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d zone and Cornish just found a hole
« on: May 14th, 2015, 12:53am » |
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TORONTO - The Raptors (2-1) face their toughest test of the young season Tuesday when the defending champion Miami Heat (2-2) visit the Air Canada Centre, still looking for their first road win. You can catch the action live at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN2 and on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto. After splitting a back-to-back set on the road this weekend, the Raptors return home hoping to steal a win from a team thats had their number since LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined forced in 2010. Miami has outscored Toronto by an average of 13.3 in 10 meetings - all wins - since their talented trio came together. The Heat have won 11 straight in the series overall, Torontos longest active losing streak against any opponent. "Theyre champions twice for a reason," Dwane Casey said of the Heat after shoot around Tuesday morning. "This is an opportunity for us to come in and see what were made of against the two-time champions in our house. Were not going to out-talent them but theyre not going to outwork us, thats the mentality weve got to have. "The Heat bounced back after suffered consecutive loses, their first two road games of the season, with a decisive 103-93 home win over the Wizards on Sunday. Their Big Three combined for 69 points, each of them scoring 20 or more, and shot 61 per cent from the field. "What we have to this year is the same thing we last year, we have to reinvent ourselves," said veteran forward Shane Battier. "We cant assume that what worked last year is going to work this year. Thats the fun part of the journey." The defending champs will be a man down Tuesday with Bosh back home following the Monday morning birth of his second child, a daughter, Dylan Skye. Click here to listen as Josh Lewenberg and Duane Watson preview the Raptors match-up with the Heat and look back at the first week of the season in TSN 1050s Raptors Report podcast. Despite shooting just 40 per cent, the Raptors came away with a much-needed 97-90 victory in Milwaukee on Saturday, thanks in large part to their improved defensive approach from the night before - a disappointing loss in Atlanta - and a dominant performance on the boards. "Theyve improved this offseason and part of it is just having a young team together, the core players and you add another year," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Raptors. "Theyre extremely athletic, theyre long [and] they have size at all the positions." Trends and Tidbits Although the Raptors have made a concerted effort to get Jonas Valanciunas involved early in the first three games, he has not had a major impact after the opening period. The sophomore centre, whos played fewer than 18 minutes in each of the last two games, has not been on the floor much down the stretch, as Casey still feels more comfortable with Amir Johnson anchoring the small lineup hes been using. Per NBA.com, Valanciunas has attempted 14 shots in 25 first-quarter minutes but has taken just seven in 40 minutes after the opening frame. The Raptors most efficient offensive spurts (106.1 points per 100 possessions) have come when playing in their small lineup, according to NBA.com. The last time Toronto was two games over .500 was Jan. 27, 2010 following a 111-103 win over Miami. Chris Bosh had 24 points and 18 rebounds for the Raptors in that game, months before leaving to join the Heat as a free agent. Miami has trailed by at least seven in the opening minutes in each of their first four games; Chicago led 9-2 in the opener, Philadelphia had a 19-0 advantage early, Brooklyn had an 11-3 lead and Washington was up 9-2 early. James double-digit scoring streak has reached 499 straight regular-season games, dating back to January of 2007. His teams - the Heat and Cavaliers - hold a 363-136 record in those contests. "We dont want to put a ceiling on him," Spoelstra said of the four-time MVP. "And even at the level he played last year hopefully he can reinvent himself and take us to a different level." What to Watch For Disrupting Miamis rhythm Now four years into the Big Three era, the Heat have become a well-oiled machine on both ends of the floor, specially offensively where they move the ball as well as any team in the NBA. Their pristine spacing and ball movement was on display in Sundays victory over Washington, registering 32 assists on 37 made field goals. The Heat are 54-3 when collecting at least 25 assists since the start of the 2010-11 season. In order for the Raptors to have a fighting chance against a far more experienced and superior offence, theyll have to take Miami out of its comfort zone - easier said than done - or catch them on a rare off day. Keeping them inside the