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MIAMI – The Toronto Raptors havent defeated the Miami Heat since January
27, 2010, less than five months before the Big Three joined forces in
Miami. Cheap Paxton Lynch Jersey .
Thats 14 consecutive losses to the two-time defending champs, and most
of them were over before they even began.
Result notwithstanding, Sundays game had a very different feel to it.
The Raptors believed they had a chance, they felt like they should win
and to their credit, they nearly pulled it out. The mentality has
changed and so too have the expectations, evident in the visitors locker
room after the teams 102-97 loss at AmericanAirlines Arena.
"I like the way our guys fought," coach Dwane Casey said after the loss,
his teams first in six games. "But, again, you dont get a win or any
medals or anything for losing."
"I like what our guys are building. I know where we are. Ive said it, I
havent wavered from it. I like the direction were going. Were building
something [but when] youre playing against the best, youve got to do the
little things and there cant be any slippage."
Riding a five-game winning streak, which included an impressive victory
over the conference-best Pacers, the Raptors never looked out of place
against the second-place Heat. They led by as many as nine in the third,
up five going into the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie when
Kyle Lowry missed a step-back triple with four seconds remaining.
The performance validated the legitimacy of their recent success and
proved they can compete with the leagues best. That may be a revelation
to those who are just tuning in but it comes as no surprise internally,
as Lowry firmly pointed out.
"We played the Pacers a couple games ago and played them tough, we
played the top two teams tough, theres no moral victories at all," said
the Raptors point guard, who had 14 points and nine assists in the loss.
"We just know we can play with anybody, weve been saying that for a
long time. We could play with anybody."
"It says a lot," added DeMar DeRozan after scoring a game-high 26. "It
says no matter who we play were going to go out there and play hard.
People are going to have to worry about us when we come in their
building or they come in our building. Were not no scrub team."
DeRozan - who was spectacular in the first half, shooting 8-of-10 - made
just two of his eight fourth-quarter attempts, forcing tough jumpers.
As a team, the Raptors shot 29 per cent in the final frame and went an
uncharacteristically terrible 12-of-21 from the line on the night.
LeBron James, who was guarded primarily by sophomore Terrence Ross, went
off for 30 points on just 18 shots. They gave up 14 offensive boards -
including three on one possession - to the worst offensive rebounding
team in the league.
A month ago Casey may have focused on the positives, the fact that his
team hung in with the champs. Its a process, he would say. Now he
expects more, a true indication of their evolution and how far theyve
come since they dropped a pair of games to the Heat at home in November.

"You shoot 57 per cent from the free throw line, youre not going to beat
too many people, I dont care if its [the] Miami Heat or Miami-Dade High
School," he said.
"The 30th offensive rebounding team in the league and they get 14. Thats
not acceptable for us. Our interior people have to do a better job of
finding bodies."
He was especially critical of 21-year-old Jonas Valanciunas, who held
his own in the second half after getting off to a slow start against a
smaller Heat lineup.
"Second half he played much better [but] first half he didnt do
anything," Casey said. "A lot of those offensive rebounds were coming
over his back. Hes got to dominate, especially against a smaller centre
to be effective, to stay in the game."
Still, Valanciunas was on the floor down the stretch, along with Ross
and the rest of the Raptors starters. Casey comfortably stood his
ground, forcing Miami to match-up with him rather than the other way
around.
Finally, the Raptors are well on their way to developing and, most
importantly, maintaining an identity. "Weve all noticed," Heat coach
Erik Spoelstra said of Torontos improvement before the game.
Theres no such thing as a "moral victory" in the NBA. In fact, Casey and
company couldnt bear to hear the term after the loss but if Sundays
game was a litmus test, as Torontos coach suggested pre-game, than the
Raptors came out in pretty good shape.
"Were a different team than when we played them before," Casey said
ahead of Sundays meeting. "But still, we have to have a healthy amount
of respect for the Miami Heat."
"Were not thinking that were at the level of the team [we played]
tonight, were not there yet, but that is our goal. Were striving to be
like the Heat."

