INDIANAPOLIS - There are a few common denominators between the Indiana Pacers and the reigning champion Miami Heat, with the number of similarities growing each day.Rodney McLeod Jersey . Both teams were conference finalists a year ago, both clubs have an unmistakable identity that defines them, both play unselfish, defence-first basketball and in the last four days, both have reminded the Raptors how far they are from competing at their level. For Toronto, Fridays meeting with the still undefeated Pacers came to an unofficial end before most of the home teams fans could make it back to their seats. As good as the Raptors looked in the first half and as hard as they worked to look that good, Indiana reclaimed what was, as they knew it, rightfully theirs in less than three revealing minutes. "We knew they were going to come out and throw their best haymaker at us," Dwane Casey said, his team leading by as many as 12 in the first half and holding on to a two-point advantage at the break. Everyone knew they would, because thats what great teams do. Indiana opened the second half scoring 10 straight points, forcing three turnovers and holding Toronto to 0-of-4 shooting. Just like that, Torontos 24 minutes of (mostly) hard work was more than erased and the game was over. You could see it on the faces of players sitting on both benches as Casey was forced to call a quick third-quarter timeout to regroup. The Pacers had been in this position before, more than you would guess though six games this season. There was no panic, there was no time for sulking. They knew they had it. The Raptors body language spoke louder than words. They knew it was only a matter of time now. "[There are] no moral victories in this one," Kyle Lowry stated and Rudy Gay echoed minutes later. "We lost." The Pacers matched a franchise record - previously set in 1970-71 as an ABA team - winning six straight to begin a season. They havent allowed a team to score more than 91 points or shoot over 40 per cent. They havent scored 100 points, but they havent needed to. "I dont know if the history of [it] is as [important] as the fact that we have to lead on our goal," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before the game. "And our goal is the number one seed. Were off to a good start and we all understand the importance of each game when our goal is so high." Theyve trailed at halftime in five of their six games, but it hasnt mattered. When youre a team as good as the Pacers, you can afford to bide your time. The Raptors learned that from the Heat on Monday when the defending champs started Torontos losing streak. The Pacers sent them home with that same effortless spanking, extending the Raptors skid to three and reminding them why Wednesdays disappointing loss to the Bobcats was so disappointing. They need to take advantage of winnable games because in this league, if youre a middling team, theyre few and far between. "There are no moral victories," Gay repeated. "We want to get this next one, thats it. We have to get this next one. The more we put ourselves in a hole, the more important the next game is and the next game is pretty important for us." The Raptors host the winless Utah Jazz in the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday. Its not a game they can afford to lose. George vs. Gay The match-up at small forward was a fun one in Indiana Friday night. Gay and the Pacers rising superstar Paul George combined for 53 points, 30 per cent of the total offence in the game. Gay - who came into the game struggling, shooting just 34 per cent - was red-hot out of the gate. The Raptors leading scorer looked like the player of old, scoring 14 of his teams 32 first-quarter points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. He would go on to shoot just 3-of-13 in the second half, finishing the evening with an even 30 points but needing 26 shots to get there. "You can talk about Paul George, but I thought Rudy outplayed him," Casey said. "They won the game, but talking about individual matchups, Rudy played the game hes supposed to play." George was outscored by his counterpart, pouring in 23 on the night, but hardly outplayed with 17 of his points coming in the third quarter when his team needed him the most and the game was ultimately decided. The Pacers all-star forward, who came into the game fifth in scoring, has had at least 21 points in each of his teams six contests. A gifted two-way player, hes every bit the superstar he was paid to be this summer. As George stepped to the line with 11 seconds remaining, he was greeted by a chorus of MVP chants. Although anointing an MVP six games into the season is as silly as it sounds, hes playing at that level and thats the direction the 23-year-old is headed. Hes that good. Learning from the best The Raptors coaching staff, like most teams with young and impressionable big men, have been using the Pacers Roy Hibbert as a model for the 21-year-old Valanciunas. Offensively, the Raptors sophomore centre continues to make strides but, as head coach Casey reminds us, he still has a ways to go on the defensive end. The team hopes he will one day become the anchor that Indianas all-star big man has grown into on both ends of the floor. "He does such a good job of getting deep post position," Casey said of Hibbert, who scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting. "Where he got JV last year was reposting, kicking it out and reposting up so on that second one, if you relax at all, all you can do is pray." One technique Torontos staff continues to preach with Valanciunas is something Hibbert has perfected in his sixth NBA season. To stay out of foul trouble and contest shots in the lane, the Raptors want Valanciunas to go straight up, remaining vertical without bringing his arms down in the process. "We give him the respect of calling it the Hibbert play," Casey said of the technique. "Hes one of the best in the league at doing that and thats where JV is getting much better." "Im trying to be like him with that skill," Valanciunas noted. But its not something Hibbert - the leagues early-season shot block leader - picked up overnight, one of the reasons Casey preaches patience with the development of his young centre. "It takes a lot of time," Pacers coach Frank Vogel acknowledged. "Its one of the things I think most of the big men in the NBA are working to achieve now. I think thats the way that Roy has set the model for how its done." Friday was one of those nights that Casey calls a "learning experience" for Valanciunas. One of his roughest of the young season, Valanciunas scored just four points in 24 minutes, committing five fouls and two turnovers. He was out-muscled by Hibbert, beat off the dribble by quicker players, exposed on switches and missed defensive assignments. The Pacers star big man is a good example of what Valanciunas can grow into but he also serves as a reminder that it takes time. Zac Stacy Jersey . "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. Chris Long Jersey . - The Atlanta Falcons have signed former offensive lineman Gabe Carimi.LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Untapables dominant effort in the Kentucky Oaks gave Rosie Napravnik big momentum in her bid to become the first female jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Whether she follows up aboard Vicars In Trouble on Saturday in the 140th Run for the Roses and becomes the eighth rider to complete the Oaks-Derby double remains to be seen, but Napravnik is making the Oaks her domain. Untapable gave Napravnik her second Oaks win in three years and put her on the brink of history by surging past My Miss Sophia entering the stretch and rolling to a 4 1/2-length victory Friday in the 140th Oaks at Churchill Downs. "We got the first half completed, so were moving on to the second half of the double," Napravnik said. The overwhelming favourite in the $1 million race for 3-year-old fillies earned, Untapable raced her third straight victory and fifth in seven starts. She has won her last three by a combined margin of nearly 22 lengths. "We got into a great position," said Napravnik, who has ridden the horse for all but one start. "She runs her best when she can get into a great stride and she relaxes so nicely. She has grown up and she is maturing. She is magnificent." Untapables victory also turned up the spotlight on trainer Steve Asmussen, who is being investigated by Kentucky and New York racing officials after an animal rights group alleged he and his former assistant mistreated horses in their care. Asmussen sidestepped the matter, choosing instead to focus on his horses stellar closing run. However, Winchell Thoroughbreds racing manager David Fiske conceded that the attention was "a little bit" of a distraction, adding, "Id be lying if I said it wasnt. ... But we thought we had the goods when we came in here and she proved us right." Thanks to Napravnik, Untapable positioned herself to charge at just the right time. Breaking from the far 13th spot, Untapable stayed within reach of early leaders Sugar Shock, My Miss Sophia and Thank You Marylou before getting clear outside turning for home. Alec Ogletree Jersey. The winner ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.68, the races second-fastest time, and paid $4, $3.20 and $2.60. "The development of the filly, I think Rosie has been a key part of it," Ausmussen said. My Miss Sophia returned $4.20 and $4.40, and Unbridled Forever paid $6. Untapables dramatic finish followed some pre-race suspense involving two horses who violently balked in the gate. The first was Empress of Midway, partly owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino. She thrashed and flipped in the gate and then sat down for a tense moment. Jockey Corey Nakatani wasnt hurt in the fracas and stood by watching as workers quickly got the horse out; she walked away uninjured but was quickly scratched. "She just went up in the gate and lost her balance and kind of sat down on her haunches and couldnt get herself back up in the right position," attending track veterinarian Larry Bramlage said afterward. "We didnt see anything obviously wrong and shes back to her barn." Minutes after horses in surrounding gates were guided back in, second betting choice Fashion Plate also had issues before settling down. She hopped out of the gate and quickly fell behind in finishing 11th of 12 entrants. "She was real tight in the gate," jockey Gary Stevens said. "When (Empress of Midway) flipped, she tried to flip. She has never had to stand in the gate that long and shes used to smaller fields. As soon as the gate opened, my race was over." At that point, Napravnik was guiding Untapable to one of her smoothest victories before 113,071, which is saying something considering how dominant she has been this year. It was no contest after Untapable caught My Miss Sophia, quickly gaining a length and widening the gap. cheap jerseys from china ' ' '
