Backing the Toronto Raptors to Make the NBA Playoffs and Beyond

The Toronto Raptors preseason win total was in the 36 to 38 range. Books didn’t project them as a playoff team. With just 10 games left in the 2021-22 regular season, Toronto is seventh in the Eastern Conference, and could yet move into the top six.

There will be plenty of Raptors fans wanting to learn more about the best betting sites in Ontario ahead of the NBA Playoffs. While a deep run isn’t considered likely, Toronto is equipped to be a difficult opponent for any team they face. At the time of writing, Nick Nurse’s team would host Kevin Durant and the Nets in the Play-In. A win would secure a first-round berth. Defeat would leave Toronto needing to beat the winner of the nine and 10 matchup to advance to the
postseason.

Prior to the season, the Raptors looked heavily reliant on their defense. While there have been periods of elite play on that end, this has generally been a strong two-way team. They rank 15th in offense for the season, and all of their strongest starting five are scoring 15.4 or more per game.

Scottie Barnes has developed throughout the season. He’s been better than even the most optimistic Raptors fan could have hoped for and could yet win Rookie of the Year. Pascal Siakam is on the fringe of the All-NBA conversation. Fred VanVleet was a deserving All-Star. Gary Trent Jr has exhibited a diverse offensive skillset. When healthy, OG Anunoby is an ideal two-way wing capable of guarding one through five. Nurse remains one of the best coaches in the league.

Heavy Workload

Depth has been a worry for the Raptors at points this season. Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa have given Nurse some solid minutes, but the workload for the Raptors’ key men is still enormous. All five of their double-digit scorers average over 35 minutes per game. VanVleet and Siakam are first and second in minutes. Barnes is eighth. This is a young, energetic roster. Perhaps such miles on the legs won’t be an issue, but VanVleet has slumped amid a knee problem of late, and coaches that ask so much of their players in the regular season often witness a drop off come playoff time. The Raps must be at their best, regardless of their playoff opponent(s). They will be underdogs in any potential first-round series. While they have wins against Boston, Brooklyn, Miami, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, it is going to take a special effort to cause an upset.

Don’t Write Them Off

There’s so much to like about this Toronto team. Away from the formulaic nature of some other teams, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster have constructed a unique roster, prioritizing athleticism, length and defense. Nurse is the perfect conductor for a versatile collection of talent, a coach bold enough to mix up the offense and pick from an array of approaches on defense. Perhaps they don’t have the elite talent of their Eastern Conference foes. Yet, there is playoff experience in that locker room. In VanVleet, Siakam and Trent, Nurse has offensive options down the stretch.

No team facing Toronto will have an easy series. Seven teams are a shorter price to represent the East in the NBA Finals. Going that far is probably out of reach, but this Raptors team has exceeded all expectations and they are trending in the right direction.

Only seven teams have won more games in 2022. Their net rating over that span is better than the Warriors, Cavaliers, Nets and Bulls.

It would be a shock if Toronto doesn’t make the playoffs from here. Nurse can work his magic in a seven-game series. It’s reasonable to expect the Raps to push Miami, Milwaukee, Boston or Philly to six or seven games. With a bit of luck, they could even sneak into round two.

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The bizarre story of Taro Tsujimoto

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The bizarre story of Taro Tsujimoto

Published on March 28, 2025

Todayville Content Team

The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen its fair share of strange moments, but few compare to the bizarre and hilarious tale of Taro Tsujimoto, a player who never existed. His “selection” in the 1974 NHL Draft remains one of the most legendary pranks in hockey history. If you want to wager on actual players, making the 1xBet app download is definitely a great idea.

In the 1970s, the NHL Draft was a much less glamorous event than today. It was a tedious process conducted over the phone, with teams calling in their picks. The 3 biggest highlights of what happened during that year’s draft were:

the draft dragged on for hours;
there were multiple rounds and teams selecting unknown prospects from obscure leagues;
frustrated with the monotony, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach decided to have a little fun.

As the 11th round approached, Imlach instructed his team’s representative to draft Taro Tsujimoto, a supposed forward from the Tokyo Katanas of the Japan Ice Hockey League. The name sounded authentic enough. The league officials, unfamiliar with Japanese hockey, accepted the pick without question. By downloading the 1xBet app you will also be able to wager on great NHL teams too.

A small problem

There was a small problem with all of this, as 2 things didn’t exist: Tsujimoto and the Tokyo Katanas. Imlach had completely fabricated the player as a joke, taking advantage of the NHL’s lack of verification. When it comes to NHL wagers, there is no better platform than the 1xBet Canada site.