Cheap C.J. Anderson Jersey .com) - Na Yeon Choi rallied to win the season-opening Coates Golf Championship on Saturday, but that didnt stop Lydia Ko from
becoming the No. DeMarcus Ware Broncos Jersey . -- After losing home-ice advantage on the final day of the regular
season, the Montreal Canadiens couldve found satisfaction in splitting
the first two games at Tampa Bay Times Forum.The Edmonton Oilers traded
for the rights to a free agent defenceman, and got him signed to a
two-year deal, paying a premium for a shorter term contract.
Numbers Game looks at the Oilers inking Nikita Nikitin.
The Oilers Get: D Nikita Nikitin.
Nikitin, 28, played a career-high 66 games last season, an indication
that hes still trying to establish his place in the league. A couple of
years ago, in 2011-2012, Nikitin contributed a career-best 32 points in
54 games for Columbus (after seven scoreless games with St. Louis to
start the year), playing a career-high 23:12 per game for the season
putting up strong relative possession numbers while facing high-quality
opposition, while frequently paired with veteran Fedor Tyutin. Thats the
Nikitin that the Oilers have to hope they are acquiring.
In 2012-2013, Nikitins role was decreased somewhat, and while he still
logged 21:12 per game, Nikitin was then surpassed on the depth chart
last season by rookie Ryan Murray, leaving Nikitin to play 17:07 per
game on the third pair. Playing on that third pair didnt bring ideal
results, as Nikitin was a little below break-even in possession terms,
but if there is reason to hold out hope for Nikitin, it may be that his
with-or-without you numbers arent bad over the past three seasons.
Among the 16 skaters with whom he played at least 300 5-on-5 minutes
over those three seasons, Nikitin had better possession numbers apart
than 11 of those skaters, but that relative effectiveness has decreased
in the past two seasons, to the point that in 2013-2014, Nikitin had
better possession stats apart from just three of the 13 skaters with
whom he played more than 150 5-on-5 minutes.
What this would seem to indicate is that Nikitin, who has good size, can
skate and handle the puck a bit, isnt necessarily one to carry the
play. He could be a useful complementary player and presumably Oilers
Senior VP of Hockey Operations Scott Howson (who acquired Nikitin as GM
in Columbus) is a fan, but there is risk in bringing in a player with
falling possession numbers to a team that already ranked 28th in Fenwick
Close (unblocked shot attempts during 5-on-5, score within one goal in
first two periods and tied in third period).
Its not aas though Nikitins play in the past couple seasons indicates
that he would improve the results no matter with whom he is partnered
and its reasonable to wonder if the Oilers have the right personnel to
get positive results with Nikitin on the ice. Paxton Lynch Jersey. . If the Jeff Petry and Martin Marincin pairing goes ahead, then
perhaps Nikitin gets a chance alongside Andrew Ference.
Maybe that somehow works out and allows the Oilers some time to develop
their young defencemen. Its entirely possible that it wont work out,
though, and the short-term nature of the contract suggests that both
sides recognize that risk. Signed to a two-year, $9-million deal,
Nikitin will be well-compensated, particularly if he cant stick in the
Oilers top four, but the downside of a two-year deal is limited
compared to the longer term that will be available to other free agent
defencemen.
The Blue Jackets Get: A fifth-round pick.
Since the Blue Jackets werent going to bring Nikitin back, getting any
asset in return is a plus. The fifth-round pick, 137th overall, belonged
to Columbus originally and was traded to Edmonton last season to
acquire D Nick Schultz.
A fifth-round pick doesnt bring a lot of value, but its something. From
1990 through 2009, just under 15% of the picks between 121 and 150
played at least 100 NHL games, so there is a little better than a
one-in-seven chance of netting an NHL player.
While its reasonable for the Oilers to have hope Nikitin can perform in a
top-four role, it could be telling that the Blue Jackets would let
Nikitin depart as a free agent. Mabye they simply didnt want to pay that
kind of money to a third pair defenceman, when they have younger,
cheaper options (David Savard, Dalton Prout, Tim Erixon) available and
thats fair, but current Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was the Blues
Director of Scouting when St. Louis picked Nikitin in the fifth round in
2004. Lots can change over time and the Blue Jackets arent likely to
regret letting Nikitin go, even if he works out well for the Oilers.
Scott Cullen can be reached at [email protected] and followed on
Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN
Fantasy on Facebook.

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