I am not well enough versed in NBA to tell you the how or the why or to wax eloquently about the nuances of the game. I can tell you this, I sat and watched the entire Toronto Raptors/ LA Lakers tilt and for the first time in a LONG time I can say that those who spent their bucks on tickets at the ACC got every pennies worth. What a game!

I am pretty sure the Raptors didn’t lead until late in the 4th quarter and then Kobe had the final shot at the buzzer to win it all. What more do you want? Is it a title game? No. Is it a championship? No. It’s not even a playoff round win. What it is, I hope is the start of some mainstream coverage and perhaps, a little more attention.

Let’s allow swallow hard and realize there isn’t anything remotely interesting about the Maple Leafs right now. The game in Florida, like the one in Tampa and Atlanta were painful. Baring a major shift, there will be no intrigue until the deadline. Sure Brian Burke may wish someone would deal with him now or before the Olympics, but let’s get real. Would you pull the trigger to get any of these guys early? I certainly doubt there are too many GM’s out there saying if we only had a Poni on our team…..

The day after the deadline in Toronto will likely be the last time before the end of the season there is much to talk about of any real significance. I mean they may play a good game here or there, maybe there will be a new face from time to time to talk about. Why don’t we all get behind a team that could be on the verge of something. No gurantees, but hell I like their odds better than the Leafs especially when it comes to providing value for the hard earned cash we’ve all been wasting on the buds.

No one game doesn’t mean a whole lot. This team is exciting to watch, and for the most part they are at least in most games they play with a good shot at winning. Something we haven’t been able to say about the other teams in this town for a LONG time. Way to go Raps!

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Happy Turkey Day..

The Star is the contributor of the Maple Leaf Turkey article of the day, the author Rosie DiManno who clearly is the woman in sports that Mike Toth spoke of months before leaving the Fan and Sportsnet. (Toth by the way is officially gone from the Fan on a permanent basis). DiManno’s column is, in a word brutal. I have no problem with being critical of the Leafs, but at least make sense. They have offered up lots of ammunition to pick on them and she comes up with utter crap.

“Heretofore the difference between crap and craps: The first is played on ice, too many nights, by the Maple Leafs. The second is played with dice.”

Rosie then goes on, and on on the laws of probability. So if you want to bet on the coin flips or dice rolling, read on….

“A rolled dice always has a 1-chance-in-6 of flashing six pips, no matter how often it is thrown. A die doesn’t change it’s, um, spots.

Leaf shooters have been unable to change their luck either, regardless of how many shots they take in a game – like that club-record tying 61 in Monday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Now, clearly there are permutations, hockey-wise, because scoring opportunities have numerous variables. This is what makes it a game of skill and calculation rather than chance and finite odds. But the Leafs have been making a whole lot of journeymen goalies look like Dominik Hasek by shooting blanks or taking low-profit swipes at the puck on the theory that, eventually, some of them have to go in. Ain’t happening.”

No you see, here is where she goes offline. The problem with her theory is that despite odds, in sports there are these things called streaks. This is true in every sport. There are times where even the best of players go into slumps and there are times when the worst of players still tickle the twine, cause, well shit happens. Ask a goalie or a baseball batter about the times when the puck or ball looks either like a pea or a beach-ball. Is it mathematically explainable? Not really. It just happens. Does that mean Jason Blake is going to score 50 this year? No. Does it mean they will shoot at the same percentage all year- hell no! Does the baseball player who goes 5-5 on opening day with 2 homers mean he isn’t going to miss all year and score 2 every game?

“The Leafs, arguably, have just one pure goal scorer in Phil Kessel, who has been exactly as advertised. This was the dilemma in the Mats Sundin era, when so much of the offensive burden was borne by a single player, rarely with proficient play-making linemates.”

No shit dick tracey- this is news?

“”Snipers have a weird sense of where to go on the ice and they always find a way to score,” said Sundin, when we caught up with him on Wednesday, enjoying retirement in Stockholm.

“It’s a combination of natural skill and hard work. The best pure goal-scorer I ever saw was Alex Mogilny. Now, he was gifted, but he also worked hard on his shooting every day.”

Sundin cleaves to the keep-shooting mantra.

“At least you’re giving yourself a chance to score.”

Ok, so you talked to Mats….What is the point of this article???? What does anything that you have written have to do with flipping coins and rolling dice? The Leafs are putting forth an effort, and are at least playing a more competitive brand of hockey. Are they winning? No. Does it matter in the grand scheme of things that they are trying hard- not really. Effort only goes so far. The reality is this team is devoid of scoring talent. I don’t care how hard Mogilny worked- he had a gift; he was extremely talented. Wade Belak looked like he worked pretty hard too- he didn’t score like Mogilny did. Next time Rosie – have a point.

By the way, many people have asked the question, TSM reached Brian Burke this evening and was told that the Maple Leafs self imposed holiday transaction freeze kicks in on December 9th.

TSM @yyzsportsmedia

Rosie is here