For weeks, the league listed Tsujimoto as an official draft pick, and even some newspapers reported on Buffalo’s mysterious new Japanese prospect. Eventually, the Sabres admitted the hoax, and the NHL was forced to retroactively erase the selection from its records.

Despite being a fictional player, Taro Tsujimoto took on a life of his own. Buffalo Sabres fans embraced the prank, and over the years, his name has become a cult legend in hockey culture. Some fans even wore jerseys with “Tsujimoto” on the back. The joke persisted so much that when EA Sports released NHL video games, players could occasionally find Tsujimoto in the game’s draft pool as a hidden Easter egg.

More than just a prank, the story of Taro Tsujimoto highlights 2 things: the quirks of old-school sports management and the creativity of one of hockey’s most colorful executives. Today, with the draft process being highly scrutinized and broadcast live, such a prank would be impossible. But Tsujimoto’s legacy lives on as one of hockey’s greatest inside jokes. What is not a joke are the great rewards that a platform like the Canadian 1xBet site can give you.

Also Interesting

60% of Canadians gamble each month – why the industry is going from strength to strength

Published on March 26, 2025

Todayville Content Team

When it comes to regulating gambling, Canada has a somewhat relaxed approach. The Canadian Gaming Association oversees the industry, but it’s up to individual provinces to enact and enforce any laws relating to online casino gaming, sports betting, traditional casino gaming, and other forms of gambling.

Canada’s online casino gaming laws are not totally clear, but individual provinces are starting to put this right. Ontario was the first and did so when it launched its own regulated igaming market in April 2022. Now some other provinces have followed suit, creating a safer igaming environment for players in those provinces. Below is a look at gambling in Canada compared to other parts of the world, at gaming laws in Alberta compared to other provinces, and at the future of the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries.

Canada: a forever love of gambling

Gambling in some form or other has always been popular in Canada. Way back in the 1990s, research found six in ten Canadians (60%) gambled every month. Additionally, four in ten (43%) spent between 1 and 20 Canadian dollars on gambling. Fast forward to today and the Canadian gambling market is worth 14.2 billion US dollars as of January 2024, according to data on the website of consumer and market data company Statista.

It seems Canada enjoys wagering just as much as two other countries that love a gamble: the US and the UK. Data on the Statista website shows that 49% of US adults took part in gambling activities in 2023. Fifty-six percent said their attitude towards gambling had relaxed, compared to the 50% of 2019.

The UK returned similar stats for the same year. Forty-eight percent of adults reported engaging in gambling activity. Online casinos generated the most gross gambling yield in 2023, but it was the nation’s National Lottery that people played the most.

Alberta: following Ontario’s lead

The regulatory developments in Ontario have triggered movement in Alberta. In May 2024, Bill 16, the Red Tape Reduction Amendment Act, made it through the process and later received Royal Assent to become law. The act removes the monopoly of gaming by a single government entity and will allow private operators, licensed by Alberta’s provincial regulator, to provide online gaming services in Alberta, meaning players will have a choice of more than one Alberta online casino to play at.

The regulation transforms Alberta into one of the more liberal provinces when it comes to online gambling, others being Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Several provinces, such as Novia Scotia and Northwest Territories, have no provincially regulated online gaming sites. Some also restrict betting on horse racing and/or other types of sports betting, obliging citizens to use international betting sites for freedom from caps and betting on as many events as they wish.

What lies ahead for the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries?

Canada’s appetite for gambling is clear, and the industry’s online sector is beginning to thrive. Ontario has enjoyed vast success by creating its own regulated market, one which, in just its first year, saw Canadians place billions in wagers and the industry itself generate more than a billion in total gaming revenue.

Canada can expect to see other provinces follow Ontario’s lead and allow private operators to provide services in the province under license. The purpose of the regulation is player protection. Any province that develops a regulated market will focus on this, so there will also be regulations around the advertising of gambling services.

The US

Gambling online is the future for the US, too, although states are slow to legalize it. As of September 2024, 38 states had legalized sports betting, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that states could regulate sports gambling directly.

Despite allowing sports betting, some states only permit in-person betting, and only a few states allow online casino gaming. Operators believe online casino gaming is the future of gambling.

The UK

In the UK, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will get bigger and bigger. Companies have realized AI can enhance players’ experience and are embracing it more and more. For instance, sports betting websites can use it to crunch data and provide iGamers with stats and other data to make better betting decisions. They’re also understanding they can use AI to prioritize content players are likely to be interested in and to personalize their offerings and services to players’ preferences.

Canada enjoys gambling as much as America and the UK. Although laws around igaming are more of a grey area in Canada, some provinces are clearing the issue up by creating regulated markets and experiencing great success. As time goes by, more are sure to follow.