05-27-2016, 03:29 AM
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. Russell Westbrook Youth Jersey . 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. Kyle Singler Jersey . According to the Winnipeg Free Press, the Blue Bombers confirmed that linebacker Henoc Muamba and wide receiver Chris Matthews worked out with the NFLs Minnesota Vikings after the window for free agents opened on December 1. Mitch McGary Jersey . Russia. When the best players from both countries hooked up for an eight-game series in 1972, a heated rivalry was born.OTTAWA -- Theres nothing like beating the defending Stanley Cup champions to gain a little confidence. Craig Anderson stopped 46 shots in his first game back since being injured Mar. 10 as the Ottawa Senators beat the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Friday. "We found a way to win and thats all that really matters," said Anderson. "It felt good to come back from my whatever injury. Got back in there, get back in the saddle and it was good to see a lot of shots so you didnt have time to think and you just kind of read and react so it was really good." Clarke MacArthur had a goal and two assists to lead the charge while Erik Condra, Cody Ceci, Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris each scored for the Senators (30-29-14) Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Brent Seabrook scored for Chicago (42-18-15). Antti Raanta faced 29 shots. Chicago has lost three of its last four outings and captain Jonathan Toews says there are too many mistakes happening when his team has possession of the puck. "Id say there was some good moments where we did have control of the puck where we were getting point shots and second efforts and some of the things were looking for when were playing good hockey," said Toews. "Other than that it was sloppy turnovers, sloppy mistakes that we really need to get out of our system. We need to get those plays out of our game. Its as simple as that. We need to play some character hockey. Frustrating way to lose." Toews wasnt alone in thinking the Blackhawks failed to show their best effort. "I didnt like our game," said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. "We had a good start and obviously giving up a shorthanded (goal) right off the bat they got some momentum off it and played well." Ottawa scored twice in the third and killed off a 34 second two-man advantage to hold off the Blackhawks before a crowd of 18,922 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Turris made it 4-2 with a power-play goal at the six-minute mark of the third and MacArthur scored his 23rd of the season midway through the period to make it 5-2. "I thought we competed better," said MacArthur. "We had a little lapse in the second, but youre playing Chicago and theyre going to make a push, but we were able to make plays in the third and not clam up. Shawn Kemp Jersey. " Frustration started to set in for Chicago midway through the third when Andrew Shaw speared Zack Smith. Shaw was assessed a major and game misconduct for his actions. After the game Smith admitted he was less than impressed by the play. "A spear is always looked upon as pretty bad for someone to do," said Smith. "Its kind of a cheap shot, especially where he was aiming, but you saw the replay." The Blackhawks made it 5-3 with a shorthanded goal at the 17-minute mark as Seabrooks shot from the point just trickled across the goal-line. Ottawa jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but by the end of the second it was a one-goal game. The Senators were outshot 23-5 in the middle period. Chicago got on the board midway through the second with a power-play goal as Sharp took a great pass from Jonathan Toews and tipped it past Anderson. Hossa made it 3-2 when he scored with 41 seconds remaining in the second period. Hossa intercepted a pass at the Ottawa blue-line, cut through two defencemen and squeezed the puck past Anderson. Ottawa had made it 3-0 just 23 seconds into the second as Michalek tipped in a shot off a pass from Spezza. "I thought we had a little more confidence," added MacArthur. "I thought overall we had a little lapse and those are going to happen, but we answered back in the third which is big and I thought our (defencemen) moved the puck a lot better, especially in the third when we were under pressure." The Senators held a 2-0 lead after the first 20 minutes. Condra made it 1-0, scoring shorthanded midway through the first. And Ceci made it 2-0 in the final minute of the period as he scored from just inside the blue line. Notes: The Senators were without D Chris Phillips who missed his second straight game and RW Bobby Ryan (sports hernia, out for season). LW Matt Kassian was a healthy scratcha The Blackhawks are without RW Patrick Kane (lower body, two weeks), LW Bryan Bickell (upper body, day-to-day) and D Michal Rozsival (lower body, day-to-day). D David Rundblad, LW Jeremy Morin and LW Teuvo Teravainen were a healthy scratch. LW Matt Carey made his NHL debut. 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