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.
Byron Scott 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."
James Worthy Lakers Jersey . Chandler
Stephenson added a pair of goals and Connor Gay chipped in with a single for
Regina (21-17-5), which stayed in control with the first six goals of the game.
Larry Nance Jr. Jersey . "There are two
things in baseball that never change: history and numbers," said Cromartie, who
is spearheading a drive for Montreal to get a Major League Baseball team.
"Montreal, we have the history for baseball in this town.AMMAN, Jordan - Uruguay
looks almost certain to qualify for the 2014 World Cup after crushing Jordan 5-0
in Ammian on Wednesday in the first leg of their intercontinental playoff. Goals
from Maxi Pereira, Cristian Stuani, Nicolas Lodeiro, Cristian Rodriguez and
Edinson Cavani have put Uruguay firmly in control ahead of the second leg in
Montevideo next week. Luis Suarez set up Pereiras 22nd minute opener, and Stuani
made it 2-0 just before halftime. Jordan had long spells of possession in the
second half but was vulnerable on the counter-attack. Lodeiro slotted in from
the edge of the box in the 69th minute and an unmarked Rodriguez hit a crisp
volley from close range in the 78th. Cavani steered a free kick into the top
right corner of the net in stoppage time as victory turned into a rout. "This
result will put us in a good position for the second leg," Uruguay coach Oscar
Tabarez said. "We will play with the same formation to honour the Uruguayan fans
who will fill the stadium next Wednesday, as I heard that 60,000 tickets were
sold." Jordans Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan said he was "fully responsible for
this result" and "satisfied with the performance of my players." "I wished the
Jordanian fans had seen their team win, but this is what happened," Hassan
added. He said the squad would leave for Uruguay on Thursday. Pereira pounced to
open the scoring after a header by Cavani was parried by Jordan gooalkeeper
Mohammad Shatnawi and Stuani made it 2-0 after collecting a pass from Lodeiro.
Swingman Jerry West Jersey. Jordan showed
more determination in the second half, with its best chance falling to Adnan
Hasan, whose effort flew past the post. But Jordans defence proved helpless as
Lodeiro increased Uruguays lead, Rodriguez fired in the fourth and Cavani
completed the rout with a free kick that left Shatnawi rooted to the spot.
Jordans King Abdullah II and members of his royal family were among the 25,000
spectators at the Amman International Stadium. Their national team has never
reached the World Cup and struggled on Wednesday to compete against Uruguay, a
semifinalist at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa that finished fifth in South
American qualifying. The defeat followed extensive preparations in Jordan for
the game. The king donated $500,000 toward the cost of the teams preparations,
while Jordan Television held a one-day telethon that raised $2.8 million. The
fever also spread to the UAE where Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and
Princess Haya offered a private plane to fly the Jordan team to Uruguay for the
second leg. Security was tightened for the match in Amman, where traffic was
diverted away from the stadium, causing suffocating jams. Cars honking horns,
despite the heavy defeat, were draped with the Jordanian flag and portraits of
their players. Tickets for the match were sold at five times their face value on
the black market.
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