Victorious Grizzles after Raptors' Lead Fizzles

GRIZZLIES 115, RAPTORS 107

In the Raps' first road game against the young and talented, Vancouv...uh....Memphis Grizzlies, the Raps blew their 8-point lead (oh, please don't start this again) in the fourth quarter, falling to the Grizz 115-107.  It was a battle of the lefties, as both power fowards Zach Randolph and Chris Bosh went toe to toe.  Bosh finished the night with a monster line: 37 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and Zach Randolph countered with 30 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Need a Last Minute Halloween Costume? Be "Halloween Hedo"!

Do you need a last minute costume?

Be the hit at your office Halloween party and become the Turkish superstar, Hedo Turkoglu with your very own "Halloween Hedo" mask.   Just print, cut and you're set!

OH CANA-DUNKS! How the Canadian flavour of the NBA did on opening night

Toronto Raptors: RAPS 101, CAVS 91

You read that right. 

The team scores are associated with the right team. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 0-2. 

This isn't the year 2027.

'More Than A Game' is More Than a 'Lebron' Movie

On Monday night, my buddy Sean was able to score some advance screening tickets to see the new hoops flick 'More Than A Game' here in Halifax.  Unfortunatley for Sean, he wasn't able to make it due to prior commitments but fortunately for me, I was able to scoop them up! If you are unaware of this movie, it's a documentary directed by Kristopher Belman about Lebron James, his crew of friends and their quest to becoming one of the best high school basketball teams in the country.  

4 Q's of Basketball with Kat from the Raptors Dance Pak

Toronto hoops fans probably know Kat from the Rapors Dance Pak, she also gave fans a behind-the-scenes look of the Dance Pak on  NBA XL and Twitter nation knows her as @RaptorspaceKat.  On top of that, she is also the new host of the new Raptors fan show, Raptorspace soon to be on Raptors TV.  I asked Kat a few questions on hoops, the Dance Pak and got the scoop on the new show.

You Want a "Big Country" T-Shirt?

Well, during my quest to find "Big Country" Bryant Reeves, I also found this t-shirt. 

Stop what you're doing and order it now.

The 'FOLLOW 13POB13' Twitter Movement

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how powerful Twitter can be.  My buddy Sean (@seanfrancois) jokingly dubs it "Where Amazing Happens" after talking with the likes of Dwight Howard, Larry Fitzgerald, and Ernie Johnson on Twitter.  Whether you thought it was a fad or something "you just didn't understand", this story goes to show how much social media mediums like Twitter, Facebook etc. is much a part of this generation.

4 Q's of Basketball with TWolves Blog

The preseason wraps up tonight for the Toronto Raptors as they face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The Raps have already faced the Wolves this preseason and the Raps took the victory 112-97.  In tonight's matchup, the Wolves are playing without Kevin Love who recently suffered a hand injury, which may sideline him for 6-8 weeks.  I caught up with College Wolf from Timberwolves blog, TWolves Blog to talk about the latest with the Wolves as well as tonight's preseason matchup.

The Throwback: Where in the World is Bryant "Big Country" Reeves?

The return of NBA basketball to Vancouver last night sparked some memories of the Vancouver Grizzlies.  Eric Smith blogged about it on the FAN590.com yesterday: "The worst trade in NBA history: Vancouver for Memphis!"  When you mention the Vancouver Grizzlies, Canadian hoop heads get bitter. Why? There was a series of failures with the Canadian NBA franchise: the Steve Francis fiasco, the NBA lockout, the ugly uniforms (see above), the team's move to Memphis and the Grizzlies' first ever draft pick:

Bryant "Big Country" Reeves.

Vancouver basketball is back!

....well at least for one night.  Steve Nash is back in BC.

And the Toronto Raptors 'Tweet of the Season' goes to.......

SONNY WEEMS!

Join the "FOLLOW 13POB13" movement!

Twitter nation, ask yourself one question.  Are you following 13POB13?

To All The Raps We've Loved Before - Shawn Marion, Hump and Nathan Jawai

In this latest installment of "To All The Raps We've Loved Before", we're featuring three former Raps who are now down south in Dallas, TX this NBA season.  Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries and Nathan Jawai who were involved in the Hedo Turkoglu sign and trade from this past offseason are all now in Dallas with Mark Cuban. 

