Regeln - Nutzungsbedingungen » Zapata must force it into a corner

DETROIT - Locked in an unexpectedly tight battle with the lowly Pistons, having coughed up an early 18-point lead, the Raptors went up by one with just over seven minutes remaining as conflicting chants broke out in the stands. T.J. Lang Jersey . "Lets go Pistons," cried the home crowd while a boisterous group of Toronto supporters chimed in with their own anthem of equal or greater volume. "Lets go Raptors," shouted a four-row contingent of fans, dressed in red, white and black, rooting for the Atlantic Division champions right behind the visiting teams bench. "Oh, man, I think we had more fans than them tonight," said DeMar DeRozan, who had scored all 12 of his teams fourth-quarter points at that time. "It was definitely cool to see that." With the clock winding down, the Raptors now up 10 and on their way to a monumental, albeit shaky victory, that section erupted in anticipation. They were not alone. Four fans stood on the opposite end of the court, proudly wearing their Raptors jerseys as they held up four sheets of paper spelling out "R-A-P-S". The Palace of Auburn Hills was filled with Raptors faithful who made the four-hour (or so) drive from Toronto, crossing the border to Michigan, where they were able to witness team history. "I didnt know where I was for a while," Casey said of the unexpected support after his teams 116-107 victory, Torontos 47th of the season, matching a franchise record. "When you win, people come out of the woodwork and they want to jump on the wagon and it was great that they came out with that enthusiasm. I thought it helped our guys." Nearing the end of their magical, out-of-nowhere campaign, the Raptors continue to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Two days after clinching their second ever division title, they tied the teams all-time win mark - previously set in 2000-01 and then again in 2006-07 - and have a chance to top it on Monday when they host the Bucks or in Wednesdays finale against New York. "We talked about it as a team," Casey said. "It wasnt our goal going into the year but its good for this group. Its something they should be proud of. They worked at it and its all their doing." "Why not break it?" "It definitely means a lot, man," said DeRozan, who scored 14 of his game-high 30 points in the final quarter Sunday. "When you look at it, if you really sit down and look at it, man, thats big. To be tied with the franchise record and have a chance to break it. We came a long way. A lot of people wouldnt have counted [on] us to be in this position that were in now. So its definitely a credit to our hard work, players and coaching staff." DeRozan cited the teams surprisingly successful Western Conference road trip in late January - with wins over Dallas and Oklahoma City - as a turning point in the season. Thats when he knew they could go on to do something special. "Once we saw that happen, we understood we could play with anybody," the all-star guard said. Their 47th win was not the most memorable, certainly not the easiest on the eyes but there was DeRozan, coming up big when his team needed him, once again. "He really carried us down the stretch," Casey said of DeRozan, who was masterful in the fourth, especially after Kyle Lowry fouled out on a pair of highly questionable calls midway through the quarter. "Hes been doing it all year, its why hes an all-star. He did a great job of managing the game, picking his spots, being aggressive. Losing Kyle hurt us a little bit but I thought thats when DeMar really took over." With just over six minutes remaining, Lowry was called for his fifth foul as he stood in, hoping to take a charge on the Pistons Peyton Siva as he barrelled into the lane. Twenty seconds later, the Raptors point guard picked up his sixth and final foul, although replays showed that he made little-to-no contact with Andre Drummond, who tripped over his own feet and went to the ground. After scoring 28 points in 33 minutes, Lowry was done for the afternoon. He had been brilliant and was as animated as you might expect as his teammates walked him to the bench, seeming to say, "we got this." "Everybody was frustrated with the calls when Kyle fouled out," DeRozan admitted. "We understood that we werent going to win by complaining or forcing to get calls. We had to go out there and take it and thats what we did." The Raptors had led by as many as 18 in the first half, 17 early in the third, before the Pistons went on to drop 37 points in quarter, making for another subdued post-game celebration. You wouldnt know if from their record - theyve won eight of 10 - but Caseys team has been moonwalking its way into the postseason, beginning next weekend. As we know, Torontos once stifling defence has slipped. For the 12th time in the last 20 contests they surrendered 100 (or more) points on Sunday, but the Raptors coach lamented over a more specific concern; toughness, or a lack thereof, magnified in their win over Detroit. "The thing that bothers me most is the rebounding, them kicking our butt in the paint, the physicality and [them] taking advantage of us that way," said Casey after the Pistons grabbed 21 offensive boards, most by any Raptors opponent this season. "Thats all weve been talking about and its something we have to correct or itll be a short stint in the playoffs." Practice time has been and will continue to be scarce in April, so Casey and his coaching staff are forced to utilize their final games to make necessary tweaks and adjustments going into the playoffs. "You have to," Casey said. "Thats whats tough this time of year, is finding that time where you can