TORONTO - In a play that sort of typified the evening and maybe even their season, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry led a second-quarter fast break by delivering a one-handed bounce pass to Greivis Vasquez, who lateraled to the trailing Amir Johnson. Johnson, the beneficiary of a couple perfectly placed passes, capped off the sequence with a tomahawk slam that put Toronto on top by 20 points. Fouled on the landing, Johnsons momentum carried him into the first row, where he proudly pointed to the team name on his jersey and slapped hands with fans seated on the baseline. It was that kind of night. The proceedings began with the unveiling of a second Atlantic Division Championship banner and concluded with a well-deserved standing ovation just over two hours later. The Raptors - trotting off the court following a 110-100, wire-to-wire win over the Bucks - had set a new franchise record with their 48th victory of the season, while also going 15 games above the .500 mark for the first time in team history. "Its definitely great because we fed off our fans," said DeMar DeRozan, who stood centre court and counted down from three, as the banner was uncovered from the rafters atop Air Canada Centre, hanging adjacent to the one they had earned in 2006-07. The final home game of the season - Fanapolooza, as its been dubbed - had been a somber event for five years running. It was an opportunity for the Raptors loyal, albeit frustrated supporters to come bid farewell to a team that had let them down, a chance to vent their disappointment but mostly to guzzle up free t-shirts, pizza and whatever swag the remorseful organization was offering up. Most importantly, it meant the end of basketball in Toronto for another long summer. Not the case on Monday. Monday night was a celebration, a show of appreciation from a starved fan base to a team that has captured their admiration with resilience and hard play. It was a night of reflection, looking back at where they came from and rejoicing in what theyve accomplished. It wasnt a goodbye. Theyll see them again in five or six days. "Weve got to have some of the most devoted fans in the league," he continued. "Ive been here through the struggles and tough times and our fans were still right there with us on this journey. So it definitely felt good to share it with them because they played a major part in it as well." Although DeRozan was in uniform, available to play if it would have come to that, he was given the night off to rest going into his playoff debut next weekend. As it turns out, they didnt need him, not against the league-worst Bucks on Monday night. It was the 11th time theyve played without a member of their first unit - a group that has won more games than any starting five in franchise history - and the 11th time theyve come away victorious. With the Raptors all-star guard cheerleading from the sidelines, Greivis Vasquez started in his stead, pacing the team with 25 points and seven assists. "It was a fun win," said Vasquez, who knocked down his first six shots, five of them from beyond the arc. "They gave me a chance to start, I just went out there and did my job." Performances like his, like Tyler Hansbroughs double-double in 20 minutes, are a big part of whats gotten them to this point. DeRozan has carried this team more often than not, so too has Lowry - who scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half - but when one or both have needed it, someone has generally been waiting and ready to back them up. "All it takes is the right chemistry, the right group of guys and you can do whatever it takes," DeRozan said. "You dont need no big name players, you dont need this, that and the third, what people supposedly say you need. Were proof of that and we continue to keep growing, keep learning and keep building. On to the next step." The next step, as the Raptors leading scorer puts it, is Wednesdays regular season finale in New York. With a win over the Knicks, Toronto would lock down the Eastern Conferences third seed and face whomever slots into sixth, most likely Washington. The Raptors would fall to fourth and play the fifth place team - likely Brooklyn - if they should lose on Wednesday and the Bulls defeat the Bobcats in Charlotte. "Im more worried about us, more so than who we play," said Casey. "Its about us, about our health, the rest, whatever we decide to do in that situation. If we play Brooklyn we play Brooklyn. If we play Washington we play Washington. There are no easy teams left in the playoffs right now. All of the teams are very capable. Brooklyn is probably more playoff-ready. But we cant control that. And Im not going