The Naismith Cup was an annual pre-season National Basketball Association (NBA) exhibition game. From the 1995 season through 2000, it was played between the two Canadian NBA rivals, the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies, at neutral venues across Canada.[1] The cup was named after James Naismith, the Canadian inventor of basketball, and was originally created to raise money for Canada Basketball, similar to the Pearson Cup competition between Canada's Major League Baseball teams the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos (which have since relocated to Washington). Following the Grizzlies relocation to Memphis, the cup was laid dead.[2] The Raptors won the series against Vancouver 4–1.
In 2003, the cup revived as an international match between the Raptors and a European team, played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. In 2003 the opponent was the Panathinaikos A.O. of Athens, Greece, while in 2004 the Benetton Treviso of Treviso, Italy visited Toronto.[3] The final competition in 2005 saw the Raptors' only international loss, against Maccabi Tel Aviv of Tel Aviv, Israel.[4]
Results
Season[5][6] | Date | Location | Arena | Visiting team | Score | Home team | Attendance | Ref |
Toronto-Vancouver series |
1995 | October 21 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Winnipeg Arena | Toronto Raptors | 98–77 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 11,203 | [7] |
1996 | October 27 | Calgary, Alberta | Canadian Airlines Saddledome | Toronto Raptors | 77–80 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 15,104 | [8] |
1997 | October 20 | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Halifax Metro Centre | Vancouver Grizzlies | 98–107 | Toronto Raptors | 8,190 | [9] |
1998 | October 19 | Vancouver, British Columbia | General Motors Place | Toronto Raptors @ Vancouver Grizzlies Cancelled due to 1998–99 NBA lockout | [10] |
1999 | October 18 | Edmonton, Alberta | Skyreach Centre | Toronto Raptors | 110–84 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 12,852 | [11] |
2000 | October 12 | Ottawa, Ontario | Corel Centre | Vancouver Grizzlies | 92–97 | Toronto Raptors | 14,783 | [12] |
International series |
2003 | October 10 | Toronto, Ontario | Air Canada Centre | Panathinaikos BC | 76–100 | Toronto Raptors | 17,749 | [13] |
2004 | October 20 | Toronto, Ontario | Air Canada Centre | Benetton Treviso | 83–86 | Toronto Raptors | 10,668 | [14] |
2005 | October 16 | Toronto, Ontario | Air Canada Centre | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 105–103 | Toronto Raptors | 17,281 | [4] |
Other preseason neutral site Raptors games in Canada
In addition to the Naismith Cup games, the Raptors have played several other neutral site preseason games in Canadian cities. During their first two seasons of play (1995-1997), prior to the completion of construction on their new home the Air Canada Centre, the Raptors played three regular season games at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario.[15] The team also lost a preseason game to the Miami Heat 119–89 at Marine Midland Arena in nearby Buffalo, New York before 12,748 fans on 18 October 1996.[16][5] A second game, against the New York Knicks, was scheduled for 15 October 1998 at the arena, but was cancelled due to the 1998–99 NBA lockout.[17] The team has subsequently discussed the possibility of playing additional preseason and regular season games in Buffalo.[18] The Buffalo Braves played a total of 16 regular season games at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto from 1971-75.[19]
Season[5][6] | Date | Location | Arena | Visiting team | Score | Home team | Attendance | Ref |
1995 | October 14 | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Halifax Metro Centre | Philadelphia 76ers | 107–120 | Toronto Raptors | 9,367 | [20] |
October 16 | Saint John, New Brunswick | Harbour Station | Philadelphia 76ers | 121–93 | Toronto Raptors | 6,297 | [21] |
October 19 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Place | Atlanta Hawks | 106–105 (OT) | Toronto Raptors | 5,648 | [22] |
1996 | October 11 | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Halifax Metro Centre | Atlanta Hawks | 100–82 | Toronto Raptors | 7,589 | [23] |
October 13 | Ottawa, Ontario | Corel Centre | New York Knicks | 73–78 | Toronto Raptors | 9,662 | [24] |
1997 | October 24 | Hamilton, Ontario | Copps Coliseum | Denver Nuggets | 114–100 | Toronto Raptors | 10,962 | [25] |
2003 | October 23 | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Mile One Stadium | Cleveland Cavaliers @ Toronto Raptors Cancelled due to wet playing surface | 7,500 | [26] |
2004 | October 17 | London, Ontario | John Labatt Centre | Toronto Raptors | 103–108 | Philadelphia 76ers | 7,619 | [27] |
2005 | October 24 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | MTS Centre | Portland Trail Blazers | 105–98 | Toronto Raptors | 10,900 | [28] |
2008 | October 21 | Edmonton, Alberta | Rexall Place | Denver Nuggets | 105–94 | Toronto Raptors | 17,534 | [29] |
2009 | October 6 | London, Ontario | John Labatt Centre | Toronto Raptors | 98–107 | Philadelphia 76ers | 7,213 | [30] |
2010 | October 6 | Vancouver, British Columbia | Rogers Arena | Toronto Raptors | 129–78 | Phoenix Suns | 18,123 | [31] |
October 22 | Montreal, Quebec | Bell Centre | New York Knicks | 103–108 | Toronto Raptors | 22,114 | [32] |
2012 | October 19 | Montreal, Quebec | Bell Centre | New York Knicks | 88–107 | Toronto Raptors | 22,114 | [33] |
References
- ↑ "Raptors romp over Grizzlies in annual Naismith Cup". Kitchener Record. October 19, 1999.