work on things and tweak things. Thats why these games are important to us." Electric start Thanks in large part to the Pistons generous defence and early foul trouble, Toronto got off to a quick start, scoring 42 points in the first frame, most of any quarter this season. The Raptors scored 16 points off Detroits eight turnovers, connecting on 14 of their 19 field goal attempts and 11 of 13 free throws, while holding the Pistons to 36 per cent shooting. Both Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe were relegated to the bench after picking up a couple fouls apiece. Without their star frontcourt, the Pistons had no answer for the brute strength of Jonas Valanciunas, who scored 10 in the opening period while Tony Mitchell picked up four fouls in six minutes trying to hold him off. Centre of attention Sundays matchup of emerging sophomore centres lived up to its billing. For the 10th consecutive game, Valanciunas scored in double figures, finishing with 18 points to go along with eight rebounds. On the other end, Drummond recorded his 56th double-double of the season - second to only Kevin Love for the NBA lead - with 14 points and 17 boards. Lift from the bench With Lowry exiting in the fourth, Greivis Vasquez was subbed in and immediately picked up where the starting point guard left off, scoring six of his 14 points in the final six minutes of the game. "I was concerned, not about his offence but more about defence because Kyle was doing a decent job on their guards," Casey said of Vasquez, who has led the Raptors bench in scoring in 10 of his last 14 games as a reserve. "Greivis came in and ran the offence, got us into sets." Earlier in the game it was another guard, Nando De Colo, that made an impact coming in off the bench. After a dreary start to the second quarter, De Colo sparked Toronto in nine quality minutes. "He picked us up," Casey stated, crediting De Colo. "He moved the ball, he attacked, he did a great job of increasing the tempo [and] gave Amir one of the best passes weve had all year running the floor. His court vision is uncanny and thats why I dont hesitate to get him in there to change the game." The stat In three meetings, the Raptors outscored Detroit by 28 (84-56) in the fourth quarter, sweeping the season series with the Pistons. The quote "Its timing, its grit, its anticipation and a lot of those things we didnt have," Casey said of the rebounding discrepancy. The Raptors were bested 55-40 on the glass. "They basically manhandled us in the paint and weve got to better than that." Ricky Jean Francois Jersey . -- Manager Bob Melvin shuffled the Athletics batting order and got the type of production he was looking for from the top of the lineup. Jake Rudock Jersey . Cox started the season with San Francisco, but was released by the team on Nov. 12 before being signed by Seattle, where he appeared in two games and tallied three tackles before being released on Dec. http://www.officialdetroitlionsfootball.com/authentic-anthony-zettel-jersey-womens . The third baseman whipped the ball across the diamond to second baseman Aaron Hill. He quickly tossed it to shortstop Chris Owings, who flipped over his shoulder to left fielder Cody Ross.Day 23 in 100 words or less It was a day for central defenders and set-piece goals. Time to go through the motions and squeeze out a victory had passed. It was a day for the serious World Cup contenders to step up and show us what they had. Brazil and Germany, with eight World Cups between them, did just that and now meet each other in Tuesdays semifinal. Germany 1-0 France Twenty years ago next week Germany were almost there. Just after 1:30pm in the afternoon, inside the blistering heat of Giants Stadium, New Jersey, the Germans led 1-0 in a World Cup quarterfinal against Bulgaria with 15 minutes left in the match. The reigning World Champions were about to become the first ever country to reach four straight World Cup semifinals. Bulgaria suddenly scored two goals in three minutes and in a New York minute the Germans were going home. The football world was stunned. No one since has made the final four of the World Cup four times in a row. Until today. Fittingly, it was Germany again, playing on another hot afternoon, and up a goal on their opponents. This time, though, there was no meltdown in the heat. Joachim Lows team havent been near their best in Brazil since a blistering opening 30 minutes against Portugal but this was their best showing since that showing in Salvador 18 days ago. It was a statement of intent from Lows side. A statement that they can win games in such a manner. "You are not only the best side in the world, you are the best side I have ever seen." That is what Low said to Xavi after Spain had defeated his German team in the semifinal four years ago. Spain won 1-0 that day, through a headed goal, scored by a centre-back from a set-piece. Low, then, will surely have been thinking about that when his team beat France the same way. Goalscorer Mats Hummels had a wonderful match. He would have been man of the match even if Germanys goal had been scored by someone else. Behind him, Manuel Neuer, earning his 50th cap, was also impressive again, making two outstanding saves, with one denying Karim Benzema in the final moments. Philipp Lahm at right back wasnt anywhere near his best but his positioning made sense for the collective balance of the side. Thats because it allowed Sami Khedira to come into midfield and he made a big difference. The Real Madrid man is clearly still not at his peak after a long layoff through injury but his penetrating runs into space makes Germany more flexible in attack and, subsequently, harder to defend