Happy Ben Uzoh Day!
Forget all the other 鈥渄ays鈥 we have like Valentine鈥檚 Day (although that鈥檚 a pretty big one) or Father鈥檚 Day or Mother鈥檚 Day or Boyfriend鈥檚 Day or Girlfriend鈥檚 Day (if there are such things) because Ben Uzoh Day is extra special.
It鈥檚 that day that always falls on the last day of the NBA regular season were some downtrodden D Leaguers rise up and shine, which either good or bad.
It鈥檚 named, of course, after the legendary Uzoh, who Raptors fans should remember well and who kicks off our List Of The Weirdest And Worst Closing Days In 海角社区官网History.
Some are funny, some are costly but it鈥 a trip down memory lae and that鈥檚 never a bad thing
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Ben鈥檚 Night
The end of the 2011-12 season, Ben Uzoh puts up a triple-double as 海角社区官网beats New Jersey in one of the ugliest, 鈥渨e-want-to-lose鈥 games ever played.
Cost the Raptors a ping-pong ball or two, they lose coin flip and the chance to draft a spot higher.
It is forbidden in some circles around the Raptors to even say Uzoh鈥檚 name.
Who did what?
Yes, we once watched Luke Jackson score 30 points in an NBA game and, yes, it was on Ben Uzoh Day in 2007.
Not sure I鈥檝e written the world 鈥淟uke鈥 and 鈥淛ackson鈥 together since that night.
Bye, bye Brendan
Told this one before but it鈥檚 still pretty good.
Last day of the inaugural season, then coach Brendan Malone is doing the whiteboard in the locker room when the late legendary Phil Jasner, who鈥檚 known Brendan forever, and I walk in to say hello.
鈥淗ey, Brendan,鈥 says Phil. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e busy, we鈥檒l catch up after the game.鈥
鈥淣o, Phil,鈥 says Brendan. 鈥淟et鈥檚 talk now, I鈥檓 getting fired after the game.鈥
And he did. The First Ben Uzoh Day in a guy鈥檚 life is always special.
Tankapolooza
Cleveland, end of the 2002-03 season, a classic.
The Cavs, and everyone else, wanted the chance to win the lottery and get LeBron James that June.
How hard did 海角社区官网try? They started Rafer Alston, Morris Peterson, Chris Jefferies, Jerome Williams and Mamadou N鈥橠iaye and the bench consisted of Michael Bradley and Jelani McCoy. Digest that rotation, if you can.
It worked, they lost. It didn鈥檛 work, Cavs won the lottery.
Oh, and the next day we all had to race back to 海角社区官网early for the departure of coach Lenny Wilkens.
So as Ben Uzoh Day unfolds today, remember those cherished moments in Raptors history, please.
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Oh, yeah. Weekly reminders. We鈥檒l be here somehow tomorrow at noon to wrap up the season and look ahead with our weekly chat if you鈥檇 care to stop by. I鈥檒l have to race through it to get done in time to have a nice afternoon but we鈥檒l be here.
And there鈥檚 always the mailbag at askdoug@thestar.ca if you鈥檝e got something 鈥 anything 鈥 on your mind.
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One of the more mundane moments of any pre-game period at any point in the season comes an hour before tipoff because that鈥檚 the deadline for teams to declare who鈥檚 inactive and who鈥檚 active for that night鈥檚 game.
We usually pay absolutely no attention to it.
Except this week.
This week it鈥檚 the most important time of the night, it鈥檚 when we find out officially who is getting the night off for 鈥渞est.鈥
Or for trying to massage first-round playoff matchups, and that鈥檚 a horribly dangerous proposition because it usually turns into one of those 鈥渂e careful what you wish for鈥 things.
We鈥檙e seeing some zaniness in the East this week, with this star sitting out this game and that star sitting out that game and I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 to get rest and be ready or to give any specific team a better chance to lose while hoping someone else wins.
It makes no sense to me because the situation is so fluid between Chicago, Toronto, Brooklyn, Washington and Charlotte that a guy could get a headache trying to figure out the permutations.
Let鈥檚 just put it this way:
Chicago could finish third or fourth, 海角社区官网could finish third or fourth, Brooklyn can finish fifth or sixth, Washington can finish fifth, sixth or seventh, and Charlotte can finish sixth or seventh. We鈥檝e got 海角社区官网at New York, Chicago at Charlotte, Brooklyn at Chicago and Washington at Boston and anyone who can tell you how those games will shake out, or who should rest which players to enhance chances, is lying.
Head hurt?
Mine does.
So how about this: Let鈥檚 sit back, wait until about 11 p.m. and see where it all ends up. No sense fretting because all it does is cause ulcers.
And, no, we have no idea who will play for what team and why; the Raptors may rest one or two of their top three and see what happens.
We鈥檒l find out about 7 p.m. tonight.
It would behoove you to listen to the words of Dwane Casey from the other night:
鈥淚鈥檓 more worried about us more so than who we play.鈥淚t鈥檚 about us, about our health, the rest, whatever we decide to do in that situation. If we play Brooklyn, we play Brooklyn. If we play Washington, we play Washington. There are no easy teams left in the playoffs right now.
鈥淎ll of the teams are very capable. Brooklyn is probably more playoff-ready. But we can鈥檛 control that. And I鈥檓 not going into this game trying to control that. I鈥檓 more worried about our guys鈥 health 鈥 and our rhythm.鈥
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Okay, mid-morning flight, tons and tons of work to do so we鈥檒l get to Dino-bytes and the comments and the rest of the stuff whenever we can.
But for sure we鈥檒l be here just before 8 p.m. for the final regular season IGBT. Dontcha dare miss it.
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