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TORONTO - Greivis Vasquez was speaking to a large circle of journalists Thursday when DeMar DeRozan squeezed his way in through the crowd and affectionately draped an arm around Vasquezs neck.This seasons Toronto Raptors are a tight-knit bunch. And on a day ESPN pegged the Raptors chances at winning the NBA title at a whopping 41 per cent, they scoffed. Anything said outside of their gym, they said, is all just noise.We dont care about nothing ESPN is saying, honestly, DeRozan said. Nobody cares what anybody says. We care about everybody thats got this Raptors jersey on. Everything else dont matter to us, man.Weve got our confidence, Vasquez added. We dont need anybody to talk about us, whether its good or bad.The Raptors practised the day after their 126-115 victory at Atlanta that kept Toronto even with Memphis atop the NBA standings (13-2), and boosted their win streak to six games.Thursdays ESPNs Hollinger Playoff Odds gave the Raptors a 100 per cent chance at making the playoffs, and a 71 per cent chance of making the NBA final.Theyre lofty predictions never before seen in Toronto, but Raptors coach Dwane Casey similarly shrugged them off.Im not a betting man, how many more games have we got to go? A lot of games to go. Im not putting any credence in that, Casey said.When someone asked if the predictions had at least put a smile on his face, he answered: No. Not at all. None whatsoever. I live in reality. All I know is we have a tough game (Friday) night.The Raptors host the Dallas Mavericks (11-5) on Friday amid a huge buzz around Canadas lone NBA franchise. What would have normally been a relatively quiet practice Thursday drew a couple dozen journalists.The players say theyre not looking at records, or getting caught up in the buzz. Theyre just enjoying playing.This is the best team Ive played with by far, DeRozan said. Not just basketball-wise either. Personnel. Everybody gets along, everybody has a great relationship with one another. That goes a long way. . . the chemistry that we have is amazing.That even goes for his high school teams, DeRozan added.Asked what hes thankful for — Thursday was Thanksgiving in the U.S. — DeRozan answered, his arm still slung around Vasquez: Having teammates like Greivis. Honestly. Having teammates like all these guys here. Because it makes every day easier, even on the tough days, you find something to joke about, laugh about, have fun about.Weve all been on bad teams, and what it feels like to come in and work, on the tough days.While the Raptors are off to easily their best start in franchise history, theyve had a favourable schedule at home that included a stretch of seven games in a row at the Air Canada Centre. Theyve also had some luck on their side, playing a Memphis Grizzlies team that was missing five players to a flu virus, and an injury-riddled Oklahoma City squad missing stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.I dont believe in luck. I dont, DeRozan said. I understand how hard I work, how hard this man works (arm still around Vasquez), how hard the other 13 players on this team work. And when people say the luck thing to me, I take it personally, because I know how hard we work to be as good as we are.Wasnt no fluke what we did last year. Wasnt no fluke, no luck.DeRozan pointed to Torontos strong performances on the road — their come-from-behind win over LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Cleveland, Wednesdays solid victory at Atlanta — as proof their red-hot record is more than luck.We like playing on the road, we like playing in other peoples arenas, we get a thrill out of going to other peoples houses and beating them, DeRozan said. If youve got that type of mentality, we can go a long way.Casey said the way his team has won games — pulling out a victory in tough situations — is also proof of the teams growth.The last three games we were in a pickle, Casey said.They fell behind by 18 points to the Cavaliers before roaring back to beat them. They gave up seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter to Phoenix before clinching the win with a final 60 seconds of sheer hustle and hard work. They allowed Atlanta to stay close on Wednesday before pulling away down the stretch.I think two years ago, a year-and-a-half ago, we would have folded the tent, Casey said. But there seems to be a resolve developing with our players, fighting through stuff, fighting through adversity, making adjustments at halftime mentally and physically. Thats a tough way to live throughout this live. As a coach Id prefer wed start doing it the first quarter. . . thats our next step.Following Fridays game, the Raptors head west for three straight, playing the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday, the Kings on Tuesday in Sacramento, and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. <a href="http://www.officialauthenticbearsproshop.com/Youth-William-Perry-Bears-Jersey/">William Perry Jersey</a>. On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. <a href="http://www.officialauthenticbearsproshop.com/Youth-Brian-Urlacher-Bears-Jersey/">Brian Urlacher Jersey</a>. Plata blasted a rising shot to the upper left corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. He got the kick after referee Allen Chapman ruled Chris Tierney fouled John Stertzer in the penalty area. http://www.officialauthenticbearsproshop...s-Bears-Jersey/. Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. The latest from Bob As tweeted by TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie on Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets need to resolve their offseason plans with forward R. <a href="http://www.officialauthenticbearsproshop.com/Youth-Devin-Hester-Bears-Jersey/">Devin Hester Jersey</a>. They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66. <a href="http://www.officialauthenticbearsproshop.com/Youth-Mike-Ditka-Bears-Jersey/">Mike Ditka Jersey</a>. City, fielding a depleted team having already qualified, was twice pegged back by the plucky Czech champions but substitute Negredo tapped home in the 78th minute and Dzekos header made sure of victory in the 89th. The result kept City three points behind Bayern Munich ahead of their meeting in Germany in two weeks.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. The two combined for 42 points in a 104-91 victory over Sacramento on Friday night. While Lillard envisions the partnership with Aldridge rising to the level of say, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, he insists the Blazers are about much more. "We need to be (among the leagues elite), we talk about it," Lillard said. "But weve got a great supporting cast. We dont have to do it all." Lillard finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Aldridge added 20 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. The Blazers led 54-49 at the half and by as many as 14 points in the third quarter. "Damian and L.A., theyre kind of our go-to guys and they came through tonight," coach Terry Stotts said. DeMarcus Cousins almost singlehandedly carried the Kings with 35 points and nine rebounds. Sacramentos lone win so far this season came in the opener against Denver. Cousins said the loss was about "small things" turning into "big things." "We gotta gang rebound. You just cant depend on the bigs to grab all the rebounds," he said. "A lot of those rebounds go out of our area so weve got to be able to rebound out of our area. Weve got to get some help from the outside because when you dont, they get a lot of second-chance opportunities." Cousins pulled the Kings within 90-84 with a layup in the fourth quarter, but Aldridge countered with a turnaround jumper and six points was the closest Sacramento would get. Aldridge became the first Blazers player to score at least 20 points in each of the teams first five games since Clyde Drexler in 1988. It was the first game of a home-and-away back-to-back between the two teams. The Blazers visit Sacramento on Saturday night. "It will be a different game. Theeyll be at home and theyll want to beat us for a little payback," Blazers forward Nic Batum said.dddddddddddd The Blazers went ahead 29-22 in the first quarter. Lillard, last seasons rookie of the year was 3 for 3 from the floor -- all 3-pointers -- for 9 points. Lillard became just the second NBA player to hit three or more 3s in his teams first five games. Former Blazer Damon Stoudamire did it with Toronto in 1996. Mo Williams layup stretched Portlands lead to 37-26. Late in the half, Wesley Matthews hit consecutive 3-pointers to put Portland in front 52-42. Matthews finished with 18 points. Cousins, who had 18 points and six rebounds in the first half, struggled in Sacramentos 105-100 loss at home to the Hawks on Tuesday. Shut down by Atlantas Al Horford, Cousins had 11 points and six rebounds, far off his average of 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. Cousins layup got the Kings within 54-53 early in the third quarter, but the Blazers took off on a 12-0 run to take a 68-55 lead midway through the period. The Kings struggled defensively against the Blazers, who had six players in double figures and shot nearly 50 per cent from the floor for the game. "Defensively, we collapsed," first-year Kings coach Michael Malone said. NOTES: Former Blazer Chris Dudley and Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins were at the game to bring attention Diabetes Health and Wellness Week. ... Portland Timbers players Ryan Johnson and Pa Modou Kah were at the game and got a hearty round of applause when shown on the video scoreboard. The Timbers have advanced to Major League Soccers Western Conference final and play the first of the two-leg series against Real Salt Lake on Sunday. ... Cousins had four steals to up his total on the season to 12. ... Lillard became the first NBA player to have at least 100 points, 25 rebounds, 25 assists and 20 3-pointers in his teams first five games. <a href="http://www.chinawholesalejerseysnfl.com/">Wholesale Jerseys</a> ' ' '