ena. However, it wasnt a record crowd for Grand Rapids, whic | Forum

FIVE QUICK NBA THOUGHTS: 1. Mo Alexander Rams Jersey . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success. This team has gotten off track from the formula that it was using beautifully of late. The games against the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Mondays loss to the Charlotte Bobcats all had major stretches where this team looked like they acted as if they had already "arrived" and didnt have to do the dirty work anymore and just wanted to win pretty instead of grinding it out and laying it on the line with great effort and passion. I felt bad for coach Dwane Casey in Charlotte. Its a helpless feeling as a coach when you have a team that thinks that they can beat folks with talent and not have to do the work to win. He was scrambling, trying to mix and match combinations and burn timeouts to give wake up calls, yet in the end, a terrific desperate effort came up short. As you can tell, I havent even mentioned Xs and Os once and dont have to or plan to - thats not the issue here, nor is it talent. To sum it up, winning is really, really, really hard to do, but losing is really easy. Youre a 20-20 club. Do you want to be mediocre or average or do you want to accomplish something? Its gut-check time and theres a very simple solution to the problem: Respect your opponent, have top-notch attention to detail, compete with great passion and stay committed to the team concept. You do that and youll be fine. If you dont, there will be changes. The trade deadline is 30 days away. You dont want to get stuck in no mans land. You gave away three games in the past six days to teams that are banged up with slightly inferior talent levels and you have to wonder about the direction you want to take this. I love what general manager Masai Ujiri has done with this whole thing, being patient with the process. Its all on the players now. Its time to produce and, more importantly, learn from this experience and, if you do have success again, dont let these things happen again. You cant stay like this - either cross the line and be a consistently good team with great habits or make changes. The clock is ticking now. 2. HERE THEY COME: Hearing footsteps yet? Im sure youve all noticed that the Atlanta Hawks have gotten the third seed back in its possession and the Brooklyn Nets are now breathing right down the Raptors backs with Deron Williams back in the line-up, as well as a huge game on Monday between the Raptors and Nets in Brooklyn coming up. And dont sleep on the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls, either. Theyre both 20-20 and not going away. The Raptors had a chance to make hay against weak competition and didnt do it. Things get tougher and tougher now. Can they still win the Atlantic? Sure. Can they get the #3 seed? Sure. If, and its a big if, they play the way theyre capable of playing. Excellence is a habit, not an act. This is a nice test coming up and well all find out in the next few weeks what theyre all about. I think they can do it. Its a good group of guys with enough talent that get more than a good share of the coaching and leadership they need to be successful. Theyve now put themselves into a "backs are against the wall" scenario and maybe thats what this team needs and I cant wait to find out. The middle part of the schedule is when the distancing starts to happen. Who will fight and contend and who will fade away and make plans for golf and the beach for mid-April? The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat already know what their spring plans are, but the rest of the East is in complete flux. It is all starting to take shape now and the competition is on. 3. NICK YOUNG (Lakers): This guy can flat out score. He torched the Raptors on Sunday with some ridiculous shots and then drops 31 against a terrific Bulls defence on Monday. Hes one of those guys that will always have a job because its hard to find guys who can heat up like him and bring you back into a game. His defence and maturity are areas you wonder about sometimes, but he is a talented guy who has some high octane ability. He creates his own shot quite well and shoots it from distance effectively. Hes able to get to the foul line and has good creativity with his ball skills. He seems to wear out his welcome eventually, but while you have him, he gets you the numbers, thats for sure. 4. RICKY RUBIO (Timberwolves): Hes an exceptional defender and a wonderfully entertaining and creative passer and playmaker. With that said, for his game to truly get to the next level, he has to become a guy who is a consistent long range shooting threat in order to open up his impact in the screen and roll game and space the defence out, because youve got to come out and guard him rather than sag off him. Hes a point guard who can make all the plays with amazing vision and reflexes, yet for him to reach that upper tier, he needs to get his shot mechanics in order. He has great work habits, so Im sure hell pay the price. If he gets that together, he can make that next step. 5. JOAKIM NOAH (Bulls): You gotta love this guy. Hes already had three 20 and 15 games this season and had 17 and 21 against the Lakers last night in an OT win. Since the Bulls traded Luol Deng, hes been on a mission and hes playing angry and with amazing energy. Hes a winner in every sense and doesnt get enough credit for this, but hes a really good passer. Hes a smart player who makes the right play next in your offensive sequence. Hes got a bigger piece of the puzzle in the Bulls scheme now with Deng in Cleveland and hes responding. Noah is not a bad guy to bank on. And, by the way, Im happy for former Raptor DJ Augustin. Hes found a home with this Bulls team and playing pretty well. Hes a good guy who has the talent to help you win.Im glad its worked out for him. Eric Dickerson Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Mark Barron Jersey . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.footballramsstore.us/authentic-tre-mason-rams-jersey/ .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. DETROIT -- Spencer Abbott and Greg McKegg scored shootout goals to lift the Toronto Marlies to a 4-3 victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins on Monday in an AHL outdoor game in front of 20,337 at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Abbott had two assists during regulation, and McKegg had one. They were the only players to score in the five-round shootout. Luke Glendening, who was playing in his fourth career outdoor game, scored twice for the Griffins. "Its special," said Glendening, a Grand Rapids native and Michigan graduate. "Its in Detroit, and I come to Tigers games with my family and friends, so to be able to play here was fun. "Obviously, were frustrated with the outcome, but to soak in the whole experience was special." Carter Ashton had a goal and an assist for the Marlies. The game was part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival. preceding the NHLs Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium on New Years Day. "It was louder than I thought it was going to be," Griffins coach Jeff Blashill said. "The fans were into it for sure, and Id be interested to be a Tiger and see what its like when its full because it was loud out there. "It was a great atmosphere." Of the seven previous AHL outdoor games, five have gone to overtime. Toronto forward Kenny Ryan, who is from nearby Franklin, Mich., scored the tying goal at 2:22 of the third period. "I come to games a lot in the summer with friends and family,&quuot; Ryan said. William Hayes Rams Jersey. "It was a pretty cool experience sitting out there in the outfield, almost, just looking at all the people that came, everything that was going on. "It was a really great experience." Light snow fell periodically throughout the game, and the game-time temperature was a chilly 22 degrees. Outdoor games are generally tougher on the goalies, who dont get a chance to warm up on the heated benches. "It was definitely tough staying warm out there," Griffins goalie Tom McCollum said. "I was skating around as much as I could. I actually ended up switching to a heavier shirt after the first period. It seemed to help a little bit but its one of those things you have to battle through." Marlies counterpart Drew Macintyre, who spent time in the Detroit organization, admitted to his own struggles, as well. "After a while, you get comfortable in a game. Pucks tend to kind of stick to you," Macintyre said. "Every puck, it was a battle to kind of cradle the rebounds. The entire game, you feel like you just got into the game. Even when I got into the shootout, it was like the game just started. "I hadnt got into a rhythm. That was different." It was the largest home crowd for the Griffins, who usually play at the 10,834-seat Van Andel Arena. However, it wasnt a record crowd for Grand Rapids, which played some games during its International Hockey League days at the 20,804-seat Palace -- the home of the NBAs Detroit Pistons. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '