More World Juniors Action

After a shaky 6-3 win vs the Czech Republic, Team Canada had an easy game on their hands to tune up for tonight's game vs Sweden. Their game vs Norway was easy, despite being out 4 players (Zach Kassien - two-game suspension for a supposed "hit to the head" on a Czech player; Cody Eakin - injury to right hand - sat out game vs Norway; Calvin de Haan - leg injury vs Czech Repbulic; and Jaden Schwartz - out for entire tournament with fractured ankle. Kassien will also miss tonight's key game vs Sweden as well due to his suspension. Back to the game against Norway...the Canadians won 10-1 and budding star Brayden Schenn (younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs player Luke Schenn) scored 4 goals (tieing a Canadian world juniors record for most goals in a game by a single player) and picked up an assist as well. Other big goal scorers were Casey Cizakas (who scored the game's first goal 2 minutes in), Erik Gudbranson who scored twice, and Marcus Foligno. Canada outshot Norway 43-32 and backup goaltender Mark Visentin was masterful, stopping all but 1 of the shots. He replaced wobbly starter Ollivier Roy (who is NOT related to former NHL great Patrick Roy by the way) and took advantage of the opportunity. During the game, captain Ryan Ellis also set a tournament record: by assisting on two of Schenn's 4 goals, he broke Reijo Ruotsalainen's record for most career tournament points by a defencemen. Now, the Canadians will need to get ready for the tough matchup tonight against Sweden. The game will air on TSN at 3:30 PM this afternoon. Until then, stay warm and have a happy New Year! Here's the recap: Depleted Canadian Roster Romps Over Weak Norwegians 

First World Junior Hockey Championships Post

So yesterday was the big day: the opening game of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships for 2010-2011, held in Buffalo, New York. The match was between Canada and Russia. It was a close matchup until the 3td period, when Brayden Schenn and Ryan Johanesen scored twice to give Canada the lead for good at 5-3. Canada went 3-5 on the power-play, scoring 3 times while taking only 3 penalties themselves. Marcus Foligno scored first for Canada late in the 1st period to tie the game at 1-1. Team captain Ryan Ellis and Erik Gudbranson also scored in the 6-3 victory over Russia. Shots on goal for the game was Canada 42, Russia 27. Next, Canada plays against the Czech Republic tomorrow. We'll see how they will do against them. Here's the game recap: Canada Grits it out vs Russia in Win  Tonight, the Raptors return from their Christmas break to play in Memphis against the Grizzlies. Also too, Toronto re-signed Ronald Dupree: Dupree is Raptors 15th Man  Until tomorrow, I'll see you later!

HUGE NBA Trade, Raptors and Knights News

Wow, what a development! I've just come from reading about shocking NBA trade news involving the Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, and Orlando Magic. Orlando sent Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, and Mickael Pietrus to Phoenix in return for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark. Jason Richardson can now team up once again with Quentin Richardson just like they did in their old days in L.A. when they were with the Clippers years ago. The only differences are: they're older, and swingman Darius Miles isn't with them as he was in the Clippers days. Orlando also sent Rashard Lewis to Washington for Gilbert Arenas in a separate trade move. This means that Raptors fans will NOT see Vince Carter play against the Raptors in Toronto until February 25. That will be the ONLY time this season that Vince returns to Toronto as well. Here are the links to the trade news: Suns Staff Reports on Trade, Wizards Staff Reports on Trade

In other news, Toronto pulled off a huge comeback against the Eastern-Conference-worst New Jersey Nets after two disappointing losses in a row to Charlotte and Chicago. Andrea Bargnani was great in this game, earning 32 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in approximately 38 minutes of work. He was especially dominating in the 2nd half where he scored 24 points on 10-15 shooting. The other great thing about this game was that it featured the return of starting point guard Jose Calderon. This proved to be immediately effective as he scored a steady 15 points on 7-9 shooting and earned 14 assists. He, like Bargnani, was also better in the 2nd half, getting 11 points, 8 assists, and only 1 turnover. Now, about that comeback...it was earned by a solid 2nd half, ending with a superb 4th quarter. With New Jersey leading 79-73 with 9:27 left in the final quarter to play, Toronto used a 16-2 run over the next 4 minutes to take an 8-point lead. The Nets wouldn't back down however and pulled to within 2 points with 38 left. Then, on Toronto's next possession, Andrea Bargnani matched up against New Jersey star point guard Devin Harris and called for the ball. He promptly received it, and passed it to reserve guard Leandro Barbosa when a second New Jersey Nets player came over to double-team on Bargnani. Barbosa nailed down the 3-pointer to put Toronto up 97-92 with 15 seconds left. After that, it was over and T.O. won the game.

Some numbers before I talk about the London Knights...
- The Raptors picked up 26 assists on 40 shots.
- Reserve small forward Linus Kleiza picked up a career-high 12 rebounds and 4 assists in the game.
- With the Raptors win, Andrea Bargnani has led the team 15 times in scoring this year.
- Toronto has now won 6 straight games vs the New Jersey Nets.
- In the game on Friday, the Toronto starting lineup players combined for 85 points, which is a team-high this season.
Here is the recap for the game: Raptors Earn Another Comeback Victory

Toronto's next game is Sunday vs Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at 1:00 PM. The game will air on TSN. Now, onto the Knights...

On Friday, the Knights played their final game before their Christmas break. It was at home in the John Labatt Centre against the Owen Sound Attack. London played a great game, winning 4-1. London owned the shots on goal category by a count of 41-30. Goals by the Knights were scored by Vladislav Namestnikov, Andreas Athanasiou, Scott Harrington and Stephen Sanza. Owen Sound's only goal came by Robby Mignardi. London now doesn't play until the 29th vs the Guelph Storm on the road. That game starts at 7:00 PM. Here's the recap of the victory vs the Owen Sound Attack: Knights get Christmas Present from Owen Sound

Well, that's all. Be sure to catch the action between the Raptors and the Lakers on Sunday. Until then, you all take care.  

Commenting on the BEST Raptors Comeback Ever, Other news...

On Saturday, the Toronto Raptors shocked the NBA...well, at least they shocked the Detroit Pistons anyway! This team came back from 25 points down to defeat Detroit in a thriller, 120-116. Of course, as life would have it, I couldn't see the game because I was at church. It's all right though; you have to put the most important things first or you risk committing idolatry. Back to the Raptors though...the Pistons in the game scored 72 first-half points and had the Raptors down by 25 points late in the 3rd quarter. With 10:37 left in the final frame, T.O. was still down by 17 before they embarked on their furious rally. They started with a 17-6 run to make the score 110-104. After that Toronto in effect said, "Bombs away!" and started nailing 3-pointers left and right! Key contributers and stars Leandro Barbosa, Andrea Bargnani, and Jerryd Bayless went back-to-back-to-back on the next three Raptors possessions to give the team a 113-110. Free throws sealed the deal after. The star of the game wasn't Andrea Bargnani, Sonny Weems, DeMar DeRozan, or even a solid player of the likes of Amir Johnson or Linus Kleiza. Instead, it was the reserve guard Jerryd Bayless, who has had to play on the starting lineup because of a current injury to Jose Calderon. He collected a career-high-tying 31 points to go along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. However, Jerryd was, according to the recap, "just as guilty as several of his teammates for some troubling defensive play that led to easy Detroit buckets in the first half." I guess that's how good players are born though: you learn how to battle through the tough times to get the victory. Some final notes from the game before I give out the sports links: 
- The Raptors shot an unbelievable 64.3% from the 3-point line in the game.
- They also shot a torrid 62.9% overall for the entire contest. It must have been some game. Now the team gets to rest until Tuesday night when they travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Bobcats. That game starts at 7 PM on TSN. Read how Toronto achieved their AMAZING comeback! 


Now, for the London Knights...it's been a rough ride for them this year. They are currently sitting at 14-14, good for 7th place in the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference. This weekend, they lost a tough game on Thursday to the Guelph Storm in London with a score of 4-3. Here's the recap for the Guelph game. After that, the Knights hosted the Erie Otters on Friday on the night of their annual "teddy bear toss". Fans will usually bring a teddy bear or any other stuffed animal to those games and throw them onto the ice when the Knights score their 1st goal. The goodies usually benefit a local London organization such as the Salvation Army. As for the game, the Knights were humiliated 9-4 at the hands of Erie. Here's that game.  The Knights finally got some good news to finish off their weekend. They defeated the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4-2 behind goals from Jared Knight, Daniel Erlich, Chris DeSouza, and Seth Griffith. The Greyhound goals came from Rudy Sulmonte and Brett Findlay. The shots on goal for the game benefited the London Knights by a count of 51-30. (Sounds like a halftime score for an NBA basketball game!) One final note: a fight took place in the game between London's Victor Terreri and Sault Ste. Marie's Dylan King. They both received a 5 minute major penalty for the fight. Here is the recap link.    


London now plays Friday vs the Owen Sound Attack to finish off their 4-game home-stand. The game starts at 7:30 PM. Also too, I have some bad news: the Miami Heat have now won 8 straight games and sit in 2nd place in the NBA's Eastern Conference. However, LeBron was booed almost every time he touched the ball in those wins, so it all evens out! Don't worry; there can still be upsets when it comes to the playoffs! Don't count out teams like the Spurs to trash Miami when those times come! Here are the recaps: Heat's Win vs Golden State, Heat's Win vs Sacramento Until the Raptors play next, take care!

Bargnani's Best Night Ever...and Still a Raptors Loss

Yes, it's true. Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors had his best night ever, scoring 41 points last night at Madison Square Garden in New York against the Knicks. However, it still wasn't enough to prevent a 3rd straight Raptors defeat at the hands of a mighty star by the name of Amare Stoudamire. Amare and Bargnani were both dominant in the 4th quarter, with Amare scoring 18 of his 34 points in that frame. Andrea meanwhile, scored 15 points of his own in the 4th, trying valiantly to keep up with the imposing power forward. In the end, however, it was a lucky Raymond Felton 3-pointer that sealed the deal for the Knicks, 113-110. That shot happened after Linus Kleiza was whistled for a pathetic 5-second inbounding violation! Yeah, that's right...even the pros make childish and rookie mistakes sometimes! I guess the Raptors were either well-defended by the Knicks or they were simply out of timeouts. Either way, that mistake proved fatal. Before that Felton three happened, Andrea Bargnani also hit a big three which tied the game at 110. He did get one last try for a 3-pointer after Raymond Felton's miracle shot, but it was much too deep for him to get a great shot off with 2.7 left to play. Andrea also picked up 7 rebounds and a surprising 6 assists along the way. As for Amare Stoudamire, he also picked up 14 rebounds in the 6th straight victory for the Knicks. Toronto has now lost all 3 times to the Knicks so far this season and are in danger of being the 1st Raptors roster since the Kevn O'Neil-coached 2003-2004 roster did it. To avoid that, they will have to defeat the Knicks in New York on April 5th. Other numbers from the game include:
- a 25-8 edge in terms of bench scoring for the Raptors
- Raptors giving up only 11 turnovers in the game
- a 60-48 edge in terms of points in the paint for the Raptors
Here is the recap for the heartbreaking loss in which Toronto played SO WELL: Andrea Bargnani Falls JUST Short of Winning it for Raps

Next up for the Raptors is a game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday back home at the Air Canada Centre. Denver has always been tough against the Raptors, especially since they feature players such as star forward Carmelo Anthony, Chris Anderson, Chauncey Billups (who won a championship with the Detroit Pistons back in 2004 vs the Los Angeles Lakers), J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby (who played for Toronto back in the 1997 and 1998 seasons, when the Raps were still an expansion club), Kenyon Martin, etc. Yep, it's going to be tough for Toronto but they must win if they want to break free of this 3-game slide which has knocked them down to being 10th in the Eastern Conference and again out of a playoff spot for the moment. The game starts at 7 PM on TSN.

