TORONTO -- In the moments before the Toronto Raptors took the court for Game 4 in Brooklyn, they huddled in the locker-room and watched footage of their fans
gathered back home in Maple Leaf Square.
Kenneth Acker Jersey . The Raptors went on to win Game 4 and even up the series and say theyve drawn inspiration from the
swell of support theyre receiving in their home city. "I told the team, the fans
are doing their part, weve got to do our part as a team, as a group of guys to
lead the fight on the court, because the fans are behind us 100 per cent and
theyre loud and theyre very proud. And they should be," Raptors coach Dwane
Casey said. The Raptors expect a repeat of Sunday, when a capacity crowd of
2,500 red-clad fans jammed Maple Leaf Square to watch the game on the giant
screen outside the Air Canada Centre. Thousands more packed the roads leading up
to the ACC in a raucous outdoor celebration similar to the citys playoff party
during the Maple Leafs brief run last year. "Oh man, its unbelievable, our fan
base," Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said. "It makes you want to just be a part
of it. Things that were doing right now and the way the fan base is going out
there, we want to go out there and play hard and give them a reason to keep
coming back and packing Maple Leaf Square and packing the ACC. "We need our
fans, we love our fans. . . We cant wait to see (Wednesday) night, the vibe and
the energy were going to get." The series has been a spirited battle even before
the first ball was tossed up, thanks to general manager Masai Ujiris now-famous
F-bomb. Its been a fierce fight on the court. Casey said Kyle Lowry looked like
hed been through a 15-round bout after Game 4, and the coach expects both teams
to come out swinging in Game 5 on Wednesday. "Its not going to be all smiles and
bubble gum and fruitcakes. . . Its going to be a street fight," Casey said.
"Thats the way weve got to come out, with that mentality." The Raptors, said
Lowry, were caught on their heels Game 1 of the series. The less-experienced
Raptors -- three of the teams starters had never made a playoff appearance --
werent prepared for how physical post-season action would be. They lost that
game. They put up a fight in Sundays Game 4 victory in Brooklyn, holding the
Nets to just three baskets in a scrappy fourth quarter. But they were forced to
battle back from a lackadaisical third quarter, a bad habit the Raptors havent
been able to shake all season long. "Weve got to compete like that for 40-plus
(minutes)," Casey said. "The third quarter has been our nemesis. . . thats what
we have to remedy, coming out of the locker-room at halftime with that desperate
disposition." Despite being the No. 3 seed, the Raptors were considered
underdogs in this series based on playoff experience. DeMar DeRozan said theyve
played with a chip on their collective shoulder with that underdog mentality all
season, so this is nothing new. "We understood coming into this series that
people still counted us out, people still doubted us, people said: Brooklyns
experience, this, that and the third. . . whatever you want to hear," said
DeRozan, who struggled through playoff jitters in Game 1 but has shone for
Toronto in the three games since. "Weve been counted out so long, weve got the
underdog mentality. I dont think thats going anywhere." Playoff experience was a
major theme when this best-of-seven series began. Future Hall of Famer
Paul Pierce alone -- with 136 playoff appearances -- had played in almost as
many post-season games as the entire Raptors roster combined. None of Torontos
starters -- Lowry, DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas --
had ever started in a playoff game. DeRozan, Ross and Valanciunas had never
played in the post-season, period. The Raptors say that four games in,
experience doesnt mean much anymore. "Its just who wants it more from here on
out. Thats what it boils down to now," DeRozan said. Added Casey: "I dont think
were as wide-eyed and bushy-tailed as we were in Game 1." Ross remains the one
Raptor struggling with the playing on the big stage of the post-season. The
athletic sophomore, who poured in 51 points in a game earlier this season,
scored zero in Game 4. Casey and the players remain fiercely supportive of the
21-year-old. "Im not going to do anything to crush that young mans confidence or
what hes brought to the table thus far," said Casey, pointing out that Ross has
done some good things on the defensive end. "And its not about Terrence Ross,
its about our entire team," the coach added. "The spotlight should not be on him
in any way whatsoever. The reason why we win or lose is not because of what
Terrence Ross did or didnt do."
Ian Williams 49ers Jersey .C. - Marcus Lattimore feels close to 100 per cent and is counting down the days until
he can run free and easy for the San Francisco 49ers.
Erik Pears Jersey . Parker left Wednesdays series-clinching win over Portland early in the second quarter with tightness in
his hamstring and did not return. He was 0-for-2 from the floor prior to exiting
the eventual victory, which sent the Spurs into the Western Conference finals
for the third straight year.TORONTO -- AC Milans legends team looked better than
a squad of former players should Wednesday night. The Italian side scored twice
in a four-minute span in the second half to defeat former stars from S.L.
Benfica 2-0 to win the Legends Cup at BMO Field. Christian Lantignotti finished
off a cross from Ibrahim Ba in the 65th minute to get AC Milan on the board.
Then in the 68th minute Milan forward Gauz was taken down in the area. Defender
Massimo Oddo easily beat Benfica keeper Nuno Santos on the ensuing penalty kick
to give his team a 2-0 lead. "I think AC Milan they play quite a few times a
year, I heard 16 times together in a year. This was the first time we played
together and I think we did very well," said Benfica coach Antonio Jerontomo.
"If we start to play together more often, which we want to do, we will improve
as well." Wednesdays match was played as a tribute to the late Mozambique
native, Portuguese footballer Eusebio, who passed away Jan. 5 at the age of 71.
Despite dominating the first-half possession and out-chancing Benfica the two
sides remained scoreless at half. "I think it was a good performance by two good
teams," said Jerontomo. "I think we started off well. Maybe AC Milan had a
little bit more chances. Probably they have a little more options on the bench
as we had a couple of injuries. "The players felt a little bit tired, but I
think the spectators enjoyed seeing the ex-champions.
San Francisco 49ers Online Store. They still can play, but not as quick as before. It was a decent game. It was a good crowd, very good crowd." Ba had many
quality chances for AC Milan. He nearly opened the scoring in the 14th minute,
but collided with Santos and put his shot just wide of the goal. Two minutes
later, Santos got just enough of Bas free kick from just outside the area to
deflect the shot wide of the goal. In the 20th minute, AC Milan forward
Christian Vieri had an excellent strike from the area, but put it just wide.
"Weve been in Iran, were going to be in China so weve been all around the world.
Weve had a lot of friendly matches and maybe well be back in Toronto," said
Milans Palo Maldini. "The crowd was great. Were trying to put on a good show.
People were excited to see the old Milan team." Benfica didnt generate much by
way of scoring chances in the opening 40 minutes, but in the 32nd minute forward
Nandinho had a great opportunity from just outside the box. However, he put the
shot over the crossbar. As for Italys chances at the upcoming World Cup next
month in Brazil, Maldini didnt seem optimistic. "Italy always battles for the
final," he said. "This year is not going to be very easy. The quality is not so
good, but we will have a chance to reach semifinal." AC Milan is a seven-time
winner of Champions League while Benfica won last years Primeira Liga.
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