News » Terrence Ross searched for the words to describe

TORONTO - As a sizeable media contingent jockeyed for position around his locker, Terrence Ross searched for the words to describe his historic night. "It feels good," he settled on. Its been nearly a year since the Raptors sophomore had his coming-out party at All-Star Weekend, since the spotlight was this big, this bright. Whether he likes it or not, the attention is something he may have to get used to. Often one of the first to escape Torontos locker room, the soft-spoken 22-year-old has perfected the post-game dash like a grizzled vet. There was no avoiding it on Saturday. Ross nearly doubled his career high, previously 26, en route to a magical 51-point performance that matched Vince Carters franchise scoring record, set in February of 2000. Not only is Ross, according to Elias Sports Bureau, the first player averaging fewer than 10 points per game to ever score 50, but he also became the second-youngest to accomplish that feat. Moments after it came to an end - Toronto dropping a 126-118 shootout to the Clippers - his teammates threw a basketball into his locker. "Whats this?" he asked, as if he didnt know. It, of course, was the game ball. With the souvenir comes the heightened expectations that accompany a 50 point-game. Theres no sneaking up on anybody now. Hes raised the bar for himself. "Now hes told on himself," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said after the game. "Not that he has to get 51 every night, but hes got to have that offensive focus." A much improved defender in his second NBA season, Ross has also excelled from long range, shooting the three-ball at a 41 per cent clip. His next step, as Casey has alluded to, is to capitalize on his proficiency from downtown by putting the ball on the floor, creating his own looks around the rim and getting to the free throw line. With his full offensive arsenal on display against the Clippers, its not hard to see why Casey is enamoured by his potential. Twenty-one of his 23 first-half points came from beyond the arc, as Ross eclipsed the franchise mark for most threes in a half with seven. Coming out of the break, Doc Rivers and his team made the inevitable adjustment, closing out hard on the red-hot Ross. "They were running at him," Casey said, "[but he] did a good job reading the defence." DeMar DeRozan, who rolled his ankle on the foot of Toronto supervillain Hedo Turkoglu in the first half, left the game early in the third. Ross immediately stepped in for his mentor. Midway through the quarter, he made his presence felt with a put-back dunk in the lane. Ten seconds later, he picked off Darren Collisons pass, ran the length of the floor and finished an alley-oop. Eight of his 13 third-quarter points came in the paint and he also made nine of 10 free throw attempts on the night. His 31-foot, buzzer-beating bomb tied the game going into the fourth. From there he was on cruise control. "You dont think about it," Ross said. "You dont really realize what youre doing until its all over." Whats the mindset when one of your teammates is playing like…? "Give him the ball," Kyle Lowry said, before the question could even be completed. "Give him the ball, I dont care what hes… just give him the ball." When it was all said and done the Raptors had lost, defence being the primary culprit, but Ross had accomplished something remarkable. He was speechless, essentially, and so too were his teammates. "Unbelievable," said Lowry, succinct once again. "He did an unbelievable job. Thats it, unbelievable." A primary beneficiary of the Rudy Gay trade, Ross is averaging just under 30 minutes a night since the deal, 12 minutes more than he was getting as sub. He has earned the trust of his coach with his commitment to defence and his teammates are comfortable with him firing at will, provided theyre good shots. With DeRozan out of the lineup indefinitely Rosss role figures to expand once again. "Im probably the happiest person on the team for him to be honest," DeRozan said. "Ive been going up against T since his rookie year, pushing him, going at him day in and day out. Just seeing how high his confidence level is is definitely good to see." Now, all eyes are on Ross. What will he do for an encore? Vapormax Flyknit 3 Femme .The Toronto Raptors guard, who will represent the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game in New Orleans on Sunday, says he doesnt complain in the face of adversity "because I know this little girl is just happy for anything. Vapormax Pas Cher Destockage . -- Stanley Johnson scored all 18 of his points in the second half, T. http://www.vapormaxpascher.be/air-max-vapormax-flyknit-2-pas-cher.html . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Vapormax Moc 2 Pas Cher . 