Also in the news, the Miami Heat have won their 6th straight game. I'm not surprised now. Here's the recap: HORRIBLE Game from Jazz Helps Traitor King Win 6th Straight  The good thing is, LeBron got booed by the Utah crowd, even if he did almost get a triple-double in the game.

On a much happier note, Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter has apparently returned from an earlier injury and is now playing well for Orlando. They play tonight vs the Portland Trailblazers. Here's the game night info from the Magic's website: Magic vs Blazers Preview

Next blog entry...Raptors and Knights updates. The London Knights play tonight at home in the John Labatt Centre vs the Guelph Storm. Puck drop time is at 7 PM. I'm Nick White. See you next time!  

Raptors Left in Dust in Indiana

Another blog post, and there's another Raptor loss to discuss. The team finished their latest back-to-back by playing against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis last night. Needless to say, it apparently must not have gone over well for Toronto who lost by a stunning 24 points, 124-100. I guess it's a good thing that I wasn't able to watch this debacle take place. This loss drops Toronto to 8-13, just a half-game ahead of Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Cleveland for 8th place in the Eastern Conference. The scarier part of all this is that only TWO games separate Toronto from the worst place East team, the New Jersey Nets! Indiana meanwhile, is only three games ahead of the Raptors! The Pacers improved to 10-9 on the year. Indiana had 7 of their players reach double-digits in scoring, including Brandon Rush with 26 points and Danny Granger with 21. Speaking of Rush, he went 10-18 from the floor, including shooting 6-8 on 3-pointers. As I said, this was a horrible night for the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani scored only 12 points on an off night. Now, Toronto goes to New York tomorrow night to seek revenge against the Knicks for defeating them BOTH TIMES at the Air Canada Centre this season. The game time is 7:30 PM. Here's the recap for this abomination of a basketball game: Pacers Run Over our Raptors in Indianapolis By the way, remember how I said that Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Charlotte are a half-game behind the Raptors? Well, the Miami Heat had a hand in that last night as they went to Milwaukee and defeated the Bucks 88-78 for their 5th straight win. All of a sudden, the criticisms and booing have seemed to stop. Fear not, readers; it will come up again if Miami fails to win the NBA championship this year. Mark my word, that WILL happen; Boston, Orlando, L.A. Lakers, and San Antonio have a MUCH better shot at that ring than do the 4th-place Eastern Conference Miami Heat! Here's the recap: Bucks Dropped by Heat

That's all for this entry. Be sure to tune in tomorrow night for Toronto's game in New York, where they've had better success in recent years against the pesky Knicks. Until then, game on readers...game on!  

Latest Raptors and Knights News

Here are the latest Raptors and Knights links:
Great 3rd Makes Thunder Not Heard in T.O. (In that 3rd quarter, Toronto finished 11-2 in fast break points, 12 assists and a 17-4 scoring run that gave the Raptors control of the game for good. For the game, Toronto shot 54.9% and Jose Calderon grabbed 15 assists. You can't ask for more.)

Knicks Crush Raptors Again, Amare is the Hero (The Raptors lost this game 116-99. This was a crushing defeat as this team struggles to maintain its 8th-place seeding in the East.)

Majors Victorious Against Knights; 4-1

Whalers Sink Knights in Plymouth; 4-1

Well, there you go. The Raptors are playing tonight vs the Pacers in Indiana to close out a back-to-back. The game can be seen on Rogers Sportsnet One if you get it. If not, you can always just tune in to the Fan 590 (a Toronto sports radio station) to hear the game. For the rest of us, we will just have to wait for the final scores and recaps tomorrow. Have a good day folks!

LeBron James the Lyin' King Puts on Show in Cleveland, Other Sports News

For all of you Cleveland Cavaliers fans out there, you heard right. Last night - the night that saw LeBron play in your arena for the first time since his "Decision" - the guy put on a show. The classless "King" himself decided to show off and rub it in your faces going for 38 points through 3 quarters of play. (He sat out the entire 4th quarter afterwards.) In the 3rd, he scored 24 points to break open your wounds even more and to top it all off, he even taunted your players bench in the period! And to think that he had told reporters before the game that it was all just a regular game! However, the statistics on LeBron for the night prove him to be nothing more than a dishonest liar: 38 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. To your credit, most of you were well-behaved. Oh there were some drunken idiots and morons, but security quickly escorted them out of Quicken Loans Arena. The final score by the way was Miami 118, Cleveland 90. I was repulsed by LeBron's "show" and wished that he had played poorly to show actual appreciation for you in order to back up his empty politically-correct words. Heck, if you guys had of thrown a pie in his face, I would've laughed my butt off! Anyways, I'm done with all of this. Here's the recap for the game: Miami Routs Cleveland Behind their so-called "Royal Majesty" Here's to hoping that you guys have a great year and that you go deep in the playoffs if you make it there; you deserve it after what the NBA's "Judas Iscariot" has done to you!

Amidst all of the hoopla surrounding LeBron's disgraceful return to Cleveland, there was also some London Knights action taking place last night. In Owen Sound, the Knights had to face off against the Owen Sound Attack. London won the game 2-1 behind the scoring of Seth Griffith and Jared Knight. Owen Sound's lone goal came courtesy of Garrett Wilson. The shots on goal favoured Owen Sound 45-30. Here is the recap: Knights Survive Attack in Owen Sound  London plays tonight at home against the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. The game starts at 7:30 PM. Also too, the Toronto Raptors get back at it inside the Air Canada Centre tonight when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder which features the exciting young duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. That game starts at 7 PM on TSN2. Well, that's all for now. Until next time readers, keep a rootin' for your teams!    

Latest NBA News, LeBron Returns to Cleveland Tonight

Well, there's been quite a lot of developments lately. Yesterday, the NBA Fanhouse website reported that Cleveland GM Dan Gilbert (whose famous letter to his fans is on this blog in the July 9 post) is apparently alleging that the Miami Heat "illegally tampered with LeBron James before signing him in July". You can read the stunning article here: LeBron's new team Under Investigation  All I can say is that if Gilbert is correct, then the Miami Heat should be made to pay for these actions. You should NEVER try to tamper with anyone; your only course of action should be trading for players and/or signing them using the NBA rules. As of right now however, this is only rumour-mill talk and we should not be getting upset over it at this point. LeBron, remember...your crimes will find you out, so beware!

All right, on to other news: the Toronto Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards last night at the Air Canada Centre 127-108. The game saw the debut of Raptors rookie and 13th overall pick Ed Davis put in a solid effort on the night. Davis poured in 11 points on a lot of tip-ins and energetic dunks and he also collected 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Ed also was able to alter plenty of other Washington shots. Jerryd Bayless was also superb in his game last night: 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Bayless mixed up his game, going both inside and outside and providing Toronto with a look at what he can bring to the team. The game changer for Toronto was DeMar DeRozan. He scored a team-high 20 points and attempted 7 free throws. He also made his only 3-point attempt on the night. As for putting the Wizards away, Toronto did that late in the 1st quarter. The game at the time was tied at 21 with 4:05 left in the 1st quarter. After that Toronto produced a 26-8 run over the next 7 minutes of game play that helped the team to a blowout lead and a season-high 72 points at the half. From there, it was all Raptors as they cruised to the victory. Finally for some numbers from this good effort from the Raptors:
- Toronto collected a season-high 52 rebounds in the game.
- The team is now 7-11 with the win. They sported the exact same record last year at this time.
- 127 points is the team's season-high mark in points.
- The Raptors scored a season-high 62 points in the paint against the Wizards.
- Toronto's bench has outscored their opponents reserves by a combined 112 points during their last 7 games.
Here is the game recap: Toronto Crushes the Spell of Washington's Wizards in Victory

Remember, Cleveland is hosting LeBron James and his Miami Heat team tonight. The game is on at 8 PM. If you can watch the game, DO SO! This will be the first time that LeBron has played in Cleveland since being "traded" from them back in the off-season. I'm rooting for a Cavs victory tonight. You all take care, and peace be with you.

Your Latest Sports Recap Links

This will just be a quick post as I'm going to just post the recap links for the recent games in order to get ready for the next month. So, enjoy everybody and talk to you soon!

Friday's Loss vs Boston for Raptors (In this game, Raptors starting power forward, best rebounder and most hard-working player Reggie Evans broke a bone in his foot which will put him out "indefinitely" according to official team reports.)

Sunday's Blowout Loss vs Atlanta for Raptors

Saturday's Great Loss vs Dallas for Heat (The recap didn't say whether LeBron was booed or not, but he probably was given that everyone else has so far in Miami road games.)

Friday's Loss vs Plymouth Whalers for Knights

Saturday's Win vs Guelph Storm for Knights

Sunday's Loss vs Sudbury Wolves for Knights

Heat Falling Fast; News Delights Toronto, Cleveland and Orlando

Ah yes, more news from the new team of Chris Bosh and LeBron James: the Miami Heat. On Wednesday, they had to play against their Florida rivals, the Orlando Magic in Orlando. The Magic won the game 104-95, giving Miami its 3rd straight defeat after Miami had lost to Indiana and Memphis earlier on. The real shocker of the game was that Miami, as a result of this loss, is now 8-7, only SIXTH in the Eastern Conference! This is certainly great for the other teams in the league including Cleveland, Orlando, and Toronto. This Miami Heat team has certainly been a good train wreck to watch so far this season, with LeBron in the Orlando game drawing sharp boos from the crowd EVERY TIME he touched the ball! Orlando heroes were Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, and J.J. Redick, who is starting in place of injured Vince Carter. (I hope Vince gets better soon. Injuries are no fun to witness.) Howard scored 24 points, Redick scored 20 points, and Nelson scored 17 himself. Here's to witnessing more failure from the Heat as they continue to prove the Biblical adage true: pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). Here also is the game recap: Cheer NBA fans! The Heat are falling fast!

