She the North has spirit of Lowry

Well, wow! That was pretty incredible tennis. Since you focus mainly on basketball ... if you had to compare Bianca Andreescu to an NBA player, who comes to mind? In some respects, she reminds of Kyle Lowry, she is as fearless and relentless. But she’s also as cool as Kawhi. And do you know if any of the Raptors play tennis, or are tennis fans? — Phil

It’s hard, and probably unfair, to compare athletes in one sport to others because the games are so different. But I’d say more Lowry than Kawhi. The “Come on!!!” screams are the kind of blatant feistiness we didn’t see much of in Leonard.

I don’t know a lot of basketball players who are big tennis fans. Maybe fans of the big tennis moments and events. Golf and football seem to dominate.

What is the cord Bianca wears just above her elbow? Looks like a telephone cord or maybe a key ring with no key? — Bob

I went right to the top for this answer. And Sportsnet’s Caroline Cameron reports it’s a hair elastic Andreescu wears for good luck. So there you go.

I have enjoyed as many FIBA Basketball World Cup games as my already sleep-deprived work and family life allow. I want to get your thoughts on how the NBA and FIBA styles of game evolved over the years and which one you prefer to watch. I find the international game at the highest level free flowing with more motion offence. Does the shorter threepoint line have a material effect on the differences in style? Refereeing? Talent level? — Roel Olay

I prefer the NBA game because of the overall level of talent and the fact it has evolved to take in many aspects of the FIBA game: a lot of drive-and-kick stuff, more dribble-handoff action, and bigs who aren’t cemented to the block. I do not like the overly physical nature of the FIBA game and the illegal screens and flat body blocks that impede the movement of the best players.

FIBA refereeing has not kept up to the improvement in play and something has to be done about it. One of the main problems is FIBA seems too stuck on the notion that officials from one part of the world can’t work games involving countries from the same area. That may at one time have been a concern, it no longer should be. The best officials should work regardless of who is playing.

And I like the NBA threepoint line. The shorter FIBA one tends to allow teams to pack the paint too easily.

The return of the Dino jersey for the 25th season lead to a bit of a discussion about the future of the red North jersey. Because of Kawhi's shot and because this is what the Raps were wearing when they won the championship, it has become the most iconic jersey in team history. Would you keep it in rotation forever or do you slowly retire it and bring it out for very special occasions? — Paul M.

I can’t see any reason that it wouldn’t remain the primary road uniform for years and years. I don’t go much for retiring numbers, let alone retiring entire jerseys. Except, of course, those camouflage abominations, every single one of which should be burned. Read more on Doug Smith’s Sports Blog at thestar.com and drop him a line at askdoug@thestar.ca. We reserve the right to edit for clarity, punctuation and space.