TORONTO - As over 20,000 shell-shocked Raptors fans finally exhaled, juggling their emotions after a bizarre evening at the Air Canada Centre, Dwane Casey laced into his team in a nearby locker room. Ryan Kalil Youth Jersey . His post-game pep talk will "remain in-house", which usually means it was R-rated in nature. Did this feel like a win, Amir Johnson was asked after it was all said and done. "Of course," he exclaimed, taking issue with the question. "What? Yes! Did I check the box score wrong? We definitely won." "Does it feel like a win? What?" The box score read 115-113, a pivotal win for the Raptors, who took a 3-2 series lead Wednesday and now sit on the cusp of advancing to the Conference Semifinals, but you wouldnt know if from taking in the head coachs post-game discourse. "You wouldnt want to hear it," Casey said, asked about his emotions as his team squandered a 26-point lead in allowing the Nets to score 44 during a fourth-quarter collapse that was very nearly fatal. "We just didnt play smart. They are a very veteran team, they are going to take advantage of the mistakes you make. We wrote the book on the mistakes in the fourth quarter." "Every mistake that you could think about, we made in the fourth quarter." Just about. The Raptors lead was 22 going into the final frame before their previously spotless performance began to unravel in a hurry. With a lineup of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and reserves Andray Blatche, Mirza Teletovic and Alan Anderson for all but eight seconds in the quarter, the Nets hit 13 of their 21 shots, including five of nine attempts from three-point range. They got into the paint and to the line at will, putting on a clinic offensively. Veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett did not play a second. With just over three minutes remaining, Torontos nightmare became reality. The sellout crowd that had rocked the building all night, the mob of white-shirted Raptor zealots that shouted "Broooook-lyn" minutes earlier - mimicking a chant made famous at Nets home games - they went dead silent. The Nets Johnson drained a three to tie the game and Toronto was on the ropes. Visions of their franchise-worst 27-point collapse in a December loss to Golden State flashed through everyones mind. Infamous Raptors losses of the oh-so-painful past, the beloved Maple Leafs and their tragic Game 7 demise. The city has seen it all. So how would this team let them down? Toronto led by five with nine seconds left, a semi-comfortable scenario provided they refrain from doing something uncommonly foolish. Just dont give up a three or commit a foul. Naturally, they did both. As Williams swung the ball to Anderson in the corner, the Raptors Johnson lunged at him, committing his sixth foul and surrendering the rare four-point play, Brooklyns second of the quarter. With six second to go, the Raptors now up by three, Casey opted to play it safe and send Blatche to the line for two shots. The right call. Intentionally missing the second free throw, Blatche was able to secure his own rebound before letting the Raptors off the hook in tossing the ball away. "We cant live that way," said an irate Casey after the game. "We cant make this many mental mistakes." Buzzer sounds and the Raptors win. The Raptors win? They had mucked it up in just about every way you could imagine, like a greatest hits of Raptor blunders, but they pulled it out. If that seems out of character with what weve come to expect from this franchise, so be it. Isnt that just the perfect representation of a season, an improbably playoff run that defies all semblance of logic? "We made some boneheaded mistakes," Johnson admitted, "but we finished off the game and thats all that really matters." This is a different team producing different results and a point guard who has a lot to do with that change in fortune. "Honestly, hes a hell of player, man," DeMar DeRozan said of Kyle Lowry, who scored 36 points, a playoff career-high, also matching the most hes ever scored in an NBA game. "Hes just a dog. He makes you want to bring your A-game every single night because you know hes going to lay it out there with them." With DeRozan blanketed by multiple defenders all night, Lowry took over. Tied with a minute left, Lowry hit the biggest shot of the night, a step-back three-pointer, followed by another dagger from inside the paint on the subsequent possession. "Sometimes it calls for that situation," said the point guard. "Usually its [DeRozan] doing that but tonight the way they played him it gave me an opportunity to get to the basket and get some shots off down the stretch. Our teammates count on me and him to make the right decisions, make the big plays and tonight it was fortunate enough they were guarding him tightly and I got it going a little bit." Lowry wouldnt let his team lose, willing them to their most important victory of the campaign, and no one seems the least bit surprised, nor should they. "Every time hes out there on the floor Im going to give it my best effort," DeRozan added, "because I know hes going to do the same." "We know theres not going to be no big blowouts either way because both teams are going to fight until the end," he continued. "It just shows you how much weve matured over the season and understanding what we have to do to stay in games and closeout games." DeRozan became the first Raptors player to reach the 20-point plateau in four straight playoff games since Vince Carter in 2001, scoring 23 on Wednesday thanks in large part to another impressive showing from the free throw line, where he was 12-for-13. For the first time in nearly 13 years that Raptors have taken the advantage in a playoff series, now they look to close it out in Brooklyn on Friday. "Were happy we won today but weve got to do a better job Friday," said Jonas Valanciunas, who had 16 points and six rebounds Wednesday. "Were here, were excited about being in the playofffs, somewhere we havent been before, a young team, expecting mistakes," Casey said. "Weve got to crack the whip and learn from it. This is a hell of a time to start learning, going into Game 6 of the playoffs." Sam Mills Youth Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cam Newton Youth Jersey . Niese pitched seven steady innings on a rainy Tuesday night and Daniel Murphy had three hits to lead New York to a 6-1 victory over the Phillies. http://www.shoppanthersonline.us/panthers-jordan-scarlett-blue-jersey/ . The Cottagers last victory came in a 2-1 home win over West Ham when Rene Meulensteen was still in charge. Since then, a miserable run of seven defeats and two draws has seen the club part with the Dutch coach and replace him with German Felix Magath.It started with an absolute clinic and it ended with an astounding howler. "What kind of a goalkeeper is the one who is not tormented by the goal he has allowed? He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end. No matter what he had in the past, he has no future," once said arguably the greatest goalkeeper to ever play the game, Lev Yashin. On Saturday in the Premier League, Wojciech Szczesny, John Ruddy, Tim Howard and David De Gea all produced magnificent saves for their sides on the way to securing crucial points. All four goalkeepers stood tall during periods of the match that their teams struggled in. They were calm and ready when needed. On Sunday, with night falling on another weekend in the Premier League, the opposite happened when Manchester Citys Joe Hart rushed out of his goal, in the final minute of a 1-1 game at Chelsea, compromising defender Matija Nastasics options, and allowing Fernando Torres to score a dramatic late winner. It was another poor moment in a poor season for Hart. Many immediately took to twitter to question the position of Englands number one but the real question should be around whether he is now Manchester Citys number one. England do not play another game of significant importance for over seven months. Man City have less than seven days until their next league game. City are a magnificent football team that, in large parts of this season so far, have shown strong glimpses of the greatness they could achieve. Their fullbacks are disciplined but dangerous in attack, Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas have adapted well to their new surroundings, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero are back to the world class standard they once played at earlier last season, and even Samir Nasri and Alex Kolarov are improving by each game. They are primed to take a serious run at the Premier League title. In order to do that, however, they need to solve two significant issues. Vincent Kompany is virtually irreplaceable at the heart of their defence and there is nothing wrong with that, after all he is one of the worlds finest defenders. However, any replacement they have inserted when he has been injured has so far let them down. Martin Demicheles was guilty of conceding the first goal to Chelsea on Sunday, much like Javi Garcia was in Russia on Wednesday. With this problem, there are, of course, expected solutions. Demicheles is a defender manager Manuel Pellegrini knows well and is likely to get better with more games under his belt and it is hopeful Kompany - who has missed 13 of their last 23 Premier League games since - will get fit soon. What arent predictable at all are the form and the mental state of the clubs goalkeeper. Earlier this season at Cardiff, City were in control of the match 1-0 but lost 3-2 after Hart was guilty of two poor errors, and against Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier this month, he once again let in soft goals, which led to his manager considering dropping him for their next match against Everton. "He feels like he didnt do well against Bayern, I spoke a lot about this to him this week," said Pellegrini. "He is mentally strong and after talking to him, I decided he had the character to play (against Everton), it was a decision I made on Friday (the day before)." Following the loss to Bayern, Pellegrini obviously gave the prospect of dropping Hart a lot of thought. Hart, as his manager suggests, comes across as a confident man but even he will be rocked by his latest error. Costel Pantilimon is Harts backup but hasnt played a single Premier League minute since arriving at City in 2011. He is no long-term replacement, that is for sure. What he is, however, is the League Cup goalkeeper and City play Newcastle in that competition on Wednesday. Donte Jackson Youth Jersey. What he could also be is a band-aid to stop the bleeding from a wound that is sucking the life out of an otherwise lively and legitimate title contender. The game is full of goalkeepers who benefited from moments such as this when a supposed superior goalkeeper struggled and the Romanian deserves his chance. On an outstanding team like City, the goalkeeper is rarely there to win them matches. At the moment, their current one is, far too often, losing them matches and on Sunday, handed two precious points to one of their main challengers in the league. The idea of goalkeepers winning matches used to be equally rare across Manchester, for rivals United. Until this season. Three weeks ago, United were trailing 1-0 at Sunderland when Emanuele Giaccherinis powerful header look set for the top corner to put the home side up 2-0. Spaniard De Gea reacted brilliantly, leaping to his right to fingertip the ball away. It was a magnificent save and one that prompted Uniteds legend Peter Schmeichel to call it one of the best Ive seen. Two second half Adnan Januzaj goals gave United a much-needed three points. On Saturday against Stoke, United again started slowly and found themselves down 1-0. Much like Sunderland, it should have been 2-0 when Jon Walters got into the box and volleyed the ball towards goal, only for De Gea to react brilliantly once again to keep him out. United would go on to win 3-2. "We needed our goalkeeper to make an extraordinary save again in the first half but thats what hes in the team for," stated manager David Moyes. Through nine games this season, almost a quarter of the campaign, De Gea has been Uniteds most important player. United were booed off at half-time and cheered off at full-time at Old Trafford but it is when the crowd, and the team, are not at their finest that De Gea needs to be. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) In their last three home matches, United have allowed much more shots and attacks than they did against the same teams last season. Against West Brom, they lost 2-1 but De Gea produced a brilliant stop with his feet to deny Saido Berahino and an ever better save, finger-tipping Morgan Amalfitanos effort heading for the top corner. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) Hosting Southampton, they drew 1-1 but it could have been worse, De Gea standing tall to deny Danny Osvaldo on a one-on-one breakaway that the inconsistent defence in front of him allowed. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) Being goalkeeper of Manchester United is not easy. Schmeichel was absolutely brilliant at it and the dozen goalkeepers between the Dane and Edwin van der Sar were abysmal. When De Gea replaced the Dutchman at 20 years-old, many were quick to turn on him. Evaluating goalkeepers is not easy. There is no specific statistic that tells you the complete story, while analysts in England preferred highlight shows, such as the iconic Match of the Day, which is never a true test of a goalkeepers worth. For example, last season at home to Fulham, De Geas spill led to an early goal by the visitors and, subsequently, more criticism that night on television but for the rest of the match, he was spectacular. Uniteds disjointed midfield and frequent poor defending this season has pushed De Gea back into the spotlight and this time, he has done nothing but shine. Hart may be keeping City from the top of the table in Manchester but De Gea is the only reason United fans still think that is a possibility for them this season. ' ' '