NBA Watch: Gunning for Glory

Basketball's Biggest Prize?

The NBA season is just over a month old, and I feel it's about time we take a good look at the teams that are favourites to win the title at the end of the season.

Miami Heat: LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade – it doesn't get any bigger than this. The Heat came within inches of winning the title last season but came undone against a resurgent Dallas Mavericks team. James is showing how effective he can be without Wade. The Heat are favourites for another long playoff run and with Mario Chalmers, rookie Norris Cole and Udonis Haslem, chances are high that the Heat will storm their way to an NBA title this time around.

Los Angeles Lakers: Off the court, the Lakers' long-time Head Coach Phil Jackson retired following the end of the last season and he was replaced by former Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown. The Lakers boast two of the biggest men in the league, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, on their roster and they show that they can punish teams inside the paint. Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes have proved that they can shut down any five-star offences. Oh, and a certain Kobe Bryant averaged 43 points per game when the Lakers were up against worthy playoff opposition. After being blanked 4- 0 by Dallas last time around in the conference semi finals, this proud franchise will be out for revenge (and a title) this time around.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Two words: Kevin Durant. Durant had been playing an enormous amount of basketball during the NBA lockout, and it shows. He looks a lot tougher than ever before and has added a lot of moves to his arsenal. In my opinion, he's the best allaround player in the league after James. Also look out for Russell Westbrook, he's lighting up the league and he's a player you'd love to hate.

Chicago Bulls: The Chicago Bulls haven't won an NBA championship since 1998. It seems like a long time ago that Michael Jordan was on the roster of that championship winning team. Fourteen seasons later, the Bulls finally look like they have a title contender. With Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Derrick Rose, the Bulls are tough to beat at home; Rose can destroy any defence in the league, and Deng can shut down anyone from James to Bryant on a given night.

Portland Trailblazers: LaMarcus Aldridge is on quite the run. It's hard to catch him, and he makes scoring look easy. Given the fact that the Blazers lost key man Brandon Roy to premature retirement, this team looked beaten before the start of the season. Gerald Wallace will run, jump, punch and claw his way to productive nights and usually does so every time the Blazers play. Nicolas Batum and Raymond Felton are big-name spare parts, but in all, despite the loss of Brandon Roy, the Blazers look built for a long playoff run.

Outside chances: The Dallas Mavericks, defending champions of the NBA, the Boston Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies will all make the playoffs comfortably, but I don't see them going on a very long run. The Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs too should make the playoffs. The Spurs lost key man Manu Ginobili to injury and his return is still not finalized.

The games are coming in thick and fast, and I, for one, know it's going to get exciting as the season goes on.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7997&sectionID=4&issueID=194
Image Credit:http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/replicate/EXID24107/images/Laker-Parade-2010-Celebration-Kobe-82.jpg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UekSQkajhsU

Crosby: A Nation's Pride

Sid the Kid

In the first article for this column, you might recall I did a piece on hockey, and how it's a national obsession in Canada. I quote one line from that very article, "The whole country was united in hours of celebration as Canada's beloved Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal." Which winning goal am I talking about? You guessed right, the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal game.

Crosby is still a youngster – he's just 24 years old – but he's already cemented his place in hockey history. Drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, Sid the Kid (as he's often called) shot to stardom at a very young age. I remember a few friends of mine telling me how London booed Crosby when the 2005 Memorial Cup was taking place at the John Labatt Centre. Anyway, Crosby is often compared to another superstar from the NHL, Russian Alexander Ovechkin. I'm assuming the only reason this comparison exists is because of the whole Russia vs Canada hockey rivalry, which brings me back to my first article: "Hockey is a national obsession."

At the other end of the glory of Crosby comes some not-so-pleasant news: the 2011 Winter Classic. That's right; the game where Crosby's concussion-related problems began. Dave Steckel (who hit Crosby in the head during the Winter Classic) and Victor Hedman (who hit him in the head the following game) are both lucky they aren't from Canada; they'd both be blacklisted in the eyes of hockey fans. (That's just an assumption that I make here, I could be wrong.) Crosby's absence from the game left not only Pittsburgh fans, but the entire nation of Canada, from Cape Spear in the east to Boundary Peak 187 in the west, in a state of shock. Crosby made his return after 60- something games out and was an instant hit, bagging four points on the night, leaving a hockey-crazy nation in a state of euphoria, only to go out after playing eight games because he was going to "listen to his body."

