The Witcher » the American media. A silver lining

As 2014 winds to a close, TSN.ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TSN.cas writing staff reflects on the best basketball moments from the past 12 months including T-Ross big night, LeBron overheating, the Sixers not-so-epic fail and more! T-Ross drops 51 on Lob City By Mitchell Machtinger The stage had already been set for a night of highlights. With the Toronto Raptors hosting the Los Angeles Clippers, or ‘Lob City’, the expectation of Top 10-worthy dunks and alley-oops was in the air. The Raptors had caught fire after trading Rudy Gay and the team was playing exciting basketball. Little did anyone realize that it would be the Raptors’ own Terrence Ross who would steal the show. Ross began the night averaging 9.3 points per game, making this occasion even more special. The 22-year-old shot 10-of-17 from three-point range, including buzzer beaters to end the first and third quarters. There was a buzz that filled the arena as he crept closer to the franchise record. With four seconds left in a game that had already been decided, Ross stepped to the free throw line for two shots and with 50 points. He hit the first shot to tie the record. Ross had been perfect from the line all night. The second shot bounced off the back of the rim and the game was over. In one night, Ross had caught magic and scored 51 points, setting a career-high and tying Vince Carter’s franchise record. The Raptors lost the game, but Ross’ hot shooting is what will be remembered. -- Things Heat Up in San Antonio By Shane McNeil With LeBron “going home” during the summer, is it possible that the entire Big Three era in Miami will end up playing like some kind of hardcourt fever-dream? After all, the team enjoyed nearly unprecedented success almost immediately after assembly and looked primed for a dynasty after winning back-to-back NBA Finals over Kevin Durant’s Thunder and the previously perfect San Antonio Spurs. But a funny thing happened on the way to a three-peat. Things got, well, kinda hot. The first half of Finals Game 1 was a back-and-forth affair, picking up where the 2013 Finals left off. Near the end of that half, the temperature started to rise. It started with fanning in the fans, then there was ice on the bench. Then, with four minutes left on the clock, LeBron James finished a lay-up and cramped. He cramped so bad that he couldn’t run back on defence... So bad that Dwyane Wade had to escort him to the bench… So bad that the Heat’s training staff had to carry him to the dressing room. At that point the Spurs were up 94-92. They would finish the game with an 18-1 run. The Heat would win Game 2, but looked otherwise ordinary in a five-game series loss. Less than a month later, LeBron wrote a letter to Cleveland and the NBA woke up. -- Kevin Durant Serves Notice By Ken Rodney With his team down two points on the road in double overtime against the Toronto Raptors and his running mate - arguably one of the best point guards in the NBA - Russell Westbrook injured earlier in the contest, Kevin Durant buried a three-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to secure a 119-118 victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 21, 2014. The visitors had actually fallen behind by eight points in the second overtime period and the game looked to be slipping away from them, before Durant hit two from distance on either side of a Derek Fisher triple to steal a hard fought victory away from a surging Raptors squad. The clutch shot was so much more than that though, it completed an incredible 51-point performance that included seven three-pointers, 12 rebounds, seven assists and erased any lingering doubts about who should be crowned Most Valuable Player in the NBA. After three second place finishes, including the previous two seasons, Durant was finally crowned MVP for the first time in 2013-2014 and while it was well deserved for the entire season, his performance against the Raptors went a long way to proving his case. -- Raps fans turn Maple Leaf Square into Jurassic Park By Ryan Horne After the Maple Leafs fell apart down the stretch, the Raptors were the lone team in Toronto playing in the post-season, and their fans took advantage of it. No longer was the area in front of the Air Canada Centre called Maple Leaf Square, it had become Jurassic Park. The previous spring, the Leafs’ faithful filled the square to cheer on their team and Raptors’ fans did the same this time around, but with a little more enthusiasm. Maybe a lot more enthusiasm. Thousands piled into Jurassic Park hours before every game (even if was raining) and were loud until the final buzzer, not giving up on their team if they were losing or blowing a massive 26-point lead (see Game 5). Although, just like the previous year when the Leafs gave up a three-goal lead against the Boston Bruins, Raptors’ fans left Jurassic Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon in a sour mood after a heartbreaking Game 7 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. Despite the unfortunate ending, Toronto showed they have one of the most passionate fan bases in the Association and as result gave the Raptors more respect and appreciation from the American media. A silver lining if there ever was one. ?-- The Sixers Can’t Even Tank Well By Mitchell Machtinger Everybody knew exactly what the Philadelphia 76ers were doing. The team had no shame in unofficially tanking the season in hopes of acquiring Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick in the draft. Except it didn’t work out according to plan. The year before, Philadelphia drafted big man Nerlens Noel with the sixth pick, knowing full well that he would sit out the year due to injury. Philadelphia finished the season with a 19-63 record, the second worst in the league only because the Milwaukee Bucks had been decimated by injuries. The team managed only one win over February and March. They filled out the roster throughout the year with a rotation of D-League call-ups. Of the 23 players to suit up for Philadelphia last season, 11 are not on an NBA roster this year. That’s how bad this team was. The team had offloaded anybody they could to acquire a boatload of future draft picks. Despite tying an NBA record with 26 consecutive losses, the 76ers dropped all the way to the third overall pick, who they used to draft another centre who also won’t play his first year because of an injury. If there was one bright spot of the season it would be the play of point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who was named Rookie of the Year. The future may prove bright in the end with all this young talent, but 2014 won’t bring up many positive memories for 76ers fans. Günstige Air Max 95 Schweiz . As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. Air Max 95 Herren Schweiz . The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. 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