01-21-2020, 06:03 AM
CHARLOTTE - Jonas Valanciunas took a quick glance at the stat sheet, no longer banned post-game, crumpled it up into a ball and hurled it across the locker room. At the bottom of the page the final score read "100-95" - Torontos third loss in four games - but it was how they got there that had the Raptors young centre shaking his head as he destroyed the evidence. In the less literal sense he wasnt alone. The Raptors locker room was filled with distraught players drowning their sorrows in a sea of chicken fingers and mac and cheese at the post-game buffet, eager to forget about their most recent setback. "We cant really panic, but weve got to hold each other accountable," said Greivis Vasquez, moments after his team failed to close out what would have been a historic comeback in eventual defeat to a familiar, albeit perplexing foe, the Charlotte Bobcats. "Its easy when we win and you smile and youre cool, youre hanging around, but when you face adversity or obstacles, thats when you really show your character, so now weve really got to show what [were] made of." For Vasquez - who helped engineer Torontos late-game run - his teammates and his coach, there were no moral victories to be celebrated after cutting a 30-point third quarter deficit to one with 26 seconds remaining. No moral victories, not anymore, not if they fancy themselves a playoff contender. Instead the question was, how could they fall behind by 30 to the Bobcats - who had lost 10 of 13 and were playing without Kemba Walker - in the first place? "Effort," Kyle Lowry said, and repeated six times in a three-minute scrum. For the final 16 minutes they played with plenty of it, outscoring the nemesis Bobcats 54-29 to close out the game. For the first 32 it was nowhere to be found. "Thats it, effort," the Raptors point guard continued. "That simple. Effort." Its not that simple, not for the teams fans or coaching staff that were left to wonder where that effort went for two and a half quarters in a game the Raptors sorely needed. "Its a long season but you tell a lot about who you are in these situations," Dwane Casey said. "Today was a gut-check game and the fourth quarter we turned it around but its about what we did in the first three quarters thats disappointing." Coming off a loss to the corpse of the Los Angeles Lakers 24 hours earlier, and an equally disheartening defeat in Boston last week, the Raptors scored a season-low 11 points in the first quarter. For the second straight day they attempted nearly three times as many three-pointers as free throws and allowed the leagues 28th ranked offensive team to score 100 points on 49 per cent shooting. The loss was their seventh straight in Charlotte to a Bobcats team that has been varying degrees of terrible throughout that span of Raptors futility. "Weve got to take these two losses to heart," said Vasquez who had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, his best line as Raptor. "Were professionals, we know what were playing for, so, [theres] no excuses on this team. Some guys just got to step up and understand what were playing for." "I think were fine," he continued. "Weve just got to wake up and understand that one loss cant really take us down, but one win can really build some good momentum." Veteran bruiser Chuck Hayes put it best. "Its an emotional roller coaster in this league." A week ago they were riding high, winners of three straight and eight of 10, since then theyve crashed back down to earth. Where do they truly stand in the grand scheme of things? Likely somewhere in the middle. Success in the league is fickle, as Casey knows and Hayes has learned in his years of service. "After the momentum we had in December you would kind of hope it would shift over into the New Year but the New Year aint been so good to us so far," said Hayes, who recorded his first double-double - 12 points and 13 rebounds - since Apr. 11, 2011. "But theres a lot of basketball left." Hayes, along with fellow reserves Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, played the bulk of the fourth quarter in place of frontcourt tandem Valanciunas and Amir Johnson, who each played less than 19 minutes, and Terrence Ross, who logged 21. For the fourth straight game Valanciunas failed to eclipse 23 minutes or score in double figures, shooting 6-for-21 over that stretch. On Monday he was overwhelmed in a daunting matchup with crafty, low-post shaman Al Jefferson. The Raptors sophomore bit on Jeffersons pump fakes, got beat on the boards and most alarmingly let his frustration get the better of him. Jefferson, who had a double-double after the first quarter, finished with 22 points and 19 boards. Fellow sophomore Ross has also seen his performance slip over the teams recent slide, recording just one point on Monday, shooting 0-for-6. Meanwhile, Johnson connected on just one of his four attempts and has exceeded 10 rebounds in one of his last 15 contests. "Weve got to find a start that fits us," said Casey, who wouldnt rule out an eventual lineup change but insisted its too early to make that call. "You cant spot any team in this league 25-30 points and expect to be successful." The Raptors will be given a much-needed day of reflection before hosting the Mavericks on Wednesday. It will be the first time theyve faced a winning team in seven games. After squandering three golden opportunities in six days, it could be the wakeup call they need. "Weve got another game," said Hayes. "This is not it, [its] just a little adversity and weve got to find a way to respond." Willie Gault Jersey .Y. - For once, Clayton Kershaw was glad to see a long shutout streak end. Brent Urban Jersey . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more. http://www.custombearsjersey.com/custom-...1886t.html . -- Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore has undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Paddy Driscoll Jersey . No, really, his head. Late in the game, the St. Louis goalie craned his neck into the air to block a shot, taking a puck square in the mask. Kyle Orton Jersey . This has become the Raptors mantra as they embark on a new era with a new regime and, in the not-so-distant future, a new image.When doling out credit for the Kansas City Chiefs remarkable turnaround last season, quarterback Alex Smith thinks he should be at the front of the line to receive his praise. The Chiefs were a 2-14 team heading into the season last year when they brought in a new general manager, John Dorsey, head coach, Andy Reid, and of course starting quarterback, Smith. Kansas City wasnt void of talent before last year – the team had a surprising six players named to the Pro Bowl after their 2-14 season – but they needed change at the top positions to realize their full potential as a team. After finishing with an 11-5 record and making the playoffs last season, the new acquisitions deserve claim for their part in the turnaround, and in Smiths case, that comes in the form of a new contract. The 30-year-old Smith threw for 3,313 yards and 23 touchdowns to seven interceptions in his first year in Kansas City (eighth overall). Hes now entering the final year of his current contract which pays him $7.5 million per year and reportedly wants a bigger contract than the one given to Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler recently (seven years and $126 million). Smiths value is hard to gauge because he will never put up the gaudy numbers of the highest paid quarterbacks around the league, but produces similar results to the top earners. While theres no doubt running back Jamaal Charles is the teams best player, many around Kansas City would be okay with the assertion that Smith was the teams MVP. As pointed out by analysts this off-season, Smiths value is further clouded by the lack of a second-tier quarterback market. In terms of contracts at least, quarterbacks are either elite players earning big bucks, or unsolidified starters making far less. The Chiefs need to negotiate terms with Smith, who seems to fall in between the two categories. The problem could solve itself this year. If Smith leaads the team on another playoff run hell almost certainly be able to claim hes joined the top tier at his position.dddddddddddd And conversely if Kansas City takes a step back, Smith may have no choice but to accept lesser terms from the team. There is of course, always the franchise tag as well. Notes While Smith is waiting on his contract extension, Charles got a big one just ahead of the season. The Pro Bowl running back was given an extension that will pay him $18 million over the next two seasons, his age 27 and 28 years. The Chiefs lost left tackle Brandon Albert this off-season, but saw the move coming a year ago and should be prepared to deal with the loss. Last years first overall pick Eric Fisher struggled in his rookie campaign on the right side but a move to left tackle – typically the highest leverage position on the line – should help his fortunes moving forward. Fisher is a natural left tackle and will likely welcome a move back to the side of the line hes most comfortable on. Kansas City cut ties with longtime Chief Brandon Flowers this off-season, leaving a hole – and a competition – in the secondary. Flowers isnt quite what he used to be, but is still a solid cornerback and with no clear replacement on the roster, the move is risky. The Chiefs started the run on second-tier pass rushers (after Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack, and Anthony Barr) by selecting Auburn defensive end Dee Ford, who claimed he was the better pass rusher than Clowney, with their first round pick. Also intriguing picks included QB Aaron Murray, whose torn ACL dropped him to the fifth round, and Canadian tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff in the sixth-round. The Chiefs were relatively quiet in free agency but did add three potential starters in guard Jeff Linkenbach, defensive tackle/end Vance Walker, and cornerback Chris Owens. ' ' '
