Toronto Raptors vs Indiana Pacers - 2011/2012 Season Home Opener

Raptor Fans and Glorification of Losing

And just like that, we have the NBA back! The lockout is officially over and the pre-season games are under way, various fan bases are across the League are flaming up with exaggerated hype or doom. How much I've missed that.

The bottom line is, however, that  we made it through the lockout and, if the attendance at the lone pre-season game, we're still going strong. Having said that, here is my biggest Holiday / New Year's wish to my fellow Raptor fans. Let the 'tank talk' become the thing of the past.

Photo: MegiMK

Winning creates a positive environment and momentum. Losing creates more damage than one or two high draft picks could ever fix. You must have heard the "You don't learn from losing" cliché many times already. It's only a cliché only because it's true.

Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics - 2011/2012 Pre-Season Game

 

#NoNBA... For now.

The negotiations between NBA and NBPA have suffered yet another, and possibly the most critical yet, setback as the players decided the owners' latest proposal was unacceptable to them. Subsequently, the NBPA disclaimed its interest as the players’ union.  Stern then announced that this season is the “nuclear winter.”

At the first glance this doesn't sound good at all. But, if you look at the situation closely, had the players been serious about blowing the season up they'd have opted for decertification instead. Decertification is a more complex and lenghty process while Disclaimer of Interest doesn't really mean much and allows the NBPA to be reformed by a quick vote.

The situation is hardly critical and looks like yet another, quite desperate, attempt at posturing. Expect the NBA to be back by Christmas. You can bet on that.

Toronto Raptors vs Indiana Pacers - March 11, 2011

 

Toronto Raptots vs Dallas Mavericks - Pre-game Shootaround - February 27, 2011