Number Crunchin’ – Chak De!!

The Toronto Raptors became the first team to broadcast a NBA game in Punjabi today as CBC simulcasted the game on two channels. Hosts Parminder Singh and Harnarayan Singh crossed over to hoops, building on the success they have had calling Leaf games in Punjabi which is the 4th most spoken language in Canada. This is not the first time the Raptors have embraced the South Asian community, every year with the help of “superfan” Nav Bhatia the raptors host Baisakhi Night (a Sikh holiday) which has featured in the past, an elephant presenting the game ball and a very skilled tabla player. The duo did a fairly good job in calling the plays but did slip up at times naming players and spent a great deal of time trying to break down the rules of the game. I did find it amusing that they used a popular term that is now synonymous with sports in India, “CHAK DE” every time the Raptors came through on a big play. It translates to more of a “LET’S GO” but it was nice to see them using terms that would make their viewers relate to the excitement of the game. I am not sure if this was a one time experiment but surely Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment is hoping this is another step to bring on a whole new group of fans on board.

The Night in Numbers:
2 Blocked shots in the final 22 seconds of the game as D Wade came up huge on both ends in a Heat victory over the Pistons
1 Ejection for Pistons coach Michael Curry helped the Heat ice the game that the Pistons dominated for the first 40 minutes as Haslem made 4 straight FT’S
100 FG’s attempted by the Raptors as they went on to blow out the Clippers 100-76 in a battle of the bottom feeders
2 Offensive Rebounds for the Clippers in the game when their back court of Gordon and Davis went 6-25 from the field
1 Double-Double of 19pts and 17rbs including a layup that sealed the win for the Rockets over the Spurs catapulting them to #2 in the west
45 of the Spurs 85 points came from the combination of Duncan and Parker – Kurt Thomas got the start over Bonner who played 21 min off the bench
30 Point lead after 3 quarters for the Thunder as they manged to hold off the Wolves 37 point 4th Quarter and come away with the win
25.8 PPG over the last 5 for Durant as he continued to produce coming back from that ankle injury with a line of 30-8-5
2 Assists shy of a Triple-Double, as Lebron did everything but pass the ball to himself to achieve the goal finishing with a line of 30-11-8
16% from 3 ball territory for the Nets as they tried to shoot their way back into the game led by Vince who went 0-4 from distance but tallied 25pts on the night
2 Hornets joined Peja and Chandler on the walking wounded list, as Ryan Bowen and Hilton Armstrong were both nicked up in the win over the Warriors
4 Straight games riding pine in a suit for Jamal Crawford as Nellie keeps toying with fantasy owners who could use the extra help in their league playoffs
27 Points for Andre Igoudala after he started the game going 10 of 10 from the field helping the Sixers get their 35th Win in the game v/s the Kings
19 Turnovers for the Kings offset their efforts as 6 Players scored in double figures with Spencer Hawes missing his first triple-double by 1 assist

Bracket Breakdown:
Sunday evening concluded the 2nd round of March Madness as the strong survived. My brackets are looking OK with 13 sweet sixteen teams still alive, but these 4 days have just re-enforced how weak this years draft class really is. With the Raptors looking to be heading to the lottery I can’t help but feel concerned that we will get stuck picking based on upside and potential again. Should James Harden stay another year in school? Will Blake Griffin be the biggest bust of the 2009 draft class? I don’t have these answers but this years tournament has been lacking that excitement factor that makes me not want to miss a game!