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Remember when Alonzo Mourning refused to play in Canada? How about Raptor power forward Antonio Davis? After blossoming into an All Star in Toronto, he opted out of his contract because he felt uncomfortable that his kids were singing O Canada. And learning the metric system. These were actual reasons he gave. I do not predict Amir Johnson feeling similarly. Something is happening — has happened — and it is a genie for whom the bottle will forever be too cramped. Turns out, after two decades of tumult and failure, subtly and steadily, Toronto has turned into a basketball mecca. In a fitting end to the roundball dominance of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, each respectively has been or is being upset by Wizards, common decency and your Toronto Raptors. This isnt emphatic hype from a success-starved fan. This is real. This is how the future of Toronto basketball is going to play out. (Results guaranteed or your money back.) First, Toronto is going to beat the Brooklyn Nets. They are going to do this because they are faster, stronger, better coached and more talented. My words to Garnetts ears, I think theyre tougher too. Id confidently go to battle against KG, Pierce and Deron Williams with Lowry, Amir and Jonas. (Toronto can also selectively deploy Tyler Hansbrough, forcing Brooklyn to be mindful of his ever-present Metta World Peace potential. Observe when Hansbrough is deployed in a game. Always during a "Charles Oakley moment" when a teammate is being manhandled or has taken a series of tough fouls, and it is time for a guy made of elbows to contribute. Last game he played for 8 minutes, committed 3 fouls, and even touched the ball a few times.) The only reason the series goes seven is Torontos lack of experience. Heading into Game 5, the Raptors are now nearing the point of enough collective savvy and bend-but-dont-break guile to beat these paper tigers. The New Jersey Nets of Brooklyn are going down. (Sidenote on Donald Sterling: I would be neglectful not to mention the shadow hanging over an otherwise terrific first round of NBA playoffs. This is a teachable moment to talk about prejudice, especially when a Toronto club has experienced something similar. Remember when Harold Ballard warned us of the Soviet threat in 1979, proclaiming no Russian would ever play for the Maple Leafs, that they were "parasites and barnacles who steal our money?" I think Nikki Borschevsky told me that story. It was just the kind of boldly regressive, anti-humanistic rhetoric which helped spurn a generation of iconic movie villains from Ivan Drago to Boris the Blade. We may never see the same yield of film icons, but after commissioner Adam Silvers welcome and decisive announcement, I guarantee this whole affair ends in the plus column. Before you can explain to your mother that "Instagram is like Twitter with more pets," Magic Johnson will own an NBA team and Donald Sterling will not. Let him waste away in his underground lair, using his billions for, oh, I dont know, drumming up support to bomb North Korea? Backing anti-climate change lobbyists? Pouring millions into Monsantos nuclear corn division? Im not really sure what super-villains are into these days.) Speaking of villains, up next will be Miami, a team Toronto will not get past. This second round series is whats known in the business as "valuable experience". Any team on its way up bonds, grows and learns how to win by getting beat by the best. Do not be surprised when T.O. finds a way to win a game, maybe two (possibly three). This years Heat have a touch of the Nets in them (see: slow, creaky). They also have Lebron so they will be winning. 2014/15. Critical mass. The season NBA fans will remember as the Canadian Invasion. The one lasting achievement of the Vince Carter-era is inspiring a generation of local athletes to basketball greatness. The talent emerging is staggering, and some of it a credit to Carter as the deified player who sparked their imagination as kids. He, and two-time MVP Steve Nash, have long been the main influences for young Canadian ballers. In 1996, Nash was drafted 15th overall, the highest pick in NBA history for a Canuck. But years would pass. Bill Wennington would retire. Carter would move on to half-ass it in other cities. The Northern Uprising would start afresh in 2011, when Cleveland drafted Toronto-native Tristan Thompson 4th overall, a new record. Emerging San Antonio Spurs point guard Cory Joseph, a native of nearby Pickering, was drafted 29th. By 2012, a record five Canadians would be drafted, led by Orlando forward Andrew Nicholson (taken 19th). 2013 would be uncharted territory for Canadian ball. It was the first time two Canadians were selected in the lottery, including 13th selection, Toronto-native Kelly Olynyk and, shockingly, another Toronto-native, Anthony Bennett, going first overall. FIRST OVERALL. And he wasnt supposed to be the guy to accomplish that. That honour was being reserved for 2014s expected draft class hero, Raptor fan, and Toronto-native Andrew Wiggins (note the geographic trend). He may still wind up chosen first overall. Highly-touted Toronto-born Tyler Ennis is also declaring for this years draft and expected to go in the first round. 