That's all for now. Remember: the Raptors and Knights are both in action tonight! I'll post later on with recaps from both games. Until then, you all take care.

It's Official, Toronto: You are Now in PLAYOFF Contention!

Yes, that's correct. A team that started the season 2-9, in 14th (2nd-last) place in the Eastern Conference, has now reeled off 4 straight wins to place them at 6-9 - an astounding 9th in that conference! The Toronto Raptors have moved a seemingly impossible 5 seeds in just a week! This team is now right where I have predicted them to finish. This happened after a 106-90 defeat of the Philadelphia 76ers last night at their home court, the Air Canada Centre. What was most impressive in this game was the stellar play of starting power forward Reggie Evans, who snagged a career-high 22 rebounds! He had 10 of those in the 1st quarter alone and finished the 1st half with a team-record 15 boards. This marks Reggie as having the 2nd-most rebounds for any Raptors player in a single game: the record was set by former Raptor Donyell Marshall in the 2003-2004 season in Chicago when he pulled down 24 rebounds. Add in Reggie's 12 points, overall aggressive play, and a high degree of desire and tenacity and you have a night that most players can only envy or dream of! His night was so impressive that the near-capacity crowd started to chant his name by the end of the game after he pulled down his final rebound! So as you can see, Reggie Evans was the game-changer in this contest. There were, however, other interesting numbers as well. Toronto shot a blistering 57% in the 1st half and had 62 points when that half ended - a season-high mark for the team. "Wait," you might be thinking. "What about the new players?" Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention those two acquisitions: reserve point guard Jerryd Bayless and reserve forward/centre Peja Stojakovic. Bayless scored an impressive 13 points on 4-7 shooting while Stojakovic scored an equally solid 7 points in 6 minutes of play. I was especially struck by the sheer veteran poise of Peja and the lightning speed of Jerryd, not to mention the guard's solid shooting. Bayless helped Toronto to hit a solid 9 3-point field goals in the game. A more underrated player in the game was starting point guard Jose Calderon. In his first start this year, he led the way for Toronto in this one scoring 16 points on 7-10 shooting, 9 assists, and only 1 turnover. He, like Stojakovic, showed plenty of veteran confidence and poise during his playing time and kept the Raptors lead from becoming a single-digit one down the stretch as Philly desperately tried to mount a comeback win. I will now end off with some other numbers from the game:
- Jerryd Bayless and Peja Stojakovic combined for a 4-5 (80%) shooting clip from the 3-point line in the game.
- This game was Reggie Evans' 26th career double-double.
- Toronto collected 24 assists on 38 made shots.
- This game marked the 4th straight 20+ points game for starting centre Andrea Bargnani. (He scored 22 in the game overall.)
- Toronto ended the 1st half with their largest-ever 1st-half lead of the season: 62-43, a 19-point advantage.
Here is the game recap: A Monster Night for Reggie, a Crucial Win for Raptors

Next up for Toronto is a match in Boston against the Celtics on Friday. The game starts at 7:30 PM on TSN2. The London Knights also play on Friday night as well. Until then...game on people!  

Grizzlies Maul Miami Heat at Home, Boos for LeBron & a Warning

Hello everybody, I just wanted to make a quick post before tonight's Raptors game at home vs the Philadelphia 76ers where we will meet the new guys, Peja Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless. This time we're going to Memphis, Tennessee where the Grizzlies and the Heat played against each other on Saturday. The end result is that Memphis won a close game against Miami, 97-95. The hero of the game was young stud Rudy Gay who hit the game-winning buzzer-beater for Memphis. Also during the game, LeBron was booed at times in the match. Ah, it was sweet justice! Here's the recap for the game: More Glorious Heat Failure on the Road  Lastly, I want to issue a warning for ALL players and famous people such as LeBron James and Chris Bosh who want satisfaction and victory now: you'll only get fake gratification and emptiness in return! Here is a powerful old song by the Christian metal band Mortification. It's from their 1990 demo album "Break the Curse" and their 1993 album "Post Momentary Affliction". The song is entitled "Impulsation." Here are the lyrics:

Band: Mortification
Song: Impulsation

Impulsation, smash and grab world
Impulsation, live fast, die young
You'll not find, real satisfaction
You'll find emptiness, fake gratification

Impulsation, patience never learned
Impulsation, satisfaction now

Can't you see, this won't last
lasting peace comes from Christ.

You'll find self-control
if you find salvation
Blood and the fire
purge your mind
Ultimate satisfaction
Real peace
Lasting joy
comes through Jesus
White wash
your mind
Find your release.

Bludgeon to death, lust in your life
Consecrate to live right
Manifest the grace of God
Supplicate prayer and live

LOVE

Impulsation, it's not cool
Impulsation, you could die.

Can't you see people dying
Everyday aids and drug addictions.

Here is where I found the lyrics: Christian Rock Lyrics: "Impulsation" 

Here is the song if you want to listen to it: the demo "Break the Curse" album version,  

the "Post Momentary Affliction" album version  

Well, that about wraps it up. Remember: the Raptors are in action tonight! 

Long-Overdue Sports Briefs

Hello, I'm Nick White bringing you the sports news you need to know. First off, we take you to the Canadian junior hockey world where the London Knights have recently come off a 1-3 weekend. First, on Friday they hosted the Windsor Spitfires and lost 7-3, which you are already aware of. Next, they travelled to Saginaw to play against the Saginaw Spirit. London lost the game 4-1. Shots on goal for the game was 37-28 in favour of Saginaw. The losing goaltender was starter Igor Bobkov who allowed the 4 goals and made 33 saves whereas the winner was starting Saginaw goaltender Mavric Parks who allowed only 1 goal and made 27 saves. Goal scorers for Saginaw were Josh Shalla with 2 and Vincent Trocheck with 2. London's only goal came courtesy of Michael Moffat. Here's the game recap. Finally on Sunday, the Knights hosted the Kingston Frontenacs in what would prove to be a thriller. Kingston rode out to a 3-0 lead after the first period on goals by Ryan Spooner, Alex Gudbranson and Nathan Moon and it looked as though London was on its way to another thrashing. However, in the 2nd period London roared back by goals from newcomer Ryan Rupert (who was acquired in a recent trade with the Sudbury Wolves for Michael MacDonald) and Tyler Brown to make it 3-2 in favour of the Frontenacs. However, the Knights weren't done. In the 3rd, Jared Knight tied the game at 3 with a goal of his own and that would be the final goal in regulation time so overtime was necessary. Overtime however, did not solve anything, so the game went to a shoot-out. In that shoot-out Michael D'Orazio delivered the winner for the Knights to make it a 4-3 final. Shots on goal for the game was 43-31 in favour of London. The Knights play next on Friday, hosting the Plymouth Whalers before travelling to Guelph on Saturday to take on the Storm. On Sunday, they will host the Sudbury Wolves to finish out the weekend. Here is the game recap for the Knights vs Kingston.

Finally we take you to the basketball court in Toronto known as the Air Canada Centre where the Raptors have been making headlines as of late. On Saturday, the team announced that a 5-player trade had been swung with the New Orleans Hornets. Going to New Orleans were Raptors Jarret Jack (the starting point guard), David Anderson, and Marcus Banks. In exchange the Hornets gave Toronto Peja Stojakovic, Jerryd Bayless, and some cash. However, the new players won't be available for Toronto until Wednesday. As a result, Sunday's game at home vs the Boston Celtics would leave Toronto with a shorter bench giving the available players more opportunities for playing time. Here is the official press release of the trade. As for the game, it was a wild thriller that saw the Raptors emerge victorious with a 102-101 final score. It was a fairly close game that first saw Boston take a 13-point lead at the end of the 1st quarter before Toronto would find their game and build a 12-point lead in the 4th. Boston however would not quit and erased that lead with a 16-1 run. Toronto however, showed grit and eventually earned the victory. Heroes for the Raptors were starting centre Andrea Bargnani with 29 points and Amir Johnson with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Next Toronto will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday to close out their current 3-game home-stand. The new players will be available for that game. Here is the recap for the win against Boston. Until next time, I'm Nick White. Thanks for reading! 

     

Raptors Shoot Down Rockets in Victory, Knights Unseated by Spitfires

Yes...back with another blog posting. I am here to report the happy news of the Raptors winning their SECOND STRAIGHT game for the first time this season. This win kicked off a 3-game homestand for the team which also features opponents such as the All-Star cast of the Boston Celtics (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, Rajan Rondo) and the lowly Allen Iverson-less cast of the Philadelphia 76ers. (This will be a rematch of the victory that T.O. pulled out in the previous game before last night's win. Allen Iverson, by the way, is no longer playing in the NBA. He is playing for a team in Turkey, overseas in Europe.) First things first though...the victory vs the Houston Rockets. The final score was 106-96 with an impressive 46 of the Raptors points delivered by the bench (Linus Kleiza, Amir Johnson, Jose Calderon and Australian import David Anderson). This game featured a lot of lead changes in the middle two quarters and scoring runs by both teams (Houston would be up by 5 points with Toronto later taking the lead, etc). In the 4th quarter however, the Raptors got down to business: limiting turnovers, getting to the free throw line, and creating a 91-81 lead for themselves with just 5:27 left in the game. However, the Rockets weren't dead yet, putting up a 13-7 run which cut Toronto's lead to 98-94. Both clubs struggled to score for a minute and then Jose Calderon cam to the rescue for the Raptors, putting in a much-needed layup to increase the lead to 100-94. After that, it was all left up to Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems to seal the deal. Amir blocked a Kyle Lowry shot attempt which sparked a fast break dunk by Sonny. This left 34 seconds left of playing time and no chance for Houston to spoil Toronto's victorious performance. The star of the game was Andrea Bargnani with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Lastly, some numbers are in order here:
- Raptors have now won 4 straight games vs the Rockets at the Air Canada Centre
- Raptors only committed 1 turnover in the 4th quarter
- Raptors attempted no free throws in 1st half; promptly attempted 30 in 2nd half
Here's the game recap for the victory vs the Rockets.

Now Toronto has to play against the aforementioned Boston Celtics on Sunday at 1 PM on Sportsnet. Be sure to tune in to see if the team can stretch the win streak to 3 in a row.

Finally, some thoughts on the London Knights. Last night they hosted the Windsor Spitfires at the John Labatt Centre and promptly lost the game, 7-3. Here's the recap for this pathetic game: Knights 3, Spitfires 7 - Friday November 19, 2010 Let's hope they can do better tonight against the Saginaw Spirit on the road. The game time is at 7 PM.

