warum » Jim Schwartz was fired after last season.

TORONTO - As Rudy Gay took to the Air Canada Centre court for the first time since being traded, moments after being introduced to a chorus of tepid boos, he approached each Raptors starter, slapping hands with his former teammates. They reciprocated, but none of them initiated the round of pre-game pleasantries. On the teams bench sat a quartet of former Sacramento Kings, but you wouldnt know it. Their focus mirrored that of the starters. They meant business. "We all have friends on that team," acknowledged Patrick Patterson, one of the former Kings that came to Toronto in the seven-player trade completed on December 9. "Going into this game, we have to treat it as if theyre the enemy. We have to treat them like theyre the villain and were the superhero, pretty much. We cant be friendly with them. As soon as the game starts, you have to put your hard hat on." The Raptors learnt that lesson the hard way. A month earlier, the two teams faced off in Sacramento, their first meeting since the early-season swap. "I thought the way that we approached the game last time was too friendly, too cool, too lackadaisical, too laid-back," Patterson said, looking back at his return to California. Emotions were high, on both sides, as players embraced their friends and old teammates prior to tip-off, laughing and joking around, having also shared a meal the night before. Only the Kings were laughing 48 minutes later. Embarrassed, the Raptors - a post-trade feel-good story - left with their tail in-between their legs. Dwane Casey questioned his teams disposition and professionalism, Chuck Hayes called it their worst performance since the trade and John Salmons conducted his entire post-game interview head down after a 109-101 loss. Round two would be different, Casey promised leading up to the rematch in Toronto on Friday. From the moment his club took the floor, coming face-to-face with Gay and the Kings, it was clear that message had been received. "I thought the roles were reversed this time," Patterson after his new team closed out their 99-87 win. "I thought we came out the right way, with the right intensity." "Guys were professional, very professional, workman-like, not disrespecting their friends on the other team, but yet still knowing we had a job to do when you walk out between those lines," Casey echoed. "After the game is over you can shake hands, hug, kiss, whatever you want to do, but once the game starts those guys have a different colour jersey and weve got to have that razor-like focus every time we walk on the floor." Like the Kings had done in Sacramento, the Raptors jumped on the visitors right out of the gate, taking a 29-19 lead into the second quarter. Although the Kings dominated the paint and lived at the free throw line once again, Toronto neutralized their best player early. DeMarcus Cousins, who has owned the Raptors over his career, played just eight first-half minutes, saddled with foul trouble. After losing some ground in the second frame, the Raptors came out in the third quarter and - like they did in the first - outscored Sacramento 29-19, effectively repaying their old friends for last months debacle. "I think we let go of the personal stuff," said Salmons, who has been preaching forgiveness over the last couple days. "We thought we were doing that the first game, clearly we didnt. This time we just let it go and played basketball." Returning from an ankle injury, Terrence Ross scored half of his team-leading 18 points, hitting half of his six threes in the third. Patterson also added seven of his 15 points in the quarter. "Ill tell you what, hes been a godsend for us, as far as stretching the floor," Casey said of Patterson, who hit three of his four attempts from long range Friday. "Not only that, just his intensity, his work ethic, how hard how plays. Hes got a reputation around the league of playing hard. Hes one of our best pick-and-roll defenders because he uses his quickness and then he can go down and stretch the floor out. Its a big plus, not a lot of guys can do that and he does an excellent job of doing it. The boos for Gay were faint, mostly, but consistent every time he touched the ball. The former Raptors forward scored 15 points on 5-of-13 from the field, a shooting percentage reminiscent of his time spent in Toronto. Gay has shot 50 per cent or better in 23 of 38 games as a King after doing so just once in 18 contests with the Raptors this season. Again, the Raptors won as a team. They got double-digit scoring from five players and although DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry struggled from the field - shooting a combined 6-for-24 - the Raptors backcourt duo totalled 13 assists, one fewer than the entire Kings team. Salmons added eight points off the bench, Greivis Vasquez chipped in with