into [Wednesdays] game trying to control that." The Raptors coach said he has not decided whether DeRozan - second in the NBA in minutes logged this year - will play in Wednesdays season finale. Home sweet home The Raptors will finish the season with 26 wins at home for the fourth time in franchise history. After dropping eight of their first 12 games at the ACC, they have become one of the toughest teams to beat on home court, winning 22 of 29 since the end of December. "Coach definitely stressed to us, weve got to protect home court," DeRozan said of the turnaround. "Thats big. We cant let teams come in here and think they can get wins. We really started taking it personally, understanding weve got to use our crowd to our advantage. Everybody bought in, so every time we were home we felt comfortable and felt that we could get any win." "I think our guys have gotten better, matured, improved, I think more than anything else," Dwane Casey said of their success at home. "You should have the same approach whether youre on the road, playing on the moon, wherever youre playing youve got to have the same approach and our guys have done a good job of that, whether were on the road or at home." They were undefeated, 19-0 in games they led going into the fourth quarter in Toronto, something that should serve them well as they go into the first round of the playoffs with home-court advantage. The stat With their fourth straight win over Milwaukee, the Raptors swept the season series with the Bucks for the first time in team existence. The quote "We had group at the start of the season that was motivated, dedicated to winning," said Lowry, "and when everything didnt pan out we made a move and we got a group of guys who came in that really filled the voids that we needed. Everyone is on the same page. Dave Casper Youth Jersey .500. The Jets have now won nine of their last 11, and five of their last six road games. With the win they moved to within two points of Vancouver in the west, the Canucks holding down the eighth spot. Vancouver lost in Boston, while the other big game saw Dallas win in Phoenix. Isaiah Johnson Raiders Jersey .com) - Guard Greivis Vasquez and forward Patrick Patterson, two key pieces to the Toronto Raptors run to an Atlantic Division title in 2013-14, were both given qualifying offers by the team on Saturday. http://www.footballraidersmall.com/Youth...e-Elite-Jersey/. Gauteng High Court Judge Dunstan Mlambo ruled Tuesday that South African media houses will be allowed to install three remote controlled cameras in court for the Olympic athletes trial starting next week to capture images that likely will be seen by millions around the world. Jim Plunkett Jersey .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers made it official Tuesday and signed pitcher Brandon McCarthy to a four-year contract. Ronnie Lott Youth Jersey . The Raptors two leading scorers were never able to co-exist the way they hoped or the team had envisioned, but individually DeRozan was thriving, in the midst of a career season.BALTIMORE – Theres something about the pitching mound at Oriole Park. After losing Brett Cecil to groin tightness on Friday, the Blue Jays watched as R.A. Dickey removed himself from the game in the seventh inning on Saturday with the same problem. Dickey insisted the decision to excuse himself was as much preventative as anything else but the sight of the knuckleballer trudging off the field cast a further pall on a 3-2 loss to the Orioles. "I didnt want to jeopardize my next start," said Dickey. "I was probably out of the game after that next batter anyway so I decided it was probably in everybodys best interest to call it a day." The Blue Jays conclude their four-game set in Baltimore on Sunday and have an off-day on Monday before opening up a three-game series in New York. Dickey isnt scheduled to work again until Saturday in Cincinnati and hes hopeful the extra day will provide enough time for a full recovery. He saw a doctor after leaving the game and the diagnosis left Dickey feeling optimistic. He admitted, however, that he has never had a groin injury and therefore had no comparable to assess the degree of the problem. Meantime, Adam Lind fouled a pitch off the top of his right foot in the sixth inning. He finished the at-bat against Orioles starter Bud Norris, grounding out, and didnt return when his designated hitters spot came up again in the eighth. Dioner Navarro took his place. X-rays were negative, its a bone bruise, but Lind was noticeably hobbling after the game. "You can see the seams," said Lind of the bruise. "I didnt have a shin guard on or a foot guard so Ill be wearing one in the near future," said Lind. "I hit it pretty good. I hit it right on the sweet spot so it wasnt a soft liner off my foot. It was a pretty good one." Lind will ice the injury on Saturday night and didnt rule out playing on Sunday, although to the observer that would seem unlikely. Offensive Struggles Torontos offensive slump continued on Saturday. While the Jays got nine hits off five Orioles pitchers, the club stranded five runners in scoring position on the afternoon. Jose Bautista was thrown out at home trying to score from first base on Edwin Encarnacions one-out double in the eighth. Baltimore led 3-1 at the time. Chalk it up to a bad send by third base coach Luis Rivera, who was overaggressive in waving Bautista around, perhaps because everyone is pressing to try to generate runs. Toronto has lost six of eight games heading into Sundays series finale with the Orioles. At the time of this publishing, the Yankees were three games back of the Jays for top spot in the AL East (pending the result of their game on Saturday night in Oakland). Baltimore, in third place, closed the gap to three-and-a-half games. Left-hander J.A. Happ gets the Sunday start. The Orioles counter with right-hander Chris Tillman. McGowans First Save Dustin McGowan pitched the final inning and two-thirds of Friday nights 4-0 Blue Jays win over the Orioles, notching his first career big league save. He didnt know of his milestone, however, until after the game when Jose Bautista presented him with the baseball. The Jays led 4-0 in the eighth when McGowan replaced Brrett Cecil, who went down with a groin injury.ddddddddddddThe Orioles had two runners on, meaning the tying run was in the on deck circle, qualifying McGowan for the save. "I usually do," said McGowan when told he didnt know the rules for a save. "When I came in, I was just focused on getting the batter out." McGowans first pitch came in a 1-2 count to Baltimore slugger Chris Davis. Davis, like probably most in the ballpark, was expecting a fastball. What he got was a changeup on the outer half of the plate with plenty of movement. He flailed and struck out. "Yeah it was a good pitch," said McGowan. "It was the best pitch I could throw in that situation and luckily it worked out." McGowan had never had a save. Had he had a one-pitch strikeout before? "I dont think Ive ever had one of those either," said McGowan. "Probably the last one of those I get, too." Whats clear in his tone of voice and in his body language is McGowans at peace with his permanent move to the bullpen. He thrived in the role last season and in 11 relief appearances this year, McGowans allowed one earned run in 13 1/3 innings (0.68 ERA) while striking out eight and walking only one. Manager John Gibbons has said repeatedly he believes the life of a short man will lengthen McGowans career. "I think hes right," said McGowan. "Im recovering a lot better out of the bullpen and Im not throwing 100 pitches, which makes it a lot easier." The role suits McGowans personality, too. Hell throw his fastball at 95 miles per hour without worry. "Thats one thing you can do out of the bullpen. You can let it go," said McGowan. "When I was starting, I had to reserve some in the tank. Its fun letting it go, too. Its how Ive always been so it kind of works out good for me." Jays Fast-track Santos Return A day after manager John Gibbons indicated Sergio Santos would remain with Double-A New Hampshire for a third rehabilitation appearance, Santos was back with the Blue Jays on Saturday. The reason: Brett Cecil has a groin injury and while he hasnt been placed on the disabled list, Cecil wasnt available for Saturdays game against the Orioles and Dustin McGowan, who threw 1 2/3 innings on Friday evening, was available in a limited role. Outfielder Darin Mastroianni was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to make roster space for Santos. Cecil was feeling better on Saturday but wasnt sure whether he would require a trip to the disabled list. Manager John Gibbons cant have a short bench and a short bullpen at the same time so a decision will have to be made soon. "A couple of days," said Gibbons. "Were short on our roster too with a position player." Mastroianni and Kevin Pillar, both right-handed hitting outfielders, are inside the 10-day option window, meaning neither can return to the Blue Jays unless they replace a player whos gone on the disabled list. Pillar was part of a centerfield platoon with left-handed hitting Anthony Gose in the absence of Colby Rasmus. The absence of a dedicated fourth outfielder means Gibbons would turn to Steve Tolleson to take an outfield spot in the event a late-game replacement is needed. ' ' '