That's it for this edition of the Sports Bag. Stay tuned for the blogging of tonight's Knights game later on. Have a nice day!

Redemption Found in Philly for Raptors

Last night, the Raptors received a chance to find redemption after being smacked with a 15-point loss in Washington the night before. Well, they found it, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 94-86 to improve to 3-9 on the season. Huge performances were turned in by starting centre Andrea Bargnani and reserve shooting guard Sonny Weems. For much of the game (particularly the 4th quarter) the game remained close between the two bottom teams of the NBA's Eastern Conference. T.O. finally pulled away late from Philly when starting shooting guard DeMar DeRozan scrambled after a loose rebound and fired a long pass to the aforementioned Weems down the floor for a layup. This made the score 89-85 with a minute 24 seconds left to play. Sonny added a free throw before reserve point guard Jose Calderon added 4 more tosses to secure the victory. During the final 3 minutes 34 seconds of the game Toronto held the Sixers to only 1 point and zero shot attempts: pretty impressive for a team that is 2nd-worst in the East! Getting back to the star players, I'll start with Sonny Weems. His hot play of late has seemingly sparked some life into the Raptors. In this game, Sonny scored a career-high 25 points on 10-18 shooting. This included going 4-6 at the free throw line and hitting another huge 3-point shot. Weems is now 5-11 on the season from long range. Now onto Bargnani...he scored a game-high and season-high 30 points, relentlessly going to the hoop whenever his jump shot wasn't falling setting himself and the team for a great night. The underrated Raptor of the game was Jose Calderon. He hit a solid 3-6 from the floor in field goal attempts, and collected 8 assists as well as 5 rebounds. At the end of the game, it was he who played a key role in securing the win for Toronto. All right, time for some numbers before we close: there were 25 lead changes in the game, Toronto edged Philly in offensive rebounds 16-6, there were only 15 4th-quarter Sixer points allowed by the Raptors, Philly won favorably on the fast break 23-8 and also in the paint 56-38. This game wasn't a solid one by either team but Toronto did what it had to in order to win and that is all that matters. Now, the Raptors return home tomorrow night to play star centre Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets. The game starts at 7 PM on TSN. The London Knights also play tomorrow night at home vs the Windsor Spitfires. That game starts at 7:30 PM.

Here is the recap for the Raptors victory in Philadelphia: Raptors get Big Win vs the Sixers  Have a good one!

Raptors and Knights Links

On Friday, the Knights traveled to Erie to take on the Otters. Needless to say, they lost 2-1. Here's the recap for the game: Otters 2, Knights 1 - November 13, 2010

Also too, the Toronto Raptors played against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Toronto lost 109-100 and are now 2-8 on the season, tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the WORST record in the Eastern Conference. Here is the game recap: Basement Raptors Battle Hard, but were Scorched by Heat
A little tidbit about the game: Bosh didn't do well at all against his former team, scoring only 12 points and grabbing only 6 rebounds in 22 minutes. He had to leave the game early in the first quarter due to foul trouble. It's disappointing for me, because I want Bosh to have a great year in Miami, seeing as how he contributed so much for Toronto on and off the court as a Raptor.

Well, that about wraps it up. The Raptors start a back-to-back (again) tonight in Washington vs the Wizards. Their game starts at 7 PM on TSN. Catch you all later and have a great day.

Knights, Raptors, and a Christian Metal Rant

All right, people. It's blog time again and today we have updates from the London Knights and the Toronto Raptors as well as a rant defending a Christian metal album. First off, let's start with the London Knights...

I haven't been blogging much about them because of the whole pile of LeBron James and Chris Bosh news that's been popping up lately and I've been keeping up with the dismal season that the Raptors are currently having. Today fellow Knights fans, I'm making it up to you. We start at the John Labatt Centre where the Knights played host to the Barrie Colts last night. The final score of the game was London 8, Barrie 1. Shots on goal for the game were 46-25 in favour of the Knights. The London goals were scored by Colin Martin, Victor Terreri (2 goals), Dane Fox, Vladislav Namestnikov, Andreas Athanasiou (2 goals) and Jared Knight. Barrie's lone goal came from Aaron Taylor. Tonight, the Knights play in Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States to take on the Erie Otters. The game starts at 7 PM. Here's the recap for the game vs Barrie: Knights 8, Colts 1 - Friday November 12, 2010

Now, onto the Raptors. As many of you may know by now, Toronto has had a rough season so far, having lost 6 straight games. That all changed last night in Orlando as the Raptors defeated the Magic 110-106. The biggest moments in the game first started in the 3rd quarter, where the Raptors used a huge run to help build a 4th quarter lead of 98-90. Orlando then attacked Toronto with a 13-5 run over an approximate stretch of 7 minutes to tie it up. The tie came courtesy of Mickael Pietrus' 7th 3-point shot of the night, leaving Toronto with 29 seconds of playing time. Not to worry, however...Toronto called a timeout and settled down to business. Jarret Jack, starting point guard for the team, received the inbounds pass, ran into the line and dished the ball out to reserve shooting guard Sonny Weems who calmly knocked down the huge 3-point shot over a defensive Dwight Howard. Sonny left Orlando with only 7.1 seconds to play. Around here, we call him "Money" Weems. After that, reserve point guard Jose Calderon stole the inbounds pass and the Raptors then hit 4 straight free throws to win the game. As former Raptors television play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky would say, "Ball game over! Raptors win! Raptors win! Raptors win!" Toronto's hero of the game was starting shooting guard and promising sophomore DeMar DeRozan. He scored a career-high 26 points, including 11 of those by drives and free throws. DeRozan would make an incredible 10 of 12 free throw attempts and he would also end up collecting 7 rebounds as well. Newcomer Julian Wright (from the New Orleans Hornets) was also a big contributor last night, collecting 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in 24 minutes of play. There were other nice things he did that don't show up on the stat sheet however. Julian drove into the lane, passed off to open teammates, hit huge corner 3-point shots, stealing an inbounds pass, and was solid on defense. All in all, Toronto played a great game and earned their second win of the season.
Some stats to consider:
- DeMar DeRozan took 12 free throws
- Mickael Pietrus made 8 three-pointers while Toronto made only 6
- Raptors outrebounded the Magic 39-34
- Raptors made 24 free throws while Magic only made 16
- 27 lead changes were present in last night's game

Toronto now goes to Miami tonight to take on the new "Big Three" of LeBron "backstabber" James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. The start time for the game is 7 PM and you can catch the game on TSN. Here's the game recap: Yesss! VICTORY!

Lastly...the Christian metal rant. As I was surfing the Web last night, I came across a website called Metal Archives. While browsing I saw that one of my favourite Christian metal bands was on there, called Mortification. I looked further and found that one of the albums, the 1999 release "Hammer of God" had been given an average rating of 31%. Here is the link to the Metal Archives website: Metal Archives home page This confused me because many Mortification fans point to the 2001 offering "The Silver Cord is Severed" as being the weakest Mortification album. This "review" was offered on February 11, 2007 by a user named "droneriot". The catch-line reads "Haha, pathetic." with a shocking 0% rating for the album. In other words, he had nothing good to say about it. You can find this review by first logging onto the Metal Archives website, doing a search for Mortification and then clicking on the Australian option that pops up in the search results list. After doing that, scroll down until you see the band's discography (list of released material). One of them is called "Hammer of God". Click that and you will come to the album's page on the website. After that, click where it says "Average rating for reviews" and you will come to the page where reviews have been done. Finally, scroll down until you see the "droneriot" review. You will then see what I am writing about. Now let's get on with it. In the first paragraph our friend "droneriot" (who might be an atheist or a Satanist judging by his horrid metal collection which you can view by clicking on his username and then clicking where it says "View droneriot's metal collection") spends the majority of his time calling Steve Rowe and his band laughable, comparing him to convicted fraudster and creation scientist Kent Hovind, ranting because Mortification actually dares (gasp!) to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ while playing metal music, and complaining about the lyrics of the album suggesting that the lyrics show "some serious brain damage in Steve Rowe's head." Of course, as is the usual fare with these self-proclaimed "reviewers", cursing is allowed to add to the pathetic piece of junk along the way. Our expert is no exception, uttering the f-word when discussing Steve's "brain damage". I had to laugh because droneriot even had the audacity to paint Mortification as displaying "Bible belt-style Christian moronismatron." First of all, Steve and his band members don't live in the "Bible belt" or even anywhere in North America. They are from "down under" in Australia! Secondly, the term "moronismatron" isn't even a real word! The dude just made it up in his anger! Here's the proof: Word Definition Results  Also too, the irony here is that droneriot is complaining of Mortification having a "Bible-belt" type of bias when he HIMSELF has a liberal, atheistic or Satanic type of bias. Can you say HYPOCRITE? Thus ends the first paragraph.


In the second paragraph of the "review" we find droneriot opening up by complaining about Steve Rowe's constant speaking (or in his words "whining") of his miraculous victory over leukemia that occurred during late 1996-early 1998. All of this is done while droneriot here has HIMSELF been whining against Mortification! Again, this is hypocrisy and it really shows how immature the person is. Also too, the following questions must be asked to droneriot about his claim of Steve for most of his career working up his reputation "by whining about his sickness in every review he could find": First, how many reviews have you heard/read Steve do about his band? Second, could you link or give evidence for them? Third, what evidence do you have that Steve is merely playing on emotions and working up his reputation by talking consistently about his cancer? It could very well be that the cancer had a profound impact on his life and he just wants to use that as a testimony for how God has helped him and also as a tool to encourage and help others, especially other Christians. This is clearly Steve's motivation if you listen to Mortification's live albums that were done after the cancer miracle occurred. Those live albums are entitled "Ten Years Live, not Dead" done in 2000 and "Live Humanitarian" done in 2007. It's especially evident on the "Live Humanitarian" album. Fourth, what evidence do you have that the doctor who helped Steve get better was an atheist? (In droneriot's review, he makes that claim in the second paragraph.) If you are going to make these claims, then you must have some evidence for them seeing as how you atheists are always harping on how we Christians supposedly don't provide evidence for our God or our faith. Yeah, what a way to write a second paragraph.


