Deutsche-Bedrohung » team did not qualify for the 2011 World Cup in

MIAMI - With self-preservation topping the Raptors list of late-season priorities, the player they can least afford to lose left American Airlines Arena on a cart. Walking with a noticeable limp, Kyle Lowry boarded the team bus following a 93-83 loss to the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. The result of the game was of little importance. Now it was secondary, as the status of Lowry - and with him, Torontos remarkable season - hung in the balance. "Well just have to wait and see how he is tomorrow," head coach Dwane Casey said after Lowry was pulled from Mondays loss with a sore left knee. Lowry sustained the injury with roughly three minutes remaining in the first half, colliding knee-on-knee with LeBron James, just about the last person on the planet youd want to plow into at high speed. Naturally, the Raptors point guard was slow to collect his bearings, but true to character, he got back up and remained in the game until, eventually, his body betrayed him. "We pulled him out," Casey said. "He couldnt go." Lowry finished the half and started and played most of the third quarter before leaving for the locker room and calling it a night, whether he liked it or not. The knee had swelled and he could barely walk. "We substituted him for Greivis (Vasquez) at that time," Casey continued, "and hes limping, limping, limping. [The medical staff] looked at him and decided he couldnt go back in." X-rays were negative, per Casey, but the status of Torontos most indispensable plater remains up in the air. Its not the first time Lowry has given his team a scare. Most recently, he was pulled in the first half of Fridays win over the Boston Celtics after turning his ankle, but he would re-enter and finish the game. Its inevitable given the way in which he plays. "He does this all the time, so hell be fine," said teammate Terrence Ross. "Kyle, hes a tough guy. He always comes through. No matter what, hes going to find a way to get back on the court." "With Kyle, no matter what his injury is, no matter what type of feeling hes having or what his body is telling him he cant do, his mind and his heart pushes through," echoed Patrick Patterson, who returned from a 13-game absence of his own. "So no matter what the circumstances are with him, unless its something real serious - knock on wood - then hell play. Thats the type of mentality he has. Thats the type of mentality he brings to the team and it rubs off on all of us." Could the Raptors shut Lowry down? Depending on how his knee reacts to a night of swelling and a flight back home, they may not have a choice, at least for a game or two. Again, theyll have to balance the importance of self-preservation and finishing out the season strong. Theres still work to be done with seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff hierarchy at stake. "His body will tell us, he will tell us [and] the medical people will tell us if he can go," said Casey, his team now sharing the third seed with Chicago. "Were not in the position to totally just shut him down. I think weve got to be smart with it. Well see where it is." LeBron carries undermanned Heat Without one-third of Miamis Big Three, as Dwyane Wade sat out resting a sore hamstring, James put the Heat on his shoulders. The reigning MVP began the second quarter sitting on Miamis bench, because even the leagues most physically intimidating specimen needs a breather every now and then. As James sat, Toronto quickly turned a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Overall, the Raptors outscored Miami by 12 points in the nine minutes that James spent on the bench Monday evening. However, the leagues best player dominated when he was on the floor, spearheading a 22-9 run to end the first half and putting the game away late in the fourth. Patterson returns Patterson played eight minutes in his return from an elbow sprain that kept him out of Torontos previous 13 contests. Sporting a protective brace on his right elbow, the Raptors forward was understandably rusty but made an impact with his energy and versatility off the bench, something Toronto had missed in his absence. Casey had planned to limit Pattersons minutes in his first game back and could continue to do so until he finds his rhythm. "Its just all about getting used to the brace," said Patterson, who scored his lone field goal on a put-back in the first quarter. "I thought I was a tad bit slow out there, just getting used to the brace as far as my jump shot goes." "Its going to take a little bit more time to get used to, but hopefully in these next three or four games Ill be back to top shape." The stat The Raptors set a new season-low, making just five free throws against the Heat. James, alone, got to the line (11 times) more than Toronto (10). The quote "First of all, we really didnt have the legs like that coming from a tough game last night," said DeMar DeRozan, who scored 16 points after tallying 28 in Sundays win over Orlando. "We got to stop letting teams get easy points in the paint. Thats what is hurting us." Rod Brind Amour Jersey . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success. Justin Faulk Jersey .com) - Coming off a pair of tough losses last week, the Syracuse Orange will try to put an end to their first losing skid of the season when they pay a visit to the Maryland Terrapins at the Comcast Center on Monday night in Atlantic Coast Conference action. http://www.hockeyhurricanes.com/ . The game marks the rare occasion when two homegrown running backs, Jon Cornish of the Calgary Stampeders and Andrew Harris of the B.C. Lions, will start in the West Divisions battle for a Grey Cup berth. Custom Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys . A rainy day saw the former champion Djokovic handle 14th-seeded Frenchman Jo- Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) under the roof on the famed Centre Court.Canada has drawn a deep group that includes China (14th in the latest FIFA Womens World Rankings), New Zealand (19th) and the Netherlands (15th) for the opening round of the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup. Opening the competition on June 6 in Edmonton against China, Canada also plays New Zealand in Edmonton on June 11. They will finish group play June 15 in Montreal against the Netherlands. The World Cup Draw, held in Gatineau, Que. placed the 24 qualified teams for the tournament in six groups of four. The Canadian team sits eighth in the world in the FIFA rankings. The team qualified automatically for the tournament as hosts and famously won Olympic bronze in their last competition: the 2012 London Games. Canada has undertaken a difficult schedule of friendlies in 2014, however, playing four of the top five teams in the most recent FIFA rankings. The results were mixed, but largely encouraging: earning a 1-1 draw with the top-ranked Americans in May, and a win and a draw against fifth-ranked Sweden in Los Angeles in late November. They were bested in both games they played against No. 3 Japan in October, losing 3-0 in Edmonton and 3-2 in Vancouver. They were also beat 2-1 by No. 2 Germany in June. China were one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, advancing to the Asian Cup semifinal on May 17. They gave the defending World Cup Champions from Japan a scare in the semifinal, losing 1-0 after extra time. The team did not qualify for the 2011 World Cup in Germany after having qualified for the previous five tournaments. Once a world power, China were runners-up to the United States at the 1999 tournament, losing on Brandi Chastains iconic penalty kick. The nation has twice hosted the World Cup, first the inaugural tournament in 1991 and later in 2007. They have advanced to the knockout stage in four of their five appearances, losing in the quarter-finals three of four times. The Netherlands were the second-last team to qualify for the World Cup, securing their berth on Nov. 27 in the UEFA qualification play-off. They finished second to Norway in their qualification group, but the 25 points they secured through 10 games, earned them a chance to secure the lone spot available to a European runner-up via playoffs. The Dutch team beat Scotland 4-1 on aggregate in the semifinal before going on to top Italy 3-2 to earn a trip to Canada. This marks the first trip to the Womens World Cup for the Dutch, whose best international result to date was a third-place finish at the 2009 European Championship. New Zealand qualified for the World Cup by winning the Oceania Football Confederation Cup by going 3-0 and outscoring opponents 30-0 in the tournament.dddddddddddd The Kiwis have qualified for the previous two World Cups in addition to having made the inaugural tournament. They have never won a match at the World Cup, going 0-1-8 (W-D-L). Current Canadian head coach John Herdman coached New Zealand at the previous two World Cups. The Group of Death was handed to the defending Olympic gold medalists from the United States in Group D. The top-ranked Americans were handed Sweden (fifth in the world), Australia (10th) and African champions Nigeria (35th). Winnipeg will play host to the first four Group D games with USA-Nigeria taking place in Vancouver and Australia-Sweden in Edmonton to wrap up the round. Japan was handed a relatively easy group, drawing 18th-ranked Switzerland, 51s-ranked Cameroon and 49th-ranked Ecuador. Group C will be based in Vancouver before a third games in Winnipeg and Edmonton. Germany drew stiff competition for the top of their group with former Champions Norway, but also have 30th-ranked Thailand and 64th-ranked Ivory Coast alongside. The Ivorians are the lowest-ranked team to qualify for the tournament. Group B will play in Ottawa before moving to Winnipeg and Moncton for their opening round finales. Group E sees sixth-ranked Brazil alongside Spain (16), Korea Republic (17) and Costa Rica (40) in Montreal before a move to Moncton and Ottawa. Finally, Group F pits fourth-ranked France with seventh-ranked England, 25th-ranked Mexico and 31st-ranked Colombia in Moncton before moving to Ottawa and Montreal. See the related links in this article for the full tournament schedule. The full groups listing can be seen below: Group A TEAMS Canada China New Zealand Netherlands Group B TEAMS Germany Ivory Coast Norway Thailand Group C TEAMS Japan Switzerland Cameroon Ecuador Group D TEAMS United States Australia Sweden Nigeria Group E TEAMS Brazil Korea Republic Spain Costa Rica Group F TEAMS France England Colombia Mexico 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 ' ' '