arch Three-point shooting continues to be a big part of what makes the Heat so dangerous, aided by their excellent ball movement. Miami shot 11-for-27 from three-point range on Sunday and the Raptors hope to force them to settle for long twos in Toronto. "You cant take away everything from them," Casey cautioned. "When you try to take away everything, you take away nothing. One thing we do want to do is make them take tough twos [and] try to limit the number of threes they get. They have to have the three to be successful so we want to run them off the three-point line." After adding Ray Allen a year ago, the Heat finished the 2012-13 season shooting 40 per cent from long range, good for the second best mark in the league. Control the boards Unexpectedly the Raptors strength through three games has been on the boards, where they struggled through most of the preseason. They havent just been impressive rebounding the basketball, theyve been dominant, which could present a problem for a small Heat team if it carries over into Tuesdays game. The Raptors have out-rebounded opponents 150-108 through three games, including a 47-20 advantage on the offensive glass, a category in which they lead the league early in the campaign. Nearly a quarter of Torontos points (22.5 per cent) have come off second-chance opportunities. Miami was last in the league on the boards a year ago and will be without their leading rebounder with Bosh unavailable Tuesday. Who to Watch For Rudy Gay The Raptors forward has struggled with shot selection and offensive efficiency early in the season, shooting just 33 per cent from the field and leading the team in turnovers. Coming off one of his worst games as a Raptor in Fridays loss to Atlanta, Gay had a better night in Milwaukee 24 hours later. Despite another rough evening in the shooting department (4-of-14 from the field) and some careless ball handling down the stretch, Gay contributed in other areas, grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds, getting to the line 10 times and playing inspired defence. Gay will be counted on as both a scorer and a defender in Tuesdays match-up against James. Gay always relishes the opportunity to face the leagues premier players at his position and has played the reigning MVP competitively in the past. Offensively, Gay also rose to the occasion against the Heat last season, averaging 25.7 points on 48 per cent shooting in three games. "Rudy is a scorer," Battier said of his former Grizzlies teammate. "Any given night hes capable of putting big numbers on the board. I think hes settled a little more now [in Toronto]." Dwyane Wade On the wrong side of 30 and having battled a series of knee injuries over the last couple years, Wade has been forced to adapt and change his game. "He used to be pretty reckless, attacking the rim with reckless abandon," Battier said of the 31-year-old Wade. "When you get over 30 you cant do that as much, you need to pick your spots." Even without his trademark explosiveness, Wade is still an elite player at his position and always seems to have big nights against the Raptors. Coming off the most efficient season of his 11-year career, shooting 52 per cent, Wade has averaged 28.0 points on 62 per cent from the field in the last seven meetings with Toronto. Hes smarter," said Casey. "He lets the game come to him. Hes a very wise veteran. People dont even talk about [him], everyone talks about LeBron but hes the wise old owl sitting back and waiting for you to make a mistake." Injury Report Steve Novak, who has been inactive over the last two games battling a sore back, could be available for Tuesdays game. Casey said hes doing better and the team will decide on his status prior to the game. Bosh will miss Tuesdays game against his former team, still with his wife after the birth of their daughter and Greg Oden will continue to be inactive for Miami rehabbing back from his knee injury. jerseys from china . The 30-year-old Jaffray played a shortened 2010-11 season with the AHLs Manitoba Moose. wholesale jerseys . 1. PHIL JACKSON: Would be a major coup of the NY Knicks to get him as their President. Bottom line, owner James Dolan needs to stay out of the way. Jackson must have the ability to select his GM, front office staff, coaches, support staff and have final say on all player issues. http://www.cheapjerseysfox.com/. Turns out, the alternative wasnt any fun for Malone, either. Durant scored 30 points and embraced a role as a facilitator by finishing with nine assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past Sacramento 108-93 on Sunday night. wholesale nfl jerseys . The 11th-ranked Latvians pitted against the powerhouse Swedes. cheap jerseys from china . The 26-year-old linebacker was released by the club on Monday.CALGARY - After running for a three-yard touchdown, Jon Cornish breathed a sigh of relief. Cornishs touchdown helped seal a 32-20 win for the Calgary Stampeders over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday night, their first home victory of the season. The Stampeders (4-2) trailed the Ticats 20-13 at half time before rallying in front of 29,307 fans at McMahon Stadium. "It was a big deal because the fans come out and they support us every game," Cornish said. "We had almost 30,000 people out tonight. Losing at home is not a fun feeling so coming out and contributing to the win, thats a big deal for me. Its something that Im always happy to do for this team." Cornish also commended fellow Calgary running back Joffrey Reynolds for urging him to get into the game late in the fourth quarter. "He really hooked me up on that last touch because it was his rotation," said Cornish, who finished with 19 rushing yards on four carries and 44 more yards on two receptions. "He let me have that last touchdown." Reynolds, who scored on a one-yard plunge into the end zone in the third quarter, said he had his bell rung on the previous play and was happy to let Cornish take his turn out on the field. "On the play before I had hit the ground pretty hard," said Reynolds, who finished with 41 yards rushing on 10 carries and 47 more yards on four receptions. "I was kind of seeing stars a little bit. Jons very capable. We have a good working relationship. He understands when I want the ball. Hes a young guy and he wants to get some balls thrown his way too." Calgary quarterback Henry Burris praised both Cornish and Reynolds for their willingness to take their turns on the field. "Whether it was the run or the pass, Cornish and Joffrey were effective in many ways," said Burris, who completed 27-of-39 passes for 341 yards to move past Tom Clements and into eighth spot all-time in CFL passing. "When it was time to run, those boys pounded it up in there and got some very important yards for us." Larry Taylor caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter, Rene Paredes kicked three field goals and a single, while Burke Dales added a single for the Stamps. Dave Stala caught a touchdown pass for the Ticats (3-3), whose winning streak ended at three games. "We came out flat in the second half," Stala said. "Our offence looked dead, our whole team looked dead. We didnt put anything up. Weve got to hellp out our defence and score some more points.dddddddddddd" Avon Cobourne had a rushing touchdown, while Justin Medlock kicked a pair of field goals. Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn, who went 20-for-34 for 211 yards, referred to the setback as very frustrating. "Our defence pretty much gave us a chance all the way to the end until they scored that last touchdown," Glenn said. "We should have taken advantage of some of the opportunities that were given to us and we didnt, but youve still got to give them credit because they won the game. "Its frustrating. I dont necessarily think its a setback, its just something we can learn from." On Calgarys first possession, Burris engineered a five-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a 25-yard touchdown pass to Taylor. After Medlock connected on an impressive 52-yard field goal, Burris marched the Stamps into scoring territory once again and appeared to toss a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jabari Arthur. Hamilton coach Marcel Bellefeuille threw his challenge flag and the play was subsequently overturned forcing Paredes to kick a 35-yard field goal to put the Stamps up 10-3. Stala then capped off a six-play, 75-yard drive for Hamilton by catching a seven-yard pass from Glenn in the end zone to tie the contest. Early in the third quarter, Glenn marched the Ticats on an eight-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by a six-yard TD run by Cobourne. After Paredes kicked a 21-yard field goal, Medlock responded with a 42-yarder as time wound down in the half to give Hamilton a 20-13 lead. At 5:32 of the third quarter, Reynolds plunged into the end zone from one-yard out to cap off a seven-play, 74-yard Calgary drive to tie up the contest. The Stamps then took a 24-20 lead after Dales booted a 72-yard single and Paredes kicked a 35-yard field goal. Paredes added a single in the fourth quarter before Cornish ran for his TD to round out the scoring. "The offensive line came off and blew those guys off into the enc and ran it behind the guys," Burris said. Notes: Backup quarterback Drew Tate returned to Calgarys lineup after being sidelined for the first five games of the season with a shoulder injury. ... All of Calgarys first five games were decided by five points or less. ... The Stamps and Ticats will also play on Sept. 25 in Moncton, N.B., for Touchdown Atlantic 2011. ... The Ticats didnt record a single first down in the third quarter. wholesale jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
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