against. With Thomas Muller still a menace in attack, either on the right or central, all of this means Low is building a side with a strong spine. You do not need to have 11 players all at the top of their game to win a World Cup. This is good news for Mesut Ozil and whoever plays alongside him and Muller. Ozil is clearly struggling inside this system but with other players excelling it is not as vital. Lows mind will be full of exceptional memories of Ozil performing brilliantly at the last two major tournaments. He remains good at spatial awareness and in possession when given outlets close by. However, he is far from at his best and his reputation as a player who needs a lot of love shows he is incredibly low on confidence. He is, however, like all of his teammates, just two wins away from being a world champion. France go home with their heads held high and will be a force on home soil at Euro 2016. The Champions League has been a wonderful stage for many to show they can compete at a high level, while Ligue 1 continues to produce some sensational young players not even seen in Brazil. For those who were in Brazil, this tournament, unlike the past two, will have provided them a lot of good lessons in cohesion both on and off the field. Didier Deschamps deserves a lot of credit for turning Les Bleus into a team their nation loves once again, just nine months after many couldnt stand them anymore. Brazil 2-1 Colombia Where do we start? Here is what we DO know: Brazil scored two goals via set pieces and now have only scored two goals from open play in four games against Croatia, Mexico, Chile and Colombia at this World Cup. Games against Cameroon should not count when evaluating their attack. The ggame was very physical. Graham Glasgow Jersey. The ref was very average. If you followed the match on Twitter there is a good chance that you think Brazil were very, very fortunate. Colombia, however, did very little in the match until going down 2-0. Brazils intensity early in the match was unlike anything we have seen from the hosts so far and, James Rodriguez aside, Jose Pekermans team look like a side that is only good enough to reach the last eight. Thiago Silva was absolutely magnificent in defence. His suspension for the game against Germany is enormous. James Rodriguez got even better, despite the loss. He was a marked man and on a completely different level than his teammates yet he was still sensational, finding space and creating goal-scoring opportunities. He deserved his sixth goal of the World Cup. We bid farewell to Colombia. They played a wonderful part in making this a special World Cup and gave us the true star of this tournament. However, on this night, the rest of the team was shown to be what they are. Juan Cuadrado is very good and had a great tournament but the rest were just good. Good enough to take Colombia to the last eight for the first time. It appears as this column goes to press that Neymar is out of the World Cup. Here is what we do NOT know: How good are Brazil? This is the biggest question going forward. Despite getting by two good sides they look very average relying on Neymars pace and creativity in the final third. Without Neymar, they have no real plan B in attack. Even when they are scoring, he is the one creating them. Neymars speed again made a massive difference. You will remember David Luizs goal against Chile but moments earlier it was Neymar whose run got Brazil into that territory. They will miss many things without Neymar but his pace on counters is one the biggest things. Here is a shot of how Brazil lined up in that game. You will see the ball is on the right as #7 Hulk defends his flank. Already Neymar is anticipating a quick counter, wanting to go to the left…. Once that counter happens he is away to press…. Then he wins the ball and is behind the defender…. Here is the build up to the corner won by Brazil that led to their opening goal. Colombia in possession with Neymar lurking and Cristian Zapata deep to deal with his speed….. Brazil win it back and transition with Neymar immediately heading into that zone once again… Neymar is now in possession and Zapata is losing the race despite the head start… Zapata must force it into a corner – out of nothing and all because of the quick counter made by Neymar… Neymar has carried this team on his back so far and now that back can not carry the nation any more. Man of the day Nominees David Luiz – a sensational free kick gave Brazil the moment of the World Cup so far. Thiago Silva – opened the scoring with a key early goal and was magnificent in defence throughout. James Rodriguez – His name is James. James Rodriguez. No one should ever mispronounce his name ever again. A global star was born in Brazil. Manuel Neuer – the German goalkeeper was, once again, commanding in goal on the big occasion. Got his 50th cap against France and another 50 will be on their way. Mats Hummels – Germany needed a defensive hero very badly and the Borussia Dortmund man returned from the flu to win the game for Joachim Lows side. The winner… David Luiz – He may not have been the best player on the field but it was very special for a Brazilian to score a 35 yard free kick with the SIDE of his foot in such a monumental match. What comes next? Argentina vs Belgium (12pm/9am) and Netherlands vs Costa Rica (4pm/1pm) Burning question for tomorrow Argentina have gone through this World Cup with one great player and ten average ones. Can one player step up from average to good to help Lionel Messi and dispose of Belgium? Key stat of day 23 Mats Hummels scored the 30th headed goal at the World Cup. 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