The headline from Saturday evening heading into game two of the Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night was the foul calls during game one. Or the lack there of. Many people on the Toronto side could not believe how the game was being called by the officials. It seemed one sided just watching.
Game one of the series finished with the Nets shooting 27 free throws and the Raptors with two less. During the fourth quarter however, the Raptors shot zero free throws. For the city of Toronto there’s only one reason why; The NBA is a business and would rather see a Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn second round matchup. To Raptor fans, the thought process is that the team isn’t watched enough down south. Which is true, but again, that doesn’t mean a Nets vs. Heat match-up tops a Raptors vs. Heat series.
Actually, the NBA probably prefers the Raptors over the Nets in the second round. Why? Because Toronto is a big-market City, just not quite there yet in the NBA. Not saying Brooklyn isn’t. Brooklyn falls under the category of big market along with teams of Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The list is arguable, nonetheless.
Due to Toronto’s lack of success in the win column over the past 19 seasons they can’t be included in the list above.That doesn’t mean the City isn’t liked within the NBA Community. Former NBA player, Charles Barkley calls Toronto his “favourite city”. So, the city is so well liked, why would the NBA want the Raptors to fail?
Not only is there potential for the Country of Canada to really enjoy the game of basketball, but the Raptors could grow into one of the top organizations in the NBA. If only they won more games.
Former NBA referee and convicted felon, Tim Donaghy added to the league wanting Nets over Raptors. Donaghy told a Toronto radio station, “A Brooklyn-Miami matchup would bring great ratings and that’s what this is all about for the NBA and the league offices, bringing in as many dollars as they can.”
No doubt a Brooklyn-Miami matchup would bring more dollars to the league for the short-term, but a winning Raptors team would bring more dollars to the league for the long-term. If the Raptors keep winning at the pace they did this season and find ways to advance further into the playoffs, not only do they have a City, but a whole Country rooting for them. Most importantly, the American basketball viewership would like more of the Raptors on their screen as well.
It’s simple, if you win games and are a fun team to watch, no matter what City, any NBA fan would enjoy watching your team.
Game two of the Raptors-Nets featured another equal free throw shooting number. Nets shot 28 free throws and the Raptors 29. The fourth quarter had a 15-10 advantage for the Raptors. The series, two games in is advantage Nets 55-54. Therefore, the referees are out of the question for this series and so is the league not wanting the Raptors in the second round.
The Raptors may have the disadvantage in the fourth quarter of game one, but clearly they had the advantage during one of the other three quarters. In quarter number two, Raptors free throw advantage was 15-7. Combine quarter two and four, you have a 15-15 tie at the line.
Referees aren’t perfect, but they still find ways to even out the game. Here’s another thing Raptor fans; The referees have been brutal in every playoff series this year. Ask Clipper fans. Ask Bulls fans. Ask anyone you’d like. It’s not just you.
It’s time to stop complaining about referees and start asking your organization to give you more. Till the Raptors start winning on a consistent basis, they won’t be respected by other teams. However, the league is just waiting for this team to grow. Not only can the Raptors be included on the list with Miami, New York, Los Angeles and more, but they can be a team consistently on ESPN.
Toronto was brought in by this league to succeed and potentially be another big market team. However, the wins haven’t come and the potential hasn’t been reached. Which has led to no free agent attraction and no national TV time in the States. It’s not the league wanting the Raptors to fail. The league is hoping they succeed.
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