Only for Guild Members » While he still believes he could

TORONTO - Kyle Lowry laid flat in the centre of the key, hands on his head as he stared straight up at the top of the Air Canada Centre, likely seeing nothing at all, having just missed the biggest shot of his eight-year career. Cheap Russ Grimm Jersey . Although, technically it was not a shot. With their season on the line, the ball was in Lowrys hands, deservedly so. The clock showed 6.2 seconds as the Raptors inbounded, trailing by only one in the dying moments of a deciding Game 7. Jason Kidd and his Nets team had little doubt the ball would find Lowry. The star point guard caught the pass, with Deron Williams draped all over him, and went straight toward the rim as Kevin Garnett came over to trap. Lowry split the two defenders and floated a shot up at the basket just as Paul Pierce entered the fray in time to block it. As the buzzer sounded, putting an end to Torontos magical season, Lowry - the teams heart and soul - fell to the court. What was going through his head? "Whats not?" he shot back. DeMar DeRozan was the first one to come over. Crouching over the sprawled out Lowry, DeRozan offered up some words of encouragement. "He said, If anyone is taking that shot, Im living and dying with you taking it and trying to get that shot off," Lowry recounted after the Raptors heartbreaking 104-103 Game 7 loss. "It was one of those things, a brotherly moment." DeRozan helped the point guard up and the Raptors two best players walked off the court - Lowry with his jersey over his face - to a rousing ovation from their appreciative fans. "It was big time," Amir Johnson said of the scene. "Just them showing their appreciation, how well we did this season and how hard we worked. So it was a sad moment but bittersweet, I guess." The Raptors couldnt hide their disappointment after falling just short of advancing to the Conference Semifinals Sunday afternoon, it was written all over their faces, but they have no reason to hang their heads. The sellout ACC crowd stood and chanted in salute of their team, the game - however frustrating - served as a good reminder of why. With five minutes left, the Raptors appeared dead in the water. Frustrated and coming undone in the moment, down 10, their season was on life support but, like hes done so many times before, Dr. Lowry refused to let them die. Lowry scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the final quarter and the Raptors came storming back. That resiliency has been their most admirable quality all year. They had led the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring differential, earning 11 comeback wins, eight more than the season prior. "Were going to fight until our last breath," said DeRozan after scoring 18 points, playing with the flu, as Casey revealed following the game. "Were going to leave it out there, every single thing we have there on the court." "We battled," added Johnson, who recorded his first playoff double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out early in the fourth quarter. "I would go to war with these guys any day and they showed a lot of pride and a lot of heart tonight. We just ran out of time." Lowry and his unwavering resolve have a lot to do with the teams late-game tenacity and so, with their season in the balance, they had no qualms with letting him decide their fate. "That young man did everything he could to get to the basket," Casey said of Lowry on the final possession. It was what they had drew up, Lowry going to the rim, though it was a slight variation of what was intended, with poor spacing that ultimately led to the blocked shot. "He tried to will his way to get that extra point." One point separated the teams Sunday and after 11 meetings - in the regular season and playoffs - Toronto and Brooklyn each scored 1,070 points. The series was as close as they come. "We were right there," Casey pointed out, and if a few calls from another highly critiqued officiating crew went their way they may have pulled it out. But in the end, the Nets were the better team Sunday and that was the case, more often than not, throughout the series. Joe Johnson - the best player on either side over the seven-game span - proved un-guardable again, scoring half of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, while the Raptors youth and inexperience continued to rear its head. Although Terrence Ross turned in his best game of the series, securing the steal that made Torontos final possession possible, the bar had been set low. Fellow sophomore Jonas Valanciunas scored just three points to go along with five rebounds in one of the quietest outings of his brief career. As a team, the Raptors wanted to go further, they believed they were ready and came just one play short of proving it. Even after the loss, with their season now over, the progress theyve made does not go to waste. Three of their starters had never appeared in a playoff game. Only four players on their roster had ever experienced a Game 7, no one has emerged victorious from one. This experience is invaluable and can only serve them well, both individually and as a collective, going forward. "Im proud of our guys," Casey said. "Nobody gave them a snowballs chance in you know where to be here. They competed all year. This group has a lot of stuff in front of them, a lot of basketball in front of them. The organization is in a great spot." "This playoff run is nothing but positive for these young men and anyone that thinks any different doesnt know basketball." Cheap DaRon Payne Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Cheap Quinton Dunbar Jersey .5 million, two-year contract that runs through 2015. Venable, the son of former big leaguer Max Venable, will make $4. http://www.cheapredskinsjerseyssale.com/?tag=chris-thompson-jersey-sale . Halak, 28, split his eighth NHL seasons between the St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals, compiling a 29-13-7 record in 52 games. NEW YORK -- Geno Smith: three points. Michael Vick: seven. Quarterback controversy for the New York Jets? Nope. Not even close. OK, well, not yet. "Well just let this thing play out," coach Rex Ryan said. "Its our first preseason game. Obviously, we know we have two excellent quarterbacks." Smith led the Jets to a field goal in his two series with the starters in a 13-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. Vick created a bit of a buzz by leading a touchdown drive with the first-team offence, and showing he can still make plays with his legs. While the Jets maintain the two are competing, it has been clear its Smiths job to lose -- and he did nothing to downgrade his spot on the depth chart. Smith was 4 of 6 for 33 yards -- including a drive capped by a 51-yard field goal by Nick Folk -- before giving way to Vick. He also had an impressive Vick-like 10-yard scramble on a read-option. "I thought Geno played extremely well," Ryan said. "He had a few throwaways. I thought he did a great job stepping up in the pocket a few times and protecting the ball." Smith is taking 75 per cent of the first-team snaps during camp. Ryan and the Jets need to know for sure what theyve got in Smith -- or if they need to go back to the drawing board next off-season. The 34-year-old Vick came out to cheers and led a 14-play drive with the starters that tied it at 10 in the second quarter. It came mostly against the Colts defensive backups and was also helped by two 15-yard penalties on Indianapolis. "To have a 14-play drive, it only builds your confidence," Vick said. Vick also got the MetLife Stadium crowd fired up when he took off to his left as the pocket collapsed, avoided a tackle attempt and zipped downfield for 15 yards for a first down. "He looked great, shoot," Ryan said with a big smile. Vick, who ran with the backups in his second drive, finished 3 off 6 for 17 yards and rushed three times for 19 yards. Cheap Danny Johnson Jersey. "I did all right," he said. "Couldve been better." Both Smith and Vick have had a solid but not spectacular training camp so far. The big thing for Smith is that he appears to have cut back on the debilitating mistakes he made through most of his rookie season. He stared down his receivers many times and also struggled with ball security while committing 25 turnovers. "I was going through my reads pretty smoothly," Smith said of his two drives. "A couple of those plays, they got some guys that were free on me and I had to get the ball away. But other than that, the game felt good." Vick was signed in March to give the Jets a veteran backup who could push Smith and step in if he falters or is injured. Vick is familiar with offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinwegs system from their days together in Philadelphia, so he made for the perfect choice. While he still believes he could start and star in the NFL, Vick has been saying all the right things -- including that Smith is the unquestioned starter. Despite leading the touchdown drive, Vick isnt anticipating any additional snaps with the first-team offence when practices resume Saturday. Because of his ability to make plays with his legs, the notion of using Vick in a wildcat-like role is intriguing. Vick, however, isnt so high on the idea, simply because he believes it disrupts the timing of the quarterback and the offence. "I think it has to be done at the right time," he said. "I experienced that in Philadelphia with Donovan (McNabb) at times. You want to go out there and let the quarterback get into a rhythm and not try to do too much. I think thats doing too much." But then, Vick left the door opened a bit for the possibility. "When the time calls for it," he said, "then I think the coaches will see fit that thats put in." Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Authentic Cheap NHL Jerseys Canada Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Nike NHL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Football Jerseys Store Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Jerseys NCAA China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys ' ' '