TORONTO - The Raptors learned a little bit about themselves in a narrow defeat to the Chicago Bulls Wednesday, a game with playo

TORONTO - The Raptors learned a little bit about themselves in a narrow defeat to the Chicago Bulls Wednesday, a game with playoff-type intensity and their third consecutive against an opponent directly behind them in the standings. Ben Wallace Jersey . On Thursday theyll learn even more. Despite the cloud of uncertainty that has followed them around from the moment general manager Masai Ujiri was brought in to put his stamp on the franchise, the Raptors have surpassed all pre-season expectations. They have navigated through early-season tank speculation, theyve come together after a momentum shifting seven-player deal and they continue to block out the noise emitting from the incessant batch of rumours surrounding their starting point guard. At 3:00 PM et Thursday afternoon all that noise will be muzzled until the offseason, all the uncertainty finally put to bed. Finally, they will all know where they stand, at least for the next couple months. So, with the big day rapidly approaching, will Kyle Lowry - the primary subject of trade speculation - be losing any sleep on the eve of the deadline? "Nope," scoffed the Raptors point guard, as that question was posed following his teams 94-92 loss to the Bulls. "Not at all." "Any other questions about that," he asked, daring the hoard of local media to try their luck again. There were no more questions. It was worth a try, after all, its the question thats on everyones mind. Will Lowry be wearing a Raptors jersey when the team hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday? Still, it was a futile attempt to get a rise out of a player who has been relatively unshakable all season. Lowry, like the rest of his teammates, is fully aware of whats at stake as he waits to learn his fate. The upcoming deadline has been on the their minds, whether they care to admit it or not, but its not a subject thats welcome for discussion in the locker room. "Thankfully on this team, no, no ones talked about it, no ones mentioned it," said Patrick Patterson, ahead of the teams win in Washington Tuesday. "The only thing Ive seen is just stuff on Twitter, the internet, Bleacher Report, whatever, yada, yada, yada, rumours but as far as this group of guys from the coaching staff on down to each player on the roster, no one has mentioned anything." Patterson arrived in the trade from Sacramento on Dec. 9, along with Kings teammates Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes. Since then, this team has gelled in a way that no one could have possibly imagined, going 22-12 with the new additions in uniform. Chemistry is a word thats been used to describe this group both on and off the floor and, as Ujiri has insisted, its something the Raptors general manager values above all else. Ujiri, in conversation with TSN.ca over the weekend, expressed a reluctance to disrupt that newfound chemistry unless the right deal comes along. Hes not alone. Dwane Casey wouldnt mind seeing 15 familiar faces in the locker room when he comes into work on Friday. "I like our guys," Casey said. "I know Masai is working 24/7 on the phones and looking at different scenarios. We talked a long time today. But I like our guys. If we (bring) our team back Im happy." "I always said since I came (here), the players will dictate where we go and the team will dictate where we go," Ujiri told TSN.ca on Sunday. "Thats kind of how its been." The players have spoken. The Raptors hold third place in the Eastern Conference, a 1/2 game in front of the fourth-seeded Bulls after Wednesdays loss. They were outplayed on both ends of the floor in the second night of a back-to-back. It was a brutally physical and fiercely competitive game in which seven technical fouls were handed out. The Raptors were down and out early but they fought back, as they have done time and time again, showing mental and physical toughness. Theyre a resilient bunch, theyve proven that, and they believe theyve earned the right to see this thing out. "I believe that nothing will (happen Thursday)," Patterson predicted. "No trades will be made due to the success that weve had since the (Sacramento deal)." "Why break up something thats been going so well," he asked, rhetorically. "None of us are talking about trades, none of us are talking about wanting to leave and everyone is happy with the current situation." Jon Leuer Jersey . Meeks has agreed to a $19.5 million, three-year deal with Detroit, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday night. The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because free agents cant sign contracts until the leagues moratorium ends July 10, also said Cartier Martin had agreed to a one-year contract with the rebuilding franchise. Tracy McGrady Jersey .