started Frances first leg in Ukraine, he was dropped at h

TORONTO - If youve played or coached in the NBA long enough, you probably have a tried and tested method for shaking off unsettling losses. A couple days removed from the Raptors most recent defeat, a triple overtime loss to the Washington Wizards, Dwane Casey is still making notes, having reviewed the game tape two or three times since Thursday night. DeMar DeRozan has also watched the tape, hoping to identify areas of weakness in his and the teams performance. However, that form of reflection is not for everybody. Some prefer to look ahead, rather than dwell on the past. "I didnt watch it," Kyle Lowry admitted. "No. We lost. I didnt watch that game." The Raptors overcame a spotty showing on the boards, giving up 18 offensive rebounds, and in the trenches, allowing 80 points in the paint, giving themselves a couple of opportunities to steal a victory in what would eventually become the franchises longest game. In the end, Toronto simply ran out of bullets. By the third overtime period, they were without Lowry, Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson - all having fouled out - as well as Terrence Ross, who left the game with an ankle injury in the first half. "Its definitely tough, just to watch it and understand how close we came to pulling it [out] but it happens," said DeRozan, who scored 34 points - his third 30-plus point outing in the last five games - in 57 minutes of action. "Its the NBA and youve got to learn from it." For Jonas Valanciunas, who struggled in overtime after sitting out the entire fourth quarter, Thursdays loss was another learning experience, one Casey hopes his young centre wont take too personally. "We all make mistakes," Casey said following practice Friday afternoon. "He made some mistakes down the stretch, hes got to learn from them, not get his head down [or] feel like the weight of the world is on his shoulders [and] play basketball." "Hes 21-years-old, not really good looking but a nice looking guy," he joked. "Why be stressed about anything?" "His role is to go in, have fun, learn, get better, improve and try to play the game the right way. If you make a mistake, okay, learn from it. Dont make the same mistake twice." With a rare four-day break looming, the Raptors have an opportunity to redeem themselves when they host the Golden State Warriors Sunday. Its been nearly three full months since they last saw the Warriors but their 112-103 loss in Oakland on Dec. 3 is not one that can easily be forgotten. "Me personally, I remember it," Lowry said of that game, in which the Raptors surrendered a 27-point lead, the largest collapse in franchise history. "At the end of the day, were a different team, theyre a different team so were just going to go out there and play our game." Just six days prior to the trade of Rudy Gay, Toronto led 88-70 after 36 minutes before the Warriors went off for a 42-point quarter. Since that night, the Raptors have gone 26-15 while solidifying themselves as one of the leagues best fourth quarter teams, holding opponents to 21.9 points in the final frame, first in the NBA. The Raptors have lost only two games when leading going into the fourth quarter this season. "It was tough, man," DeRozan said, looking back on that night. "I think that game really bothered us afterwards because we had them beat and before you know it, they started raining threes. It sucks to lose like that so we definitely understand that and I definitely think everyone remembers that." Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson accounted for 26 points, on 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range, in the fourth, carrying the Warriors to victory. The Raptors are winless in seven games facing Golden State with Curry in the lineup, allowing 119.3 points in those contests. The all-star guard averages 27.3 points and 8.7 assists against Toronto, his highest marks against any opponent in his career. "You have two of the best shooters in Golden State, probably in the league," DeRozan said of Curry and Thompson. "The way Steph can score the ball at an all-time high is definitely amazing and youve got a guy like Klay that can catch and shoot at will. It makes it tough so weve got to come out [Sunday] night and be aggressive on both ends, make it tough on them." Averaging a combined 41.8 points per game, the Warriors duo of Curry and Thompson is the NBAs highest scoring backcourt, just ahead of Lowry and DeRozan, who average 39.6. Lowry was a full participant in practice Saturday and insists he is good to go against the Warriors after coming down on his right ankle at the end of regulation Thursday. Ross was held out of practice as a precaution, though he did get some work in on the stationary bike, and is considered questionable for Sundays contest. The Raptors, who have won 12 of their last 16 at home, havent lost back-to-back games at the Air Canada Centre since Dec. 1 and hope to avoid doing so against the red-hot Warriors. Golden State, in the middle of a season-long six game road trip, has won five of six. After being held to 83 points and losing to the Bulls by 20 on Wednesday, they scored a season-high 126, dismantling the Knicks by 23 Friday night. "We stopped attacking the basket, settled for jump shots, we tried to play their game and theyre better at it," Casey said of his teams collapse in Oakland. "[We] didnt do a good job of handling their pressure offensively. They made some tough shots, now weve got to go down, attack the paint, make them play defence [and] attack the rim if our jump shots are not falling." Fake Jerseys From China . A lovely summer day in England with abundant sunshine and minimal wind allowed him to attack Royal Liverpool. Fake Jerseys Cheap . "We were left with the overall impression that the team wasnt trending toward being able to compete for a Stanley Cup," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in a news conference at the clubs arena. "And that was just a clear signal and why it was time to make those changes. https://www.fakejerseysfromchina.com/ . While he was away, it was the division-rival Baltimore Orioles conducting a little business of their own, scooping up Ubaldo Jimenez on Monday evening to a reported four-year, $50-million contract. Fake Jerseys . HEROES P.K. Subban – Scored the overtime winner and assisted on Montreal’s earlier goal, both on the power play, in a 2-1 win over Nashville. Wholesale Jerseys . Louis Blues brought in the premier unrestricted free agent centre, and did it without breaking the bank.When referee Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot in the 85th minute to award a penalty, after Southampton defender Jose Fonte pulled Per Mertesackers shirt in the box, Arsenal fans and players celebrated as if theyd already scored a goal. It was not hard to understand why. Arsenal have received a lot of praise this season, mainly around their attacking play, but it is how they have played