Gesundheit » is good. "Are we really good

TORONTO -- When the Toronto Raptors gathered in a timeout huddle with just under six minutes to play Tuesday night, DeMar DeRozan sat forlorn and frustrated at the end of the bench. He gazed at the floor, and fought to regain his composure. It could have spelled disaster. Instead, DeRozan -- calm restored -- grabbed the game by the throat in the final three minutes to lead Toronto to a 100-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their playoff series Tuesday. "Its just my competitive spirit," DeRozan explained. "Just calmed myself down. I was a little frustrated that I couldnt be out there with my team at that critical moment. It was just me keeping myself together, not being so frustrated, just staying focused." The Raptors top scorer had just picked up his fifth foul and Dwane Casey had taken him out of the game, despite DeRozan pleading with his coach to keep him in. DeRozan scored 10 of his 30 points in the games final three minutes, hitting two big buckets right after he returned to the game, his second a fadeaway jumper from 18 feet that had him flexing his chest and growling in celebration. The first-game jitters that haunted him in Game 1? Gone. Winning the game for his team down the stretch was "everything you dream about." "Especially when you become a professional athlete at the highest level, and have that trust from your coaching staff and your teammates to have the ball in your hands, and win the game for them," the 24-year-old DeRozan said. "Thats big, and I appreciate all 14 guys in that locker-room and the coaching staff to have that trust in me to take those shots in the fourth quarter." The best-of-seven Eastern Conference series is tied at one game apiece and heads to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday. Amir Johnson had 16 points and nine rebounds, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 14 boards for his second double-double of the series, while Kyle Lowry had 14 points, nine boards and six assists. Patrick Patterson added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Atlantic Division champions. Joe Johnson topped the Nets with 18 points, while Deron Williams had 15, Mirza Teletovic added 14, and Kevin Garnett finished with 13. Toronto outrebounded Brooklyn 52-30. Casey had predicted a completely different group of players -- especially DeRozan -- would show up for Game 2 after the majority of them looked overwhelmed by the bright lights of the playoffs in Game 1. "The game is about adjustments," DeRozan said. "Im a student of the game. I went back and watched the whole game (Saturdays loss) two or three times, to understand where I could get my shots, opportunities, where I could score and get easy buckets." The Raptors led by as much as 11 in the first half but the Nets got hot in the third quarter and took a 66-64 advantage into the fourth. DeRozan poured in seven points early in the fourth -- including a massive left-handed dunk that had capacity crowd of 20,382 fans at the Air Canada Centre -- that included Mayor Rob Ford, Drake and multimillionaire NBA superfan Jimmy Goldstein -- roaring. DeRozans 17 fourth-quarter points, alone, were two points better than his entire output in Saturdays 94-87 Game 1 loss. The Raptors outscored the Nets 36-29 in the final 12 minutes. The Raptors went up by five with 1:10 to play after Lowry drained a shot then stole the ball, leading to a Patterson free throw. Lowry raised his hands to the crowd like a conductor directs an orchestra, encouraging the fans to cheer louder. "Earlier in the year we wanted to be the Freddy Krueger of the NBA. Not give up, not give in," Casey said. "I think our guys have done that. We won against a very veteran team like Brooklyn, and that is very difficult to do because they seem to find a way to challenge you and keep you on your toes." Paul Pierce, who scorched the Raptors down the stretch in Game 1, missed on a three-point attempt that would have tied the game with about 30 seconds to play. "Yeah, I got some looks," Pierce said. "Sometimes they fall, sometimes they dont. I think tonight it really wasnt about the offence again, we put ourselves in that position. We have to be better in the fourth quarter defensively. "When you go on the road and you are trying to steal two on the other teams home court, you have to be better in the fourth quarter defensively." DeRozan drained two free throws with 20.6 seconds left to seal the victory for Toronto. Johnson then took flight for a massive dunk to the delight of the delirious fans -- the perfect punctuation mark on a solid game by the entire Raptors team. "Just for me and DeMar, weve been through the ups and downs of this team," Johnson said. "This year we broke so many records, and we finally made it to this level. . . it just means a lot to be here for five years and to finally get to this stage. "We were here when people thought you could just come to Toronto and get a win," added DeRozan, seated beside Johnson at the post-game press conference. "Weve been through all that, frustrating seasons. "And we want everybody to know when you play against the Toronto Raptors youre going to have to fight, youre going to have to bring your game, and thats the passion every single guy on this team has." If there was one glaring negative, it was turnovers -- again. The Raptors coughed up 17 points on 21 turnovers. Saturday, they gave up 17 points on 19 turnovers and vowed to clean up the giveaways. Now the series heads