TORONTO - At the ripe old age of 26, Amir Johnson - the teams second-most experienced player - is one of only two Raptors starters that can give a firsthand account of what it will be like to compete in the postseason. [url=http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/lawson-crouse-hockey-je rsey/]Laws

TORONTO - At the ripe old age of 26, Amir Johnson - the teams second-most experienced player - is one of only two Raptors starters that can give a firsthand account of what it will be like to compete in the postseason. Lawson Crouse Jersey . "All he says is, its crazy," DeMar DeRozan told reporters following Torontos win over the Pistons Wednesday. The Raptors longest-serving members, Johnson and DeRozan have had two coaches and 56 different teammates in five seasons with the club, all without appearing in a single playoff game. Before becoming a fixture in Toronto, Johnson logged 56 minutes in 11 postseason contests spanning over two seasons with the Pistons. At the time, the forward was primarily a spectator, mentored by the likes of Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Antonio McDyess. Johnson is a man of few words but hes shared a couple with DeRozan, who is poised to make his playoff debut next month. "Amir says one word and you really just have to go off that one word, how he explains something," said the Raptors all-star guard. "Everything is crazy to him. So, he always says its crazy." "Its crazy, D," Johnson interjected from his locker on the far side of the room. "See, so its crazy," DeRozan continued. "Playoffs are going to be crazy." Up until this season, DeRozan and Johnson had endured 190 losses to just 119 wins in Raptors red. They havent played in a meaningful late-season game since their first year with the team, Chris Boshs last. Their bond is a unique one, as you might expect, having experienced the trials and tribulations of the Raptors four-year playoff drought together. "Thats my dog, man," DeRozan said of Johnson, both hail from the state of California. "Amirs known me [since] I was running around with the same pair of dirty shoes on playing basketball. We always used to look up to Amir, especially in LA. He was a big star and everything. Its definitely cool just to be here with him." "People dont know, Amirs my cousin," he said with a smirk, jokingly, we think. "You can ask Amir." So we did. "Oh man, I dont know," he responded, this was news to him. "I have no idea. Somewhere down the line, I guess. I guess were cousins, I dont know. Ive got to talk to his mom, talk to my mom and see." DeRozan, the Raptors leading scorer, is enjoying a career year but the playoffs - as coach Dwane Casey has cautioned - are a different animal. The atmosphere is intensified, the competition more fierce, scoring opportunities are harder to come by, weaknesses are magnified and in a seven-game series the oppositions scouting report will undoubtedly feature DeRozan. Theres been a steep playoff learning curve for Raptors stars of the past. Bosh, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady each shot under 40 per cent from the field in their first postseason series. Making his playoff debut as a 23-year-old in 2000, Carter shot just 30 per cent, turning the ball over nearly three times per contest in a three-game sweep to the Knicks. Even with that in mind, DeRozan believes hes more prepared than most. While many players on losing teams find it far too maddening to watch their peers compete for a title in April and May, the Raptors guard has done just that each year hes missed out, making notes and using them for motivation. "I had to [watch]," he admitted, "just to understand, to see how it was. Youre playing the same team, possibly seven times. Just to understand that and see the different schemes out there and try to really get a knowledge of how its played." "Thats why I work so hard. It always bugged me going home early, just sitting there, doing nothing. It used to make me so hungry. Ive got a lot of friends that play in the playoffs and Ive always got to hear them all summer talk about their experience in the playoffs. Its always pushing me even further. I just want to get there, not even for myself, just for this organization as well. It definitely feels good that were moving in the right direction now." Derek MacKenzie Jersey . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp. Mark Pysyk Jersey .com) - The San Francisco Giants delivered plenty of big hits to tie the World Series. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/jared-mccann-hockey-jersey/ . The 12th-ranked Haas served well throughout the match at the Ibirapuera arena, allowing only one break point to the 152nd-ranked Italian. Both players held serve until the first-set tiebreak, when Haas stepped up his game to easily clinch the set.TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabamas quarterbacks both got auditions for the starting job, but its not clear yet who will win the role. Blake Sims had 214 passing yards and Jake Coker threw for 202 to lead the second-ranked Crimson Tide to a 41-0 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday in a game cut short early for lightning. Its the first time two Alabama quarterbacks had thrown for 200 yards in the same game and the second most passing yards in program history behind Scott Hunters 484 against Auburn in 1969. Both quarterbacks got a chance to make a case for the Tides starting job in a one-sided game. The schools agreed to end the game with 7:53 left and Alabama (2-0) nearing the end zone again. Sims only significant misstep was a fumble near the goal line. "Blake played well except for the one play, and Jake got some experience," Tide coach Nick Saban said. "I think that experience should help his confidence and his ability to play with a little bit better rhythm as he gets that confidence. He did some very good things as well." Saban had made it clear leading up to the game that the battle to replace AJ McCarron wasnt over, though Coker only played briefly at the end of a victory over West Virginia. He enrolled at Alabama over the summer. Sims passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third in his second straight start, all in the first three quarters. He was 11-of-13 passing and said the fumble resulted from "a misunderstanding." "Something weve got to get better on," Sims said. "We did what we had to do and moved to the next play, and thats a good thing you look out of it, look back at it (Sunday) and learn from it." Coker went 15-of-24 with a touchdown in his first significant action but the Florida State transfer missed some open receivers downfield. Amari Cooker had 189 receiving yards and tied DJ Halls 8-year-old school record with 13 catches. It was his fourth straight 100-yard game, one shy of Halls school recoord, and his second in a row with double-digit receptions. Reilly Smith Jersey. The Tide outgained the Owls 620-145. Florida Atlantic had allowed 784 yards in the opening 55-7 loss to No. 19 Nebraska. The Owls got $1 million paydays for each game, though. Florida Atlantic played without starting quarterback Jaquez Johnson, who injured his non-throwing left shoulder against Nebraska. Greg Hankerson was 12-of-19 passing for 88 yards. "We had several freshmen on the field playing against some of the best players in the nation," Owls coach Charlie Partridge said. Sims got Alabama rolling early, leading the Tide to three touchdown drives in the first quarter. He ran for a 7-yard score then launched a 52-yarder to Cooper and a 39-yarder to Kenyan Drake. Sims completed eight of his first nine passes and the incompletion was on a dropped ball. His other incompletion came when Cooper couldnt bring in a deflected pass in the end zone. Coker entered the game late in the quarter after Alabama recovered a fumble across midfield. The Tide got a field goal out of it. Coker added a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jalston Fowler, set up by his 15-yard run on the previous play. Both quarterbacks employed a similar strategy: Get the ball to Cooper as often as possible. Coker threw two screen passes to him on his first drive and they failed to connect in the end zone on third down. Alabama also gained 204 yards on the ground among eight rushers. T.J. Yeldon (43 yards) and Kenyan Drake (45) both got seven carries. Jay Warren ran for 56 yards on nine carries to lead Florida Atlantic. Saban said he and the players would rather have finished the game, but that it was a good decision to halt it. Thunder echoed through the sky, and many fans had already left. The ones that remained scurried for the exits when play was paused. "Its the first time Ive ever had a game called off and its the first time I ever beat the media to the press conference," Saban joked. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '