Grüße und Vorstellung » We saw what it looked like last spring

We saw what it looked like last spring. Draymond Green Jersey . 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. Chris Mullin Jersey . According to the sportsbook BoDog, the Stampeders are 8/5 favourites to take home the Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on November 24. Custom Golden State Warriors Jerseys .com) - The New York Rangers hope to punch their ticket to the second round when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday for a Game 6 battle at Wells Fargo Center. http://www.nbawarriorsauthority.com/klay-thompson-warriors-jersey-c-9/ . The light-heavyweight champion and number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world is on an 11-fight UFC winning streak, the longest in the history of the weight class.RIO DE JANEIRO - Rafael Nadal showed no problem with his tender back in his second match since returning from the injury, defeating fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Rio Open on Thursday. The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. A year ago he used the Latin American swing to test his recovery from an injured left knee. Nadal seemed to move freely against Montanes and wore a large, blue elastic bandage on his lower back as a precaution. "The back, well, its bothering me a little," Nadal said. "Right now its not hurting my game, but Im serving a little more gently than Im used to doing." Nadal said he pushed his recovery "a little bit" to play in Rio, after pulling out of the tournament the week before in Buenos Aires. "I am here and very happy being here," he said. "When you get an injury in the final of a Grand Slam, and you stop (playing/practicing) for 2 1/2 weeks, the comeback is not easy." Asked if nagging injuries might force an early retirement, the 27-year-old joked a bit before getting serious. "I cant predict the future, but my intention is to play many years," he said. In the other key mens match, third-seeded Fabio Fognini reached the last eight beating Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3. Second-seeded David Ferrer advanced on WWednesday. Kevon Looney Jersey. Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine advanced to his second quarterfinals of the year, beating Facundo Bagnis of Argentina 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (4). Dolgopolov said he hadnt considered leaving the tournament to return to his Kyiv birthplace, where more than 100 people have died in anti-government protests this week. Government snipers killed at least 70 on Thursday. "Its sad. I cant do much, but just support," he said. "Whoever is right doesnt matter now when people are dying." Dolgopolov, who lives in the wealthy European enclave of Monte Carlo, said he was lucky to have the chance to make money playing tennis. "Obviously I would like the people in the (Ukraine) to feel better. If I could, I would change that," he said. On the womens side of the combined ATP-WTA event, fifth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan and Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain set up a quarterfinal matchup after second-round wins. Nara defeated Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 6-0, 7-6 (3), and was in sight of her first WTA semifinals. Dominguez Lino beat Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1. Nara said she likes the hot weather in Rio and is getting used to the clay. "Now I like the clay court," she said. "Last year, I didnt like it." Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania also made the last eight, as did Brazils Teliana Pereira. She is the first Brazilian woman in 23 years to crack the WTAs top 100. The last was Andrea Vieira. Brazils most famous womens player is Maria Bueno, who won seven Grand Slams singles titles, the last at the US Open in 1966. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys China Womens NFL Jerseys ' ' '