Dein erstes Forum » the final lap. "I was feeling strong, I

TORONTO - When the Raptors first set out on their daunting six-game, two-week journey - broken up by the short holiday break in between - a record of 2-4 may have seemed like a passable, perhaps even optimistic final result. At worst, that looked to be where their recent road trip was headed. They hung with a talented Bulls team until the closing minutes in Chicago before heading out West. They upset the Clippers in L.A. and battled altitude on the second night of a back-to-back, coming up victorious in Denver. They wrapped up a historic calendar year in Portland, dropping a hard-fought overtime contest to the red-hot Trail Blazers. Then the elements got the best of them, undoubtedly leaving a sour taste in their mouths as they made their long-awaited and much needed return to Toronto on Monday. The Raptors opened 2015 with a pair of uncharacteristically lifeless outings in Oakland and Phoenix, surrendering 251 total points in suffering their most lopsided defeats of the season. Battling the expected fatigue that tends to take over at the end of a long trip, with Kyle Lowry running on fumes, carrying the weight of the injured DeMar DeRozan, Toronto ran into two opponents that anyone would hate to face with heavy legs in the Warriors and Suns. They simply ran out of gas. These West Coast excursions have long been a cause of frustration for the franchise ,but these two blowouts still seemed odd, an unfamiliar sight to behold during a campaign in which theyve competed with remarkable consistency. It was the first time all year they had been thoroughly outplayed, not just once but twice in two games and, for that reason theyve earned the benefit of the doubt, at least for now. Billed as their biggest test of the season to this point, and it was, this trip was supposed to help expose the teams true personality. But it didnt. The same questions remain. Are their impressive offensive numbers a mirage and can they defend enough to hang with the leagues elite clubs? Is their 24-10 record a product of what many have called a soft early-season schedule or are they still trending upwards? What are they really made of? Much of this uncertainty can be attributed to the absence of DeRozan, who has missed over five weeks worth of games with a torn tendon in his groin, but is expected to be back in uniform when the Raptors return to the court at home to the Hornets on Thursday. Toronto has gone 11-7 without its leading scorer - 10-1 against sub-.500 competition, but just 1-6 versus winning teams over that stretch. The Raptors have lost three games by 10 points or more this season - all of them without DeRozan, with two coming on this trip. Theyve squandered three games in which they held a lead going into the fourth quarter - twice on the trip, all without DeRozan. This is not to say, with any certainty, that he is the sole cause of, or the easy solution to these problems. Even with DeRozan, the Raptors had their share of difficulty against elite competition last season (they were 16-25 against winning clubs), prone to late-game offensive droughts similar to the ones that spelled recent disaster in losses to the Bulls and Blazers. If nothing else, getting DeRozan back should help decipher whether or not these are big-picture concerns. More than anything else, their most pressing concern remains on the defensive end. Only the lowly Knicks and Timberwolves are giving up more points per 100 possessions than the Raptors since the end of November - when DeRozan missed his first contest - aided by their second-ranked offence. They allowed a 40-point first quarter (at Golden State), a 43-point second quarter (at Phoenix) and a 49-point fourth quarter (at Chicago) in three separate games on the recent trip. That will be Dwane Caseys emphasis when they hit the practice gym at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday and DeRozans impending return should help restore some normalcy on that end - they were ranked ninth in defensive efficiency prior to his injury. Although DeRozan is considered an average on the ball defender, at best, his familiarity with and commitment to Caseys schemes have been missed. Beyond that, his return shifts everyone back to their natural roles, taking pressure off of Lowry - one of their more capable stoppers - and reducing the defensive responsibilities of Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez on the perimeter. Plus, his knack for getting to the line (they attempted nearly seven fewer free throws per game in his absence) helps reset the defence. His return, and the teams homecoming, couldnt be coming at a better time. The Raptors will have three days - including two full practice sessions - to regroup before hosting the Hornets and, likely, welcoming DeRozan back just under six weeks after he sustained his injury. Theyll take on four losing teams at home (with a combined record of 36-95) before facing another tough test in the now first-place Atlanta Hawks and a much improved New Orleans Hornets team to round out a six-game home stand. Cheap Rickey Henderson Jersey .com) - The Boston Bruins announced Monday that the team has signed goaltender Niklas Svedberg to a one-year contract. Cheap Dave Winfield Jersey . Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist as the New York Islanders earned a 2-1 win over Ottawa Wednesday, leaving the Senators five points out of a playoff spot with just five games to play and four teams ahead of them. http://www.cheappadresjerseys.com/ . The Opening Day starter played 53 games this season hitting .192 with nine home runs and 25 RBI. Red Sox manager John Farrell has decided to start Jose Iglesias at third base as of late instead of Middlebrooks. Cheap Tony Gwynn Jersey . Tokarski, a somewhat controversial choice -- with his 10 games of NHL experience and all -- to replace an injured Carey Price in Game Two had a night to remember, turning back a Rangers team that was dominating play from the get-go, outshooting the Canadiens 14-4 in the first period and 37-25 overall. Wholesale Padres Jerseys . The Giants chances of winning the division were dealt a serious blow by the three-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Padres. The Giants open a three-game series at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. San Francisco is still in good shape to clinch a wild-card berth, although it dropped into a tie with Pittsburgh in the race for the top spot.GLASGOW -- When Catharine Pendrel bumped into Canadian cycling teammate Raphael Gagne at the Commonwealth Games, Gagne made a point of thanking her. It seems not only is Pendrel one of the worlds best mountain bikers, but one of the most generous as well. The 33-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., led Canada to a 1-2 finish in cross-country mountain biking at the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday, taking the lead from the opening lap and never looking back. Pendrel absolutely crushed the field to cross in one hour 39 minutes 29 seconds, a minute and 10 seconds ahead of silver medallist Emily Batty of Brooklin, Ont. Australias Rebecca Henderson was third. Max Plaxton of Victoria was fourth in the mens race. "Everyone whos watched me race knows I just like to go hard from the start. . . When you get some space between you and other riders, you just go for it," Pendrel said. "It feels amazing to win the gold for Canada." The reigning world champion decided this year to decline Sport Canadas funding -- the $1,500 a month she would normally receive as part of the athlete carding system. The money was split into three development cards of $500 apiece. Gagne told Pendrel he thought he was one of the three recipients. "That was really cool to feel like I was helping one of those guys," Pendrel said. "I felt that it could make a bigger impact in one of the up-and-coming riders life," she added, pointing out that she is a semipro athlete -- she rides for Luna Pro Team. "I just knew just how big it was to receive that carding the first time, not just financially but emotionally, to know that youve reached that level where your country wants to invest in you. And thats really special. "I wanted another athlete to have that experience." Gagne finished seventh in the mens race Tuesday, and praised Pendrel for her gesture. "Catharine did that so thats really generous from her," he said. "That opens up other spots for younger athletes like me so obviously thats super cool from her." The last time many Canadians saw Pendrel was at the 2012 London Olympics where she went in as a favourite but faded to ninth, tearfully apologizing to fans back home. The two-time world champion said the disappointment of that performance stung for some time. "But what it comes down to: I didnt have a good day. Theres so much more to look forward to and opportunities to do well for Canada," she added -- particularly, next summers Pan American Games in Toronto and the 2016 Rio Olympics. "I got sso much positive feedback that I realized, even a bad day for me can still be inspiring, and Ill just keep inspiring people to ride their bike and to reach for big goals, and not be afraid to risk failing to be incredible.dddddddddddd" On Tuesday, Pendrel, wearing earrings made from links of a bike chain -- a gift from a young girl from New Brunswick -- led from the outset. She was already more than a minute ahead after the first lap of the 31.95-kilometre course that twisted and turned around Cathkin Braes Country Park. A coach handed her a Canadian flag near the finish line, and she waved it as she crossed for gold, keeping intact a gold-medal streak for Canadian women. Canadas Chrissy Redden won the title in 2002 in Manchester, England, where the sport made its Commonwealth debut, and Marie-Helene Premont took the title in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. There was no mountain bike four years ago at the Games in New Delhi, India. "I was trying to ignore the fact that Canada has never not gotten gold in mountain bike at the Commonwealth Games," Pendrel said, laughing. "I really didnt want that pressure before coming into this, but I knew with how quick Emily was going as well, that we had a strong chance." The 26-year-old Batty battled Henderson for the entire race until the Canadian pulled away on the final lap. "I was feeling strong, I knew Catharine was up the road and I knew it as going to be hard to catch her," Batty said. "I came here for gold, but silver is the next best thing." Batty, who narrowly lost to Pendrel at the recent Canadian championships, said shes benefited from the tradition of strong female mountain bikers in Canada. "It really helps. Weve always been a top-ranked country for the womens cross-country mountain biking and it puts the bar really high for our development program and it is really inspiring," she said. "Not long ago I was looking up to the top Canadian women and now being one is really inspiring. "I just gave myself goosebumps saying that," she added, laughing. "We really feed off each other, and push each other." Hundreds of fans turned out to watch the mountain bike racing, despite dark clouds, periodic rain and blustery winds. The riders had to negotiate a tricky course that featured the Brig ODoom, Broken Biscuits, and Clyde Climb -- all named by local schoolchildren. Anton Cooper of New Zealand won the mens 37.15-kilometre race, followed by teammate Samuel Gaze. Daniel McConnell of Australia won the bronze. ' ' '