HFX to ORL: Kiss Cam starring Jeremy Lin's parents

So my wife and I made the trip from Halifax to Orlando for a little vacation and we caught the NBA Rising Stars challenge this past Friday night.  And the highlight of the evening (outside of the game itself) was definitely the Kiss Cam starring Jeremy Lin's folks.  Enjoy.

Stay tuned for more All-Star weekend videos!

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Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North present RAPS TALK Ep. 25 (02.18.2012) with Payal Doshi of OMNI TV and Inside the Purple Room

Episode 25 of RAPS TALK (02.18.12) - Episode 25 y'all! Another week, another podcast and the Raps have been competitive lately but aren't pulling out the wins.  Kobe, Jeremy Lin and Tony Parker all came to Toronto last week and at the same time left the ACC with wins for their respective teams.  On this week's podcast, we have Payal Doshi of OMNI TV and Inside the Purple Room.

We talk to Payal about this season's Raps, the LIN-sanity that visited Toronto and last week's loss to the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, as well as her thoughts on this year's NBA All-Star weekend.  Be sure to find Payal at her blog, Inside the Purple Room and on OMNI TV.  Also, make sure you  follow Payal on Twitter: @payaldoshitv

We also announce the winner of the FREE STEVE NASH t-shirt giveaway courtesy of Two Eight Nine Design, so tune in!



Make sure you subscribe to the RAPS TALK podcast on iTunes.

Click here for the MP3 (right click "Save As...")

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Steve Nash: “I’m the Canadian Jeremy Lin.”

Caught this on Phoenix Suns' beat reporter, Paul Coro's Twitter yesterday.  2012 NBA All-Star point guard, Steve Nash, gave his thoughts on Jeremy Lin after the Suns' loss to the Lakers on Friday night.

(via the Tuscon Citizen):

“It’s great when someone who is unheralded, undrafted and overlooked proves everyone wrong,” said Nash, whose one scholarship offer from Santa Clara was one more than Lin got out of Palo Alto, Calif.  “(Lin) reads situations well. He’s a tremendous player. He fits the system. To fit the system, you have to be a great player.”  Following the Suns’ 111-99 loss to the Lakers, Nash told the Chinese media, “I’m the Canadian Jeremy Lin.” 

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Not really 'Pounding the Rock' - POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - BOBCATS 98, RAPTORS 91

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.

FINAL SCORE:    BOBCATS 98, RAPS 91    SEASON RECORD: 9W-23L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: DEMAR DEROZAN

LINE:  24 pts (8-15), 8-12 FT, 2 stl

Well, you can't REALLY be 'Pounding the Rock' when you lose to the Charlotte Bobcats.  When you watch the Raptors compete with the Celtics, Spurs, Lakers and Knicks but then come up short against these guys, that stings.....well, unless they're competing for the 2012 #1 draft pick.  DeMar did his thing on the offesnive end and put up 24 points, getting to the line 12 times which is recipe for DeMar's success.  Anytime that DeMar gets to the line over ten times, he scores at least 23 points.  He also had the slam of the night, with this throwdown:

POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - BOBCATS 98, RAPTORS 91

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.


FINAL SCORE:   SPURS 113, RAPS 106    SEASON RECORD: 9W-22L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: DEMAR DEROZAN

LINE:  29 pts (13-21), 2 ast, 3 reb

There's no question about it.  The Raps are extremely limited on offensive weapons these days.  But even with limited options, the Raps have been competing in these past few games.  So without Andrea, Jerryd or Linas....DeMar stepped up, and dropped 29 points.

Harvard's in the building! POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - KNICKS 90, RAPTORS 87

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.


FINAL SCORE:  KNICKS 90, RAPTORS 87   SEASON RECORD: 9W-21L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: JOSE CALDERON

LINE:  25 pts (11-17), 3-5 3pt, 9 ast, 7 reb

This was the Jose show last night, well... until Jeremy Lin rained on his parade.  But Calderon had another amazing game for the Raps, 25 pts, 9 assists and 7 boards as Jose has been stellar on the offensive end for the past two games.  Just too bad that the game had to end with a Jeremy Lin gamewinner.

Win a #FREESTEVENASH shirt here.

Ok hoop heads, this is giveaway week!
We're giving away a "FREE STEVE NASH" shirt courtesy of  Two Eight Nine Design.

Here's how you can enter to win this sweet tee:
Step 1
First off, like Hip Hoop Junkies and Two Eight Nine Design on Facebook

Step 2 
Follow @twoeightnine and @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

Step 3 
Tweet to  @twoeightnine and @hiphoopjunkies: 

“@twoeightnine @hiphoopjunkies I gotta get a #FREESTEVENASH shirt from @twoeightnine” 

Step 4
Finally, once you do all that, tune into next week's podcast (February 20th) for the winner via random draw!  Yeahhh budday!

So make sure to check out Two Eight Nine Design and pick up a few of their tees...ESPECIALLY after last night's Raptors loss to the New York Knicks and 'LIN'Sanity, you'll definitely want to cop one of these shirts below:

(yes, I'm talking to you Raptor fans that were cheering when Lin nailed that three...)

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Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North present RAPS TALK Ep. 24 (02.11.2012) with Micah Hart of NBA.com

Episode 24 of RAPS TALK (02.11.12) - Last week in the NBA has been all about "LIN-SANITY" with the Knicks' Jeremy Lin being the biggest buzz around the NBA.  On this week's podcast we have the perfect person to talk ball and Jeremy Lin, we have interactive producer for NBA.com and NBA blogger, Micah Hart, of NBA.com.

On this 24th episode of the RAPS TALK podcast, we talk to Micah about his thoughts on NBA All-Star snubs, Jeremy Lin, Will Ferrell, Vince Carter and Micah's thoughts on Canadian basketball being the new pipeline to the NBA.

Make sure you check out Micah's writing at his All Ball blog on NBA.com and also on the Hang Time podcast with Sekou Smith and Lang Whitaker.  And definitely follow Micah on Twitter: @MicahHart

Make sure you subscribe to the RAPS TALK podcast on iTunes.

Click here for the MP3 (right click "Save As...")

This is also a giveaway week! We're giving away a "FREE STEVE NASH" shirt courtesy of  Two Eight Nine Design.

Here's how you can enter for this sweet tee:
Step 1
First off, like Hip Hoop Junkies and Two Eight Nine Design on Facebook

Step 2 
Follow @twoeightnine and @hiphoopjunkies on Twitter

Step 3 
Tweet to  @twoeightnine and @hiphoopjunkies: 

“I gotta get a #FREESTEVENASH shirt from @twoeightnine” 

Step 4
And finally, once you do all that, tune into next week's podcast for the winner of the random draw!  Yeahhh budday!

Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
Check out our Facebook Page
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POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - LAKERS 94, RAPTORS 92

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.


FINAL SCORE:  LAKERS 94, RAPS 92    SEASON RECORD: 9W-20L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: JOSE CALDERON

LINE:  30 pts (13-18), 4-4 3pt, 6 ast, 2 reb

Man....Raptors fans got their money's worth on Sunday afternoon.  A close game down the stretch, a Kobe game winner and a career night from Jose?  That's worth cost of admission right there.  Jose was rollin' at the ACC on Sunday, putting up a career-high 30 pts.  He nailed some clutch down the stretch that kept this game interesting.  I'm sure the Lakers' Jerry Buss will be looking at this performance when he's looking for a replacement for Derek Fisher.

POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - RAPTORS 86, CELTICS 74

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.


FINAL SCORE:  RAPS 86, CELTICS 74     SEASON RECORD: 9W-19L
This was a big win for the Raps last night but hey, all NBA attention was on Jeremy Lin last night...but nevertheless, here are your Pound the Rock Stars!

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: JOSE CALDERON

LINE:  17 pts (7-12), 14 ast, 4 reb

The Celtics were gassed, and Jose took advantage of that.  Calderon helped spark the Raptors to a strong start, scoring 10 of this 17 points in the first half.  He also dropped his second straight double digit assist game with fourteen assists and ZERO turnovers.  On the defensive end for Jose, he took Rajon Rondo out of the mix as Rondo was held to just 2-10 shooting on the night.

OLD MAN NASH, THE ALL-STAR - Steve Nash named to the NBA All-Star reserves

The NBA All-Star reserves has been announced, and named to the Western reserves is Kid Canada himself, Steve Nash.  At 38 years of age, the two-time NBA MVP will make his eighth NBA All-Star appearance.  Nash is averaging 15 ppg and a league-leading 10.0 apg with a terrible Suns roster...see you in Orlando, Mr.Nash.

(via Phoenix Suns beat writer, @paulcoro)

Six of Nash's eight All-Star selections have come as a Sun, tying Walter Davis' franchise record. Only the 4th All-Star at age 38 or older.

Here's just one of many reasons on why Steve Nash is deserving of that All-Star roster spot:




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POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - BUCKS 105, RAPS 99

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.

FINAL SCORE:  BUCKS 105, RAPS 99     SEASON RECORD: 8W-19L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: DEMAR DEROZAN

LINE:  25 pts (9-18), 4-6 3pt, 4 reb

DeMar's been working on that three ball this season.  And it showed last night.  DeMar nailed 4 triples in the 105-99 loss, going 4-6 from three and 9-18 from the floor.  Offensively, it was an amazing showing by the Compton kid...but the downfall was on the defensive end, and for proof... just check out Carlos Delfino's line below.

POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - WIZARDS 111, RAPS 108 (OT)

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.

FINAL SCORE: WIZ 111, RAPS 108 (OT)    SEASON RECORD: 8W-18L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: JERRYD BAYLESS

LINE:  30 pts, 6-10 3pt, 3 rebs, 3 ast, 2 stl

Just when you thought the jam was done last night...  Jerryd Bayless put the team on his back, got his team out of the hole and nailed shots.  Bayless was on fire from three-pt range, scoring 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Raps came back from an 18-pt deficit.  A gutsy performance from the young guard, putting up a season-high 30 pts.

Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North present RAPS TALK Ep. 23 (02.04.2012) with Adam Francis of RaptorsHQ.com

Episode 23 of RAPS TALK (02.04.12) - Another week of Raptors basketball which means another week of the RAPS TALK podcast.  This week, we're joined by the co-founder of RaptorsHQ.com, Adam Francis.  Francis, a fellow Maritimer from PEI, now lives in Toronto and in his free time, provides great coverage of the Toronto Raptors.

This week, we talk to Adam about this season's Raps, DeMar's struggles, Adam's childhood love of the Cleveland Cavaliers and who he think will be an All-Star snub at this season's NBA All-Star game.

Check out Adam's writing at RaptorsHQ.com, a member of the SB Nation family of blogs.  Also, make sure that you follow Adam on Twitter: @RaptorsHQ

Make sure you subscribe to the RAPS TALK podcast on iTunes.

Click here for the MP3 (right click "Save As...")

Subscribe to RAPS TALK, our audio podcast on iTunes
If you don't have iTunes, you can subscribe here
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POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - HEAT 95, RAPTORS 89

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.

FINAL SCORE: HEAT 95, RAPS 89     SEASON RECORD: 8W-17L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: DEMAR DEROZAN

LINE:  25 pts (8-16), 9-11 FT, 3 rebs, 3 ast, 2 stl 3 blk

This guy had a tough assignment on Sunday afternoon, but even though he had to guard Lebron James, DeMar held his own against one of the best in the league.  DeMar had 25 points, including 9-11 from thre free throw line.  Those free throw attempts are good to see...it's always a good sign when DeMar attacks the basket more.  I think it was Paul Jones who said that when DeMar heads to the line 8 or more times, he averages around 24 ppg.

NBL LIVE! - National Basketball League of Canada launches official blog

posted by Romy Aquino

If you haven't checked it out yet, myself and Audley Stephenson of TheBreakdownShow.com have helped launch the official blog for the National Basketball League of Canada, NBL Live!  The blog has will have everything NBL, from fresh video/audio content to game recaps/news/MVP rankings and more.  So when you're looking for the latest on the NBL Canada, check out the NBL Live! blog at nblcanada.tumblr.com

Check out the official press release here.

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POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - RAPTORS 106, WIZARDS 89

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.

FINAL SCORE: RAPS 106, WIZARDS 89     SEASON RECORD: 8W-16L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: AMIR JOHNSON

LINE:  18 pts (8-13), 13 rebs, 3 blk

"AND I AM AMIR JOHNSON!!" That was Devlin's call on one of Amir's dunks tonight.  Dude, where have you been lately? Amir broke out of his shell with the double double (18 pts / 13 reb) on Friday, his first double double since January 16th.  The Raptors big man had a strong first half with his 12 pts and 5 boards at the halfway mark.

WWE RAPTORS RAW! - Solomon Alabi and Anthony Carter attend WWE RAW

I was listening to Eric Smith on Tim and Sid earlier this week and heard that while the Raps were in Phoenix, a couple of players went to attend....wait for it...WWE RAW.  I guess the guys were caught on camera as some of the wrestlers (I believe Kane) went into the crowd, and which Raptors were in attendance?  The Raptors' 11th and 12th men, Solomon Alabi and Anthony Carter (as seen above).

Luckily, no one was hurt....but hey, it was just the bottom the Raps' bench.

(Courtesy of Real GM)

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POUND THE ROCK STARS OF THE NIGHT - CELTICS 100, RAPS 64

POUND THE ROCK STARS - On a nightly basis, no matter how good or bad the Raps play, no matter if they blow out a team or if they get blown out and no matter if they win or lose, these are the Raptors with the best 'Pound the Rock' status for the night.

FINAL SCORE: CELTICS 100, RAPS 64     SEASON RECORD: 7W-16L

POUND THE ROCK STAR #1: ED DAVIS

LINE:  10 pts (4-6), 12 rebs, 2 blk

Well, I wouldn't call this a model "Pound The Rock" game for the Raptors as a whole, but when you have to pick out the best of the worst, I guess I'll go with Ed Davis, who put up the double double.  This was Davis' second straight double double of the season.  And he played extended minutes with 38 minutes of play with Kleiza and Bargnani on the beach.