Its safe to say the Toronto Raptors have been a pleasant surprise this season, especially since trading Rudy Gay. Cheap Marlins Jerseys China . When general manager Masai Ujiri shipped Gay off to the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 8, many thought it was the beginning of the "Tank." They would lose as many games as possible in attempt to grab the first overall pick and select potential superstar – and Canadian – Andrew Wiggins. Well, the complete opposite has happened. Since the move, the Raptors have won 14 of 20 games and sit in third place in the weak Eastern Conference. So with the recent success, has your perception and expectations of the Toronto Raptors changed? Experts and fans alike thought the 2013-2014 Raptors would be a success if they managed to sneak into the playoffs with the seventh or eighth seed and then get steamrolled by the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers in the first round. But, with disappointing performances from the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto finds itself atop the Atlantic Division with a better than decent shot at not only avoiding the Heat or Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, but earning home-court advantage. Should a second round playoff series be expected from this club now? Over their hot streak, the Raptors have defeated some of leagues elite teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks, both on the road, as well as the East-leading Pacers. They were even able to keep it close against the Heat in South Beach. Theyve shown they can play against the big boys of the NBA so does this mean they can push a series to six or seven games or possibly even upset one of those top teams in the playoffs? It seems head coach Dwane Casey finally has the right players to play his type of defensive basketball. The team is third in the league in opponent points per game with 96. The Raptors are getting all-star performances from DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, whos even getting some MVP consideration. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging close to a double-double in his sophomore season while the players sent over from Sacramento have all contributed, especially Patrick Patterson. At the very least, have the Raptors played well enough to earn respect from around the league? Or maybe Toronto is overachieving and fans should enjoy the success while it lasts, because if Raptors history tells us anything, it may not last long. Let it be known theyre doing all of this in the East where only four teams are over the .500 mark. So with all this considered, has your perception and expectations of the Toronto Raptors changed? As always, its Your! Call. Cheap MLB Jerseys . The cause of his death is as of yet undetermined, but police said foul play is not suspected. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic .com) - The New York Rangers hope to punch their ticket to the second round when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday for a Game 6 battle at Wells Fargo Center. http://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.com/ . 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.BOSTON - The Boston Bruins dont expect to make a major signing in free agency. A player drafted from a mediocre crop this week likely wont make an immediate impact. So general manager Peter Chiarelli plans some small changes to improve the team that exited the playoffs earlier than expected. "We had a very good team and, with a little bit of tweaking, I feel well be right back where we were in the past," he said Monday. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2010-11, reached the Cup finals in 2012-13, led the NHL in regular-season points in 2013-14 then eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in a five-game series. But they lost the next round to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games after going up 3-2. Chiarellis big task now is to re-sign Jarome Iginla after he tied for the team lead with 30 goals in his first season with Boston. "Im not going to comment specifically on negotiations," Chiarelli said in a conference call. "Wed like to sign Jarome and thats what I can say. I mean, he has been a valuable player for us. I think there is a good fit." Iginla is one of five Bruins who can become unrestricted free agents when the signing period begins July 1. The others are backup goalie Chad Johnson, defencemen Andrej Meszaros and Corey Potter, both late-season acquisitions, and forward Shawn Thornton, who has been told by Chiarelli he wont be re-signed. "There may be one or two more" among those free agents who he wont re-sign, Chiarelli said. Forward Reilly Smith and defenceman Torey Krug can become restricted free agents. Top free agents from other teams include forwards Marian Gaborik, Thomas Vanek and Paul Stastny. "There are good players available," Chiarelli said. "Were not going to go full force into the free agency. Were probably going to take a step back and look at what may be lesser deals, meaning not high-profile deals, might be available, parrtially due to (salary) cap reasons, partially due to chemistry reasons. Cheap Marlins Jerseys Authentic. " A few hours later, Chiarelli announced that the Bruins had signed goalie Niklas Svedberg to a one-year contract. He played the only NHL game of his career in a 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators on Jan. 2. With the Bruins AHL team in Providence last season, he was 25-15-4 with a 2.63 goals-against average. He had 37 wins for Providence the previous season. The Bruins have the 25th pick in the two-day draft starting Friday in Philadelphia. With four solid lines, a capable defence and young players bidding for playing time, any players drafted arent likely to help the Bruins next season. The draft "is generally considered, and I would agree, a thinner draft," Chiarelli said. "So there is not as much value, relatively speaking, placed in these picks. So teams will probably be more apt to move those picks around" through trades. Thornton spent seven seasons with the Bruins, providing toughness and leadership. He might not be the only player to leave who is part of the teams successful veteran core. "The decision on Shawn was a very hard one. Hes been here and part of this group for a long time and that would apply to all these guys who have been here and who have given us good service and that have been part of winning teams and Cup-winning teams," Chiarelli said. "So there will be hard choices, but it may be that we dont make hard choices and we keep as many people as we can and we go into the year and maybe we do make those hard choices as the year progresses." For now, Chiarelli is focusing on the draft. "I read about a bunch of (solid) centermen and were not in the market for any centerman," he said. Defencemen also "are becoming a major topic of conversation." He might even trade his first-round pick. "Everything is always available," Chiarelli said. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '