1. TORONTO RAPTORS: Think about it - theyve been growing to this point over the past few seasons. They started the 2012-13 season with a 4-19 record and went 30-29 the rest of the way. From 4-19, the Raps have gone 94-57 since, in the past few seasons. They started last season 6-12 and then went 42-22 the rest of the way. From 6-12, the Raps have gone an amazing 64-28 over the past season plus. Theyre in the zone and have improved dramatically. As they enter tonights game in Chicago to start a brutal six game road stretch, the question needs to be asked---regardless of whether they go 0-6, 6-0 or 3-3 on this trip--are they currently at a point where the window of opportunity has opened for them in this years Eastern Conference race or are they a year or two away? I said it before and Ill say it again, in my opinion--I think theyre a fourth quality big man away from being in that discussion. Check out an article written by Christopher Reina for RealGM.com about the Raptors--he makes some interesting points worth considering. Quite a decision (a positive one) upcoming for GM Masai Ujiri about the next move to make (if any). The next six games (missing DeMar DeRozan--must take that into consideration) will give him better insight into really where his team is and where they need to go. Fun stuff -- compared to so many other dreadful seasons that Raps fans have endured. Enjoy the ride. 2. RUDY GOBERT (Jazz): Love this young mans potential. Keep an eye on him. In December hes averaging 7.5 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 67 per cent. Hes averaging 2.2 blocks per game in that span as well. The best is yet to come. Im sure a bunch of contending teams will be sniffing around trying to pry this kid off Utahs hands for a pick or an expiring contract. Hes worth a look. The cat is out of the bag--kid can play. 3. DE MARRE CARROLL (Hawks): Turning into a nice three man for Atlanta. His three-point shot has improved greatly to 40 per and hes averaging 11.5 PPG and 5.3 RBG in a breakout year for him and his team. Love his energy and toughness. He guards and plays within his abilities. Love his approach. 4. DANILO GALINARI (Nuggets): This young man cant catch a break. Out 18 months with three left knee procedures and now hes out with a right knee injury. If Im Denvers ownership and management, Im legitimately concerned that hes never going to be the player he once was. Something has run amiss here and with constant breakdowns and inconsistent health theyre in a tough spot with what once was a very valuable asset. A shame. 5. DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS (Rockets): Dwight Howard goes down--no problem. This young man has grown by leaps and bounds in the month of December (15.6 PPG/6.4 RPG/53 per cent). They knew he was pretty good but hes better than they ever imagined and it took an injury to force feed him into the fire-cooker of pressure to see what he has and hes delivered for them. Has nice post skills and solid face up game. Fundamentally sound with a winning approach to the game. A true keeper for them. Out of crisis--something really good happened. Theyll be in the hunt all season in the West and another reason is this guy. New Orleans Saint Jerseys Outlet . Tepesch, back from the minor leagues, earned his first major league victory in more than 10 months and the Rangers edged the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Wednesday. Cheap New Orleans Saint Gear . - Josh Sterk scored twice to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 7-1 rout of the Ottawa 67s in Mondays Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.cheapsaints.com/. Fans holding laudatory signs started showing up at Yankee Stadium when the gates opened at 4 p.m. Monday, an hour early in order to give them a chance to watch the New York captain take batting practice. New Orleans Saint Chauncey Gardner-Johnson Jersey . First-half goals by Will Bruin and Oscar Boniek Garcia sucked the life out of the Impact as the Houston Dynamo bounced them from Major League Soccers post-season with a 3-0 victory on Thursday. Cheap New Orleans Saint Jerseys Online . There is no argument that the line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek was one of the hottest in the NHL leading into the post-season, and they did combine for three goals and seven points, but it was the depth of all four lines that helped propel Montreal.NEW YORK -- Madison Square Garden underwent a recent $1 billion transformation, and yet it will have another completely different feeling once the New York Rangers hit the ice in the Eastern Conference finals. Gone will be the fear of impending doom that enveloped the club during its second-round comeback against Pittsburgh. Missing will be the nerves that any goal or loss could mean the end of the season. Suddenly, the Rangers are the front-runners against the Montreal Canadiens, and their fans now have the chance to celebrate the ride with them. "Having fan support is obviously huge," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Unconditional love, its something thats really beneficial to a team." New York is riding a five-game winning streak, but four of those victories came on the road -- two in Pittsburgh when the Rangers erased a 3-1 series deficit, and the first two in this matchup with Montreal. The Rangers will skate at the Garden on Thursday night with a series lead for the first time since Game 2 of the first round against Philadelphia 15 games ago. "Its a good feeling, but we know weve accomplished nothing yet," forward Martin St. Louis said. "Were trying to prepare for a Montreal team thats going to come out with a lot of energy. We know that. This is a big game for everybody. We know where the series is, and its a big opportunity for us." Nothing is a guarantee, but to take a 3-0 series lead would set the Rangers up for their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals since 1994. Since New York fell way behind Pittsburgh with a dispirited home loss in Game 4, the Rangers have been playing with a sense of desperation. It didnt reset once they eliminated the Penguins, and so far they have shown no signs they will let the Canadiens recover. "I feel every game is a must-win in the playoffs," St. Louis said. "You go into every game understanding what can happen with a loss and what can happen with a win. Its a lot of momentum shifting, a buildup in the playoffs, and you want to make sure you keep it as long as you can." The Canadiens mindset is to regroup and play the kind of road game the Rangers did by jumping on them. Montreal is still dealing with the loss of No. 1 goalie Carey Price, who was knocked out of the series by injury in the opener, but now is trying to rally around third-stringer Dustin Tokarski. The iinexperienced goalie, who has played in only 11 career NHL games, got the surprise nod by coach Michel Therrien in Game 2 over regular backup Peter Budaj and was tabbed again Wednesday to start in Game 3.dddddddddddd. Struggled forward Thomas Vanek was dropped to the fourth line in practice on Wednesday alongside Danny Briere and Brandon Prust in another potential shake-up. "Dont read too much, OK?" Therrien said. "They might change tomorrow." Whatever the lineup looks like, the Canadiens have adopted a motto of no excuses as the series shifts to New York. "We lost the first two games. Weve got to do something different," Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said Wednesday in Montreal before the team flew south. "But at the same time, we had a pretty good game in Game 2. Weve just got to find ways to get more goals and get to them a little more offensively." They netted only two in a blowout loss in the opener, and then scored one on Monday in a 3-1 loss. The Canadiens grabbed what had been an all-important first goal, but they lost the lead just 17 seconds later and were trailing 2-1 before the first period ended. Henrik Lundqvist was the main reason the Rangers were ahead, holding off an early attack and then a third-period surge in which he stopped all 19 Canadiens shots. He made 40 saves overall. "We are down two, and we are going on the road," said forward Max Pacioretty, who scored the lone Montreal goal in Game 2. "Obviously, we would have liked to have Game 2, but we can only worry about Game 3. Weve got to be better. "We have to make life difficult for their goalie, and if we do that, I like our teams chances." Pacioretty, a Connecticut native, is also looking forward to the atmosphere at the Garden, even though he will be wearing an enemy sweater. "I love MSG," he said. "I grew up watching games there. I love going there. I havent played in the finished building yet, so this will be fun for me." One person who hopes to be back on the ice on Thursday is Rangers forward Derick Brassard, who was injured early in the opener and missed all of Game 2. He went through a full practice on Wednesday and was waiting to meet with the medical staff and Vigneault to see if he would rejoin the lineup. Fellow forward Benoit Pouliot sat out for a maintenance day. 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