Onto the final part of droneriot's review...the music. To sum up, droneriot complains that Steve is mostly half-singing/half-screaming and doing a bad job of it, drummer Lincoln Bowen produces a soft and slower-paced sound to the music, the riffs apparently are similar to secular POP star Britney Spears in her worst times, blah, blah, blah. He also makes comparisons to other pop stars such as Michael Jackson in his song "We are the World". What he doesn't understand is that this album is mostly a combination of groovy thrash and POWER METAL, reminiscent of the old Lightforce days (Mortification's original name) back in the late 1980's. Click here for proof: Hammer of God Album on Wikipedia Therefore, you're not going to hear the growling and fast drumming here. If you're looking for that, check out Mortification's older albums dating from 1990-1995. THERE is death and thrash metal for you! Granted, the lyrics are cheesy and naive and Steve's vocals could have been much better, but it could have been a fallout from his cancer recovery. However if this album isn't your thing, don't complain about it. It makes you look like a loser. Steve Rowe's vocals have improved lately however, with the releases of "Relentless" in 2002, "Brain Cleaner" in 2004, "Erasing the Goblin" in 2006, and "The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine" in 2009. Lastly, our "expert" whines about one of the BONUS tracks on the album, entitled "God Rulz". He complains about the title and that the lyrics to the song is the title repeated over and over again. What he doesn't know is that this is an updated version of a song entitled "The Majestic Infiltration of Order" from the 1990 demo album "Break the Curse" and the debut 1991 self-titled album. The proof for this is here: Mortification band info I'll make him search for the evidence since he wrote a poor and immature review of the band. He also hypocritically complains about Steve's supposed lack of maturity while having spent the ENTIRE review whining against Mortification and being immature himself. A good example is his "conclusion". In it, droneriot actually has the gall to use coarse and profane language such as p--- and to even say that you should throw things at the Mortification band members if you ever see them live. Droneriot also says that you should flush their albums down your toilet (thereby breaking your toilet), etc. He also says that "we have established the fact that Steve Rowe is a moron..." What he actually has proven is that he knows little about Mortification's history and that he is an immature jerk who hates this music just because it is Christian and conservative (that's what his "Bible belt" remarks mean)  Droneriot has also proven to us that he is a hypocrite because he complained about Steve's "Bible belt" bias while having a liberal one himself, and he complained about Steve supposedly "whining" about his cancer miracle while he goes on whining against the Mortification band. For better reviews, click the Mortification band info link I have provided and also go on to this link as well: Great Mortification Reviews done PROFESSIONALLY  Granted, these reviews are done by a former Christian musician but you should still take the time to browse them. I believe you'll find them interesting. The man's name is Scott Waters. He also listens to alot of non-Christian metal music as well, so he won't be completely biased. As for this droneriot individual, he should hang his head in shame for his "review" because some average Joe or non-Christian will click them and think, "Ooh, this is a terrible band!" and will then never want to check them out for him or her self.


In conclusion, don't listen to the droneriot person, he doesn't know what he is talking about. Check out Mortification and their albums (especially the "Hammer of God" one) for yourself and see what you think. After all, it is music. Hopefully they will lead you to the truth of the Gospel and to saving faith in Jesus Christ. That's all for now and thank you for reading this special blog edition. Remember, Raptors and Knights both play tonight!

Bosh Receives Scolding from Local Newspaper

Well, here we are - set for the Raps to take on the "big three" of Miami tomorrow (Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh). Suffice it to say, I was surprised to look at the standings and find Miami at only a 5-4 record (5th in East) and that Chris Bosh (former Raptors star forward) is lost about his role. Chris, please...get it together. You have to realize that your role will be diminished now that you are with two other stars. Consider this as sound advice from a Raptors fan. Even though many Raptors fans will treat you wrong because of how you left us, know that I still care about you and want the best for you. This is why it's important for you to find your role in Miami so that you can have a good year personally. Now that I've talked enough, I'll let a local newspaper that I regularly read say some more. Here's the article: Bosh Needs to Know his Role

It's time to pack it in and say goodbye. Remember: Raps at Magic tonight. I'll post later.

Toronto: now 2nd-Worst in NBA

Yeah, that's right. The Toronto Raptors are now 1-7, worst in the Eastern Conference after losing to the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night with a final score of 101-96. Only the Los Angeles Clippers are worse, with a 1-8 record. Sad! Now the team has to travel to Orlando and Miami. They play tonight vs the Orlando Magic and tomorrow vs the Miami Heat (LeBron's new team). Start time for tonight is 7 PM. Here's the link to the disgusting loss against the Bobcats: Raps Fall to NBA's Eastern Conference Basement

That's all for now. Goodbye.

Catching up on Raptors & Other NBA News

Long story short...

Toronto is 1-5 after losing all of their recently completed 4-game west coast trip, which ties them with the Charlotte Bobcats for LAST PLACE in the Eastern Conference. They need to pick it up tonight vs the Golden State Warriors who are 4-2 in the Western Conference so far. The game starts at 7 PM and can be seen on the new specialty channel from Rogers Sportsnet, Sportsnet One if you have it. If not, then listen to it on the radio, the Fan 590.

LeBron James and his Miami Heat will have to close the lid on their championship talk for now...they're only 5-2 in the East, good for only 5th place in that conference! Not so easy, isn't it LeBron?

Also about the Heat, their latest road happenings took them to New Orleans where they lost to the Hornets 96-93. During the game, LeBron was mocked by the New Orleans team personnel and their fans by a spoof of James' infamous "ESPN Decision" show with the Hornets mascot Hugo doing the announcement. Here's the link for the game: Mockery and Defeat were in Store for LeBron in New Orleans! Yess!

Lastly, here's a HILARIOUS spoof that Cleveland made about LeBron's newest Nike advertisement. You'll love it: LeBron James Mocked and Pwned by Cleveland

That about wraps it up. Catch you all later!

Raptors get First win in Season; London Knights & other News

Two days after being shocked by New York in the home/season opener, Toronto hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the past, this would have been a nightmare for the Raptors because of one man: LeBron James. However, LeBron is playing now for the Miami Heat because of his betrayal of the Cavs. These Raptors came out to play last night and pummelled them 101-81. This game was a close matchup for most of the way, with Toronto leading up until the 3rd quarter when the Raps found their offensive game and starting blowing the opposition out. When the score was 56-48 in favour of the Raptors, the team went on a 21-7 run for the rest of the quarter (7 minutes) to boost their lead to 20 points. After that, the game was Toronto's the rest of the way. Heroes for the Raptors were newcomer Lithuanian starting small forward Linas Kleiza and starting power forward Reggie Evans. Kleiza was most notable in the 3rd quarter Raptors run, where he scored 13 of his 19 points. He repeatedly posted up former Raptor forward Jamario Moon and showed his strength and size advantage. Reggie meanwhile didn't put up great offensive numbers, but he did pull down 14 rebounds for the team, giving him 30 overall through the two games. These numbers are encouraging for a team weaker in the forward spot as a result of Chris Bosh bolting for Miami. Time for some key statistics from the game:
- Andrea Bargnani's points-per-game average so far: 21.0
- double-digit rebounding games in a row for Reggie Evans: 2
- Raptors 26-16 in fast break points
- Raptors 46-33 in rebounds
- 19 turnovers for both teams
Here is the recap for the first victory: The Dinos Feast on the Cavs in Win

Toronto is now 1-1 on the season and will wait until Monday to play against the Sacramento Kings on the road as they begin a 4-game Western Conference swing. The game starts at 10 PM and if you have the new Rogers Sportsnet One channel, you can watch it on there. Otherwise just listen to the game on the radio (AM 590) or wait until the scores and recaps are officially posted on media outlets.

In other news...I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging about the Knights lately; I've been following the Raptors and how LeBron has been treated around the league whenever Miami's played on the road. The team did win last night vs the Guelph Storm 3-1. Daniel Erlich lead the way with 2 goals with teammate Steven Sanza chipping in with one of his own. Peter Holland scored for Guelph's only goal .Shots on goal favoured the Knights 47-42, indicating a high-flying goaltender-testing contest. London now plays tonight at home vs the Saginaw Spirit. Game time is 7:30 PM. Catch you all later.

P.S.: Chris Bosh did an interview yesterday to clarify his "being on TV" statement. He stated that his reason for this is the perception of players brought on by fans and the media in sports: if you're not on the big TV highlight reels, people don't know about you and they think that you are not good. While I understand and respect Chris's reason for the statement and him for wanting to talk to Toronto directly about the matter, this was still an unwise move to make. You shouldn't even think about TV, just think about your game. This should also slap fans and media gurus in the face because we have helped to create this mess. Shame on all of us! The fact that he had to defend this shows the character of Bosh (bothered by popular opinion) and the poor sportsmanship of the Raptors fans. I should apologize to Chris here because I MYSELF have been involved in this awful behaviour. We should leave his life alone and wish him all the best even though the manner in which he left Toronto was immature. Also in the interview, Bosh talked about being distracted by the free agency talk because of the media questioning. The media should just cool it and leave Chris alone. Sure he acted immaturely and treated the Raptors as a secondary option, but he doesn't need you to make it worse. A word of advice to Chris is in order however: don't focus on distractions, even if it's extremely difficult. I'm sure you know, Chris but I just wanted to remind you of this as it helped lead to your exit from our wonderful team. Anyways, I hope you do well in your career; I just don't want a Heat championship. I'm sorry, but I dislike your teammate (LeBron James) for what he did to Cleveland via his ESPN special. If you ever want to play for the Raptors again, you know where we are. I would love it if you ever decide to come back to us. For now though, you take care!

For the rest of us: here's the link to the Bosh interview: Bosh Clarifies his "TV" Statement  Later!

Short Note about Miami's Win in Philly

The team won 97-87 and during the game LeBron drew loud and vicious boos from the crowd during player introductions. Two Philly signs especially taunted LeBron. One read "LeBum the lyin' king." The other sign read "I witnessed no championship." LeBron James, upon being asked about the booing said, "I've been booed my whole NBA career. They boo you because they love the way you play basketball." No, not quite LeBron. Have you forgotten the whole ESPN "Decision" debacle already and the way that you betrayed your former team? Get off your high horse, kid. No wonder Bosh said what he did in Boston!
Here's the recap for Miami's win: LeBron Victorious in Philly, but still Hated

Anyways, just thought I'd fill you all in on what's been going on in the league. Remember that the Raptors are playing tonight at 7 PM vs the Cleveland Cavaliers in Toronto. The game can be seen on TSN2. Also too, the London Knights are back in action vs the Guelph Storm at the John Labatt Centre. Game time is at 7:30 PM. I'll be back with more later.

