SuperLife Sports Blog

TORONTO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) — Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds in the team’s 112-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night in NBA game.

The strong effort against the Pistons was the Lithuanian’s team-leading 11th double-double of the season.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey was proud of Valanciunas’ improvements since entering the NBA last season but said he has not reached his potential.

“He’s learning, he’s still growing,” said Casey after the victory. “This (the NBA) is a man’s league.”

After the game against the Pistons, Valanciunas averaged 10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds in 29 minutes of action, an improvement from the 8.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 24 minutes from his rookie season.

When asked on the differences between the two seasons, the 21-year-old center credited respect from the officials and his ability to stay on the court longer as factors for his success.

“That’s the biggest thing for me, to stay on the court,” said Valanciunas. “I feel more respect from the referees. I’m just trying to play hard. I’m trying to give 100% on the court.”

The Lithuanian believes respect from the officials is a product of the team’s recent winning ways.

“When you’re winning, you’re getting more respect because you are winning. We just need to win as much as we can to get that respect,” said Valanciunas.

Since the trade of Rudy Gay on Dec. 10, Toronto has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA. With an 11-5 record, Toronto has maintained their lead in the Atlantic division and appears destined for the playoffs.

Valanciunas has taken advantage of extra playing time since the trade, averaging 12.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and averaging 31 minutes.

The Raptors center is very positive about the team’s direction and would consider making the playoffs a good season.

“Our goal is playoffs,” said Valanciunas. “We’re playing like a team now. We’re sharing the ball. We’re helping each other on the defensive end. We’ve become a team.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2014-01/09/c_133031391.htm

TORONTO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — The surging Toronto Raptors continued their turnaround with a 95-82 victory against the league-leading Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in NBA action.

With the victory, Toronto improves to 9-3 since the seven-player trade with Sacramento that saw the departure of forward Rudy Gay and the arrival of guard Greivis Vasquez and forwards John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes.

The 9-3 record ties Toronto with the San Antonio Spurs for the fourth best record over the last 12 games. They trail Miami, Oklahoma City and Phoenix, who each share a 10-2 record. The 9-3 record puts Toronto ahead of division leaders in Portland and Indiana, who each hold an 8-4 record.

When the trade was agreed upon on Dec. 8, the Raptors were in the midst of a season-high five game losing streak and a 6-12 overall record.

Since then, the addition of Vasquez has solidified the backup point guard spot while Patterson and Salmons have provided veteran depth and leadership to one of the youngest team’s in the league.

Others in the NBA have taken notice of the Raptors’ rapid improvements, including Pacers head coach Frank Vogel.

“They’re playing better basketball. You have to give Coach Casey credit, he’s a great coach,” said Frank Vogel after his team’s loss against the Raptors. “He’s doing a great job with this team. They’ve turned the corner.”

During the span, the Raptors have reeled off a season-high four game winning streak, moved into first place in the Atlantic division and picked up road wins against the Mavericks and Thunder.

Pacers All-Star forward Paul George believes that the impact of a trade can affect a team positively or negatively.

“A team can fail because of a big trade like that or a team can improve. You can take it both ways,” said George. “You take guys like Terrence Ross who has been playing behind Rudy (Gay), and he gets a fresh opportunity. He’s playing with amazing confidence. I think they (a trade) could make or break a team and I definitely think they made it with this trade.”

The departure of Gay has resulted in a spike of Ross’ playing time from 18.4 minutes to 29.7 minutes a game. In the new role, the sophomore from University of Washington has increased his production from 6.2 points per game to 12.9.

The emergence of Ross resulted in all five starters finishing the month of December averaging double figures. Forward DeMar DeRozan led the way with 19.6 points in the month.

For DeRozan, he feels that the rejuvenated team has the talent and is capable of beating anyone.

“We understand that if we go out there and play with the intensity that we have in practice we can beat anybody,” said DeRozan after the victory over the Pacers. “That’s the mindset that we have when we play these opponents.”

The Raptors will need to maintain their mindset as they begin a three-game road trip that will see them face three of the top five teams in the East, Washington, Miami and a rematch against Indiana on Jan. 7.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2014-01/02/c_133013769.htm

TORONTO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — The Toronto Raptors stunned the league-leading Indiana Pacers to begin 2014 with a 95-82 victory on Wednesday night in NBA action.

With the victory, Toronto improves to 15-15 on the season, the first time the team has reached the .500 mark through 30 games since Jan. 6, 2010.

“We did a good job, the guy’s battled,” said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. “We came in hungry and fought for 48 minutes, stayed with the game plan and executed.”

Part of the game plan was containing Indiana’s All-Stars, Paul George and Roy Hibbert.

Casey specifically credits the defensive efforts of guard Terrance Ross.

“He’s guarding one of the best wing players in the league in Paul George. Paul George coming in (to the game) was really balling,” said Casey. “Ross did a heck of job of standing up into him, not giving him open looks, making him work for every inch he got.”

Entering the game, George was ranked sixth in the league averaging 23.8 points per game. Against Toronto’s defence, George was held to 12 points on 5-14 shooting and committed a season-worst 6 turnovers and 5 personal fouls.

The 2.18-meter Hibbert battled foul trouble the entire game and managed to play 21 minutes before fouling out.

While defeating the best team in the NBA is a confidence builder, Casey believes his young squad is far from reaching the ultimate goal of becoming a perennial championship contender.

“It’s another huge step as far as their growth is concerned. They’re growing, they’re developing, they’re getting better,” said Casey. “It doesn’t mean we’ve won a championship or anything. We still got work to do and a lot of growth to go.”

Despite beating Indiana, Casey still thinks highly of the Pacers.

“They’re one of the elite teams in the league, one of the best coached teams in the league,” said Casey. “They’re going to be in the money when it’s all said and done.”

With 52 games left on the season, the Raptors hope to maintain their lead in the Atlantic division, assuring the franchise of their first playoff berth since 2008.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2014-01/02/c_133013263.htm

TORONTO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) — New York Knicks forward Andrea Bargnani struggled in his first visit against his former team, the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks fell to the Raptors 115-100 in NBA action on Saturday night.

During the pre-game introductions, Bargnani was immensely booed by the 19,800 fans in a sold out Air Canada Centre.

Once the game started, the boos continued each time Bargnani touched the ball. Chants were heard when he missed a shot or committed a foul.

“I don’t really have any thought about it,” said Bargnani after the game when asked about the fan reaction.

At the 7:44 mark of the third quarter, Bargnani picked up his fourth foul and did not play for the remainder of the game.

In total, Bargnani finished the game with 12 points on 5-11 shooting and grabbed 3 rebounds. He played 17:37 in the game, the lowest of all the starters.

The 213-cm, 256-pound forward was drafted first overall by Toronto in 2006 draft, and averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game over seven seasons with the Raptors.

In the off-season, Bargnani was dealt to the Knicks in a four-player trade that netted the Raptors guard-forward Quentin Richardson, centre Marcus Camby, Steve Novak and draft picks.

Entering the game, Bargnani had started 27 of the team’s 29 games, averaging 14.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-12/29/c_133004698.htm

TORONTO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) — Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas recorded 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in the team’s 95-83 road victory over the New York Knicks in NBA action on Friday night.

His previous career high was 13 rebounds, recorded on six different occasions, the most recent occurring in the team’s Dec. 20 victory against the Dallas Mavericks.

The 2.13-meter Valanciunas was drafted fifth overall in the 2011 draft and missed the 2012 season to play in native Lithuania before joining the Raptors last season.

He averaged 8.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in 62 games last season.

This season, Valanciunas has started in all 27 games for Toronto, averaging 10.4 points and 8.3 rebounds.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-12/28/c_133003152.htm

TORONTO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) — The Toronto Raptors has finalized a trade with the Sacramento Kings involving forward Rudy Gay on Sunday evening, according to Raptors beat reporter, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.

As per Smith’s Twitter account, he confirmed with a team source that the trade will also see forward Quincy Acy and center Aaron Gray head to the Kings. In return, the Raptors will receive guard Greivis Vasquez along with forwards John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. A press call for members of the media has been scheduled for Monday.

For Gay, who did not dress for Toronto on Sunday evening against the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento will be the third NBA franchise he joins.

Gay began his career with the Memphis Grizzlies for the first six seasons before being acquired in a three-player trade with Toronto and Detroit in February 2013.

The 8-year veteran from the University of Connecticut averaged 19.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in 18 games this season.

Since arriving in Toronto, Gay has not earned better performance, shooting a career worst field-goal percentage of 38.8 this season. His career average is 15.4 field-goal attempts per game while shooting 44.7 percent.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-12/09/c_132952897.htm

TORONTO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — The Miami Heat battled the Toronto Raptors to a 90-83 victory on Friday night to extend their win streak to nine games in NBA action.

With the victory, Miami improves to 13-3 on the season, second-best in the Eastern conference behind only the 15-1 Indiana Pacers.

Miami controlled the tempo for the first two quarters and a half, going out to a 20-point lead. By the 4:03 mark of the fourth quarter, Toronto erased the deficit to two points.

“We became frustrated and more focused on a lot of things we couldn’t control in the game,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. “We didn’t get a couple of key stops and the ball stopped.”

Entering the game, the Heat had dominated during their streak, outscoring their opponents by 14.6 points and averaging 106.5 points per game. The Raptors held Miami to a season-low 90 points and lost by a 7-point deficit.

While Spoelstra credits the Raptors for their effort, he believes that part of the collapse in the third quarter was due to the team’s lack of intensity with a big lead.

“Clearly we’re a different team once we’re up 20. That’s something we constantly have to work at, stay on edge,” said Spoelstra. “Most of it is mental, and most of it is with us and that’s a challenge.”

All-star forward Lebron James agrees with his coach’s analysis but enjoys playing in close games as opposed to blowouts games where the starters do not see any action in the fourth quarter.

“These games are fun. I love the rest, but I hate sitting in the fourth quarter,” said James. “You got to have these type of games throughout the course of the season; games that challenge you. To see how you can execute, to see who will show up at the end of the game.”

Lebron executed in the final four minutes of the game, outscoring the entire Raptors’ team 7-2, pushing the 83-81 Miami lead to the 90-83 final score.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-11/30/c_132930815.htm

TORONTO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — The undermanned Brooklyn Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors 102-100 in NBA action on Tuesday night to improve to 4-10 on the season and take the fourth place in the Atlantic division.

“The guys fought on the road against a talented team and we got the win,” said Nets head coach Jason Kidd.

The win not only snapped the team’s five-game losing streak, but came without four of the team’s top players. All-Stars Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko and Brook Lopez were all out with injuries while guard Jason Terry was also out with a bruised left knee.

“The guys that played tonight, they played well and played hard,” said Kidd.

As a first-year coach, Kidd has experienced growing pains. He believes that team communication has improved over the course of the season and was the key to their victory against the Raptors.

“They were talking for 48 minutes,” said Kidd. “The schemes defensively and offensively weren’t always perfect, but they stayed the course for four quarters.”

All-Star Paul Pierce concurs with his coach’s analysis of the victory.

“We really made an extra effort in talking on defence a lot more than we have,” said Pierce. “Communication all night, we protected the paint.”

Teammate Kevin Garnett was pleased with the victory and thought the team can build from it.

“It’s huge,” said Garnett when asked about the importance of a victory. “We’ve been fighting through this and have to continue fighting through this and ride the momentum as long as we can.”

With a league-high 101 million U.S. dollar team payroll and 36 all-star selections between six players, high expectations have surrounded the team since the start of the season.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-11/27/c_132922481.htm

TORONTO, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) — Portland Trailblazers defeated the Toronto Raptors 118-110 in overtime in NBA action Sunday afternoon to extend their winning streak to six games.