- ↑ Feschuk, Dave (March 8, 2007). "Time for some bonding Mitchell; Team unity crucial for the stretch run". Toronto Star.
- ↑ Quinn, Jennifer (October 11, 2003). "Lights out for Greek side; ACC goes dark at Raps' game with Panathinaikos Crowd of 17,749 watches visitors get trounced". Toronto Star.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 MacLeod, Robert (October 17, 2005). "Homes isn't so sweet for Raptors". The Globe and Mail. p. S3.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "2009-10 Raptors Preseason Media Guide". Toronto Raptors. 2009. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "2010-11 Raptors Preseason Media Guide". Toronto Raptors. 2010. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
- ↑ Roberts, David (October 23, 1995). "Raptors maul tame Grizzlies". The Globe and Mail. p. E7.
- ↑ Clarkson, Michael (October 28, 1996). "Raptors unprepared for season". Toronto Star. p. D5.
- ↑ Smith, Doug (October 21, 1997). "Nasty win for Raps". Toronto Star. p. C1.
- ↑ Kingston, Gary (October 6, 1998). "NBA cancels rest of the pre-season". Vancouver Sun. p. E3.
- ↑ Smith, Doug (October 19, 1999). "Raps devour Grizzlies for first win". Toronto Star. p. C3.
- ↑ Smith, Doug (October 13, 2000). "Raptors win the Cup". Toronto Star. p. F3.
- ↑ MacLeod, Robert (October 11, 2003). "Game zapped at finish". The Globe and Mail. p. S5.
- ↑ MacLeod, Robert (October 21, 2004). "International flavour just not in the mix". The Globe and Mail. p. S3.
- ↑ JIa, James (2013-04-18). "Raptors wrap up season with best attendance in 4 years". Xinhua. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
- ↑ Young, Chris (1996-10-19). "Raptors suffer from Heat stroke with poor effort". Toronto Star.
- ↑ "Raptors-Knicks have date at Marine Midland Arena". Buffalo News. 1998-07-31. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ "Raptors exploring playing pre-season games in Buffalo". The Sports Network. 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
- ↑ Buffery, Steve (2004-11-03). "The road was paved". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
- ↑ Kernaghan, John (1995-10-16). "Rookie guard leads Raptors : Franchise debuts with surprise win over Philadelphia 76ers". The Record. p. D3.
- ↑ Smith, Doug (1995-10-17). "Raptors target of Sixers' wrath". Globe and Mail. p. D8.
- ↑ Young, Chris (1995-10-20). "Run 'n' gun Raptors fall to Hawks in OT". Toronto Star. p. C7.
- ↑ "Hawks hand listless Raptors defeat in pre-season debut". The Hamilton Spectator. 1996-10-12. p. E3.
- ↑ Clarkson, Michael (1996-10-14). "Walker spurs gritty Raptors past Knicks". Toronto Star.
- ↑ Smith, Doug (1997-10-25). "Raptors in too deep against Nuggets". Toronto Star.
- ↑ "Raptors vs. Cavaliers game called due to wet floor". ESPN. 2003-10-23. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Harris, Bill (2004-10-18). "A.l.'s quick ejection seemed extreme". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Buffery, Steve (2005-10-25). "Shot down". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ "Raptors end preseason with loss to Nuggets in Edmonton". The Sports Network. 2008-10-222. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Grange, Michael (2009-10-06). "Kapono, Raptors get fresh starts". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ "Raptors 129, Suns 78". National Basketball Association. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ "Raptors beat Knicks in Montreal". National Basketball Association. 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ "Raptors beat Knicks 107-88 in Montreal". National Basketball Association. 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
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