FIVE HOOPS THOUGHTS: 1. MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA (Cavs): This young man really impresses me. Shoots the three, passes it, tough as nails, supremely confident and a very good defender. Terrific second unit glue guy. Did a wonderful job for his team on Tuesday. No back down from him whatsoever in Kyle Lowry matchup last night. 2. RAPS AT QUARTER POLE (16-6): Gotta be pleased with 60 games to go. I like this team. This is a good team that can potentially be very good. They are only 3-3 without DeMar DeRozan - they really missed him in the fourth quarter last night. Schedule has been favourable and look at the next six games they play (New York, twice / Indy / Orlando / Brooklyn / Detroit) - all games that they have a shot in. Its a big six-game stretch that without DeRozan they have to develop a new winning identity as a group before the schedule turns absolutely brutal (Road Games at Chicago, Clippers, Denver on a back-to-back, Portland, Golden State and Phoenix). Big challenges are ahead. After 22 games when I evaluate this team in spite of their record, they are in the same tier as Washington and Atlanta (and are 3-0 versus those squads) in the East while I still put (if totally healthy) Cleveland and Chicago (Raptors are 1-3 against those opponents) as the teams to beat in East. With all due respect to Chuck Hayes and Tyler Hansbrough, Raps still lack that fourth big man to provide consistent rebounding, shot blocking and a bit of offensive punch. There are also questions of consistency at the 3-spot with Terrence Ross - but hes improving. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out here over the next few weeks without DeRozan. Overall, this team is close. How close? Hard to tell yet if that window is truly open to make the run at winning the Conference. You need to win three rounds (12 games) in brutally hard-fought matches to do that and in order to do that they probably need another legit guy to do it. Love the patient building approach of management and coaches - they know theyre improving yet not there yet. As you go along - thats the toughest decision to make - when do you know that Window of Opportunity is truly open? Theyre on the right path yet still have a challenging road to travel. Fun start - enjoying it and hopeful that they can continue improving. The games are a lot more fun, thats for sure. 3. TONY ALLEN (Grizzlies): Team is having an awesome season yet this guy never gets enough credit. Hes an adequate offensive guy but man, this dude competes and guards you every step of the way. Hes a stopper and in this league youve got to have a wing who can stand up to great offensive players and make them at least earn their points. He does that and does it quite well. 4. JOSH MCROBERTS (Heat): His former club (Hornets) really misses him and it was nice to see his line last night at Phoenix (10 and 4, 7 assists). Hes been banged up and now starting to find his groove. Tremendous passer, sound shooter and rebounder. Overall good complementary player who makes the right plays. Hell be a guy to keep an eye on now that hes healthy. 5. GREG MONROE (Pistons): Have always liked his game. Smart and fundamentally sound player. Averaging close to 15ppg and over nine boards a game for a struggling squad. Hes a free agent at end of season and it will be interesting to see what Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Bower decide to do with him. Do they trade him for an asset or just use the cap space if he walks at end of year? Do teams roll the dice and try to get a rental player for the stretch run and take their chances re-signing him? Good player to keep an eye on. Fascinating to see how it will play out. Brandan Wright Jersey . 1 overall pick in the draft by the Houston Texans, is recovering from sports hernia surgery. Allen Iverson Jersey . Chris Johnson singled with two outs off left-hander Jerry Blevins (1-1), and Schafer pinch ran. With a 2-2 count, Schafer ran on the pitch and Upton dropped a single in front of Bryce Harper. Schafer already was rounding third when Schafer bobbled the ball. http://www.grizzliesbasketballpro.info/Shelvin-Mack-Grizzlies-Jersey/ . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Ben McLemore Jersey . Tokarski, a somewhat controversial choice -- with his 10 games of NHL experience and all -- to replace an injured Carey Price in Game Two had a night to remember, turning back a Rangers team that was dominating play from the get-go, outshooting the Canadiens 14-4 in the first period and 37-25 overall. Lorenzen Wright Jersey . Ronaldo failed to connect on an ample number of opportunities at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. But Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez scored in each half for Madrid to come out of the first leg with the firm advantage.LOS ANGELES -- Arizona took its lumps against UCLA last season, losing three times to its Pac-12 rival. Those defeats stuck in the minds of the Wildcats, especially when they let a commanding lead slip away in the latest matchup. Nick Johnson scored 22 points and the top-ranked Wildcats withstood UCLAs late 15-1 run to beat the Bruins 79-75 Thursday night, equaling the best start in school history at 16-0. "Were undefeated and well keep it like that if we can keep churning out wins and not worry about who our opponent is or how special it is, and just play our game," Johnson said. The Wildcats (3-0 Pac-12) blew a 13-point lead with 6:16 to play and committed a season-worst 17 turnovers. UCLA shot 41 per cent in the second half against a team that had been holding opponents to 36 per cent in the final 20 minutes. "Losing to them three times last year definitely made us more hungry," said Gabe York, who had 12 points. "None of us forgot that." Johnson added: "It was definitely a chip on my shoulder." Kaleb Tarczewski made all six of his field goal attempts and scored a career-high 16 points for the Wildcats in the lone regular-season meeting between the longtime conference powers. The 1931-32 Wildcats also began the season 16-0. "Our common goal is to get to the national championship," York said. "We dont really talk about it. We take it one game at a time and I think thats whats giving us a great record right now." Freshman Zach LaVine hit a 3-pointer that got UCLA to 77-75 with 15 seconds left, but he missed another one with 2 seconds to go that would have left the Bruins down one. "We knew they were going to make their run," Johnson said. "We couldnt blow them out really, but we just tried to respond when they made their run and we did." Kyle Anderson had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Jordan Adams added 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Bruins (12-3, 1-1). They havent beaten a top-ranked team since March 13, 2003, when they took down Arizona in overtime in the Pac-12 tournament. UCLAs other two losses came against Missouri and Duke. "Being down to a very good team, we did a good job of fighting bback," Anderson said.dddddddddddd "Im not one for moral victories, but we did fight hard." Buoyed by loud chants of "U of A" in sold-out Pauley Pavilion, the Wildcats pulled away to a 12-point lead midway through the second half after UCLA kept it close in the first 20 minutes. Arizona starters Aaron Gordon (16 points), Brandon Ashley (nine points) and T.J. McConnell (eight points) all played with four fouls in the second half. Johnsons dunk gave Arizona its largest lead of the game, 68-55. Thats when the Bruins reeled off a 15-1 run, including 13 consecutive points, to take their last lead at 70-69. Adams hit a 3-pointer for a 68-all tie. He, Anderson and Bryce Alford combined to outscore the Wildcats, who made just one free throw during that stretch. Alford finished with 12 points. "Being down one was a little bit nerve-racking, but Coach Miller is a really good coach," Gordon said. "He gathered us and said, OK, stick together, its really time to come together and just stick with and just do what wed been doing the whole game. Its a process and just stick to Arizona principles." The Wildcats were limited to one field goal over the final 1:27, when they went 8 of 10 from the free throw line to hang on. "Gabe York and Aaron Gordon making those four free throws at the very end really solidified things," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "Thats not easy to do if youre Gabe because he came in off the bench, and those are two huge free throws." The Bruins 79 points were the most scored by an Arizona opponent this season. They missed five straight free throws before their big run. "They were huge," Anderson said. "Thats something we can fix." Arizona controlled the boards, 37-36, as it has done in all 16 games so far. Arizona led 42-38 at the break, hitting three 3-pointers over the final 2:56, when UCLA twice tied the game. Retired Lakers coach Phil Jackson and Clippers coach Doc Rivers attended the game, along with former Bruins Baron Davis, Jordan Farmar and Ryan Hollins. Injured Lakers guard Steve Nash, actor John Lithgow, who sat with Jackson, and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea were there, too. 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