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games. http://www.basketballpistonsauthority.com/langston-galloway-pistons-jersey-c-32/ . The game was the first of two international friendlies that Canada is playing during the international break, with the second game against Slovenia set for Tuesday in Celje. Canada looked uncomfortable defensively throughout the game, and every free kick that came into Canadas penalty box looked like ending up in the back of the net.Alex Anthopoulos cautioned us last week not to expect the Blue Jays to make any more deals for the rest of this month after he shipped Emilio Bonifacio to Kansas City for cash or a player to be named later. The month following the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline traditionally isnt as busy. Teams can for instance use waiver claims to block rivals from picking up key players. That can cause deals to be aborted, or teams to be stuck with players they didnt really want in the first place. In 1998, San Diego claimed lefty reliever Randy Myers from the Blue Jays just to make sure he didnt wind up with Atlanta. Myers career was beginning a slow fade, and the Blue Jays were able to get out from under his rather large contract. Still, there have been significant trades made in August. In fact you could argue that the Blue Jays made two of the biggest in franchise history during the eighth month of the year. On August 27, 1992, the Blue Jays acquired right-hander David Cone from the New York Mets for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson. Though the rookie Kent would later star with the Mets and the Giants, Cone was instrumental in helping the Blue Jays win their first World Series when they beat Atlanta in six games. Former Blue Jays reliever Dan Plesac, who was with the Milwaukee squad that was trying to pass the Jays for first place, said at the moment that trade was made, the Brewers knew it was over because they realized their organization would never be able to swing that kind of impactful trade at that point of the season. Cone, you must remember, was essentially a rental. He become a free agent in the off-season and signed with Kansas City. The Blue Jays traded for him again in the spring of 1995. However, lightning didnt strike twice. Toronto had a disappointing season and Cone was ultimately traded to the Yankees later that same year. The Blue Jays other big August deal looked rather innocuous at the time. The Blue Jays picked up Jose Bautista from Pittsburgh for catching prospect Robinson Diaz on August 21, 2008. At the time Bautista was a journeyman outfielder who was running out of last chances. It took him the rest of 2008 and most of 2009 to find his groove. But in six years with the Blue Jays, "Joey Bats" has hit 168 homers, has been an All-Star four times and twice has finished in the top four of MVP voting. Diaz hasnt played in the Majors since 2009 and has only one career home run. Unless the Blue Jays move one of their boatload of relievers or send free-agent-to-be Rajai Davis to a contender, I dont see them making any deals between now and the end of August. All A.As heavy lifting will be done in the off-seasson. Joe Dumars Jersey. Around the Majors The Baltimore Orioles are still in the thick of the battle for a postseason spot. Theyre only four-and-a-half games back of Boston in the A.L. East and three behind Oakland for the second Wild Card slot. It will be interesting to see how they react to losing pitching coach Rick Adair who has taken a leave of absence to deal with a personal issue. Bullpen coach Bill Castro takes over as pitching coach, and former Orioles star Scott McGregor moves in as the new bullpen coach. The As have got their own issues to worry about. Their 14-game winner Bartolo Colon has gone on the 15-day DL with a groin muscle problem. Veteran lefty Tom Milone, who had struggled off and on this season and was demoted to Triple-A, has been called back up. The L.A Dodgers have practically wrapped up the NL West with a seven-and-a-half game lead on Arizona, and what a run they are on. Don Mattinglys crew has won 42 of their last 51 games. They are on a 19-2 run on the road and are on an incredible stretch of 25-4 since the All-Star break. As well as Dustin Pedroia has played for the Red Sox, and Mike Trout for the Angels, there is little if any doubt Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is going to win his second straight AL MVP Award. Hes hitting .360 with 40 home runs and 120 runs batted in with six weeks left in the season. Only two other players in history have put up those kind of power numbers while hitting over .350. Those two gentlemen, Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx. Travis DArnaud, who was a key component of the deal with the Mets that brought R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays, played in his first two Major League games over the weekend at San Diego with John Buck away on paternity leave. The Mets, however, dropped both games. DArnaud went 0-for-4 but did walk four times, twice in each game. On Sunday, Mets ace Matt Harvey pitched six solid innings in a no-decision. He gave up just two earned runs on six hits and didnt walk anyone, while striking out six with the rookie behind the plate. The Mets are playing a make-up game on the road against the Twins on Monday afternoon before Buck is due to rejoin the team for Tuesday nights game at home against Atlanta. Heres hoping the National League Central stays as close as it is right now, because the Pirates and the Reds will play home-and-home series on the final two weekends of the regular season, first at Pittsburgh and then at Cincinnati. Right now the Pirates, who havent made the playoffs since 1992, lead St. Louis by one game and the Reds by two-and-a-half. Over those same two weekends, the Cardinals are at Milwaukee and home to the Cubs. Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys 2018 Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '