Forum » didnt seem so important

TORONTO - Moments after the most memorable game of his young life came to a close, an usually large crowd gathered around the locker of Bruno Caboclo, just a few feet to the left of DeMar DeRozans. You play one game and you get this?, joked DeRozan, who is accustomed to seeing the media jockey for position around his locker. Lou Williams chanted the rookies name over and over, echoing the screams of a sellout crowd at the Air Canada Centre Friday, and took photos of the scrum on his phone. Your moms going to love this, said Williams. Smiling ear-to-ear, the 19-year-old Caboclo searched for the words to describe a night that no one saw coming. Concluding a franchise-longest seven-game home stand, with LeBron James and the Cavaliers on deck the following evening, the Raptors were understandably wary of the upstart Milwaukee Bucks, who came in with a 7-5 record having won three in row. The result: their second-most lopsided victory in team history. I thought the mental focus was great, Dwane Casey said following his teams impressive 41-point rout of Milwaukee. No one in that locker room was even talking about tomorrow night. The Raptors trailed for seconds early in the game before taking control. Their lead continued to grow and by the end of the third quarter they were up 101-57, igniting chants for Caboclo, the 20th pick in Junes draft who has quickly become a cult favourite in Toronto. On queue, the rookie entered to a rousing ovation. Fans repeated his name in unison. They used it to replace defence when the Bucks had the ball. Lets go Raptors became Lets go Bruno. Shortly after his first shot rimmed out, Caboclo caught an alley-oop pass from Williams for his first NBA bucket. The building was shaking. [There were] butterflies in my stomach, the Brazilian forward admitted after the game. Everybodys saying my name. Its incredible. The biggest and most promising takeaway from his 12 minutes of action, like his performance in the pre-season and Summer League: he showed no fear. He was confident in his jump shoot - hitting a pair of three-balls, one from the corner and a step-back jumper over Ersan Ilyasova - and he showed off his wingspan on defence, swatting Nate Wolters shot from behind. I thought it was special, Casey said. The kids a beautiful kid. Like any other kid hes learning and growing in the NBA. As a coach, I see him growing everyday and know what he needs to work on, but it was great to get an opportunity to get him in the game. Led by starters Kyle Lowry (20 points, nine rebounds on the night) and Jonas Valanciunas (18 points, 12 rebounds), the Raptors dropped 37 first-quarter points on Milwaukee, the NBAs fourth ranked defensive team entering the game. But it was Torontos bench that really put the game out of reach. Chuck Hayes pushed around the Bucks bigs, Greivis Vasquez had 11 points in his best outing of the season and Williams led all scorers with 22, beating the buzzer with three-pointers at the end of both the first and second quarters. Shooting 52 per cent from the field, 15-for-25 from long range and out-rebounding Milwaukee by 27, the Raptors more than overcame a 1-for-8 shooting performance from DeRozan, their leading scorer. One of Caboclos treys, midway through the fourth quarter, gave Toronto a 52-point advantage, the largest lead in franchise history. Guys came out with a professional approach, Casey said. We thought it was going to be a tough battle. We knew that they had been playing well so our guys were focused and came in with a business-like approach, which we needed and wanted. The Raptors finished their 6-1 home stand the way they started it. Two weeks ago they put together one of their most complete efforts of the season - a 19-point wire-to-wire victory over the Wizards. Since that night, they crushed whats looking like a historically terrible 76ers team, dropped a tough game to the Bulls after a flat third quarter and needed late-game rallies to steal wins over Orlando, Utah and Memphis. In the end, they outscored opponents by a total of 111 points (15.9 per contest) over that stretch. Its very difficult to do, to play at home this many games in a row, Casey said. Psychologically, its tough to go through the grind, the monotony of every other day or whatever the schedule was. I think our guys mentally fought through that and thats something thats a credit to them. Thats what weve been preaching, is to fight through things mentally, be focused, dont let outside distractions get you outside what you want to do. So Ive been relatively pleased. I really like the focus of our team right now. Weve got to maintain it, be consistent with it. Thats the main thing right now. You just stay focused, man, Hayes said. You understand that its a marathon, you understand that were playing for something bigger than a seven-game home stand. Youve got to win these games at home, youve got to protect home. Due to the fact that weve been lucky enough to have a seven-game home stand in November, December were out there on that road and were going to need each other. Thats when the real test begins. How will they fair when adversity hits? Will the chemistry theyve raved about hold up? We really havent hit the dog days of the season yet, December and January is where it hits you, Hayes said. But we have a great group of veterans, a great group of guys, who know how to be professionals. If we slip up we hold each other accountable and thats very important in this locker room. They will see four playoff caliber opponents over their next four games, two of them on the road, beginning with the James and the new-look Cavaliers in Cleveland on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday. Its been nearly five years since the Raptors