7-foot-5-inch Sim Bhullar (of Toronto) has a chance to be drafted as the first NBA player of Indian descent. Mississauga-native Nik Stauskas is considered a potential lottery pick. The list is long. Peruse the 2014 mock draft board. I did the math. Toronto is the best represented city in the world. Though the seminal players in Torontos basketball history may not be the most beloved, Marcus Camby, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh represent a considerable quantity of upper echelon talent which will someday appear as the bedrock on to which greater success was built. They are testament that superstars can be developed in Toronto, in Canada, where Vince Carter led fan voting for the All Star game four times, and Terrence Ross has been turning on young fans with dunk championship flare. More winning will build more local talent. Perceptions will change. A noteworthy cogitation to pull all this accounting together. It is entirely plausible there could come a day — there will come a day — when great players around the league are nagging their agents, opting out of contracts early, even colluding with their talented buddies...to come to Toronto. With so much homegrown talent pouring into the league, the standard could well be broken soon, where the prominent talents want to come to Toronto rather than dismiss it. To some extent, it is going to happen. To what extent, will be exciting to witness. >> Gallays Poll #8 << Who would you most like to see receive a hard foul from Tyler Hansbrough?(A) Kevin Garnett (most likely)(B) Jason Kidd (less likely)(C) Jay-Z (unlikely)(D) All of the above (almost certainly) Air Max Outlet Italia . His big 2-minute outburst in the fourth quarter Tuesday night is all that really mattered for the Dallas Mavericks. Air Max Italia Scarpe . Thats what he did over the past 2 1/2 years with the Washington Wizards. Wittmans approach helped turn the Wizards from pushover to playoff winners. http://www.airmaxitaliascarpe.it/scarpe-...6-scontate.html. Cleary also had two assists and Patrick Eaves added two goals for the Red Wings, who also ousted Phoenix in seven games during the first round of the 2010 postseason. Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which got a goal apiece from Tomas Holmstrom and Niklas Kronwall and suffered no shortage of offense despite the absences of Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. Scarpe Nike Air Max In Offerta . As the only competitor to try two quads, much less complete them, Kovtun ended the day nearly nine points ahead of Japans Tatsuki Machida, who opened with a clean quad but then stepped out of the triple toe loop that was the second jump in his combination. Air Max Shop Italia . Didnt need any help this time. Wood beat Cincinnati for the first time in his career, repeatedly pitching out of threats for seven innings, and Chicago stalled the Reds week-long surge with a 2-0 victory Monday night.SARNIA, Ont. -- Nick Ritchie scored 46 seconds into overtime as the Peterborough Petes slipped past the host Sarnia Sting 2-1 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League play. Eric Cornel forced extra time when he tied the game for the Petes (28-28-5) at 17:57 of the third period. Nickolas Latta gave the Sting (16-39-7) a 1-0 lead 12:03 into the first. Jason Da Silva made 31 saves for Peterborough as Sarnias Taylor Dupuis turned away 38-of-40 shots in a losing cause. The Petes went 0 for 3 on the power play while the Sting failed to score on five chances with the man advantage. --- ICEDOGS 5 WOLVES 2 SUDBURY, Ont. -- Eric Ming had two goals and an assist as Niagara downed the Wolves. Graham Knott, Billy Jenkins and Blake Siebnaler also scored for the IceDogs (20-33-8), who used a four-goal third period to break the game open. Nicholas Baptiste and Connor Crisp scored for Sudbury (31-21-10). Brent Moran made 34 saves for Niagara as Franky Palazzese turned away 36-of-40 shots in defeat. --- FRONTENACS 5 BULLS 2 BELLEVILLE, Ont. -- Ryan Kujawinksi and Darcy Greenoway each had a pair of goals as Kingston toppled the Bulls. Sam Bennett also scored for the Frontenacs (34-22-4) and Henri Ikonen chipped in with two assists. Michael Cramarossa and David Tomasek supplied the scoring for Belleville (19-37-6). Kingstons Matt Mahalak made 45 saves for Kingston as Charlie Graham stopped 28-of-33 shots in a losing cause. --- WHALERS 5 SPITFIRES 0 PLYMOUTH, Mich. -- Francesco Vilardi had two goals and an assist and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 26 shots as the Whalers blanked Windsor. Matt Mistele scored once and set up two more for Plymouth (25-30-7) while Ryan Hartman and Brook Hiddink had the others. Ryan Foss and Eric Diodati were both a team-worst minus-3 for Windsor (36-23-3). Dalen Kuchmey started in net for the Spitfires and gave up four goals on 34 shots before being relieved by Brendan Johnston, who stopped 2-of-3 shots in 10 minutes of action.dddddddddddd --- GREYHOUNDS 2 RANGERS 1 SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. -- Blake Speers goal at 8:04 of the third period stood up as the winner as the Greyhounds slipped past Kitchener. Alex Gudbranson opened the scoring for Sault Ste. Marie (40-16-5) at 10:37 of the first period. Brent Pedersen got the Rangers (22-37-3) on the board with less than two minutes remaining in the third period. Brandon Halverson made 24 saves for the Greyhounds as Kitcheners Jordan DeKort turned away 19-of-21 shots in defeat. --- OTTERS 4 SPIRIT 4 SAGINAW, Ont. -- Michael Curtis scored twice and Oscar Dansk kicked out 32 shots as Erie doubled up the Spirit. Patrick Murphy and Brendan Gaunce also scored for the Otters (46-14-2) and Dylan Strome tacked on two assists. Jimmy Lodge scored once for Saginaw (30-27-5) and also set up Luke Cairns. Jake Paterson turned aside 29-of-33 shots for the Spirit, who lost for the first time in four outings. --- ATTACK 4 STEELHEADS 1 OWEN SOUND, Ont. -- Brandon Hope made 36 saves as the Attack downed Mississauga to end their three-game slide. Brett Hargrave, Kyle Hope, Kyle Platzer and Holden Cook supplied the scoring for Owen Sound (27-26-8). Andrew Goldberg scored for the Steelheads (23-35-4). Mississaugas Spencer Martin turned aside 31-of-34 shots in defeat. -- COLTS 7 67s 1 BARRIE, Ont. -- Andreas Anthanasiou scored three times and Zach Hall assisted on each of them as the Colts crushed Ottawa. Nick Pastorious, Tyson Fawcett, Matthew Kreis and Justin Scott also scored for Barrie (33-26-3) and Brendan Lemieux had two assists. Sam Studnicka scored the lone goal for the 67s (22-35-4). Mackenzie Blackwood made 30 saves for the Colts. Ottawas Philippe Trudeau allowed four goals on 18 shots before giving way to Liam Herbst, who stopped 22-of-25 shots in 34 minutes of relief. ' ' '