In my opinion, Crosby's finest moment will always be the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal game. That was when this 'kid' from Halifax wrote himself into the annals of Olympic hockey history. He's won a Stanley Cup (in 2009), the Hart Trophy (in 2007) and the Maurice Richard trophy (in 2010), but that Olympic Gold Medal could well be his defining contribution to the game of hockey as well as to the proud nation of Canada. The annual QMI Agency NHL player poll revealed that, "The Kid, despite battling a sore noggin as a result of concussions, is still the best of the best." NHL players don't appear to be concerned by medical reports, because they voted for Crosby as the player they would build around. Alex Ovechkin got just one vote, the London Free Press website reported.

It remains to be seen when Crosby does make a return to the game this country loves. Needless to say, he needs to be careful out on the ice, but when he does make a return, expect another loud roar of approval from Canadians around the globe for the man they call 'Sid the Kid!'

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7987&sectionID=2&issueID=194
Image Credit: http://www.youthareawesome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Sidney-Crosby59479.jpg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDXZDvAUREU

NBA Watch: Fleshing out the early NBA season

Nowitzki vs Wade, it all begins.

Hey guys, I hope this column will be part of a regular weekly NBA column. I'll give it my best shot and cover the NBA season to the best of my ability, both reviewing and previewing the biggest action from basketball's premier league.

It wasn't long ago that many of us thought that there would be no NBA season. With the lockout and the constant breakdown in negotiations, many basketball fans (including myself) almost came to the conclusion that there would be no season. You could sense the disappointment from many players as they expressed themselves on Twitter. Kobe Bryant was thought to be on his way to China and Italy. Virtus Bologna was an Italian club that was confident in their abilities to land the five-time Larry O'Brien trophy winner. (For those of you who are unaware, the Larry O'Brien trophy is what the NBA Champions get; it's the NBA's version of the Stanley Cup.)

Anyway, all said and done, there was good news for basketball fans as the lockout ended on December 8 and the NBA was to begin on Christmas Day. It wasn't any ordinary beginning; Christmas Day had some pretty big matchups, including a rematch from the last NBA finals, a series that featured Miami and Dallas. Dallas did not have the best of starts as they fell to 0-3 in the space of a few days, a woeful record despite having the likes of Dirk Nowitzki (who was named the Finals MVP at the culmination of the 2010/11 season).

If anyone asks me, and I've had quite the few discussions with several people, the unluckiest team prior to the start of the season as the Portland Trailblazers. The reason why basketball pundits agree is simple: while most teams were building and acquiring their own 'Big Three,' the Trailblazers lost their big three. Greg Oden is still out injured and LaMarcus Aldridge is back to playing, but the biggest blow came when Brandon Roy announced his retirement at the age of 27, due to a degenerative knee condition. It was indeed disheartening for basketball fans around the world, for while the NBA tweeted pictures of the star players in almost every franchise, there would be no such picture for the Trailblazers. Of course, the team has done its best to move on, and after beating both the Lakers and the Clippers, you can sense that there's a swagger going around in Rip City.

This article would not be complete without mentioning the Chris Paul saga. He was running out of contract in New Orleans, and the Hornets preferred to deal him out to teams and get someone in return rather than let him leave for free. Suitors came, suitors went. Trades were agreed to and then nullified by NBA Commissioner David Stern, until the Clippers and the Hornets agreed on a deal on December 14. The saga was over and Paul was on his way to pair up with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, among others.

Basketball isn't as huge as hockey is here in Canada, yet all Canadian eyes are on the Raptors, who haven't really been playing the best basketball. I'd say the exception is Andrea Bargnani, who averages 22.3 points per game at the time of writing. In their game against Indiana on January 13, the Pacers had Danny Granger ejected from the game and were still able to hold out for the win. I guess in the Raptors' defence, they didn't have Bargnani, who was out with a strained left calf.

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7976&sectionID=4&issueID=193
Image Credit: http://www.sportsbully.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/031.jpg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4BOuX92KpY

Tim's = Canada

It's Always Tim's Time...

"I'd like a large double-double, please!" These are the very same words that are repeated in thousands of places all across Canada each day, with almost no variation (except maybe a variation in the size of coffee ordered). I'm referring to coffee that is sold at Tim Hortons, an establishment so Canadian it was founded by a former hockey player Tim Horton back in 1964. In those days, they served just coffee and donuts, but today that very empire has expanded to thousands of stores all across North America serving far more than that.

It was the summer of 2008 and I had been on Canadian soil for little over 10 days. It was almost time to go back home to India, at which point my cousins reprimanded me for not stepping into a single Tim Hortons restaurant. Why the big fuss about something that seemed so minute was something I never quite figured out until I stepped into a franchise. Tim Hortons is as Canadian as hockey is, that is what I learned whilst sipping on my first-ever cup of Tim's coffee. Because Tim Hortons is so omnipresent all across Canada, it has grown to become a prominent feature in the life of a Canadian. I'm assuming this was one of the reasons why the franchise took the trouble of opening up an outlet in far-off Kandahar, Afghanistan, which was housed in a 40-foot trailer, giving Canadian troops stationed there a taste of home. The outlet closed down about four months after troops left Afghanistan, but not before serving four million cups of coffee and three million donuts (the figures I state here are according to an article published by the National Post dated November 24, 2011.)

"In so many ways, the story of Tim Hortons is the essential Canadian story," the late writer Pierre Berton once said. "It is a story of success and tragedy, of big dreams and small towns, of old-fashioned values and tough-fisted business, of hard work and of hockey." I will not disagree with Berton here, for I've been told by a couple of second- year students who are in my program that I must grow to love Tim Hortons coffee. Tim Hortons can have such an impact on people, and I have an anecdote which will enforce this point. My family was coming down to visit me in December because I couldn't go back home to India for Christmas. The last text message I received from my brother before he boarded the flight from Delhi Airport was a small but simple one: "I want iced cap!" That was it. This text came from a boy who'd spent just over 10 days in Canada and has grown to love the franchise just as much as people who've lived all their life in Canada.

I've never been the biggest fan of hot coffee or hot chocolate for that matter. I have, however, always loved a nice cup of cold coffee. The sub-zero winter conditions in Canada, however, have caused me to gradually get a bigger liking towards hot coffee. I'm sure it's no surprise that the three Tim Hortons locations on campus here at Fanshawe always have huge queues in from of them, no matter what time of day it may be. It just reinforces the fact that Tim Hortons was, is and will always be Canadian and proud.

I end with a phrase that is apt and one that I'm sure is at the tips of every Canadian person's tongue: "It's time for Tims."

Originally Written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7942&sectionID=2&issueID=193
Image Credit: http://media.mmgdailies.topscms.com/images/97/ca/224422bd4b13b91b14f6405d6a86.jpeg
Video Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuFLon26nMw

Food à la Canada

Canadian Staple Anyone?

Keeping in mind that this is the heath issue of the Interrobang, I thought I'd write something in tune with the theme. I had initially thought about writing on the health care system in Canada, but given the fact that I've yet to fall sick in Canada (which is a good thing, I might add), I don't have much to say on the system. Therefore, I thought that I would write something on two Canadian 'delicacies' that I've come across a few times during my four months here: poutine and back bacon. I use the word 'delicacies' because I feel that too much of it could turn us all into Homer Simpson!

Poutine was something that I was introduced to by my classmates at Fanshawe College. One Tuesday afternoon during our break, we stopped for lunch. Since everyone went for poutine, so did I. In fact, it surprised all of my classmates who were present that it would be my first-ever plate of poutine. It turned out to be pretty good, to tell you the truth. I've had it on several occasions now. Fried potato with cheese curds and gravy? It certainly makes the Belgian invention that came to be called french fries more interesting. On the flip side, I've overheard people cursing poutine, though I've yet to come up with a suitable reason why they do that. Jarrett Bellini, Video Producer for CNN who covers comedy, has said that "Poutine is going to slowly (and deliciously) kill Canadians one at a time in a long nationwide drum circle of exploding aortas." I wouldn't differ too much from Jarrett's point of view. Death from an exploding aorta due to too much poutine consumption probably wouldn't be all that bad.

Bacon: the name itself makes my mouth water. I've been eating a lot of bacon from my time in India. It seems a little strange, doesn't it? A few of my friends and I used to feel glad that we were Roman Catholic, the reason being that the religion didn't classify any meat as forbidden. This was unlike India's two major religions: Hinduism (which prohibited the consumption of beef as the cow is considered sacred) and Islam (which forbids consumption of pork). It is pretty sad that McDonald's in India does not serve the Big Mac burger. The reason they do so is the alleged ban on beef, but that is diverting from my topic a little too much.

I've always loved bacon. From a young age, bacon and eggs was a staple breakfast of mine. However, my decision to move to Canada introduced me to a different kind of bacon: back bacon. For some reason, it tastes so much better than streaky bacon, which is the prime cut of bacon available in India. I haven't really been able to come to a suitable explanation why back bacon tastes better, but I hope to have an explanation soon.

Food is something I've always loved. Even while on holiday in other countries, my mother and I were always game to sample local delicacies. That is something I'm thankful that my parents instilled in me. To quote newspaper publisher James Stuart Keate, "In any world menu, Canada must be considered the vichyssoise of nations – it's cold, half-French and difficult to stir." Food is something that brings people together, however fattening it may be. I'm glad I can cross poutine and back bacon off my list of foods to try: it does make me a little more Canadian.


Originally written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7877&sectionID=2&issueID=192
Image Credit: http://foodbeast.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bacon_box.jpg

A National Obsession

I Think My Title Is Justified Already...

Hey everyone, my name is Victor and I'm a first-year Broadcast Journalism Student. This is the first of what I hope will be a weekly column on "An Outsider's View of Canada." Do feel free to give me your feedback.

I've been living in Canada for a little over four months now. I come from India, a country where hockey is non-existent. We do have a hockey team in the country, but they virtually do not exist. In India, cricket is a massive sport. In my opinion, it's the biggest thing to ever happen to the country. Winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup on home soil drove the country crazy. I used to often face a lot of criticism from my friends because I was never a huge cricket fan: soccer was always my sport back home. Interestingly, though, it was a similar story when Canada won the hockey Olympic Gold on home ice in 2010. The whole country was united in hours of celebration as Canada's beloved Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal. That game is still stuck firmly in my head; I remember staying up late to watch that game (at an unearthly hour because the time difference between Vancouver and India is 13 and a half hours in winter.)

It's events like these that led me to do hours of research. Like I mentioned, I've been in Canada for four months and I've already been to four hockey games (and counting) so far. That's more than the number of cricket games I've been to!

I used to always think that hockey was Canada's national sport, but it turns out that I was wrong! So what is it that makes hockey so special? To be very honest with you, I do not have a definite answer to that. I imagine, however, that it has something to do with the ice and the icy conditions that are so prevalent in the country.

I've never actually played a proper game of hockey, except for NHL games on the Xbox, of course. I have always called myself fortunate because I used to follow a little bit of hockey while I was growing up in India. It all started with NHL 2002 and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Yes, I can and will proudly call myself a Ducks fan. I know they aren't performing well this season, but that is beside the point here.

Coming back to the reason why hockey is so popular in Canada, I happened to stumble upon a website called thephysicsofhockey.com a few days ago. The Physics of Hockey website has a few interestin  points as to why hockey is such a national obsession. I won't mention all of them here, but a few of the points mentioned there have opened my eyes quite a lot. Like "Canada's number one export to the U.S.A. is NHL talent – that's ahead of timber," or something like "Hockey keeps the Canadian dental industry healthy." I guess it's only fair to mention here that the only reason why I had a small inclination towards hockey back home in India was the numerous fights that I witnessed on SportsCenter.

Hockey is quite the phenomenon in Canada, just like Don Cherry's suits, which have fascinated me time and time again. Hockey and Canada are like two peas in a pod: inseparable, as they always have been for several years now. I'm living with a Canadian family at the moment and it's hockey that brings them together on numerous evenings. What's even better is that their hockey night makes me feel like part of the family: it makes an international student feel at home. I'm glad that I grew up following hockey; it makes me a little more Canadian day by day...

Originally written for the Interrobang: http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=7835&sectionID=2&issueID=191

Image Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Team_Canada_fan_at_women's_ice_hockey_gold_medal_game_-_US_vs._Canada_at_2010_Winter_Olympics_2010-02-25.jpg
History Was Made Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R81fgWglOg&feature=related
Five Telecasts Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z0W1MUv_c4&feature=related