TORONTO - Speaking at an event for season ticket holders before the season began, Masai Ujiri urged Raptors fans - and by extension the team itself - to help make the Air Canada Centre a daunting place for opponents to visit. "We have to make this place a living hell for [opponents] to come play here," the Raptors general manager pleaded. So far its been anything but. "We have far more focus on the road than we do at home and that is a concern," coach Dwane Casey said after his team dropped to 4-8 at the ACC, losing another heartbreaker, 104-102 to the Bobcats in overtime Wednesday. With a record of 5-6 outside of Toronto, the Raptors are one of three Eastern Conference teams with more wins on the road than at home. Wednesdays loss to the Bobcats, a team theyve had difficulty with in the past, was an especially bitter pill for them to swallow. After coughing up a 16-point lead in the third quarter, the Raptors were able to hold it together long enough to force overtime. In the extra frame, DeMar DeRozan - seemingly exhausted after playing over 40 minutes - split a pair of free throws to tie the game up with one second remaining. A second overtime period seemed imminent. As Josh McRoberts inbounded, Kemba Walker curled off a screen set by Al Jefferson. Freed up for just a moment before Jonas Valanciunas closed out hard on the Bobcats leading scorer, Walker drained the dagger that handed the Raptors yet another unsettling loss in their own building. "It hurts," admitted Kyle Lowry, whose three-pointer sent the game into overtime. "Everyone loses a game [to] a buzzer-beater but youd rather get blown out by 50 than lose on a buzzer-beater." The building went silent as the buzzer sounded, keeping in mind the noise level rarely exceeded a dull roar on the night. Attendance was listed at a generous 15,201 Wednesday evening, shy of the teams 17,774-season average, 12th best in the association according to ESPN.com. Many of those fans - the ones still rooting for this team to win - left shaking their heads, disappointed but not in the least bit surprised. It was awfully quiet for most of the game, but its hard to blame the fans in attendance. They havent been given much to cheer about. "Weve got great fans, great crowd, warm building, hot building so theres no reason why we cant come out with that type of fire and intensity [we have on the road]," Casey said. Offensively, the teams numbers are almost identical at home as they are on the road. The drop off, at least statistically, is on the defensive end where the Raptors are allowing 100.4 points per game, 4.1 more than they surrender away from the ACC. A home-court disadvantage is nothing new. Last season Toronto was one of four teams in the NBA to average more points and shoot a higher field goal percentage on the road than at home. Still, no one can seem to pinpoint whats causing it. "I have no idea, I really cant explain it," said Lowry, who had 17 points and six assists in the loss. "I think weve just got to figure out a way to turn it around." "Weve got to start to use our home court to our advantage and not feel too comfortable or think were going to be able to pull it out in late-game situations," added DeRozan after a 30-point performance. DeRozan, who is fourth in the league in minutes played per contest, appeared to be gassed by the end of the game, going 1-of-4 from the field in overtime and missing a crucial free throw down the stretch. He was quick to dismiss the suggestion of fatigue after the loss. "No I was good, I was good," he insisted. "I could have played four more overtimes if we had to." As a team, the Raptors shot just 3-of-11 in the extra period, missing their first six shots. Valanciunas, who had 10 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes, played most of overtime after sitting out the entire fourth quarter. For Casey, it was a decision made with the match-up in mind. "We were mixing it up, we had to mix it up," Casey said of the teams coverage on Jefferson, the Bobcats crafty and undersized centre. "Jonas did as much as he could with Jefferson. Jefferson is one of the most potent low-post scorers in the league but for [Valanciunas] to learn those are the guys hes going to have to guard." "I thought he fought and battled him and used his height as much as he could and I thought Jonas did a good job on the other end, taking it to him in the paint and scoring on him." Still, Casey maintains that its a give and take with Valanciunas on the floor in these scenarios. Although you have a theoretical advantage offensively with Valanciunas against the smaller Jefferson, its understood that you are giving something up on defence. Is one worth the other? Instead, Casey rotated the more experienced, more versatile trio of Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough and Patrick Patterson in the fourth. For now, the Raptors will have to put their home-court conundrum on hold as they focus on what lies ahead. On Friday theyll begin a challenging four-game road trip in Dallas before visiting Oklahoma City, San Antonio and New York. Cheap NCAA Jerseys China . The seventh-ranked Berdych wants to focus on the ATP Tour after helping the Czechs beat the Netherlands in the first round. Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs will rely again on veteran Radek Stepanek. NCAA Jerseys . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) – He had good saves on Giroux, Akeson, and Hartnell tonight. https://www.cheapncaajerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven. NCAA Jerseys For Sale . He had spent 16 days on the disabled list before being activated Thursday. He was batting just .203 when he came to bat in the 11th inning on Sunday. College Football Jerseys . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Latvia won a four-man World Cup bobsled race Sunday, while the U.MOBILE, Ala. -- Catriona Matthew remained atop the Airbus LPGA Classic leaderboard Friday, birdieing four of the last seven holes to take a one-stroke advantage over Charley Hull into the weekend. The 44-year-old Matthew had a 5-under 67 to reach 13-under 131 on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trails Crossings Course. The 18-year-old Hull also shot 67. Matthew had six birdies and a bogey -- on the par-4 ninth -- in her afternoon round. "I played actually probably pretty well today," said Matthew, who opened with a 64 on Thursday. "I hit 17 greens, so I gave myself a lot of chances. I didnt hole many on the front nine, but then the putter got going a little bit on the back nine." The Scot won the last of her four LPGA Tour titles in 2011. "Obviously, theres still 36 holes to go," Matthew said. "If its anything like the first two days, were going to have to keep making birdies." Hull also dropped a stroke on No. 9, her final hole of the day. The English player birdied Nos. 6-8 and had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch before closing with her lone bogey of the week. "Hitting it pretty straight," Hull said. "Hit my irons good and holing some good putts. Missing a few putts, but youre always going to miss a few putts when youre playing well. But Im just excited about this golf course. I quite like it." Hull won a Ladies European Tour event in Morocco in March a week before her 18th birthday. She closed with a 9-under 62 and won on the first hole of a playoff. The teen is comfortable in the warm conditions in Mobile. "The weathers been pretty hot, but I quite like it," Hull said.dddddddddddd "I think its a great place and its very green and a bit different than I expected. The trees are a lot different, but I enjoy it a lot." Anna Nordqvist, Jessica Korda and Hee Young Park were 10 under. Nordqvist, the winner in Thailand and Carlsbad, had a 66. Korda, the Bahamas champion, shot 67, and Park had a 66. "I got the ball close and was able to kind of make a couple putts on my front nine, which was the back nine," Korda said "Hopefully, I can keep that momentum going." Park, playing alongside Matthew, eagled the par-5 16th for the second straight day. Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson and Jenny Shin were 9 under. Thompson had a 65, and Shin shot 68. Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 4 Suzann Pettersen and three-time Mobile winner Se Ri Park topped the group at 8 under. Lewis, the 2012 champion who won the North Texas LPGA Shootout three weeks ago, matched Pettersen with a 70. Pak, the 2010 winner who also won the Tournament of Champions at the course in 2001 and 2002, had a 69. Michelle Wie, the winner in Hawaii, was 7 under. She followed her opening 71 with a 66. Top-ranked Inbee Park missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 76, ending her cuts streak at 22. She had 34 putts in the second round and played her final nine in 4-over 40. The South Korean star is winless in nine tour starts this season after sweeping the first three majors last year and finishing the season with six victories. She last missed a cut last May in the Bahamas. ' ' '
 |
Strona 1 z 1 |
| |
Strona 1 z 1 |
|
|||||
 To forum dzia³a w systemie phorum.pl Masz pomys³ na forum? Za³ó¿ forum za darmo! Forum narusza regulamin? Powiadom nas o tym! Powered by Active24, phpBB © phpBB Group Design by phpBBStyles.com for LearnPHP.org |
|||||