Toronto Stunned by Knicks in Season Opener

The excitement was in the air. Every report I heard from the official team website indicated that change for the better was coming and that the players just wanted to play ball. They supposedly had good chemistry and for the first time since their expansion years (1996-1998) they are without a legitimate All-Star to carry them through. In between these periods they had the luxuries of Vince Carter (now with the Orlando Magic) and Chris Bosh (now with the Miami Heat; more on him later). So you can imagine my surprise while watching the game to find out that the team had LOST to the New York Knicks in the season opener, 98-93. New York, one of the worst teams in the league, defeats the Raptors. Toronto had managed to slice an 8-point Knicks lead to 96-93 with just over a minute left in the contest. However, Linus Kleiza and newcomer Leandro Barbosa (from the Phoenix Suns) missed back-to-back 3-point shots and Raymond Felton (formerly of the Charlotte Bobcats) nailed two free throws to finish everything off for the Knicks win. Believe it or not, but new Knicks star Amare Stoudamire turned out to be the hero of the day. Early in the 4th quarter, Toronto was threatening to take the lead and the game for good. Toronto eventually did take the lead at one point in the quarter, up 77-76 after being down as many as 16 points in the 2nd frame, but New York kept their cool and finished off the Raps. Amare blocked an Andrea Bargnani layup, split a pair of free throws, and knocked down 3 straight shots to build the Knicks lead back up to 8. This lead ultimately to the victory for New York. One promising bright spot for Toronto was starting centre Andrea Bargnani who scored 18 of his team-high 22 points in the 1st half of the game. However, he shot only 1-8 in the 2nd half and was almost invisible in that time. Still, the energy he provided off the start has to be good for Toronto. Now, if he can just be consistent...  Now, for some numbers:
- attendance for the game: 18,722
- 3-pointers Bargnani needs to pass Doug Christie for 3rd-all-time Raptor total makes: 1
- rebounds for starting power forward Reggie Evans: 16 (ties a season-opener Raptor record)
- points in the paint: New York Knicks 52, Toronto Raptors 40
- overall shooting % for the Raps: 38.3
Here is the recap for the game which I got my information from: Raptors season opener: New York 98, Toronto 93

That about wraps it up. Remember, their next game is Friday at the Air Canada Centre vs the Cleveland Cavaliers. The game starts at 7 PM. I'll catch you then, and God bless!

P.S.: All right, back to Chris Bosh (said I'd get back to him later). Former Raptor Chris Bosh, "their attention-seeking former star told reporters in Boston his decision to bolt for the Miami Heat was 'all about being on TV, at the end of the day.''' Link for Unbelievably Selfish Chris Bosh Comment  *shakes head* I knew there was something fishy going on with CB4 during the offseason and it makes my rebuttal of his comments (which I posted in a previous entry) to be at least somewhat correct. Now maybe Chris was just joking around, but even that is troubling if it's true. You do not joke around after being traded and ESPECIALLY NOT after a season-opening loss in Boston against the Celtics. This is not the heart of a champion; this is the heart of someone who simply wants an easy winning season and some easy goodies along the way. What a goofball. *laughs* One more thing to post about before I sign off...during Miami's glorious loss to Boston in their season-opener, the Boston crowd chanted "Overrated" during the game due to the surprisingly lifeless-looking Heat squad that was built for a championship dynasty. It was great, just absolutely priceless. Miami has earned their first victory however, with a win against the Philadelphia 76ers to improve to 1-1. See if the Raptors can get there against the Cavs on Friday. Later!
Here's the link for the Boston-Miami opener: Celtics Top Heat in Season Opener  


Anyways, I'll post later. Have a good day.         

Toronto Buries Suns Again

Well, it's been awhile since the Raptors and the Phoenix Suns met. Last time they did, the game took place in Vancouver, British Columbia in the great country of Canada. In the game, Toronto had blown out Phoenix by a 51-point margin. This time around, things almost didn't go so well for T.O. The team trailed by 11 after the 1st quarter, but started cooking in the 2nd and managed to outscore Phoenix 31-22 in that frame and came to within 2 points at halftime, 55-53. In the 3rd, things just got better for the dinos as they shot 15-29 from the floor. Sophomore talent DeMar DeRozan had 8 points and starting point guard Jarret Jack had 7 and Toronto held a comfortable 92-79 lead going into the 4th quarter. Eventually, Toronto defeated the Suns 121-100 to improve their preseason record to 3-3. Some of the heroes in the game for the Raptors:

- Jarret Jack and Amir Johnson both scored 17 points
- new forward acquisition Linus Kleiza scored a game-high 23 points for Toronto
- Sonny Weems scored 16 points
- centre Andrea Bargnani scored 15 points
- DeMar DeRozan scored 14 points

Some key statistics were:
- Toronto shot 48% from the floor, Phoenix shoots 45%
- Toronto shot 76.9% on free throws, Phoenix shoots 71.4%
- Rebounding edge: Toronto 24, Phoenix 12
- Points in the paint edge: Toronto 52, Phoenix 40

We now come to a close on this post. I just want to remind you all that the next game for Toronto is tomorrow vs the Chicago Bulls at the Air Canada Centre. The game time is 7 PM. By the way, former Raptor Hedo Turkoglu was booed by the Toronto fans during the pre-game introductions and every time he touched the basketball during the game vs the Suns. Just thought I'd let you know. Anyways, take care! Here's the recap: Raps Crush Suns Once More 

Raptors, Knights, and...One Mess of a Halladay

Friday was the supposed redemption date for the Toronto Raptors. They had been blown out embarrassingly in a previous preseason match, so there was incentive for revenge. Needless to say, this didn't materialize as Toronto fell 117-112 to sink to a 2-3 preseason mark. Oh, they fought hard late in the game but Boston's comfortable lead was too much to overcome for the players as they ran out of steam and eventually lost. One of the heroes for Boston was young stud Nate Robinson formerly of the New York Knicks and a 3-time Slam Dunk Champion. Once he came into the game in the 2nd quarter, he scored 13 points before halftime and finished with 23 points shooting 6-12 in 28 minutes. "KryptoNate" also finished with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and attempted 15 free throws...all in 3 quarters of play! However, he wasn't the main player. Stars Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo were. After they made back-to-back three-point shots in the 1st quarter, the lead was double-digits and it was an uphill climb from then on for the Raptors. However, Toronto had their impressive performers as well. Reserve point guard Marcus Banks played impressively, playing the entire 4th quarter and helping Toronto outscore Boston 39-16 in that time. He scored 5 of his 10 points in the 4th, all coming from his 8 free throw attempts. However, this was not present from the team in general at the outset of the game in the 1st quarter when Boston built their lead to double-digits. Other key statistics:
- this game marks the 5th straight contest where the Raptors picked up at least 10 steals
- Toronto has now allowed their opponents to shoot 50% or better
- Boston attempted a whopping 29 free throws in the 3rd quarter
- Toronto scored 39 points in the 4th quarter which ties a preseason high set on October 15 vs Phoenix
Raptors vs Celtics: 117-112

Their next game is today at the Air Canada Centre vs Phoenix. Former Raptor Hedo Turkoglu makes his return and should expect some booing from the fans. Game time is 1 PM.

On Saturday night, the London Knights hosted the Kitchener Rangers at the John Labatt Centre. Things went well for London as they triumphed 4-2 and continue their winning ways. Goal scorers for the Knights: Stephen Sanza, Seth Griffith, Michael MacDonald and Michael D'Orazio. Kitchener's only goals came from Ryan Murphy. London also outshot Kitchener 40-33 and rise to 6-2, 3rd place in the OHL's Western Conference. Here is the recap: London 4, Kitchener 2
Their next game is Friday vs the Oshawa Generals at the JLC. The start time is 7:30 PM.

Now, we come to Roy Halladay. After making his postseason debut for the Philadelphia Phillies a memorable one with a no-hitter performance, he was asked to follow it up by being the starting pitcher vs the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. Roy however did not have a solid outing as he gave up 4 runs including 2 home runs in Friday's game. The San Francisco homers were hit by Cody Ross in the 3rd and 5th innings. This spelled the day out for Doc as he wasn't at his best. The Phillies made it close when Jayson Werth hit a 2-run homer to make it 4-3 Giants, but ultimately the team fell short and lost 4-3. Roy Halladay gets the loss, Tim Lincecum gets the win, and it's on to Game 2 to see if the Phillies can tie the series. Rest assured, Doc will be back at some point in the playoff run, and he'll be looking for vengeance. Here's the recap: Doc Loses Tough Game for Phillies 

Well, that's all for now. You all take care!
 

The Latest Knights and Raptors Links

They are as follows:

October 13: Raptors 119-116 vs Sixers in Double Overtime

October 12: 109-90 Loss vs Bulls

October 10: 91-87 Loss vs Celtics

So the Raptors as a result of these games, are now 2-2 in the preseason with a game tonight vs the Celtics at 7 PM. The game will take place at the Raptors home court, the Air Canada Centre.

After playing on Friday, the London Knights played again on Saturday, this time in Windsor against the Spitfires. Here is the link: October 9: 5-4 Shootout Win vs. Spitfires

The Knights are now 4-2 and are currently 6th place in the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference. They play tonight against the Erie Otters at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario; Canada. The game starts at 7:30 PM. After the game, I will try and recap it for you. See you later!

Knights Bounce Back vs Belleville

Last night the London Knights played against the Belleville Bulls at the John Labatt Centre in a much-needed victory after the two losses on the previous weekend. London appeared to have kept this in mind as they thrashed Belleville 3-0. One of the Knights heroes on the night was starting goaltender Michael Houser, who slammed away 24 Bulls shots to receive his first shutout victory in the OHL. In fact, the Knights were so dominant last night that Belleville, according to Houser "didn’t get a shot for the first 10 minutes of the second period (the Knights outgunned the Bulls 21-3) and they didn’t get one for the first 15 minutes of the third."  The goal scorers for the Knights were Jared Knight, Daniel Erlich, and Chris DeSouza. Overall, the Knights outshot Belleville 47-24 and only allowed 3 Bulls shots in the 2nd period and 7 in the 3rd. All in all, it was a refreshing effort for the Knights who will try to continue this work tonight in Windsor. Be sure to catch the game tonight. That's all for now!

Here is the recap for the game: First Shutout Win for Knights Goaltender
Here also is the boxscore for the game: Statistics: Knights vs Bulls, 3-0  

Shorts from the Sports World

All right, here's your dose of sports news...

On Friday and Saturday, the London Knights lost two important games and fell to 2-2 in the standings. Their opponents were first the Owen Sound Attack and then the Erie Otters. The final scores were: Owen Sound 4, London Knights 2 and Erie Otters 5, London Knights 2. Here are the boxscores:

Loss Against Owen Sound
Loss Against Erie Otters

Let's hope the Knights can do better this weekend. Tonight they play at home in the John Labatt Centre against the Bellville Bulls. The game starts at 7:30 PM. Tomorrow they travel to Windsor to take on the Windsor Spitfires. That game starts at 7 PM. You can listen to both games on AM 1290 CJBK.

