BROOKLYN - As the Raptors opening round series shifts back into quasi must-win territory on Sunday, their playoff lives could re

BROOKLYN - As the Raptors opening round series shifts back into quasi must-win territory on Sunday, their playoff lives could rest on the shoulders of a 23-year-old sophomore, who is already having a tough time adjusting to the pressure of his first postseason. Cheap West Virginia Jerseys Free Shipping . Through three games with the Nets, Toronto has yet to play its best basketball, the easiest explanation for their 2-1 series deficit. Its under-performing starting small forward, Terrence Ross, has been a primary factor. Stepping in for the traded Rudy Gay early in the season, Ross played an under-appreciated role in the Raptors turnaround and push to the playoffs. From Dec. 8 onwards, the second-year guard-turned-forward averaged 12.2 points, nearly doubling his pre-trade scoring mark while logging an addition 10 minutes a night. He shot the three-ball at an impressive 40 per cent clip and became Torontos most relied upon perimeter defender. Since making his playoff debut a week ago, Ross has looked like a fish out of water. Despite starting all three games and playing an average of 21 minutes, hes hit just three of his 16 jumpers while looking overwhelmed on defence against Brooklyns bigger, more physical wing players. Overall, the Raptors have gotten just 4.7 points per game from the small forward position, good for last among the NBAs 16 playoff teams by a wide margin. With Fridays 102-98 loss in the back of his mind, Dwane Casey wouldnt rule out the possibility of a lineup change for Sundays crucial Game 4. "Were still going to look at that," Casey said following a Saturday afternoon practice on the campus of a nearby university in New York City. "The decision hasnt been made but we will look at it. Right now we dont want to do anything drastic." "Its not panic time, but we do have to look at that position and get more productivity out of that spot." Its been the most problematic conundrum Casey has had to wrestle with in this series. The Raptors do not have an easy answer for Joe Johnsons unique combination of size, strength and finesse. The Nets crafty veteran - listed at 6-foot-7, 240 lbs - has had Torontos number in nearly every facet of the game. He can beat you from midrange, post-up smaller players and hes deadly from beyond the arc. "We have been double teaming him and blitzing him and hes been getting a lot of his [points] in those one-on-one situations," Casey pointed out. Defensively, Landry Fields has had the most individual success against Johnson. Casey turned to the sparingly used forward in Game 2, a well-received lineup adjustment that helped neutralize Johnson in the fourth quarter and spark Torontos comeback victory. Johnson would go on to lead the Nets with 29 points in Fridays Game 3 but was held scoreless, missing both of his shots, in seven first-half minutes with Fields guarding him. However, Fields was limited to just eight minutes in the loss. This time the Nets had prepared for him. Anticipating his reluctance to shoot, Brooklyn used Fields defender to apply even more pressure to DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. With Jonas Valanciunas in foul trouble, Fields shared the floor with Tyler Hansbrough - another player the defence can afford to overlook - and the Raptors offence took an immediate hit. "Its give and take," Casey said in regards to utilizing Fields in this series. "You sacrifice some offence for defence. I thought he did a heck of a job [defensively] but you do suffer in your spacing." John Salmons returned to the rotation, scoring four points in 12 minutes on Friday after sitting out in Game 2. The 35-year-old has battled lingering back pain while struggling with his jumper. He too has been exposed by Johnson. "Weve got to find ways to get them the ball," Casey said of Fields and Salmons. "Whether its cutting, screening, running the floor, so that we get something from that spot [and] they cant just load up and go 5-on-4 at the defensive end. We want to make sure we do get something offensively out of that position." Their best chance is to get Ross going. Fields moves well without the ball and gives you consistent effort on defence, Salmons brings a certain veteran savvy that has been useful in the past but Ross - when right - is the two-way contributor Toronto desperately needs to gain the upper hand in this series. For the young Ross, boosting his confidence could be the key to unleashing the natural ability he has displayed throughout his second season. It could be something as simple as seeing an early shot fall, getting a big first-quarter stop or throwing down one of his trademark slam dunks. "Hes still the same Terrence," DeRozan said Saturday. "We all understand everybodys not going to have their best night [all the time]. We all understand that. Our job is to keep everybodys confidence high." Through three playoff games, Ross and fellow sophomore Jonas Valanciunas - who leads the Raptors in turnovers - have the worst +/- on the team. Toronto has allowed 24 more points than its scored with Ross on the floor, outscored by 21 with Valanciunas on the floor. The Raptors are the only playoff team to feature two second-year players in their starting lineup. Their inexperience and overall importance to the future of this franchise is largely responsible for the leash theyve been given. "If they werent young guys, if that wasnt our future, our direction, they probably wouldnt be in there with some of the mistakes theyre making," Casey admitted. "But, theyre our guys. Theyve got to learn, its their first playoffs. I expect most of their mistakes. Were going to ride with them in those situations." "Its tougher, but a big part of the reason were here is because of their play. Im not blind to the fact they are our future and the only way were going to learn is to go through it. The amount of time might be a little shorter, but theyve got to get out there." Regardless of his role, Ross will continue to play. Yes, win or lose this is a valuable learning experience for the 23-year-old but more than anything else, Casey knows how quickly the complexion of this series could change if Ross shots begin to fall. For Ross, the player, that would mean more confidence and likely a more engaged defensive effort, even if he cant guard Johnson one-on-one. For the team it could aid their spacing, take the pressure off Lowry and DeRozan and breathe life into their suffocating offence. Will Grier College Jersey . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. Geno Smith College Jersey . -- Lindsey Vonn squeezed in a little freeskiing on Thanksgiving morning, a step in the right direction for a return to racing after reinjuring her right knee in a recent training crash. http://www.cheapwestvirginiajerseys.com/ . Hes even holding a bat on one of his 2014 baseball cards. So far, hes playing like his picture.SAN ANTONIO -- About an hour after the season ended, Chris Bosh was standing near the bus ramp from where the Miami Heat would soon depart for the airport and the off-season. Miamis two-year reign was over. And Bosh almost sounded relieved. The Heat got rolled in the NBA Finals by San Antonio, losing in five games, the last three of them lopsided, and for the first time since 2011 there would be no championship parade in Miami. The same team that the Heat wore down in the 2013 finals had all the answers, ushering in a summer for Miami that will be filled with questions about the futures of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Bosh. "I dont think anybody really enjoyed this season like in years past," Bosh told The Associated Press. "There was no, like, genuine joy all the time. It seemed like work. It was a job the whole year. Winning was just a relief. Losing was a cloud over us sometimes and then wed break out of it -- and then go right back. But we got here. We had a chance. They were just better." That being said, and while hardly committing to a fifth season of the "Big 3" era in Miami, Bosh made it clear: The group wants to remain intact. Whether or not personal choices and financial realities of a salary-capped, luxury-taxed world will allow that to happen remain unclear. "We want to stay together, man," Bosh said. "Ill say that. Its a great organization, great team and great city. And to have a chance, thats all you can ask for." James insisted he hasnt thought about what decisions he has to make this summer. Wade has often expressed interest in remaining with the Heat. Bosh has said repeatedly that he wants to stay. But all can become free agents in the next couple weeks, and the Heat might be rooting for that to happen. By opting out, they could get new deals with the Heat and create financial flexibility for team president Pat Riley to lure new pieces into a locker room that will need new faces. "The whole league continues to get better every single year," James said. "Obviously we would need to get better from every facet, every position. Its just how the league works." For as well as he played in Game 5 -- 31 points and 10 rebounds in what would be the final game of Miamis run as cchampion -- James best display of defence came afterward, when pressed repeatedly about his future. Tavon Austin College Jersey. "I will deal with my summer when I get to that point," James said. "Me and my team will sit down and deal with it. I love Miami. My family loves it. But obviously right now thats not even what Im thinking about. You guys are trying to find answers. Im not going to give you one." The Heat arent expected to hold exit interviews until later this week. James and Wade shared the postgame podium Sunday, possibly for the last time. Wade seemed to be labouring in the last two games of the finals, shooting just 28 per cent from the floor and 50 per cent from the foul line. "It wasnt just Dwyane," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Wades struggles. "It was pretty much everybody except for LeBron." Wades knees and health have been a concern all year, never more than in the finals. "Im all right," Wade said. "Cant win them all. You try to, but you cant win them all." The Heat have known for four years that this summer of decisions and possible changes was looming, and have planned accordingly. Besides the "Big 3," the locker room is filled with free-agents-in-waiting. Chris Andersen, who excelled for little money the last two seasons, will be getting a raise from someone. Mario Chalmers can leave, Ray Allen isnt sure if hell play in Miami or anywhere else, Shane Battier is retiring and Udonis Haslem -- who has been with the Heat for 11 seasons, just like Wade -- also has an uncertain future. "It wasnt a distraction," Haslem said. " We got here. And if someone had told me when I signed on the dotted line that Id go to four straight finals, Id take it." The Spurs dont see the Heat going anywhere. "Theyre a class act and theyll be back next year for sure," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I dont think anybody would really doubt that." Bosh can only hope hes right. "I see why people were saying three-peating is hard. I get it now," Bosh said. "I get it. Theres just so many other things you have to fight. The human psyche, the human condition. Were all human. And it was a long, tough season." 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