During Friday’s ESPN broadcast of the Cavaliers – Rockets game in Houston analyst Jeff Van Gundy went on a mini rant about the Toronto Raptors. Since he generally reserves these type of monologues for the Warriors, Clippers or Cavaliers my ears perked up. The following is the conversation Van Gundy shared with his ESPN colleague Mike Tirico:
JVG: “And you were talking about the Eastern Conference, I think the most under rated team in our league right now is Toronto.”
Tirico: “Do you?”
JVG: “I think Toronto is outstanding. I think they get good guard play. I think their defense is so much better this year than it was at the end of last year. And I think that next group after Cleveland is Toronto, Atlanta, Chicago. But after that there’s a lot of pretty good teams and I have no idea whose going to make, you know, the playoffs out of that. A lot is going to depend on obviously their play, but their health and some scheduling things.”
Tirico: “That’s right, where are the back to backs, who has to go west late might be a difference, how many plus .500’s you have to play. I watched the game yesterday with Toronto over in London beating Orlando. You talk about the guard play, Lowry and DeRozan they get so involved, so quickly. And we’ll see them on ESPN next Friday taking on the Miami Heat. I’ll be up in Toronto with Hubie Brown, and I can’t wait to get up there.”
JVG: “First of all it’s an unbelievable city, great fans, hosting the All-Star Game. You know I would say this, Dwane Casey, to me has never gotten his due for the job he did in Minnesota first, and then now in Toronto. You know maybe it’s out of sight because they are not in the States. That guy has done a fantastic job.”
Tirico “We were lucky enough to call a couple of the playoff games two years ago up there including the Game 7 that the Nets won, with Paul Pierce with the block at the buzzer. That was the best scene I’ve ever seen outside an NBA arena for a game. People were back a quarter of a mile watching on the big screen, all packed together. We went out there for the start of the game, what an experience.”
JVG: “I know everybody got on Masai for dropping the mike or for dropping some expletive, but to me (laughter between the two)… I, I just love… first of all, the first time I went up there when it was Vince Carter, that to me has always been when they put a good team out there (Toronto), a tremendous place to play.”
Tirico: “Masai referencing Masai Ujiri the General Manager of the Raptors who was with Denver before that.”
Later in the broadcast Van Gundy and Tirico return to discussing Toronto. Round 2 centers on Canadians in the NBA, Vince Carter’s influence and Canada’s potential at the Olympics:
Tirico: “Jeff and I were talking about the Raptors in the first half …. and the good play, and the great support up there in Canada. – – Tristan Thompson one of several players Canadian born in their early 20’s. When we were up there for a play-off game a couple of years ago, and the point was made (interjects: Anthony Bennett and those types of guys) when the Grizzlies in Vancouver then and the Raptors came into the league 21 years ago. Those kids up there who were young and athletic, they grew up with the NBA as the new exciting thing, and really helped build a great base of Canadian born players that have been playing and making an impact, not just in the NBA but in College as well.”
JVG: “Well I remember Tristan Thompson, I was reading an article, where he said his Dad took him in the Air Canada Centre and they used to sit up in the upper deck, and he grew up watching Vince Carter. I mean, and Vince Carter is still playing, that’s crazy.”
Tirico: “Tristan Thompson a Toronto native.”
JVG: “Cory Joseph is back, being a Canadian native, back with Toronto now playing, and having a big impact on the Raptors season”.
Tirico: “Trey Lyles, Kelly Olynyk, Robert Sacre, Nik Stauskas, Andrew Wiggins among the Canadian born players active in the league currently,
JVG: “Why couldn’t they medal in the Olympics, with that team?”
Tirico: “A medal would be hard… Argentina, Eastern European nations, obviously U.S.”
Suffice to say Van Gundy has bought in to this year’s version of the Raptors, Casey, Ujiri, the city, the fan base and Canadians in general. Take it for what it’s worth, but it’s definitely cool to hear someone of Van Gundy’s ilk ranting about the Raptors.