when they have struggled in certain parts of a game that has helped them stay on top of the table. It is rare that any team is at their best throughout the 90 minutes of a game. Arsenal are certainly not at that level. Yet, when opponents have had their turn to attack and threaten, through 12 games, a mature Arsenal have stood resilient, as a unit, in belief that they can get through a difficult patch and still win the game. In most of Arsenals games this season, the key time to analyze the Gunners has been in the first 30 minutes of the second half. Rarely are games decided in the first 45 minutes of a match and against Arsenal, inferior teams, after a rest and a talk with their manager, usually test them the most at the beginning of the second half. From some teams, the severe test lasts shorter than others, depending on Arsenals response, but to learn a lot about Arsenal it is worth watching, very closely, their first 30 minutes of the second half. On Saturday against Southampton the game inside the game (between the minutes of 45 and 75) ended 0-0 but it was not easy for Arsenal. Southampton changed their tactics, putting Danny Osvaldo on next to Rickie Lambert, Mikel Arteta, who had been excellent against a fast-paced, quick counter-attacking team, was forced to leave through injury while Santi Cazorla, a wonderfully skillful player going through a difficult patch, struggled again to put his mark on the game. Arsene Wenger replaced him with Theo Walcott, who returned after a two month absence through injury, and having a player in an attacking area willing to wait to receive the ball (rather than coming to get it like many of Arsenals playmakers) helped. Up a goal, from a goalkeeping error in the first half, Arsenal were on top but needed to be solid against a fearless Southampton team who looked very much capable of snatching an equalizer. Last season teams such as Fulham, Newcastle and Aston Villa all proved to be exactly that at the Emirates, attacking with pace, scoring goals after half-time and causing their defenders many issues. After a bizarre 7-3 match against Alan Pardews men at the end of December, where Arsenal won the game inside the game (45-75 mins) 3-2, the Gunners ended 2012 in good spirits on a four game winning streak. However, by the middle of January, after losses to Manchester City and Chelsea, any hopes of winning the league were over. A midweek game against West Ham followed and at half-time, with the score at 1-1, the atmosphere inside the Emirates was miserable. Four goals inside the opening 12 minutes of the second half changed that and saw the home team crush the Hammers 5-1. Against Liverpool at home in the next match they trailed 1-0 at half-time, watched Liverpool go ahead 2-0 on the hour, before responding with two goals, between the 64th and 67th minute mark, to draw 2-2. Back-to-back home matches and back-to-back outstanding performances after half-time. Arsenal looked like a different team and its a look they have maintained through this season. In the 28 Premier League games since the loss to Chelsea in January, the Gunners have achieved 67pts, at an average of 2.39 points per game, good enough for a total of 90pts over 38 games, which will win you a Premier League title. They havent played Chelsea or Manchester City during thhat stretch but against all the teams they have come across they have performed very well in the game within the game, scoring 25 goals in 28 games between minutes 45 and 75, while conceding just eight goals.dddddddddddd This season they have conceded just three goals during that key period and two of those have been penalties. They have not lost the 45-75 minute game since a 1-0 deficit to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. Even outside of the Premier League, Arsenals success in the Champions League has come down to goals scored in that crucial time, Theo Walcotts in Marseille and Aaron Ramseys in Dortmund. Arsenals performance up to the 75th minute is not only crucial to their overall success but also sets them up mentally for whatever the final 15 minutes brings. By not losing the 45-75 minute match since the game against Villa, they have ensured that they are entering the final 15 minutes in a good position. Even at Manchester United, where they lost 1-0 to a Robin van Persie first half header, their play after half-time was excellent and meant they had a real chance at the end of the game to get something. Each of Arsenals last 12 Premier League wins, dating back to mid-April, has seen them in the lead for good by the 75th minute. The Gunners play after half-time, even when teams look like a threat, is making it harder for opponents to get back into games when behind, something that is crucial if Arsenal want to maintain success this season. That, however, didnt stop tension from entering the stadium on Saturday, after all a 1-0 scoreline is never one anyone can relax with. Then Fonte pulled the shirt, Mertesacker punched the air in delight, and the crowd erupted. While most people celebrated, one man calmly walked towards the ball and put it on the spot. For Olivier Giroud it was finally his time. In a match against Fulham last season he had been terrific, scoring two goals, including a crucial 69th minute equalizer (note the time), and when Arsenal won a penalty in the final minute he had wanted a chance at a hat-trick. "Some of the guys asked me why I didnt take the ball," he said afterwards, explaining: "Arsene Wenger has a list of penalty takers," he confirmed. Arteta was at the top of the list and missed that day, denying Arsenal two points. With Arteta, and Mesut Ozil, off the field against the Saints, it was Girouds chance and he smashed the ball past Artur Boruc to win the game and cap off a terrific individual display. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) It was quite a week for the Frenchman. Having started Frances first leg in Ukraine, he was dropped at home for the vital second leg but was on the field when his team celebrated a 3-0 win to qualify for the World Cup. He lost his grandfather two days before Saturdays match and went on to score a brace that he dedicated in his honour. The goals got Giroud the headlines but once again his link up play with the creators behind him was sensational, as was his defensive work, where his desire to enjoy the physical game and win aerial battles was crucial. He will never be a player who will score goals like a Luis Suarez or van Persie, but at Arsenal, Giroud plays a key role at getting the best out of those around him, while still showing an ability to score goals regularly enough to stop any talk of Arsenal needing another striker. During Arsenals successful run, in the last 28 games, Giroud has a more than respectable 12 league goals, with seven of them putting Arsenal ahead in a game. Much like his team, the timing of the goals have been crucial. Games last 90 minutes but Arsenal are finding ways to excel at the crucial times. ' ' '