31-Feb. 2. While organizers havent decided if itll be red or green clay, they feel their choice of surface will give the Americans an advantage over Britain, which is expected to be led by defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. Nike Vapormax Belgique . "I wasnt waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "Its been a trying time. "Specifically we havent played as well as wed like to hang our hat on.PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Lee Stempniak have been playing together for less than two weeks. Funny, they looked like longtime friends during Pittsburghs 5-1 demolition of Dallas on Tuesday night. Quick to the puck and even quicker to the net, the Penguins top line overwhelmed the suddenly struggling Stars as Pittsburgh bounced back from a dismal weekend sweep at the hands of Philadelphia by jumping on Dallas early. Crosby scored his 32nd goal less than 5 minutes in, added his 33rd early in the third period and dished out an assist on Stempniaks first goal with the Penguins to push his point total to an NHL-leading 91. More importantly, Pittsburgh hardly looked like the team humbled by the Flyers during a forgettable home-and-home sweep. "We werent happy with those losses, we have to do better," Crosby said. "We wanted to make sure we went out there and played hard. Its a desperate team were playing and hopefully we can build that same emotion, same intensity we had tonight and carry it over to the rest of the season." Kunitz chipped in his 32nd goal after skipping two games with a leg injury and added an assist. Brandon Sutter pushed in a late short-handed goal and Jeff Zatkoff stopped 32 shots to win for the 11th time in his past 14 games. Tyler Seguin scored his 31st goal for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves, but Dallas slumped again on the road. The Stars have been outscored 12-3 over their past two games to slip out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. "I think you cant blame one guy for any of the goals," Seguin said. "This is a team matter were going to deal with. Its just about execution. Weve been showing glimpses of it lately, but too many breakdowns." A no-no when playing Crosby. The Pittsburgh captain seemed energized by the return of Kunitz. Reunited against a scuffling team trying to make a late run at the post-season, Crosby and Kunitz helped the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins rebound by playing with the chemistry that makes them one of the most potent one-two combinations in the league. The game was less than 5 minutes old when Crosby put Pittsburgh in front. Fourth-line forward Craig Adams -- finishing out his shift -- dug out a loose puck in the corner and fed it to Crosby darting through the slot.dddddddddddd Crosby deked past Dallas defenceman Sergei Gonchar then held the puck long enough for Lehtonen to commit before slipping the puck into an open net to give the Penguins some welcome momentum. Seguin tied it at 12:30 into the first with a pretty deflection off a Trevor Daley shot from the point, but the game was tied less than three minutes before Kunitz pounced on a rebound off a Stempniak shot to put the Penguins in front to stay. The Penguins acquired Stempniak from Calgary on March 5 hoping the veteran forward could patch the hole on the first line that hasnt really been filled since Pascal Dupuis was lost for the season with a knee injury in December. After a series of near misses in his first six games with Pittsburgh, Stempniak finally broke through 13:21 into the second period. He skated into the zone and dropped the puck to Crosby and sprinted to the net. The puck was on Stempniaks stick again a split second later as Kunitz hit him streaking through the slot. Stempniak knocked it in for his ninth of the season while getting tripped by Dallas Brenden Dillon in the process. "Its been a little while, its nice to get a goal," Stempniak said. "Great passing play from Sid to Chris. I went to the net and it was on my tape ... Sids so dynamic, he opens up a lot. Chris has a great shot. I just try to fit in and skate and keep up." That was more than enough for Zatkoff, who made two glove saves in the second period during Dallas best sustained pressure. Crosby banged in a rebound 1:56 into the third to push Pittsburghs lead to three and the pressure that had built after dispiriting performances against the Flyers -- games in which the Penguins said they were more concerned with the way they played than the actual score -- lifted. NOTES: Pittsburgh is 42-5-4 this season when Crosby collects at least one point. ... Dallas has lost three straight for the first time since a six-game skid from Jan. 2-12. ... The Penguins play at Detroit on Thursday. ... Dallas visits Philadelphia on Thursday. ' ' '