four and, although Hayes was scoreless in 10 minutes, his defence on Cousins changed the game in the third quarter. "He has that old man stretch," Casey said of Hayes. "Youve got to be strong to hold your ground against Cousins. Hes a beast in there and now they bring Reggie Evans in, two of the strongest guys in the league. So I thought his brute strength helped him hold his position." With their 34th victory, the Raptors matched last seasons win total in just 60 games. Dermontti Dawson Jersey . Louis Blues and back into top spot of the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings. The Sharks had been ranked No. John Stallworth Womens Jersey . The rest of the team was already on the field stretching before batting practice while Puig was getting dressed in the clubhouse. He had been slated to start in right field for the afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants, who beat the Dodgers 8-4. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Alejandro-Villanueva-Jersey/ . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said. Dermontti Dawson Steelers Jersey .com) - Maria Sharapova reached her 10th career grand slam final after beating Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets at the Australian Open on Thursday. Custom Pittsburgh Steelers Jerseys . In question is whether 26-year-old Matt Frattin will be on it. A a€?mediocrea€? training camp, as Carlyle put it earlier this week, has Frattin lingering nervously on the bubble at the end of the exhibition season, pushed out of a likely job by Brandon Kozun, the small, but feisty winger determined to make the NHL for the first time. IRVING, Texas -- Tony Romo looked like the man in charge of the Dallas offence for the first off-season practice until the drills got a little more competitive. Five months removed from back surgery, Romo donned a baseball cap for 11-on-11 work. Theres no use in rushing, as coach Jason Garrett has been saying for weeks. Romo echoed that talk Tuesday in his first extensive interview since sustaining a herniated disk against Washington and missing the finale against Philadelphia with a playoff berth on the line. "I dont know that theres anything you cant do," the 34-year-old said in the locker room after practice. "You just want to make sure you dont put a high volume of numbers on it yet." For example, Romo says he has thrown at full velocity -- just not very often -- in his continuing recovery from surgery Dec. 27. That came two days before he watched from home while the Cowboys fell to the Eagles in a third straight season-ending loss that put them at 8-8 and kept them out of the post-season. "Its very difficult to watch," said Romo, who was under centre for season-finale losses at the New York Giants and Washington the previous two seasons, and for another one at Philadelphia in 2008. "That one obviously is out of your control. Thats what made it hard. Its amazing how big of a fan you become, rooting and excited about every little thing." Romo was further along Tuesday than he was a year ago, when he had surgery to remove a cyst on his back in April and missed all the off-season practices. He went to California ahead of his teammates for some intense conditioning work before training camp, and spent tthe first few weeks catching up.dddddddddddd "Im actually excited just about comparative to last year where youre just going into camp without having had a rep in the off-season," Romo said. "Theres some things I want to work on, and Ive been doing that in small doses. Now well get that ramped up here." Romo has a new play caller for the third straight season in Scott Linehan, who was offensive co-ordinator in Detroit before coach Jim Schwartz was fired after last season. Linehan and Garrett worked together for a season in Miami almost a decade ago, and plenty of the language will be the same. The new passing game co-ordinator is in no hurry to see up close all the things his new primary weapon can do. "Were early," Linehan said. "And the mental game that hes getting done with us and the meetings and the last four or five weeks when we started our off-season program has been huge. I know hes getting himself ready to go." There are daily discussions over whats next for Romo. "Certainly we anticipate him being ready to go at training camp," Garrett said. "Well evaluate how he did today, say, What do you think? Should we stick with the same plan tomorrow? What do you think about Thursday? Youre always trying to push the limit as best you can, but you dont want to do something where you go across that line and they have setbacks." NOTES: The Cowboys waived injured rookie free agent tight end Evan Wilson and signed guard Tyronne Green, a fourth-round pick by San Diego in 2009. Green has 28 starts in 41 career games. He was with New England part of last season but didnt play. ' ' '