Naismith Cup
SportBasketball
Founded1995; 29 years ago (1995)
Ceased2005; 19 years ago (2005)
CountryCanada
Last
champion(s)		Maccabi Tel Aviv

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] though the Raptors continued the tradition of hosting neutral site pre-season games in Canadian cities under the NBA Canada Series name. The Raptors won the series against Vancouver 4–1.

Prior to the 2003 season, the cup was 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] The current whereabouts of the Naismith Cup are unknown.[5]

Results

Season[6][7] Date Location Arena Visiting team Score Home team Attendance
Toronto–Vancouver series
1995 October 21 Canada Winnipeg Winnipeg Arena Canada Toronto Raptors 98–77 Canada Vancouver Grizzlies 11,203[8]
1996 October 27 Canada Calgary Canadian Airlines Saddledome Canada Toronto Raptors 77–80 Canada Vancouver Grizzlies 15,104[9]
1997 October 20 Canada Halifax Halifax Metro Centre Canada Vancouver Grizzlies 98–107 Canada Toronto Raptors 8,190[10]
1998 October 19 Canada Vancouver General Motors Place Toronto Raptors @ Vancouver Grizzlies
Cancelled due to 1998–99 NBA lockout[11]
1999 October 18 Canada Edmonton Skyreach Centre Canada Toronto Raptors 110–84 Canada Vancouver Grizzlies 12,852[12]
2000 October 12 Canada Ottawa Corel Centre Canada Vancouver Grizzlies 92–97 Canada Toronto Raptors 14,783[13]
International series
2003 October 10 Canada Toronto Air Canada Centre Greece Panathinaikos 76–100 Canada Toronto Raptors 17,749[14]
2004 October 20 Canada Toronto Air Canada Centre Italy Benetton Treviso 83–86 Canada Toronto Raptors 10,668[15]
2005 October 16 Canada Toronto Air Canada Centre Israel Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv 105–103 Canada Toronto Raptors 17,281[4]

Other neutral site Raptors games and international opponents

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.[16] 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.[6][17] 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.[18] The team has subsequently discussed the possibility of playing additional preseason and regular season games in Buffalo.[19] The Buffalo Braves played a total of 16 regular season games at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto from 1971 to 1975.[20] Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York hosted a Raptors pre-season 103-81 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006 before 9,429 fans.[21] More recently, the team has participated in a number of games as part of the NBA Canada Series.

Season[6][7] 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 [22]
October 16 Saint John, New Brunswick Harbour Station Philadelphia 76ers 121–93 Toronto Raptors 6,297 [23]
October 19 Saskatoon Saskatchewan Place Atlanta Hawks 106–105 (OT) Toronto Raptors 5,648 [24]
1996 October 11 Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax Metro Centre Atlanta Hawks 100–82 Toronto Raptors 7,589 [25]
October 13 Ottawa Corel Centre New York Knicks 73–78 Toronto Raptors 9,662 [26]
1997 October 24 Hamilton, Ontario Copps Coliseum Denver Nuggets 114–100 Toronto Raptors 10,962 [27]
2003 October 23 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Mile One Stadium Cleveland Cavaliers @ Toronto Raptors
Cancelled due to wet playing surface		 7,500 [28]
2004 October 17 London, Ontario John Labatt Centre Toronto Raptors 103–108 Philadelphia 76ers 7,619 [29]
2005 October 24 Winnipeg MTS Centre Portland Trail Blazers 105–98 Toronto Raptors 10,900 [30]
2008 October 21 Edmonton Rexall Place Denver Nuggets 105–94 Toronto Raptors 17,534 [31]
2009 October 6 London, Ontario John Labatt Centre Toronto Raptors 98–107 Philadelphia 76ers 7,213 [32]
2010 October 6 Vancouver Rogers Arena Toronto Raptors 129–78 Phoenix Suns 18,123 [33]
October 22 Montreal Bell Centre New York Knicks 103–108 Toronto Raptors 22,114 [34]
2012 October 19 Montreal Bell Centre New York Knicks 88–107 Toronto Raptors 22,114 [35]
2014 October 5 Vancouver Rogers Arena Sacramento Kings 94–99 Toronto Raptors 18,900 [36]
October 24 Montreal Bell Centre New York Knicks 80–83 Toronto Raptors 20,738 [37]
2015 October 4 Vancouver Rogers Arena Los Angeles Clippers 73–93 Toronto Raptors 19,000 [38]
October 14 Ottawa Canadian Tire Centre Toronto Raptors 87–89 Minnesota Timberwolves 15,522 [38]
October 23 Montreal Bell Centre Washington Wizards 82–92 Toronto Raptors 20,072 [38]
2016 October 1 Vancouver Rogers Arena Golden State Warriors 93–97 Toronto Raptors 19,000 [39]
October 3 Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome Denver Nuggets 108–106 Toronto Raptors 19,600 [39]
2018 September 29 Vancouver Rogers Arena Portland Trail Blazers 104-122 Toronto Raptors 18,654 [40][41]
October 10 Montreal Bell Centre Brooklyn Nets 91-118 Toronto Raptors 20,526 [42][43]
2022 October 2 Edmonton Rogers Place Utah Jazz 82-114 Toronto Raptors 17,100 [44][45]
October 14 Montreal Bell Centre Boston Celtics 134-137 (OT) Toronto Raptors 21,900 [46][45]
2023 October 8 Vancouver Rogers Arena Sacramento Kings 99-112 Toronto Raptors 18,654 [47][48]

Since the end of the Naismith Cup, the Raptors have continued to play international opponents. They hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel again in 2006, Žalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania in 2007, CSKA Moscow of Russia in 2008, Real Madrid of Spain in 2012, and Maccabi Haifa of Israel in 2014, and have played away games against Lottomatica Roma of Italy and Real Madrid of Spain in 2007.[49][50][51] They hosted San Lorenzo de Almagro of Argentina during the 2016 preseason,[39] and Melbourne United of Australia in 2018.[52]

Toronto has also participated in NBA Global Games, playing a preseason game against the Boston Celtics in Rome, Italy in 2007, two regular season games against the New Jersey Nets in London, England in 2011, a regular season game in London against the Orlando Magic in 2016, and a preseason games against the Houston Rockets in Saitama, Japan in 2019.[53]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Raptors romp over Grizzlies in annual Naismith Cup". Kitchener Record. October 19, 1999.
  2. ^ Feschuk, Dave (March 8, 2007). "Time for some bonding Mitchell; Team unity crucial for the stretch run". Toronto Star.
  3. ^ 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. ^ a b MacLeod, Robert (October 17, 2005). "Homes isn't so sweet for Raptors". The Globe and Mail. p. S3.
  5. ^ "As the Raptors and Grizzlies prepare for a throwback, where is the Naismith Cup?". The Athletic. 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  6. ^ a b c "2009-10 Raptors Preseason Media Guide" (PDF). Toronto Raptors. 2009. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  7. ^ a b "2010-11 Raptors Preseason Media Guide" (PDF). Toronto Raptors. 2010. Retrieved 2013-10-04.
  8. ^ Roberts, David (October 23, 1995). "Raptors maul tame Grizzlies". The Globe and Mail. p. E7.
  9. ^ Clarkson, Michael (October 28, 1996). "Raptors unprepared for season". Toronto Star. p. D5.
  10. ^ Smith, Doug (October 21, 1997). "Nasty win for Raps". Toronto Star. p. C1.
  11. ^ Kingston, Gary (October 6, 1998). "NBA cancels rest of the pre-season". Vancouver Sun. p. E3.
  12. ^ Smith, Doug (October 19, 1999). "Raps devour Grizzlies for first win". Toronto Star. p. C3.
  13. ^ Smith, Doug (October 13, 2000). "Raptors win the Cup". Toronto Star. p. F3.
  14. ^ MacLeod, Robert (October 11, 2003). "Game zapped at finish". The Globe and Mail. p. S5.
  15. ^ MacLeod, Robert (October 21, 2004). "International flavour just not in the mix". The Globe and Mail. p. S3.
  16. ^ JIa, James (2013-04-18). "Raptors wrap up season with best attendance in 4 years". Xinhua. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  17. ^ Young, Chris (1996-10-19). "Raptors suffer from Heat stroke with poor effort". Toronto Star.
  18. ^ "Raptors-Knicks have date at Marine Midland Arena". Buffalo News. 1998-07-31. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  19. ^ "Raptors exploring playing pre-season games in Buffalo". The Sports Network. 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
  20. ^ Buffery, Steve (2004-11-03). "The road was paved". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-08.((cite news)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ "Toronto 103, Cleveland 81". ESPN. 2006-10-18. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  22. ^ Kernaghan, John (1995-10-16). "Rookie guard leads Raptors : Franchise debuts with surprise win over Philadelphia 76ers". The Record. p. D3.
  23. ^ Smith, Doug (1995-10-17). "Raptors target of Sixers' wrath". The Globe and Mail. p. D8.