to the unfriendly confines of Brooklyns Barclays Center -- likely made more unfriendly by the F-bomb Raptors GM Masai Ujiri dropped in relation to Brooklyn when addressing fans Saturday. "I think we always play well on the road in hostile environments. I think we proved it this year," DeRozan said. "Its really no pressure when we play on the road. Its just us, we dont pay attention to the crowd, the odds being stacked against us, we understand everythings on us and thats how we play." The players at least didnt have to put up with the distraction of Saturdays shot-clock fiasco. The power sources to the clocks were replaced after they were fried in the third quarter of Game 1, leaving announcer Herbie Kuhn to count down the 24 seconds on each possession. As in Game 1, hundreds of fans jammed Maple Leaf Square outside the ACC to watch the game on the giant screen. Valanciunas led the way with eight points in the first quarter punctuated by a circus play that led to a Ross basket -- Valanciunas took a shot and missed while falling down, and grabbed his own rebound while still on his backside, chucking a pass from the seated position. The play was part of a 15-3 run that put the Raptors up by five with about three minutes left in the quarter. Toronto took a 21-19 lead into the second. The Raptors opened the second with a 14-7 run to take an 11-point lead but the Nets fought back to cut Torontos lead to 45-39 heading into the dressing room at halftime. Johnson ran amok for 12 points in the third, and the Nets outscored the Raptors 27-19 in the quarter to lead by two points with a quarter left to play. NOTES: Casey finished fifth in voting for NBA coach of the year announced earlier Tuesday. He received five first-place votes. Laurent Koscielny Jersey . Still, Encarnacion felt a sense of relief. He felt a pop just before crumpling to the ground after running out a groundball in the first inning of Saturdays game. It could have been worse. “Its going to take maybe two weeks,” said Encarnacion. “It depends how Im going to be and how Im going to be day after day, feeling better or not. David Ospina Jersey ." Also, defencemen "were found to be at a higher risk of suffering a concussion than other players, perhaps due to turning their back to retrieve pucks along the boards, which leaves them vulnerable. http://www.arsenalsoccerproshop.com/Auth...Arsenal-Jersey/. Less than 24 hours later, in the same arena, he tried to recreate the magic of his all-time favourite player. Hilliard scored a career-high 26 points and No. Emiliano Martinez Jersey . Torres scored the first goal by an English team in the knockout phase of the Champions League this season when he met Cezar Azpilicuetas cutback in the ninth minute of their first leg match in the last 16. But Chelsea failed to make the most of its counterattacks and the Turkish champions equalized in the second half after gaining in confidence and cutting out their defensive mistakes. Custom Arsenal Jerseys . Starters, when they struggle, have to live with it for five days. For Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar, two of the three men who authored one of the ugliest pitched innings in Blue Jays franchise history on Thursday night, the bounce-back chance came right away.He wore a white coat but he didnt really need to stand out any more than he already did. Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. There was no YouTube for the fans to watch his videos, no social media to tap into for scouting reports, but the Geordies were already in love. The first ever Brazilian to sign for an English club had picked Newcastle and a fan base that loved their players to show some flair. It was a love affair that lasted four years before Mirandinha headed for warmer shores, where no white coats were needed, but the trailblazer had made his mark and more creative players arrived from foreign soil and went straight into the hearts of the Geordies. Faustino Asprillia and David Ginola would come and go, leaving behind them some wonderful moments in a black and white shirt that live longer in memories than the agonizing moments they caused their managers. Both men were frustrating geniuses. Say their names to anyone in Newcastle, even today, and youll put an instant smile on their face but their charismatic ways led them down a path of inconsistency and that meant the end of the road for their time at St James Park. It is not difficult to think of someone like Ginola and wonder what will become of a similar, creative, yet frustrated, genius currently at Newcastle United. This was supposed to be the season when Hatem Ben Arfa would take another step up, progress to a level where he is more consistent, performing at a high level each week for the Geordies who love him as much as they once loved Asprillia and Ginola. It has been less than two months, featuring just seven Premier League games, but we have already seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of Ben Arfas time in the iconic black and white shirt. Newcastle started the season without a goal in their first 265 minutes and then, with five minutes remaining in their third game, with it still scoreless, Ben Arfa cut in from the right flank, glided past two Fulham defenders, and smashed the ball into the left corner of the goal. The Magpies had secured their first win and afterwards manager Alan Pardew summed up Ben Arfas day: "In the end Hatem scores, frustrating day today, he did some really poor things with his decision making, you are thinking cross it, he cuts in but he comes up with the goal and thats the maverick he is, you have to take the rough with the smooth." Ben Arfa, not used by French boss Didier Deschamps since he took the job in 2012, would spend the international break hearing all about his up-and-down showing against Fulham. Football means everything to the people of Newcastle and with no game for two weeks the press took Pardews comments and ran with them for days. Next up was a match at Aston Villa and the Frenchman was ready to play. His display at Villa Park that day was one of the best hed produced during his time in England as he scored one and set up the other, in a 2-1 win, but he was more than just spectacular on the two goals. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) Ben Arfa was intelligent in his decision making and tormented Villa left back Antonio Luna with his explosive pace and skill on the ball, forcing his manager afterwards to come to his defence regarding his inconsistency against Fulham. "I thought there was an over the top reaction to his performance (in the last match) because I think he was ok. Today he was magnificent, if you want to pay money that is what you want to see, he held on to the ball, burst past two, a third, his concentration was terrific and if he keeps that up not only will we get fifty-two thousand every week, hell be pushing for the French side." Newcastle returned home for match against Hull the following week in front of a crowd of 51,523 who watched the Magpies surrender two leads and lose 3-2. Ben Arfa had been poor deefensively on the right flank, standing and watching an unmarked Robbie Brady in front of him score an equalizer, and then not helping his right back out on the games final goal when George Boyd was allowed to cross easily for Sone Alukos stunning winner.dddddddddddd (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) The loss was not just on Ben Arfa, though, and was a perfect example of a side struggling to find an identity. Pardew has spoken at length this season about his desire to get his team back playing the offensive style they showed on their way to finishing fifth in the 2011/12 campaign, yet with that comes collective issues as a defensive unit. Newcastle are a predominantly 4-2-3-1 side, with the central member of the 3 sitting deeper when opponents have the ball to make it a 4-3-3, but it is in the transition game, when they lose the ball, that has caused problems for their wide attacking players. With Yohan Cabaye fit and happy again, the biggest issue Pardew now has is who to play in the wide attacking positions. Ben Arfa kept his place at Everton, following the loss to Hull, but after 45 minutes Pardew had seen enough. At half-time the manager stood in the visitors dressing room at Goodison Park disgusted with his team, down 3-0. Ben Arfa, playing on the left, was replaced after more goals had been conceded from his flank. "We dont want to see what happened in the first half ever again," said Pardew. It was no surprise then that the team that performed better in the second half at Everton started at Cardiff on Saturday. Without Ben Arfa, Newcastle once again scored two goals in a half and produced some of their best football this season. So where does this leave the maverick? "I think hes one of those players that were looking at for consistency and to get consistency from him," Pardew said. "Weve got a great player, no doubt about that. Consistency is all Im looking for from any player. Hes proved he can perform for this club." Pardews job at St James Park is far from secure and his decision to drop Ben Arfa is a gamble, one that paid off, at least for now, on Saturday. Newcastle does not have a quiet fan base and many were screaming for Ben Arfa to start even after the horror show at Goodison. The managers desire to get the team to be more dangerous going forward is commendable but he may have come to the realization that he cannot play Ben Arfa as well as Papiss Cisse and Loic Remy at the same time. Remy, scorer of both goals at Cardiff, seems comfortably on the left, coming central to help Cisse when he can, providing the player on the right flank doesnt regularly do the same. Ben Arfas best chance to start may come if Remy plays centrally instead of Cisse, who has no goals in his last 13 league games, but thats what happened at Everton and that memory is still far too fresh for Pardew. With big personalities, in the form of owner Mike Ashley and director Joe Kinnear, known as "Joke Innear" in the North East for his outrageous comments, looking closely over Pardew, it will be fascinating to watch if he relies on the supporters idol, who could help him solidify or relinquish his position as Newcastle manager. The next four league games are against giants Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and a fierce derby game versus rivals Sunderland. Clearly, Pardew must pick players who he thinks will give him the best chance to win those matches. Recent evidence suggests that does not include Ben Arfa but Newcastle fans will only tolerate that if the team is good. "Are we really good or are we really bad? I am not really sure," joked Pardew after the win at Cardiff. For large parts on Saturday they looked really good, even without Ben Arfa. If they start to look really bad without him, Pardew could be walking out the same door Ginola and Asprillia did even quicker than the mercurial maverick. 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