Dein erstes Forum » played a good game overall. I think if we

DENVER - Its been four years since the Raptors had a representative in the All-Star Game. DeMar DeRozan, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, remembers it well. "I was here when Chris Bosh was the last guy to go," said DeRozan, now 24 in his fifth NBA season, less than two hours after receiving the news. A first-time All-Star, DeRozan got the nod Thursday evening when the NBA named the Raptors guard to the Eastern Conference squad as a reserve. "I work extremely hard every off-season to try and be the best player that I can be," he said proudly. "Just to be a part of All-Star Weekend is something you dream of. I remember being a kid watching All-Star Weekend and wishing to be a part of it. To see your dreams come true definitely means a lot." DeRozan, the fourth ever Raptor selected to the midseason showcase, which will take place in New Orleans on Feb. 16, was hardly surprised to find out his selection had been made official. He had expected it. The texts from family and friends started to come in as the Raptors plane landed in Denver, shortly after the announcement had been made live on TNT. Houston Rockets All-Star guard James Harden called to congratulate him, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, also an Eastern reserve, sent a text. The first call he made was to his fiancé and his infant daughter back in Toronto. "That was cool," he said of what had to be a special moment. Its a moment, an achievement that didnt come overnight. Hes put in the work and his growth as a player, a leader and as a man reflects that. "Hes worked at it [and] he deserves it," said Dwane Casey, who has coached DeRozan in three of his five seasons. "Every year Ive been here he has improved. He has brought something new back after every summer. Im so happy and proud of him as a young man watching him grow." DeRozan, the ninth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is 11th in the league in scoring, fourth in the East, and averaging career highs in points (21.8), rebounds (4.7) and assists (3.6). The Raptors iron man has missed the clubs previous two games with an ankle injury, but hes still only missed 10 contests in his career, with two full seasons under his belt. Since the trade of Rudy Gay, DeRozan has blossomed in his new role. DeRozan has recorded five or more assists in 12 of the 43 contests hes appeared in this season. He accomplished that feat 12 times all of last year and five times total in his first three seasons combined. He has already grabbed five or more rebounds 23 times this season, something he did in 19 games during the 2012-13 campaign. "Im so happy for him, man," said snubbed teammate Kyle Lowry. "It just shows the hard work that hes put in. Its great for our team, its great for the organization, its great for the city, its great for the country." Of course, the news wasnt entirely positive. Lowry, in the middle of a career season, was left off the All-Star roster. The 27-year-old point guard - widely considered to be the most notable name missing from the East team - stood in the lobby of the Raptors Denver hotel, looking ahead to his mid-Febrary vacation. He too was not surprised by the result of the voting and if he was disappointed by it, he didnt show it. "Im alright," said Lowry, averaging career-highs in points (16.8), assists (7.6) and three-point shooting (41 per cent) this season. "Ill be on a beach somewhere hanging out. Ill watch the All-Star game and cheer for (DeRozan)." Lowry is coming off of back-to-back 30-plus point games for the first time in his eight-year career, however both performances came after the coaches submitted their ballots for All-Star reserves on Sunday. Casey has spent the better part of the last month campaigning for both of his guards, hoping to get both voted in, but expecting to only get the one. Why was Lowry left out? Politics, most likely. He and DeRozan may have split votes from coaches who were only willing to vote for one Raptor. Coaches trying to get their own guy in - unable to vote for their own players, by rule - may have thrown their votes to others, less likely to make it. Then theres Lowrys reputation for being, well, prickly on occasion. However, the numbers speak for themselves, or at least they should have. Lowry leads the East in assists in January, averaging 8.3. Hes also hit more threes this month (49) than any player in the league, shooting them at a 46 per cent clip. Hes among the league-best in assist-to-turnover ratio and he has the second highest PER (player efficiency rating) of any guard in the conference. "I am disappointed for Kyle because he is playing like an All-Star," Casey said. "He is one of the best point guards in the league right now and hopefully this doesnt deter him from his continuing his journey to being the best in the league and proving people wrong." Instead, the Nets Joe Johnson made the cut. Johnson is averaging 15.7 points, his lowest mark since 2002-03, his second season in the league. Hes only the second All-Star voted in by the coaches with a below-average PER since 2003. "Im going to keep grinding no matter what, All-Star or not," Lowry said. "Im always going to work hard and continue to be the best player I can be to help my team win." "Honestly I didnt even worry about it," he continued. "We didnt get two, doesnt matter, we got one and thats a big statement for our team. [DeRozans] going to represent our team and hes going to represent us well." DeRozan joins Johnson, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Wall, the Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks Paul Millsap on the East squad, along with starters LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat, Indianas Paul George, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving. Cheap Jordans From China . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. Cheap Jordans For Sale . Vinci also beat Dulgheru last week in Bucharest en route to her first WTA final in a year. Vinci next faces sixth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan, who beat Czech qualifier Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-2. No. http://www.cheapairjordanchina.com/. Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. Cheap Nike Shoes From China Free Shipping . During halftime, Love told The Associated Press he would receive treatment Saturday night and hoped to play Monday night against Houston. "I knew that my quad was bothering me pretty bad so I went out there and tried to move around a little bit and it just wasnt quite right," Love said. Buy Cheap Jordans Online Real . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night.The Metropolitan Division-champion Pittsburgh Penguins will close out their regular season on Sunday night in a home matchup with the Ottawa Senators. The Penguins will head into the postseason as the second seed and will have home-ice advantage against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh was coming off back-to-back shootout wins before suffering a 4-3 loss in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Defenseman Kris Letang scored on a backhander with 36.8 seconds left in regulation, but the Flyers won it on Mark Streits goal with 2:50 to play in overtime. James Neal totaled a goal and two assists for the Penguins, while Jussi Jokinen also tallied. Marc-Andre Fleury ended up with only 17 saves in defeat. With nothing on the line, the Penguins sat defenseman Brooks Orpik and forward Chris Kunitz. Several skaters also could get a rest tonight, though captain Sidney Crosby still wants his team to focus on playing a good game. "I think just to follow up this performance from today. As a whole, we want to feel good about our game," Crosby said of todays finale. "I think there were some things from today that I think were good. For a game that doesnt move us anywhere, it didnt have a lot of bearing on us, we came with the right attitude, the right mindset." Letang, meanwhilee, scored his first goal since Jan.dddddddddddd. 23 in his second game since returning from a 10-week absence while recovering from a stroke. "Im just trying to get back into it," Letang said. "The result is disappointing, but I think we played a good game overall. I think if we go into the playoffs that way, were going to win games." The Senators will not be going into the playoffs, but can end the campaign with a season-high fifth straight victory. They matched their previous best of four consecutive wins with Saturdays 1-0 decision over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and 26th of his career. Jason Spezza had the only goal of the game, blasting a one-timer into the net during a second-period power play for his 23rd goal of the season. "Were playing games that dont mean much in the standings as far as getting us into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is what its all about," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean. "But at the same time, finishing our home schedule like we are is way better." Ottawa wrapped the campaign with an 18-17-6 record at home. The Sens are 18-14-8 on the road. The Senators have lost four of their previous five meetings with the Penguins as well as five of their past six trips to Pittsburgh. ' ' '