  24. ^ Young, Chris (1995-10-20). "Run 'n' gun Raptors fall to Hawks in OT". Toronto Star. p. C7.
  25. ^ "Hawks hand listless Raptors defeat in pre-season debut". The Hamilton Spectator. 1996-10-12. p. E3.
  26. ^ Clarkson, Michael (1996-10-14). "Walker spurs gritty Raptors past Knicks". Toronto Star.
  27. ^ Smith, Doug (1997-10-25). "Raptors in too deep against Nuggets". Toronto Star.
  28. ^ "Raptors vs. Cavaliers game called due to wet floor". ESPN. 2003-10-23. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  29. ^ Harris, Bill (2004-10-18). "A.l.'s quick ejection seemed extreme". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-07.((cite news)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ Buffery, Steve (2005-10-25). "Shot down". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-07.((cite news)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ "Raptors end preseason with loss to Nuggets in Edmonton". The Sports Network. 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  32. ^ Grange, Michael (2009-10-06). "Kapono, Raptors get fresh starts". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  33. ^ "Raptors 129, Suns 78". National Basketball Association. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  34. ^ "Raptors beat Knicks in Montreal". National Basketball Association. 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  35. ^ "Raptors beat Knicks 107-88 in Montreal". National Basketball Association. 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  36. ^ "Kings at Raptors – October 5, 2014". National Basketball Association. 2014-10-05. Retrieved 2014-10-25.
  37. ^ "Knicks at Raptors – October 24, 2014". National Basketball Association. 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2014-10-25.
  38. ^ a b c "Lowry, Paul, Rose, Wall And Wiggins Headline Biggest NBA Canada Series Yet". National Basketball Association. 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  39. ^ a b c "2016-17 PRESEASON". Toronto Raptors. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
  40. ^ "Trail Blazers vs Raptors". ESPN. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  41. ^ "Stats Home / Box Score / POR Vs TOR". NBA. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  42. ^ "Nets vs Raptors". ESPN. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  43. ^ "Stats Home / Box Score / BKN Vs TOR". NBA. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  44. ^ "BARNES, RAPTORS PULL AWAY FROM JAZZ IN 2ND HALF". National Basketball Association.
  45. ^ a b "Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz headline eighth NBA Canada Series presented by Bell". National Basketball Association. 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  46. ^ "ANUNOBY ERUPTS FOR 32, RAPTORS DROP CELTICS IN OT". National Basketball Association.
  47. ^ "RAPTORS ANNOUNCE 2023 PRESEASON SCHEDULE". Toronto Raptors. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  48. ^ "Summary". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  49. ^ "History of the NBA Global Games". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  50. ^ "Raptors Announce 2014 Preseason Schedule". Toronto Raptors. 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  51. ^ "Maccabi Haifa at Raptors – October 22, 2014". National Basketball Association. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2014-10-25.
  52. ^ "Melbourne United vs Toronto". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  53. ^ "History of the NBA Global Games". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
Categories