Handel » les in the backfield, Sherman said. Said Rivera: Seattle

TORONTO - For the second time in less than a month, Kyle Lowry heard MVP chants rain down at him as he stepped to the line nearing the conclusion of yet another remarkable performance. "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. The sound he heard as he missed that free throw was less about his candidacy for an award nobody actually expects him to win - though he has been the Raptors MVP - than it was a sentiment of appreciation. Often misunderstood, Lowry has finally found something in Toronto that had eluded him for seven seasons prior. Lowry has found a team that fits him like a glove, a locker room filled with players who hang on his every word and a city that is ready to embrace him as their own. Lowry has found a home. "Im just playing," said the Raptors point guard, after eclipsing 30 points for the second straight game - the first time hes accomplished that feat as a pro - carrying his team to 98-83 wire-to-wire win over the Magic on Wednesday. "My team, they expect me to do a certain thing every night and when you go out there and play for these guys that give you everything they got in this locker room, you dont want to disappoint them." Lowry had scored 31 in Mondays thrilling victory over the Nets. Two days later, it was a near triple-double, a season-best 33 points to go along with 11 assists and seven rebounds. All of this without Torontos leading scorer. DeMar DeRozan continues to sit out, nursing a sprained left ankle that is steadily improving, according to the Raptors guard. On Wednesday, he watched from the locker room because, as he insisted, he couldnt bare to be a well-dressed spectator on the Raptors bench. What he saw was a team that has come together in his absence and a player, in Lowry, who has taken his game to a whole new level. By the end of the first quarter, Lowry had 17 points, perfect on all five of his three-point attempts. The Raptors, as a team, connected on their first nine treys, making 11 of 14 in the opening half. When his team made their way to the locker room at intermission, Lowry had scored or assisted on 12 of the Raptors 17 field goals in his 18 first-half minutes. The lead was 15. "Hes stepped it up," coach Dwane Casey said of his point guard. "He set the tone in the first half with his threes, just his aggressive play means a lot." He seemed to bring out the best in everybody. Amir Johnson had his best game in well over a month, scoring 22 points and adding 11 boards. Jonas Valanciunas, who was named to the Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend earlier in the evening, recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Lowrys fingerprints were all over the teams effort. "You cant say enough," Casey continued. "I just hope, I keep my fingers crossed that the coaches voted him in [to the All-Star game] because he deserves it. Hes one of the best point guards in the league right now." Lowry has made his case loud and clear - though both 30-point performances have come after the coaches ballots for All-Star reserves were collected on Sunday - and his fate will be revealed on Thursday. The 27-year-old leads the East in assists in January, averaging 8.3, hitting more threes (49) than any player in the league, shooting them at a 46 per cent clip and leading his team to their second consecutive winning month. On Monday, he became the first player this season to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game, a feat that was only accomplished by LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant last year. You have to go deep into the franchises not-so-rich history to find a point guard that even comes close to the level that Lowry is playing at right now. Damon Stoudamire, perhaps? Its been a while. Casey has been pumping Lowrys tires around the league and hopes that will tip the scale in his favour when the All-Star subs are revealed. As it turns out, maybe they should have sent his backup on the campaign trail. "Kyle is an unbelievable player," said Greivis Vasquez, who started Wednesday in place of the injured DeRozan on Wednesday. "Hes doing great things, not just for the team but for the city and thats huge." "Ill tell you this, he should make it," he continued. "Its not because Im his teammate, the numbers dont lie. I mean, Im seeing it, watching it and Im enjoying it." As it happens, Lowrys not holding his breath. Although he would welcome the honour with open arms, hes acknowledged that, of the two, DeRozan will likely be the one to get the call. One way or another, Lowry has 14 teammates, a coach, and the bulk of a city that believes hes an All-Star. Regardless of the result Thursday evening - as the Raptors land in Denver to begin a five-game road swing - that is not likely to change. Taurean Prince Jersey . Louis Blues, having added Ryan Miller and Steve Ott from Buffalo, remain the No. Mike Bibby Jersey . - Suspended Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon has voluntarily checked into a treatment facility and seems to be doing well. http://www.authenticbasketballshophawks....s-hawks-jersey/. -- All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints met Tuesday for arbitration on his contract. Kent Bazemore Jersey .Kraft says Goodell realized before seeing a video showing Baltimore running back Ray Rice striking his then fiance that domestic violence was very serious for society in general. Justin Anderson Jersey . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolina teammates describe Luke Kuechly as one of the nicest guys youll meet, an aw-shucks, All-American kid whos polite and still spends part of his off-season living with his parents in Ohio. Seattles Bobby Wagner is the charming, approachable kid-at-heart, regularly seen walking around with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack draped around his shoulders. Off the field, nice guys. Harmless. On the field, its a whole different story when it comes to the All-Pro middle linebackers. Panthers safety Roman Harper, who previously played for New Orleans, remembers watching a game last year and wondering who the crazy man wearing the No. 59 jersey for Carolina was. Hes yelling, hes talking trash — and then you meet him and he doesnt even remember any of that, Harper said. Hes just the nicest guy, he talks about his mom all the time and all this other stuff and its just so funny. It really is like the Superman-Clark Kent thing. Wagner is the intense driven leader of the Seattle defence, which has finished first in the league in the NFL in each of the past two seasons. Kuechly was the catalyst for the Panthers holding the Arizona Cardinals to 78 yards in last weeks wild-card game, an NFL post-season record for fewest yards in a game. Theyre two of the better young linebackers in the league, for sure, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. Theyre exciting to watch. For all the inherent hype surrounding quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Cam Newton entering Saturday nights NFC divisional playoff game, this game could be determined by the teams two defensive play callers. The past three meetings between the Seahawks and Panthers have resulted in low-scoring matchups, hardly a surprise given the men manning the middle of those defences. The Seahawks won those games 16-12 in 2012, 12-7 in 2013 and 13-9 in October, although Wagner didnt play in the most recent game due to a turf toe injury. Were the quarterback of the defence so I think we should get as much recognition as the quarterback, Wagner said. (But) its a fun position. Were in the middle of everything. We have a job during the run, have a job on the pass, get sacks, interceptions, tackles. Were pretty much involved. Its the best positon in my opinion. Kuechly agrees, although hes fine without the attention. Its all good, and I wouldnt want to change that, Kuechly said. Thats something you take with the position. Teammate Greg Olsen called him the best defensive player in the league and saaid hes already as good as Brian Urlacher was in his prime.dddddddddddd. Both players entered the league in 2012 — Kuechly as a first-round pick out of Boston College; Wagner a second-round choice from Utah State. Since their arrival, both defences have vastly improved in part because of their ability to decipher offensive formations, run to the ball and make plays. Both excel in pass coverage, too. Kuechly, the NFLs Defensive Player of the Year last season, demonstrated last week just how valuable he is to the Panthers. He had 10 tackles, a key fourth quarter interception and tipped another Ryan Lindley pass that resulted in a turnover in Carolinas 27-16 wild-card win over the Cardinals. He can literally take over the game from the middle linebacker position, Harper said. Wagner finished with 104 tackles in 11 games and doesnt have quite the same big plays on his resume this season as Kuechly, but hes just as valuable to Seattles defence. Thats why he was selected as an All-Pro despite missing five games due to the toe injury. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said both middle linebackers are high-IQ football players who do everything well. But he said theyre different players. Luke is a very dynamic player and I think Bobby plays within the stream of our defence and makes plays in front of him and makes tackles in the backfield, Sherman said. Said Rivera: Seattle has an attacking, aggressive style and I think Wagner fits what they do very well. Both are known for their athleticism and speed. Harper didnt realize how athletic Kuechly was until he watched him jump flat-footed onto a box five feet off the ground. I was like, OK, I get it now, Harper said shaking his head. Wagner once ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds. Hes able to flow from one side of the field to the other with swift, seamless movements that even impresses Kuechly. When I watched some crossover tape of Seattle, I see him just kept seeing him flying around and making plays, Kuechly said. The guy is smart, athletic and he can run. The Panthers have yet to figure out Wagner and the Seahawks. Theyve only scored one offensive touchdown in the past three games against the Seahawks. Rivera knows it will only get tougher on Saturday night with Wagner back in the starting lineup for the rematch. Hes a solid football player with a tremendous amount of athletic ability, Rivera said. He has a great football mind and because of that he does things the right way. ' ' '