have defeated James, going back to his first stint in Ohio. Since then, hes had their number - mostly as a member of the Heat - winning 16 straight meetings with Toronto. Hes one more victory away from tying Steve Nash for most consecutive wins (by a player) over the Raps. Overall, theyre 32-7 against the King, with their last road win coming in 2004, his rookie year. While the Cavaliers have struggled to find themselves on the defensive end with a newly formed big three, Washington has been undermanned in the absence of injured, and recently mended guard Bradley Beal, and the rest of the East has looked predictably average, the Raptors have taken advantage of their continuity and a forgiving early-season schedule. [Its] very significant, said Hayes. Because it gives you that margin of error when you do hit those dog days in December and January. Zach Davies Jersey . The turf is scheduled to give way to actual grass that is bright green, so we dont have to complain any more—we just have to wait a few years. Instead, do feel free to complain if the roof is closed for any reason other than to allow a game to be played. Cory Spangenberg Brewers Jersey . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/749y-ray-bl...ey-brewers.html. -- LeGarrette Blount wasnt satisfied with three short touchdown runs, not against a team coming off the second greatest comeback in playoff history. David Freitas Brewers Jersey . Prado stuck his glove down with Colorados Charlie Blackmon sliding into the bag, and quickly jumped back in pain after applying the tag. Prado held his left wrist as trainers came out of the Diamondbacks dugout to check him. Jimmy Nelson Brewers Jersey . Steve has built a solid reputation throughout the years - first as a hockey player, then as an NHL general manager and now as a scout.It was back in 1991 that Stephen Ames got a taste of what life in Canada would be like. For a guy raised in the tropical temperatures of Trinidad, it was a rude Calgary welcome. "I think the wind chill was minus-55," he said recalling his first Canadian winter spent living in the basement of his mother-in-laws house. "I never left the house." Ames has never really grown fond of winter, but he has certainly fallen in love with Canada. On Wednesday, the country paid him back for that by naming him to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. A four-time winner on the PGA Tour including the 2006 Players, Ames is winding down his career on the regular tour and preparing to join the 50-and-over gang on the Champions circuit in April after reaching the magic age of 50. For most of this year, hell split his time between the two tours using his top 50-career money list exemption on the PGA Tour. When asked what he thought the difference between the two tours would be, Ames said it might have to do with what happens off the course. "I think its the 19th hole," he said with a chuckle. "I think its a bit more relaxed after the round." Ames would be a worthy inductee based solely on his playing record, but his contributions to Canadian golf go well beyond that. He has run the Stephen Ames Cup for the past decade, a team event that pits squads from Canada against those from Trinidad. Some of the youngsters who have participated in that event have gone on to earn U.S. college scholarships. And he was instrumental in bringing the Shaw Charity Classic to Calgary, helping line up a team of big rollers in the Western Canadian city to lay the foundation for the Champions Tour event. Ames was also the guy who gave an energetic young teacher named Sean Foley a chance to work with a PGA Tour pro. We all know where thats gone. When asked what the top mark of his career is, Ames didnt hesitate. "Its this," he stated, in reference to his indduction.dddddddddddd "I think being in the Hall of Fame is the highlight." On the course, Ames said that his Players victory was at the top of his personal list. I can say that in all the golf Ive covered and watched, that is simply the best 18 holes of golf Ive ever witnessed. Ive never seen anyone control his golf ball for every shot as Ames did that day. All he did was beat the best field in golf by six shots. I remember some of the biggest names in the game that day shaking their heads in disbelief at what he was doing to TPC Sawgrass. For some people, Ames is seen as a prickly personality but to those who get to know him, nothing could be further from the truth. Hes a guy with a huge heart who loves to laugh and loves his family. Sometimes when he speaks his mind, it can get him in trouble such as the occasion when he questioned Tiger Woods driving ahead of the 2006 Match Play. While a lot was made of that and the subsequent beating Woods laid on him, what he said wasnt wrong. Woods was hitting it all over the lot with his driver. After he won the Players, some media members took him to task for saying he might skip the Masters to go on a family vacation. They couldnt understand how someone would pass up the years first major, the one thats exceptionally difficult to get into. What many failed to realize was that his wife, Jodi, was recovering from surgery for lung cancer. Suddenly a golf tournament, even the Masters, didnt seem so important. There are also still some who, for small-minded reasons, dont even consider him a Canadian. To me, a guy who leaves his native country to willingly take up citizenship, to give back to the game here, to start businesses here, to create tournaments here and make his home full time in Canada – and even cheer for the Calgary Flames -- is about as Maple Leaf as they come. Ames is more than deserving of a spot in Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, even if hes never learned to love those nasty wind chills. ' ' '