Steve Nash Mashes Up Soccer and Hoops

Steve Nash has discovered a new method of free throw shooting:



(via Nash's teammate, @jareddudley619)

More "Raps We Used To Love Before" - Pops Mensah-Bonsu Takes it to T.O.

Ok first and foremost, the Rockets beat the Raptors in preseason action 124-112.  Bargnani led the Raps with 16 points, Shane Battier had 26 pts for the Rockets (including 8 triples....you read it right, 8 threes)

So who made their return to Toronto tonight?  Former Raptor, Pops Mensah-Bonsu.  He has a one-year deal with the Houston Rockets and he impressed tonight.  Check out the reel (via @CreativeBonsu)

To All The Raps We've Loved Before - Jermaine O'Neal & Roko Ukic

On this next episode of  "To All The Raps We've Loved Before" we feature former Raptors, Jermaine O'Neal and Croatian Sensation, "Roko B. Ware" Ukic.  And to update us on these ex-Raptors, we have David from Miami Heat blog, Peninsula Is Mightier for the latest on J.O. and Jeremy from Milwaukee Bucks blog, Bucksketball for an update on Roko Ukic.

To All The Raps We've Loved Before - Anthony Parker & Jamario Moon

With all of the Bryan Colangelo's transactions over the past year, the Raptors that we've loved (or hated) from last year's roster are scatttered all over the league. Guys like Jamario Moon, Jermaine O'Neal, Anthony Parker and Shawn Marion who've contributed to the Raptors's successes and failures of last season are now wreaking havoc on the league. I've decided to put together a multi-part piece on how our old homies are making out on their new teams.

First up, I checked in with Brendan at Cavaliers blog, Stepien Rules on how former Raps, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon are making out with the Cavs.

Cabbie at Steve Nash's "Showdown in Downtown"

Back in September, Steve Nash hosted a charity soccer event called "Showdown in Downtown" in Vancity. Cabbie from The Score caught up with Steve Nash along with Grizzlies rookie, Hasheem Thabeet and the Clippers' Baron Davis and talked some soccer.

The "Throw In" - The Scoop on Sonny Weems

A "throw in". That's what most Raptors fans thought Sonny Weems was in this past summer's Bucks-Raptors trade.  Roko Ukic/Carlos Delfino for Amir Johnson and "some dude named Sonny Weems".  He was the guy who we've never heard of and someone who we thought would rot at the end of the bench with Marcus Banks.  Now, after just three preseason games, he's already made an impression with the Toronto Raptors. Hell, he even has his own highlight reel. 

The Power of the "Crop" Function starring Chris Bosh and Ryan Hollins

It's a powerful thing.

Oh.....the Raps beat the Wolves 112-97 Friday night.

Toronto Raptors Scrimmage REMIXED!

You know we're desperate for some NBA action when you can find a nicely produced video mix of the Toronto Raptors intrasquad scrimmage on YouTube....yes, the instrasquad scrimmage.  Anyhow, it's a much better highlight reel than the one found on Raptors.com.  This is front row courtside action in HD, throw some Mos Def in the background and you get this (via Barrist):

The "Who The Hell Are These Toronto Raptors?" Intrasquad Scrimmage

Nine new faces. And we finally get to see this year's Toronto Raptors together in an intrasquad scrimmage (courtesy of @RaptorspaceAkil) all in a nice little 6-minute video package.  Of course, Turkoglu and Bosh sat the scimmage out but we got to see new faces like Reggie Evans, DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Marco Belinelli in action.

The DeMar DeRozan Mixtape

If this doesn't get you hype for DeMar DeRozan this season.....I don't know what will.

Welcome to Hip Hoop Junkies!

Welcome to Hip Hoop Junkies, your blogging portal to the NBA world from a Canadian perspective. We'll tell you about the Toronto Raptors, we'll tell you about Jay Triano, we'll keep you up to date on Steve Nash, hell, we'll even talk about Todd MacCulloch's pinball career.

This is where the Canadian flavour of the NBA is highlighted.

Welcome to Hip Hoop Junkies!