With the victory, Portland improves to 8-2 on the season and second place in the Western conference, trailing just the 9-1 San Antonio Spurs.

“We’re really confident,” said point guard Damian Lillard, who recorded a team-high 25 points against the Raptors. “We got to understand that we work hard in practice and we stay together during the course of each game.”

The 8-2 start is Portland’s best in thirteen years when the team started the 1999-2000 season 9-1.

“We got to keep that mindset going into every game so we can try to continue the success,” said Lillard.

Lillard, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, is the cornerstone of the franchise that had significant changes made in the off-season by general manager Neil Olshey to improve the team’s depth.

Olshey added to the team’s existing core of forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum in the offseason with the signing of all-star Mo Williams. He also gained veteran experience with the signings of forward Dorrell Wright and guard Earl Watson.

Additionally, center Robin Lopez and forward Thomas Robinson were acquired by trade to give the team depth in the middle.

Head coach Terry Stotts has taken this roster and placed an emphasis on 3-point shooting.

“We’ve got enough good shooters that if you give them shots, they will make their fair share,” said Stotts following the victory over the Raptors in which the team hit fifteen 3-point shots.

The team entered the game ranked fifth in the NBA in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage.

“We are who we are. We have to play our style of game,” said Stotts. “32 threes (point attempts) in an overtime game; that’s about right.”

The focus on outside shooting has helped the team achieve their longest winning streak since February 2011. That season, the team finished 48-34 and reached the first round of the playoffs.

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who was part of the 2011 team, believes that the current roster is more talented and has higher expectations than the first round.

“I think we have a lot of guys on this team that can score in a lot of different ways. We have more weapons,” said Aldridge. “We have guys on any given night that can go off for 20 or 30 points.”

Aldridge also credits the coaching style of coach Stotts for the team’s quick ascend in the past season.

“He’s given guys freedom and put guys in position to do their best,” said Aldridge. “That’s been big for us.”

Aldridge and the rest of the Trail Blazers will be in Brooklyn tomorrow to try to extend their streak to seven games. The franchise record is 16consecutive wins, set during March 20 through April 19, 1991.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-11/18/c_132896215.htm

TORONTO, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) — The Utah Jazz fell to the Toronto Raptors 91-115 in NBA action on Saturday night to remain the only NBA team without a victory in the season.

The 0-7 record to start the season is the Jazz’s worst since 1975 when the New Orleans Jazz started their inaugural season 0-11.

“This is not fun,” said Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin. “I don’t think we showed up with the intensity that we needed to compete with these guys.”

Corbin’s squad started the season at a high competitive level with consecutive three-point losses to the Thunder and Rockets.

The five games since were all double-digit losses, with the 24-point loss to the Raptors being the largest margin of defeat.

“I thought there were times where we felt sorry for ourselves at times,” said Corbin.

Having played four games in five nights on the road, the players went through their toughest five game period of the season.

Despite the 0-7 start, the Jazz franchise entered the season low expectations. Having lost veterans Al Jefferson, Paul Milsap, Mo Williams and Randy Foye to free agency in the offseason, the franchise is in a rebuilding stage.

“We’re trying to rebuild. The last 2.5 years, we’ve come along and decided to go this route,” said Corbin.

While the expectations are low, Corbin was not happy with the energy his team showed against the Raptors.

“If we lose games fighting and competing, we can deal with that,” said Corbin. “We don’t want to come in and show up and think it’s going to happen. We go to make it happen.”

With 75 games remaining on the season, Corbin will have an opportunity to develop his core of young players; center Enes Kanter, forward Derrick Favors and guard Gordon Hayward.

Should the team continue their struggles, they will increase their likelihood of winning the NBA draft lottery; and the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft which consists of Andrew Wiggins, a prized prospect playing at the University of Kansas.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-11/10/c_132875666.htm