Archiv » Garcia shot 27 on the back nine, a cour

TORONTO - Although Wednesdays overtime loss was one that Jonas Valanciunas would sooner forget than relive, his coach hopes its something the Raptors sophomore centre will learn from. In what promised to be a tricky matchup for the 21-year-old, Valanciunas held his own against the crafty Al Jefferson offensively but was taught a lesson or two on the other end. One of those moments occurred at the end of the extra period. Jefferson set a hard screen that freed up Kemba Walker, forcing Valanciunas to switch off and close out on the Bobcats guard. Walker would drain the game-winner over Valanciunas as time expired. "Weve watched film with him [and] work on it with him individually," Dwane Casey said after practice Thursday afternoon. "In the NBA, a lot depends on game experience and hes seeing every different post-up situation." Valanciunas scored 10 points and added six rebounds in 22 minutes of action Wednesday however, Jefferson poured in 24 to go along with 11 boards, leading the Bobcats with five points in overtime. "Hes still in the process, hes still learning the league, learning the speed of the game and again, hes [getting] better," Casey said, commending Valanciunas growth on the offensive end. "I thought he did an excellent job offensively when he got his catches in the post. Hes really grown from that standpoint." His biggest challenge continues to come on the defensive end, where hes still being exposed by quicker, versatile and more experienced big men. Jefferson is a nightmare assignment for any player, let alone a young and developing big. "My whole career, to this day, people always ask who the hardest [players] are to guard and I surprise them every time when I tell them Al Jefferson and Zach Randolph," said veteran forward and new teammate Chuck Hayes, who participated in his first full practice with the Raptors Wednesday. "For their size - theyre so wide - theyre light on their feet and theyve got great footwork and their shooting touch is just as good as any guard in the league." "It sucks that [Valanciunas] went through that torture chamber in a game that we needed before this road trip but its a learning process," Hayes continued. "Well see them again, Im sure and hell remember that overtime where Al got the best of him." Although Valanciunas shares the blame for what went wrong in overtime, theres plenty of it to go around. The Raptors, as a team, missed their first six field goal attempts while DeMar DeRozan shot 1-of-4. You can also cut the seven-footer some slack, given the amount of time he had spent on the bench. Valanciunas sat for over 17 minutes of game time, including the entire fourth quarter, before coming back in to start overtime. Facing Charlottes unconventional frontcourt of Jefferson and Josh McRoberts, a stretch four, Valanciunas became a late-game afterthought once again, sitting out in favour of Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, and the newly acquired Patrick Patterson. As Casey notes, it is sometimes a give-and-take with Valanciunas on the floor, certainly in a matchup like Wednesdays. Whatever advantage is gained on the offensive end, assuming the team is utilizing it, is often given right back on defence. With the game on the line, Casey - like he has done in past - opted to play it safe with more experienced and versatile defenders at the position. "Thats why its hard to win consistently with young players in the NBA," said the Raptors coach. "Jonas is going to be okay but thats the patience you have to have with a young player; take the good with the bad." While those who expected the world from Valanciunas in his second NBA season may be disappointed in the early returns, Casey is just as realistic as he is optimistic. It wont happen overnight, Casey reiterates regularly. It didnt with Tyson Chandler, it didnt with Roy Hibbert or Joakim Noah and it wont with Valanciunas. Inevitably, developing Valanciunas will become more of a priority now that Rudy Gay has been dealt. The challenge for Casey - who is trying to win first and foremost, as you would expect - centres on finding that balance between competing and nurturing the future of the franchise, a future he may not even be a part of. "I love the challenge of coaching young players, I enjoy that. I enjoy winning more," he said, half-jokingly. "But I understand where we are and what were about." Valanciunas represents the future of this team more than anyone else that is currently on the roster. The expectations, at least internally, have not changed. The word Casey continues to stress is patience. "Its a process," he insists. "Were patient [but] hes our guy, hes our starting centre for a long time and were just going to have to roll with it." Bennie Logan Jersey .S. womens soccer team to a 2-0 win over China in Colorado in the afternoon. Malcolm Butler Titans Jersey .com) - Manchester City will face a steep test in the Champions League knockout stage as the English champions were drawn with Barcelona on Monday. http://www.authenticfootballshoptitans.com/authentic-malcolm-butler-titans-jersey/ .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. Will Compton Titans Jersey . As the Winnipeg Blue Bombers opened their main training camp Sunday, Kuale is one of the newcomers brought in to bolster a sagging defence that ranked overall where the Bombers finished 2013, in the CFL cellar with a league high 585 points against. Luke Stocker Jersey . It will be their 15th head-to-head meeting and fourth in the post-season (Sunday at 2pm et/11am pt on CTV) and for his part, Brady isnt downplaying just how big the game is for him. "Im excited - Its everything you could ask for as an athlete," the New England Patriots quarterback told WEEI Radio in Boston on Monday. AKRON, Ohio -- Sergio Garcia doesnt know anything about being in a zone. He had no trouble identifying the best round of his career. Garcia one-putted the final 11 holes and made birdies on his last seven holes Friday in the Bridgestone Invitational to tie the course record at Firestone with a 9-under 61 and take a three-shot lead into the weekend. He had a birdie putt on every hole on the back nine, missing only a 15-footer from the fringe at No. 11. Garcia shot 27 on the back nine, a course record. "Just one of those moments that you love and you enjoy, and you wish there were no end," he said. It matched the tournament record held by Tiger Woods, who shot 61 in 2000 and 2013, and Jose Maria Olazabal, who shot his 61 in 1990. Woods went on to win by 11 shots in 2000 and seven shots last year. Olazabal won by 12 in the World Series of Golf. Garcia still has work to do. He was at 11-under 129, three shots clear of Justin Rose, who had a 67. British Open champion Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes for a 64 and joined Marc Leishman of Australia (67) four shots out of the lead. McIlroy played in the group behind Garcia, and could hear what was going on if he couldnt see it. "Every time I looked, he was putting a ball in the hole and the crowd was cheering," McIlroy said. "I knew that he was making a few birdies." Graham DeLaet (69) of Weyburn, Sask., is tied for ninth at 4-under par. Garcia was five shots out of the lead when he had to scramble to save pars on back-to-back holes to close out the front nine on what seemed to be an ordinary round. Two good swings on the 10th hole led to a 20-foot birdie putt. He hit 8-iron to 2 feet on No. 12 and 3 feet on No. 13 for the easiest birdies he had all day, and those turned out to be the start of his big run. The Spaniard finished in style, making birdie putts of 15, 25 and 20 feet on his last three holes. It reminded Garcia of the Travelers Championships earlier this summer, when Kevin Streelman closed with seven straight birdies to beat Garcia and K.J. Choi by one shot. "When I made the one on 17 I thought, This kind of looks familiar from what happened not too long ago," Garcia said. "Obviously, Sunday would be even nicer. But Ill take what I can get." His previous best score was a 62 on three oother occasions -- as a 19-year-old at the Scottish Open and Byron Nelson Classic in 1999, and at Mount Juliet in 2002 at the American Express Championship.dddddddddddd Woods also shot his 61s at Firestone in the second round. He could have used something remotely close to that to stay in range of Garcia. Instead, Woods hit only four fairways off the tee and couldnt seem to make anything on the green. It added to a 71, leaving him 10 shots behind. "I didnt hit the ball well. I didnt putt well. I didnt do anything well," Woods said. "The only thing I did well was I fought hard. Grinded hard. Unfortunately, it wasnt a very good day." Starting times for the third round were moved up to Saturday morning, with threesomes off both tees, because of a forecast for storms. That figures to only keep Firestone soft, allowing players to attack the pins provided theyre in the short grass. Rose missed only two greens in posting a 67 as his momentum builds toward the final major of the year next week at the PGA Championship. He wouldnt mind adding a WGC title this week. Either way, there is a long stretch of big tournaments, and Rose is headed in the right direction. He won back-to-back starts at Congressional and Royal Aberdeen before stalling slightly at the British Open. "Im feeling good about peaking at this time of the year," Rose said. "Every week is big. You could argue a major championship in the middle of it all is the one youd really love to peak for next week. But at the same time, theres not a bad golf tournament now for about two months. Looking forward to the whole stretch." He didnt realize when he finished that Rose would have three shots to make up on Garcia starting out the third round. It didnt come entirely out of the blue for Garcia. Just two weeks ago, he challenged McIlroy briefly at Royal Liverpool until tying for second in the British Open. But this was something special, and Garcia could sense it. "It feels great to be able to ... equal the course record on a course like this. Even playing soft, its not that easy a course," Garcia said. "You have to drive the ball very, very well. You have to put the ball on the greens on the right spots because you can get some really, really fast putts. "Being in a group with Tiger and Jose Maria, it feels really good." Cheap Bruins Jerseys Wholesale Sabres Jerseys Red Wings Jerseys From China Wholesale Canadiens Jerseys Wholesale Lightning Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Discount Hurricanes Jerseys Blue Jackets Jerseys Outlet Adidas Devils Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Rangers Jerseys From China Discount Flyers Jerseys Discount Penguins Jerseys Discount Capitals Jerseys Wholesale Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Team USA Hockey Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Wholesale Wild Jerseys Discount Predators Jerseys Discount Blues Jerseys Discount Ducks Jerseys Adidas Coyotes Jerseys Flames Jerseys Outlet Wholesale Oilers Jerseys Discount Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Golden Knights Jerseys Outlet Authentic NHL Winter Classic Jerseys ' ' '