DENVER - Its been four years since the Raptors had a representative in the All-Star Game.
Gabriel Jesus Jersey . 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.
Phil Foden Jersey . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said.
Manchester City Jerseys . THE THUNDER & PACERS BENCHES: In a nutshell, not impressive at all.SEATTLE -- Kekutah Manneh picked quite a time to score his first professional hat trick. The 18-year-old rookie scored three goals to lift the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, keeping his teams slim playoff hopes alive. He also became the youngest player in MLS history to score three goals in a game. "Im more nervous in this interview than I was in the game," Manneh said. "This is the type of games that every player wants to play in. This is the kind of game we dream to play in. To play in front of this crowd is amazing. All we can do is get excited and play the game." Manneh was especially efficient for Vancouver (12-11-9), scoring on all three of the shots that he put on frame. He had come into the game with just three previous starts and 529 minutes in which he had managed to score two goals and register three assists. "Phenomenal game and a great night for Whitecaps fans to remember for a long time," Whitecaps manager Martin Rennie said. "We played a great game tonight. We played some great stuff, kept good possession of the ball, moved the ball well in a tough environment to come to against our biggest rival. Im really proud of the players. We worked extremely hard and took our chances when they came." All three of Mannehs goals came after he was able to slip behind the defence. The first was in the 12th minute, when Daigo Kobayashi intercepted Jhon Kennedy Hurtados clearance attempt and volleyed it to Manneh. With just one defender to beat, Manneh got behind the defence and poked it past Sounders goalkeeper Michael Gspurning. Manneh added another in the 42nd minute, catching the Sounders defence on a counter-strike. Young-Pyo Lee started it with a pass along the sideline to Camilo Sanvezzzo, who back-heeled it to Manneh.
Fernandinho Jersey. Again with just a single defender to beat, Manneh pushed ahead and beat Gspurning with a low shot. The capper came in the 53rd minute after Manneh worked a give-and-go with Kobayashi at the top of the penalty area. Manneh got free on goal and put his shot between Gspurnings legs for the first hat trick in the Whitecaps MLS history. "We joked before that youre never exactly sure what youre going to get with an 18-year-old," Rennie said. "But hes unbelievably talented. ... With younger players, youre not always going to get that consistent level of performance but we did talk about it before that if he showed up he could make a huge impact on the game and he did." Nigel Reo-Coker added his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute to cap the scoring on a poor effort by Gspurning. Seattles lone goal came in the 69th minute from Mauro Rosales. The win moved the Whitecaps to within three points of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They will have to win their final two games against the Colorado Rapids -- away and at home -- in order to have any chance of qualifying for a second straight year. Theyll also need the San Jose Earthquakes drop at least two points in their final two matches. Seattle (15-10-6) meanwhile is still one point back of Real Salt Lake for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Whitecaps at least have some serious momentum. "We needed that tonight," Rennie said. "These players, I dont think people really believe in them as much as they should. I think the most important thing is the players are really believing in themselves. ... "Tonight was a really good night for us and well enjoy that. Then we have to get focused on the next one."
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