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With the NBA season fast approaching, we asked TSN NBA experts Jack Armstrong, Josh Lewenberg and Duane Watson a few burning questions about the year ahead.Today we ask, will the Toronto Raptors make the playoffs and should that even be the goal? Lewenbergs take: Whether theyre willing to admit it or not – and they wont – Playoffs are absolutely the goal this season assuming the roster stays, more or less, as is. The team is smartly tempering expectations this fall after recklessly throwing around the P-word a year ago. However, the unspoken reality is this; as long as theyre paying top dollar for this group – hovering just below the tax – and as long as theres legitimate playoff-caliber talent on the roster, which there is, they will be expected to break the franchises five-year postseason drought. Anything less would amount to another disappointing season. Of course its not that simple, with the Raptors it rarely is. If the team gets off to another slow start and/or if its opportunistic new GM decides the time is right to pull the trigger, this roster could change in a hurry, and so too could the goal. Assuming Ujiri stays the course, and assuming good health (both generous assumptions), a postseason berth is attainable in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. Barring injuries, the Easts top five (Miami, Chicago, Indiana, Brooklyn, New York) should be untouchable but 37-41 wins – a realistic expectation for the Raps – should keep them in the mix for the six-to-eight seeds with Detroit, Cleveland, Atlanta and now Washington. Watsons take: Every teams goal should be to improve and compete for a championship. Despite their poor start last year, they were in the hunt for a playoff spot, with their strong finish. With a full training camp to build more chemistry, and teams getting a head start on tanking (Celtics and 76ers), the Raptors prospects are even brighter. Will they be fodder for the top team in the conference? Likely, but those are growth steps they have to take to get better; a losing franchise doesnt get better with more losses. Masai Ujiri, is evaluating what pieces will be part of the future and will make the necessary moves needed to improve the team. Hes proven he can finesse crafty deals in his favour in the past, with the Nene, Carmelo Anthony and Andrea Bargnani trades, and can do it again. Jacks take: I think the Raptors have as good a chance of making the Playoffs in slots 6-8 as any of the other Eastern Conference Teams beyond Miami, Brooklyn, Chicago, Indiana & New York. The goal every year is to win and they owe it to their wonderful/loyal fan base, season ticket holders, sponsors and, most importantly, to themselves to lay it on the line and put their best foot forward. There is so much discussion about tanking and getting a top draft pick in a deep class - I understand where some fans are coming from - but there are no guarantees in anything. After five seasons with no Playoffs, I know Im tired of watching other teams in mid-April and beyond. Youve got to be in it to win it. Jacks keys to the Raptors making the Playoffs: Good Health: The Raptors must keep the top-8 guys healthy. Backup Point Guard Play: Someone has to emerge here and Ive yet to see any sign of steady backup play here yet. Kyle Lowry might end up being like a baseball pitcher who has to throw 200+ innings in a season. If that is the case, so be it. Id rather a guy burn out any day. Improved 3-point shooting and 3-point defending: It goes both ways. The Raptors just need to be respectable shooting from distance and just as important: they must limit the clean looks and number of threes from their opponents. Defensive Identity: Dwane Casey can coach/teach X&O Defense with great success. I have faith it that. The key is for this team to be consistent with its effort and attention to detail in this category and limit the silly fouls that give up easy points. Be fundamentally sound. Aggressive yet smart. Sophomores: Jonas Valanciunas and Terence Ross have to make that next step in their games. There is a major investment in these guys and the talent is there. They need to produce with consistency. Heavy Minutes for the Starters: Every chance I get Im playing my starters in all the prime moments of every game. Its kind of like double shifting your stars in Hockey. The key is Game Night and Winning. If that means 40+ minutes for your starters some nights and giving them down time on practice days, so be it. Guys love the games and hate practices anyway. Players 6-15 on the roster have to be doing something very good to stay on the floor for an extended time. At the very least 2-3 starters should always be on the floor with the reserves to maintain a high level. People criticize Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau for over-using his prime guys. I love it. Less is more in my book. If youre tired, too bad, rest in the spring time. I love what Dwane Casey did in the last three weeks of the season last year, he loaded up his better players with increased minutes. For this team to be a playoff team, the starters have to play longer. Situational Basketball: Lots of games will come down to the fourth Quarter and the final three minutes. The Raps struggled in this area for a variety of reasons last season. This has to become a strength. Dwane Casey and his staff have spent good time on this and I think this area will improve this season. Having Rudy Gay in the defining moments of a game for a whole season will help. The little details have to be executed well. Winning Early in the Season: Every game early is big. The Raptors need to get off to a good start. They need to develop a winning cushion of being a few games above .500 rather than below. Last Years 4-19 struggle to open the year cant happen. Ask Jays fans: Lousy Spring and youve dug yourself a big hole vs. the Red Sox start--look where they ended up. Im not sure how good the Toronto Maple Leafs really are, but theyve already developed the cushion and thats huge. Believe me--you win early and the referees look at you differently and you start getting the benefit of the doubt unlike last year when every defining call went against them. You make your own breaks. In the words of Al Davis, Just Win Baby. Easier said than done. Air Max Salg Norge . Carcillo was a little of both for New York in Game 3. Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Dan Girardi and Carcillo scored goals, leading the Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Billig Air Max Norge . -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. http://www.norgeairmax.com/ . Lynchs attorney, Ivan Golde, told The Associated Press on Thursday of the plea deal that was reached with the Alameda County District Attorney Office. The plea will be formally entered in court in Oakland, Calif. Nike Air Max Sko Tilbud . He made the comment at a media availability Saturday prior to Game 2 of the Boston-Montreal playoff series when a Quebec reporter said there is sentiment in Quebec that the NHL looks more favourably on Seattle than Quebec City when it comes to future expansion. Nike Air Max Norge . Cammalleri suffered a concussion in the Flames 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The 31-year-old forward did not travel with the team to Carolina. MIAMI -- For the first time in a while, Jacob Turner pitched like the pitcher the Marlins believe he can be. He even got a win for it. Turner won for the first time in 18 starts, pitching 6 1-3 scoreless innings to help the Miami Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Saturday. "I hope it reaffirms the fact of how good of stuff that he has and that he can pitch and win at this level," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. It was the best outing of the season for Turner (1-2). He struck out two and walked one while allowing eight hits. It was only the second time in six starts this season that the 23-year old former first-round draft pick has not allowed at least four runs. "I feel like Ive been pitching well the last three or four times out," Turner said. "The results are the results, but Im feeling confident out there and I feel like each time out Im getting better." Turners last win was on July 10, 2013, against Atlanta. He had lost nine consecutive decisions. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jeff Baker drove in the runs for the Marlins, who have won three of four. Steve Cishek recorded the final four outs for his 10th save in 11 chances. Brewers starter Wily Peralta (4-4) allowed one run and six hits in six innings. "It was a tough loss," Peralta said. "When you pitch like that you want to win." Milwaukees Ryan Braun was in the lineup after missing Fridays game with tightness in his right side and went 1 for 4. A day after the teams combined for a Marlins Park-record seven home runs, runs were scarce. "After last nights game where the ball was flying out of here--thats the beauty of baseball, you come out here and its a 2-1 game, every out is big, every at-bat is a big at-bat," Redmond said. Carlos Gomez, who had a pair of hits for the Brewers and is 9 for 14 in his last three games, was thrown out at third base to end the sixth inning when trying to advance from first on a base hit by Mark Reynolds. Braun was on his way to score easily from second, but left fielder Christian Yelichs throw to third got Gomez before Braun crossed home plate preserving a 1-0 lead for the Marlins.dddddddddddd "I knew there wasnt going to be any play at home and I knew Gomez was pretty aggressive on the bases," Yelich said. "...I decided to make a throw at third and see what happened and I ended up getting him before the run scored." Home plate umpire Brian ONora immediately called off the run and took 40 seconds to review the play, which was upheld. "A perfect throw," Redmond said. The Marlins scored in the bottom of the seventh for a 2-0 lead when Adeiny Hechavarria led off with a base hit, stole second, and then scored on a base hit by Baker. Jonathan Lucroys RBI double off the right-field wall in the eighth cut the deficit to 2-1. Gomez struck out on a ball in the dirt, but reached second base on Saltalamacchias errant throw down to first base. With runners on second and third, Cishek came on to strike out Scooter Gennett to end the inning. "It was the perfect time to bring him in and he did a great job," Redmond said. Cishek allowed a two-out infield hit to Elian Herrera in the ninth before striking out Jean Segura for the final out. "We got some hits today," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "We didnt get them until a little bit later on, but we did get some hits and we had base runners. We had a couple of chances; we missed the one with Gomie when he was thrown out. We didnt score on that so that hurt obviously." Saltalamacchia provided the Marlins first run with an RBI double in the second inning scoring Casey McGehee. NOTES: Roenicke is now 5-4 in challenges this season after losing the call in the sixth. ... Before the game the Marlins placed LHP Brad Hand on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle and recalled LHP Dan Jennings from Triple-A New Orleans. ... After the game Brewers SS Jeff Bianchi was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville to make room for RHP Jimmy Nelson, who will start on Sunday. ... Miami will counter with LHP Randy Wolf as both Wolf and Nelson will be making their first starts of the season. 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