In other news...it was a hoopla in Vancouver. Yes, that's right. The Toronto Raptors played their first preseason game this year against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, with their stellar star point guard Steve Nash leading the way. Surprisingly, the game was broadcast on TSN, which is unusual since preseason games aren't usually televised. Needless to say, it was an amazing spectacle to watch as the Raptors easily handled the Suns 129-78. Folks, that's a 51-point victory! Shining stars for the Raps include Linus Kleiza who scored a game-high 20 points. Other shining performances were put in by Joey Dorsey, David Anderson, and centre Reggie Evans. Reggie, by the way, got himself ejected out of the game. What happened was that Reggie accidentally tripped Suns forward Grant Hill. Grant then patted Reggie in the back as if to say, "Be careful, big fella." Reggie then did the same to Grant Hill. As a result, both players were ejected out of the game by the referees. If you watched the game, then you could clearly see both players going off together laughing. Even the Raptors TV analyst Jack Armstrong laughed and said, "Come on, now. How can you kick these guys out?" The next game for the Raptors is Sunday in Boston against the Celtics. The game starts at 6 PM. Here's the recap for the victory against the Suns: Raptors Bring Heat Against Suns in Vancouver

Well, that about wraps it up. The only thing I have left to say comes from one of my cartoon heroes Bugs Bunny: "That's all folks!"

Oops! Here's a Game I Forgot to Blog!

On Saturday, September 25, 2010 the London Knights hosted the Sarnia Sting for their 2nd regular season game with a crowd of 8,942 on hand. Once again, the hero turned out to be Jared Knight who scored the winning goal at 4:03 in overtime to give the Knights a 4-3 victory. This gives the team a 2-0 record on the year. The goaltenders for the game were Michael Houser for the Knights and John Cullen for the Sting. London outshot Sarnia by a count of 46-38. Scoring for the game was absent in the 1st period and for half of the 2nd. The action was started by Victor Terreri at 10:06 of the 2nd period assisted by Tyler Brown Jr. and Danny Elser. 11 seconds later, Phil Varone scored on a beautiful transition give-and-go play to make it 2-0 for the Knights, assisted by Michael MacDonald and Stephen Sanza. At 11:07 in the 2nd period however, Nail Yakupov scored for Sarnia to make it 2-1 Knights, assisted by Kale Kerbashian and Tyler Peters. Sarnia then scored on the power-play at 14:45 in the 2nd to tie the game at 2-2. This goal was scored by Alex Galchenyuk and was assisted by Brandon Alderson and Tyler Peters. All of this was due to a London Knights interference penalty taken at 13:09 by Cody Donnay. Never fear, dear readers...London would strike back, and strike back they did. At 17:15 of the 2nd period, Michael MacDonald scored to put the Knights back up in front, 3-2. The assistants were Colin Martin and Vladislav Namestnikov. This goal was courtesy of a Sting tripping penalty taken by Jesse Stoughton. Alas, Sarnia would tie it back up at 3-3 on a goal by Brandon Francisco at 18:09 of the 2nd period, assisted by Brandon Alderson and Joe Rogalski. Thus ended the 2nd period and it was on to the 3rd. Unfortunately, no goals were scored in the frame, so an overtime had to be decided to finally put the game in the bag for London. As previously mentioned, Jared Knight scored the winner, assisted by Seth Griffith. This gives the Knights their 4-3 score and their 2nd win on the year. I must blog about two fights that occurred during the game before I close this post. The first fight was between Cody Donnay of the Knights and Nathan Chiarlitti of the Sting. This fight was won by Chiarlitti and earned both players off-setting 5-minute majors at 3:19 of the 1st period. Finally, a fight occurred in the 3rd period between Daniel Erlich of the Knights and Jesse Stoughton of the Sting. This fight was especially memorable as Stoughton is twice as big as Erlich, yet Erlich candidly and convincingly won the fight, landing repeated blows to Stoughton's face in the victorious match. Of course, this landed the two players in the penalty box for 5 minute majors at 2:20 in the frame. I do not enjoy the fighting personally, but it's good to see that the Knights can show some toughness every now and again.

This brings us to the end of the post. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed making it. It is my hope to bring you more recaps in the future as I follow the progress of both the Knights and the Raptors, who are in training camp at the moment. That about wraps it up. Here are the links to the official recaps.
Official Box Score
Official Knights Recap

That's all for now! Catch the Knights tomorrow night when they host the Owen Sound Attack at the John Labatt Centre at 7:30 PM. See you later.      

Knights Victorious in Season Opener

As it turns out, last night's game against the Plymouth Whalers at the John Labatt Centre was the first game for the team. I had blogged previously that the September 17th game had been the season opener (the post has since been edited), but it was really the final preseason game which the Knights won 5-4. In the season opener however, the game went to a shootout in which the Knights won 3-2. A defining moment in the game came in the 3rd period when former Whaler Tyler Brown tied the game with a power-play goal after the Knights had gone 0-6 on the man advantage. An interesting note here is that the coaching staff threatened to play more of the younger players if the Knights power-play unit didn't connect. Thanks to Tyler Brown, they won't need to. Another Knights hero in the game was starting goaltender Michael Houser. He kicked away all 3 shootout attempts by Plymouth. If this game tells us anything, it's that this season is going to be tougher and more defensive than last season ever was. Other game notes:

- the Knights scorers were: Colin Martin (who scored the Knights first goal 45 minutes into the game), and the aforementioned Tyler Brown
- Plymouth scorers were: Alex Aleardi and Jamie Devane

To read the recap for the game, click here.

The Knights play their next game tonight at 7 PM when they host the Sarnia Sting. See you later.

P.S.: On Friday, the Toronto Raptors announced some changes in the coaching and management departments. Alvin Williams (who was an assistant coach last season) was promoted to hold the Director of Player Development position while Marc Eversley will assist with player scouting as the Assistant General Manager. For more on the story, click here. That's all for now!

Another Raptor Injured

That's right. After Jose Calderon having to miss the entirety of the World Basketball Championships (which was just recently won by the United States after defeating Linas Kleiza's Lithuania squad), Raptors rookie Ed Davis (who was the 13th pick overall in the 2010 NBA draft) recently according to the team "suffered a meniscal injury to his right knee" on Wednesday September 17. Apparently he injured the knee while playing basketball. So, after Calderon suffered an injury and recovered from it, the rookie becomes injured. This doesn't bode well for the team's chances during the regular season. If they don't become more healthy and conditioned, they are going to be hard-pressed to even approach playoff status. You are now definitely updated on the Raps. So, take a look at the press release and have a good day!
The Rook is M.I.A. 

Hello Toronto, You've Got a New Raptor!

Yesterday, the Raptors announced that they have signed the 6"7' forward Ronald Dupree onto the team. He played last season in Germany and was therefore not seen in the NBA. He has played for the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Seattle Supersonics (now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder). I'm not exactly sure what he'll bring to the Raptors this season, but I'll find out soon enough. Anyways, here's the link for all of you. Enjoy!
Raptors, Meet the new Teammate!


 

Updated List of Knights Roster and Schedule

As I previously stated, my listing of the Knights roster was incomplete as the official team website had not listed any defencemen. You can now view the updated roster as well as the new-look website and schedule pages. Here are the links:

Current 2010-2011 London Knights Roster 
Current 2010-2011 London Knights Schedule

Well, that's all for now. Have a good day.

Saying Goodbye to the Jays, Hello to Knights and Raptors

It's been about a week since I last posted, but tonight is the Knights last game of the preseason and it is against the Peterborough Petes at 7:30 PM. The Knights have home-ice advantage for the game as it will be played at the John Labatt Centre. You can listen to the game on AM 1290 CJBK or some of their affiliate stations, or you can watch the game on the Rogers cable channel if you get it. It should be a good one to get the old hockey blood flowing in everyone again, but I'm content to wait until the 24th when the regular season starts. Also too, the Leafs and other NHL teams have started their training camps as they prepare for the regular season which will start in October. The Raptors as some of you know, start preseason on October 6 against the Phoenix Suns in Vancouver. So, it is with great sadness that I say goodbye to the Toronto Blue Jays until next April. They have had a great season (even though they will not make the MLB playoffs). They are 73-73 (.500) and have a good young nucleus of talent (Jose Bautista, Shawn Camp, Brett Cecil, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg, Casey Janssen, Shawn Marcum, Brian Tallet, Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, David Purcey, John Buck, Travis Snider, Fred Lewis, and others). What is especially good about the Jays season is that Jose Bautista has smacked 47 home runs, tying George Bell for the franchise record! Talk about an amazing accomplishment for a guy that was little-known before. He hit that home run on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles on the road. So, for fellow Jays fans, see you next April. It's been a good run, but as the old saying goes, "All good things must come to an end."

That's all for now. Catch you all later. 

Toronto Raptors and London Knights: Their Rosters and Upcoming Schedules

Hey everybody...

I just wanted to do a quick post and get you all up to speed on these two teams. I'm just going to give you the current rosters and their upcoming 2010-2011 schedules. Think of this as a preseason or "season set-up" type of entry. Hope you all enjoy it, and have a good day.

Toronto Raptors

2010-2011 Roster
Solomon Alabi - Center
David Anderson - Center
Marcus Banks - Guard
Leandro Barbosa - Guard
Andrea Bargnani - Center/Forward
Jose Calderon - Guard
Ed Davis - Forward
DeMar DeRozan - Guard/Forward
Joey Dorsey - Forward/Center
Reggie Evans - Forward
Jarret Jack - Guard
Amir Johnson - Forward
Linas Kleiza - Guard/Forward
Sonny Weems - Guard/Forward
Julian Wright - Forward

2010-2011 Season Schedule

*Note: Sportsnet1 = the new channel Rogers Sportsnet One, March 4 and 5 games are in London in the U.K.

