or the Leafs in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, posting a 2.46 GAA an

TORONTO - The Raptors and Nets dont like each other, even after one playoff game that has been made abundantly clear. Cheap Michael Jordan Jersey . If youre looking to trace back that animosity, start with Torontos one-point victory at Barclays Center in late January. There was a playoff-type buzz in the building that night. DeMar DeRozan sat out with an ankle injury, Kyle Lowry and Paul Pierce both turned in playoff-type performances. There were 18 lead changes, nine ties and three technical fouls - on Lowry, Piece and Kevin Garnett - later, the Raptors stole the game, literally, as Patrick Patterson picked off a Deron Williams pass and hit the winner. "This is a team we could see in the playoffs," uttered multiple voices in both locker rooms and at that point we knew, somehow, some way it was bound to become a reality. Terrence Ross continued to foreshadow a couple days later, listing the Nets as a preferred playoff opponent. Andray Blatche was not amused. Meanwhile, the Nets also had Toronto on their wish list as they rested players and lost games to maximize the odds of this matchup coming to fruition. The Raptors were not amused, at least they shouldnt have been. Then the war of words started. "[Expletive] Brooklyn," yelled Raptors president, general manager and hype man Masai Ujiri as he addressed thousands of fans outside the Air Canada Centre prior to Saturdays Game 1. Reluctantly, he delivered a halftime apology, more for the choice of phrasing than the message itself. Hes not alone in that sentiment. "That should represent how we all feel," Dwane Casey said after his team fell victim to the veteran savvy of Brooklyn in the series opener. "I feel the same way and Ive got his back," added Greivis Vasquez. "We dont like any of them either. Thats how we all feel. All of us." Nets coach Jason Kidd said he didnt know who the Raptors GM was and on Sunday the barbs continued to fly. "Im shocked that Bryan Colangelo would say that," Pierce said to the New York Post, informed of what the opposing GM had to say the day before. Reminded that Ujiri replaced Colangelo in the Raptors front office last summer, as if he were somehow unaware, Pierce responded, "I dont know what youre talking about." Theres genuine hostility here. Its not manufactured, though the media has helped fan the flames. "Raptors vs. Dinosaurs," read the Toronto Sun cover on game day, poking fun at the age of Pierce and Garnett. "Dont F*** With Bklyn," the New York Daily News shot back 24 hours later. This has the makings of a competitive, heated series, but rivalry? "I dont think its a rivalry at all," Kyle Lowry said following a Sunday afternoon practice session outside of the Raptors gym on the third level of the ACC. Hes right. Neither team will call this a rivalry and neither should. Territorially, the Nets and the Knicks are natural adversaries, while the Nets - especially with former Celtics Pierce and Garnett on board - have their sites set on throwing down with the Heat, who they defeated four times this season. The Raptors? They dont have a rival. Thats the unfortunate reality of qualifying for the playoffs six times in 19 seasons. For the bulk of their existence, and especially during a recent five-year postseason layoff, theyve been their own worst enemy. "I dont know," said Casey, "rivalry?" "I think the whole Atlantic Divisions a rivalry, the Eastern Conference. We havent got to the spot yet where we can say, Hey, theyre a rival. New Jerseys been to the Finals before, we havent. A lot of teams in our division have been there, where were trying to get to. Weve got to earn that." Thats their focus right now, as it should be. Earning it. The Raptors lost Game 1, not because of Ujiri, not because of anything that was said or done off the floor. They lost because they were outplayed by a team that was not fazed by the moment, by their surroundings. The ACC was electric on Saturday and the sellout crowd did their part, and then some. The building looked and sounded like the "living hell" that Ujiri has called for over and over again. Chants of "Nets suck" and "KG sucks" rang down from the stands throughout the afternoon. Is Toronto a basketball town? It sure seemed like it for three hours but one thing is for certain, its a sports city and as such, it craves that rivalry. It still boos Vince Carter, it still shows up to jeer the Knicks, a former playoff foe from the Raptors "glory days". It would like nothing more than to believe that Brooklyn is the enemy, and for at least three more games they will be. Then what? It depends on what happens here. Rivalries are made in the playoffs and a long, emotional, drawn-out series, almost regardless of the result, would go a long way in prolonging the underlying hatred between these two clubs. For now its being put to the side, at least in the Raptors locker room, where bouncing back and evening the series is now a top priority. Aside from a brief quip to lead off his media scrum - "I promise you I wont have any profanity" - Casey wanted no part in discussing Ujiris controversial speech from the day before. Neither did his players. A war of words may not lose them this series, but it wont win it either. On Sunday the message was clear; a little less conversation, a little more action, please. "This is about basketball," said the Raptors coach. "All that stuff has happened." "All the other stuff, what was said, its about basketball. Its about screening. Its about finishing plays. Its about executing defensively. I dont want to get off on another tangent." Tom Brady Jersey Nike .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. Youth Michael Jordan Jersey . Louis Blues just continue to roll -- especially against the Nashville Predators. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/michael-jordan-jersey/ . Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side.A day after taking to Twitter to call out the Toronto Maple Leafs, James Reimers agent has clarified his remarks. Ray Petkau issued the following statement pertaining to a Tuesday night tweet, clarifying that it was not a direct response to Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle. "The tweet I sent out last night, while inadvertently relevant to other comments made was not a response to post game comments from Randy Carlyle or James Reimer," Petaku said in a statement. "I didnt hear those interviews until later." Petaku was clarifying his tweet from Tuesday night following the Leafs 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings that read: "As is customary in Toronto, when your team plays poor defensively game after game you blame your goalie." The tweet was believed by some to be a reaction to Carlyles post-game comments in which he labeled Reimers performance in Detroit as being "just okay." Petakus remarks came after Reimer has suddenly been thrust back into the Leafs starting role with Jonathan Bernier nursing a groin strain. In the last three games - including the Mar. 14 test against the Los Angeles Kings that saw Bernier go down -&nbssp;the team has gone 1-2. Sports Jerseys For Sale. Reimer has posted a .936 save percentage over those three games, allowing six goals total. That stretch includes two perfect periods to finish off the victory over the Kings where Reimer stopped 31 shots in 40 minutes. "Obviously this has been a trying season for James but those are issues that we will deal with in the off-season," Petakus statement continued. "Twitter is not the place for that but the timing of my tweet necessitated further comment under these circumstances." "Having the confidence of teammates, coaching staff and a team of supporters around them is imperative for a goalies success, especially in a big hockey market. I will always have my clients back." Reimer is in the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the Leafs prior to the 2011-12 season worth an average annual value of $1.8 million. He is eligible to become a restricted free agent on July 1. In 29 games with the Leafs this season, Reimer is 11-10-1 with a .913 save percentage and a 3.22 goals-against average. He started 33 games for the Leafs in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, posting a 2.46 GAA and a .924 save percentage. ' ' '