsorbust on Oct 30, 2012 7:36:37 GMT -6
Am I the only one that hopes the Raptor's fold so that TSN can stop showing basketball highlights on sportscenter and I can stop having to switch the channel for 10 minutes each day?!
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Post by mikecubs on Oct 30, 2012 10:23:08 GMT -6
^^^ Unfortunately probably not. A lot of people in Canada outside of Toronto probably feel this way. Other sports=less hockey highlights/analysis. That's why I don't think Canada will be getting a second NBA team and that's why Canada only has 2 pro teams in the big 4 sports leagues outside of the NHL besides demographic limitiations outside of Toronto and Montreal.
It's a shame you feel so strongly about the Raptors. Not saying you should be a NBA fan but wanting them to leave is too harsh. Basketball is a part of Canada's cultural herritage. Basketball was invented by a Canadian and the 1st NBA game ever was played in Canada(New York vs. Toronto Huskies at Maple Leaf Gardens). I just don't understand why so many people in Canada would love to see the country become a 1 sport country.
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