October/November                                                     February
Wed Oct 27 vs New York 7 PM TSN2                      Wed Feb 2 at Atlanta 7 PM TSN2
Fri Oct 29 vs Cleveland 7 PM TSN2                          Fri Feb 4 vs Minnesota 7 PM TSN
Mon Nov 1 at Sacramento 10 PM Sportsnet1*       Tue Feb 8 at Milwaukee 8 PM TSN
Wed Nov 3 at Utah 9 PM Sportsnet1                    Wed Feb 9 vs San Antonio 7 PM TSN2
Fri Nov 5 at L.A. Lakers 10:30 PM TSN2                  Fri Feb 11 vs Portland 7 PM TSN
Sat Nov 6 at Portland 10 PM Sportsnet1                 Sun Feb 13 vs L.A. Clippers 6 PM Sportsnet1
Mon Nov 8 vs Golden State 7 PM Sportsnet1         Wed Feb 16 vs Miami 7 PM TSN2
Wed Nov 10 vs Charlotte 7 PM TSN2                     Tue Feb 22 at Charlotte 7 PM Sportsnet1
Fri Nov 12 at Orlando 7 PM TSN2                           Wed Feb 23 vs Chicago 7 PM Sportsnet1
Sat Nov 13 at Miami 7:30 PM TSN                          Fri Feb 25 vs Phoenix 7 PM TSN2
Tue Nov 16 at Washington 7 PM TSN                     Sun Feb 27 vs Dallas 6 PM Sportsnet1
Wed Nov 17 at Philadelphia 7 PM Sportsnet
Fri Nov 19 vs Houston 7 PM TSN
Sun Nov 21 vs Boston 1 PM Sportsnet
Wed Nov 24 vs Philadelphia 7 PM Sportsnet
Fri Nov 26 at Boston 7:30 PM TSN2
Sun Nov 28 vs Atlanta 1 PM Sportsnet

December
Wed Dec 1 vs Washington 7 PM Sportsnet              March
Fri Dec 3 vs Oklahoma City 7 PM TSN2                 Tue Mar 1 vs New Orleans 7 PM Sportsnet1
Sun Dec 5 vs New York 1 PM Sportsnet                  Fri Mar 4* at New Jersey 3 PM Sportsnet
Mon Dec 6 at Indiana 7 PM Sportsnet1                    Sat Mar 5* at New Jersey 3 PM Sportsnet1
Wed Dec 8 at New York 7:30 PM TSN2                  Wed Mar 9 vs Utah 7 PM Sportsnet1            
Fri Dec 10 vs Denver 7 PM TSN                               Fri Mar 11 vs Indiana 7 PM Sportsnet1
Sat Dec 11 at Detroit 7:30 PM TSN                          Sun Mar 13 vs Charlotte 1 PM Sportsnet
Tue Dec 14 at Charlotte 7 PM TSN                           Wed Mar 16 at Detroit 7:30 PM TSN2
Wed Dec 15 vs Chicago 7 PM TSN2                         Fri Mar 18 vs Washington 7 PM TSN2
Fri Dec 17 vs New Jersey 7 PM TSN                         Sun Mar 20 at Oklahoma City 7 PM TSN
Sun Dec 19 vs L.A. Lakers 1 PM TSN                       Mon Mar 21 at Denver 9 PM TSN
Wed Dec 22 vs Detroit 7 PM Sportsnet                      Wed Mar 23 at Phoenix 9 PM TSN
Mon Dec 27 at Memphis 8 PM Sportsnet1          Fri Mar 25 at Golden State 10:30 PM on                                                       Tue Dec 28 at Dallas 8:30 PM Sportsnet1                                    Sportsnet1
Fri Dec 31 at Houston 7 PM Sportsnet1           Sat Mar 26 at L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM on
                                                                               Sportsnet1
                                                                           Wed Mar 30 vs Milwaukee 7 PM TSN2




January                                                                     April
Sun Jan 2 vs Boston 6 PM TSN2                             Sat Apr 2 at Chicago 8 PM TSN2
Tue Jan 4 at Chicago 8 PM Sportsnet                      Sun Apr 3 vs Orlando 6 PM TSN2
Wed Jan 5 at Cleveland 7 PM Sportsnet                  Tue Apr 5 at New York 7:30 PM Sportsnet1
Fri Jan 7 at Boston 7:30 PM TSN                            Wed Apr 6 vs Cleveland 7 PM TSN2
Sun Jan 9 vs Sacramento 1 PM TSN                        Fri Apr 8 at Philadelphia 7 PM Sportsnet1
Wed Jan 12 vs Atlanta 7 PM TSN2                          Sun Apr 10 vs New Jersey 6 PM TSN2
Fri Jan 14 vs Detroit 7 PM TSN                               Mon Apr 11 at Milwaukee 8 PM TSN
Sat Jan 15 at Washington 7 PM TSN                       Wed Apr 13 vs Miami 8 PM Sportsnet1
Mon Jan 17 at New Orleans 3 PM Sportsnet1
Wed Jan 19 at San Antonio 8:30 PM Sportsnet1
Fri Jan 21 at Orlando 7 PM TSN
Sat Jan 22 at Miami 7:30 PM TSN2
Mon Jan 24 vs Memphis 7 PM TSN
Wed Jan 26 vs Philadelphia 7 PM TSN2
Fri Jan 28 vs Milwaukee 7 PM TSN
Sat Jan 29 at Minnesota 8 PM TSN
Mon Jan 31 at Indiana 7 PM Sportsnet

London Knights

2010-2011 Roster
(this list is incomplete as of right now...they only list forwards and one goalie at the moment)

Forwards
Greg Miner
Danny Elser
Pieter Schinkelshoek
Tyler Brown
Seth Griffith
Vladislav Namestnikov
Stephen Sanza
Chris DeSouza
Colin Martin
Michael McDonald
Chris Tierney
Phil Varone
Dane Fox
Andras Athanasiou
Daniel Erlich
Jared Knight

Goaltenders
Michael Houser

Defencemen
none listed yet

2010-2011 Season Schedule

Home Games

Fri, Sep 17, 2010 London Knights vs. Peterborough Petes 7:30 PM
Fri, Sep 24, 2010 London Knights vs. Plymouth Whalers 7:30 PM
Sat, Sep 25, 2010 London Knights vs. Sarnia Sting 7:00 PM
Fri, Oct 1, 2010 London Knights vs. Owen Sound Attack 7:30 PM
Fri, Oct 8, 2010 London Knights vs. Belleville Bulls 7:30 PM
Fri, Oct 15, 2010 London Knights vs. Erie Otters 7:30 PM
Sat, Oct 16, 2010 London Knights vs. Kitchener Rangers 7:00 PM
Fri, Oct 22, 2010 London Knights vs. Oshawa Generals 7:30 PM
Fri, Oct 29, 2010 London Knights vs. Guelph Storm 7:30 PM
Sat, Oct 30, 2010 London Knights vs. Saginaw Spirit 7:00 PM
Thu, Nov 4, 2010 London Knights vs. Kitchener Rangers 7:00 PM
Fri, Nov 5, 2010 London Knights vs. Ottawa 67's 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 12, 2010 London Knights vs. Barrie Colts 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 19, 2010 London Knights vs. Windsor Spitfires 7:30 PM
Sun, Nov 21, 2010 London Knights vs. Kingston Frontenacs 4:00 PM
Fri, Nov 26, 2010 London Knights vs. Plymouth Whalers 7:30 PM
Sun, Nov 28, 2010 London Knights vs. Sudbury Wolves 2:00 PM
Fri, Dec 3, 2010 London Knights vs. Mississauga St. Mike's Majors 7:30 PM
Thu, Dec 9, 2010 London Knights vs. Guelph Storm 7:00 PM
Fri, Dec 10, 2010 London Knights vs. Erie Otters 7:30 PM
Sun, Dec 12, 2010 London Knights vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 2:00 PM
Fri, Dec 17, 2010 London Knights vs. Owen Sound Attack 7:30 PM
Sat, Jan 1, 2011 London Knights vs. Sarnia Sting 7:00 PM
Fri, Jan 7, 2011 London Knights vs. Brampton Battalion 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 14, 2011 London Knights vs. Niagara IceDogs 7:30 PM
Thu, Jan 20, 2011 London Knights vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 7:00 PM
Fri, Jan 21, 2011 London Knights vs. Peterborough Petes 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 28, 2011 London Knights vs. Erie Otters 7:30 PM
Fri, Feb 11, 2011 London Knights vs. Windsor Spitfires 7:30 PM
Sun, Feb 13, 2011 London Knights vs. Guelph Storm 2:00 PM
Mon, Feb 21, 2011 London Knights vs. Windsor Spitfires 2:00 PM
Thu, Feb 24, 2011 London Knights vs. Saginaw Spirit 7:00 PM
Fri, Feb 25, 2011 London Knights vs. Owen Sound Attack 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 18, 2011 London Knights vs. Sarnia Sting 7:30 PM
Sun, Mar 20, 2011 London Knights vs. Kitchener Rangers 4:00 PM

Away Games

Sat, Oct 2, 2010 London Knights @ Erie Otters 7:00 PM
Sat, Oct 9, 2010 London Knights @ Windsor Spitfires 7:05 PM
Sat, Oct 23, 2010 London Knights @ Peterborough Petes 7:00 PM
Tue, Oct 26, 2010 London Knights @ Kitchener Rangers 7:00 PM
Sun, Nov 7, 2010 London Knights @ Kitchener Rangers 2:00 PM
Wed, Nov 10, 2010 London Knights @ Windsor Spitfires 7:05 PM
Sat, Nov 13, 2010 London Knights @ Erie Otters 7:00 PM
Sat, Nov 20, 2010 London Knights @ Saginaw Spirit 7:11 PM
Sat, Nov 27, 2010 London Knights @ Guelph Storm 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 1, 2010 London Knights @ Owen Sound Attack 7:00 PM
Sat, Dec 4, 2010 London Knights @ Plymouth Whalers 7:05 PM
Wed, Dec 29, 2010 London Knights @ Guelph Storm 7:00 PM
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 London Knights @ Sarnia Sting 4:00 PM
Sat, Jan 8, 2011 London Knights @ Saginaw Spirit 7:11 PM
Sun, Jan 9, 2011 London Knights @ Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 7:00 PM
Thu, Jan 13, 2011 London Knights @ Sarnia Sting 7:00 PM
Sat, Jan 15, 2011 London Knights @ Erie Otters 7:00 PM
Sun, Jan 23, 2011 London Knights @ Oshawa Generals 2:05 PM
Thu, Jan 27, 2011 London Knights @ Niagara IceDogs 7:00 PM
Sun, Jan 30, 2011 London Knights @ Brampton Battalion 2:00 PM
Fri, Feb 4, 2011 London Knights @ Kingston Frontenacs 7:30 PM
Sat, Feb 5, 2011 London Knights @ Belleville Bulls 7:05 PM
Sun, Feb 6, 2011 London Knights @ Ottawa 67's 2:00 PM
Thu, Feb 10, 2011 London Knights @ Sarnia Sting 7:00 PM
Wed, Feb 16, 2011 London Knights @ Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 7:00 PM
Fri, Feb 18, 2011 London Knights @ Sudbury Wolves 7:30 PM
Sat, Feb 19, 2011 London Knights @ Barrie Colts 7:30 PM
Sat, Feb 26, 2011 London Knights @ Plymouth Whalers 7:05 PM
Tue, Mar 1, 2011 London Knights @ Kitchener Rangers 7:00 PM
Thu, Mar 3, 2011 London Knights @ Windsor Spitfires 7:05 PM
Fri, Mar 4, 2011 London Knights @ Mississauga St. Mike's Majors 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 11, 2011 London Knights @ Guelph Storm 7:30 PM
Sat, Mar 12, 2011 London Knights @ Owen Sound Attack 7:30 PM
Sat, Mar 19, 2011 London Knights @ Owen Sound Attack 7:30 PM