We saw what it looked like last spring. [url=https://www.shoesnzonline.com/]Shoes NZ Online[/url] . Toronto as a basketball-mad

We saw what it looked like last spring. Shoes NZ Online . Toronto as a basketball-mad city captured not just our own attention but that of those from around the NBA. The buzz in the city, the crowds at Maple Leaf Square represented by fans from nearly every Toronto ethnic demographic ... and of course the atmosphere inside the Air Canada Centre – electric in a way it rarely, if ever, is for the local hockey team. It all felt like it might be a glimpse into the future. A future where the gap between the love of the local NBA and NHL teams might be small, where basketball might drive the sporting pulse of Toronto nearly as much as hockey. Were not there yet and we may never get there, at least for a long, long time. Outgoing Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Tim Leiweke promised an audience last month that within 10 years the Raptors would be more popular than the Leafs. That statement may say far more about Leiwekes brashness and lack of sense for the market into which hes been transplanted. But the truth is we dont really know how close the Raptors could get because theyve have been so underwhelming during most of their existence. There is little less inspiring in sports than a bottom third NBA team playing out an 82-game schedule where most nights against good teams they dont stand a chance. So to truly get a sense of how much basketball potential there is to unlock in Toronto, were going to need more than just the Raptors running off a 48-win season, pushing a team to seven games during the first round of playoffs and coming up with a splashy television ad campaign. Were going to need a sustained period of competitive basketball. One where the Raptors stay on the NBA radar, with Toronto players becoming part of the greater NBA conversation. Were going to need marquee matchups, games on national television in the US. And rivalries that matter. The challenge with the Raptors hasnt so much been about getting good for a season or two ... its been about staying that way. The Raptors have had six winning seasons in their 19-year history and one playoff series win. This time has a chance to be different. They appear to have the right management, the right coach and a team that is not built primarily around the skills of one player, whose discontentment or subpar performance could on its own completely reverse the direction of things. Theres momentum, youth and potential on their side this time. And while an NBA Championship at the end of the road would be nice, what could come from the journey getting there would be far more significant in the long run. Shoes NZ From China . He insists hes not counting. "If youre thinking hits, youre not paying attention to wins," Altuve said Sunday after leading the Houston Astros past the Texas Rangers 3-2. Cheap Shoes NZ . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/ . Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.WINNIPEG -- Receiver Nick Moore is getting ready to return to the Lions den but this time in a Winnipeg Blue Bomber uniform. "I want to beat them just as bad as I want to beat everybody else," said Moore, who spent three seasons with the B.C. Lions until he was scooped as a free agent by the Bombers after the end of 2013. "I want to win every game. Theyre just another team." Moore said his time with the Lions included highs and lows as he moved back and forth from the active roster to the practice roster, although he went out with a bang, finishing third in the CFL with 1,105 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2013. He says the Lions wanted him to stay but "it was the best choice for me to come here and, as you can see, it worked out well for me." At the same time, he suggested a little immaturity might have made him focus on the wrong things when he was wearing Lions colours. "It was a little bit up and down but I cant complain, it made me what I am today." He has already established himself as No. 1 on the Bombers receiving list this season with 221 yards after four games and is a favourite target of Winnipeg quarterback Drew Willy, who he has known since their years trying to crack the NFL. "Being with a new team, thats one of the games that you look forward to," he said of his return to Vancouver. "That being said, its just another game. Its an important game because its a divisional game but its just another game." The Bombers have moved back to the CFL West after spending almost a decade in the East following the departure of Ottawa, which has now returned to the league with the Redblacks. The Bombers will be wiithout a promising young receiver, Aaron Kelly, when they walk into B. Shoes NZ Outlet. C. Place. He continues to be bothered by a knee problem, although he did practice some this week. Promising Canadian receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino will be playing, although he didnt practice Wednesday. The Bombers will also be missing veteran defensive back Johnny Sears. They had already accepted that defensive end Jason Vega, No. 2 on Winnipegs sack list, wouldnt be playing. Coach Mike OShea confirmed Wednesday that Maurice Leggett will sub for Sears, now that Leggett is off the injured list. The Bomber offence has been working all week to close the gaps that let Willy get sacked five times last week, as they fell 26-3 to the Edmonton Eskimos, their first loss of the season. "Mentally weve had good practices all week, were definitely ready to go," said Willy. "I like our game plan this week and I think were going to go out and execute it. We really just need to go out there and be successful as an offence, really communicate, depending how loud it gets and all that, and just make sure were on the same page." Communication, or lack thereof, was an issue OShea highlighted after last weeks pasting. But nine-season CFL veteran offensive lineman Steve Morley says as far as the front five were concerned, that wasnt really their problem. "I think the communication was fine, we didnt really have missed assignments, it was more just guys getting beat," he said. "They knew we were passing, Edmonton has a really good front four rushing the passer. . . We have to use better technique, finish our plays, hopefully dont get down by 20 in the fourth quarter." ' ' '