semi-final second leg at home to Manchester City. Ronaldo

TORONTO - The Raptors havent had an All-Star player since Chris Bosh left town but that could change this February, especially if coach Dwane Casey has his say. "Im pushing our guys," Casey said after practice Friday, making the case for his backcourt duo, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, to get voted in as first-time All-Stars. "I dont know if we can get two [but] Im going to push two and hope to get one, because both guys are playing at a high level." The Raptors coach initially broached the subject in Miami on Sunday. "Theyre playing like All-Stars," he said. "You look at the other guards in the East and theyre right there with them." Since then, he has been busy campaigning to his peers. "All my friends, all the coaches, [Ive] talked to them about it, texted them, they did me the same way when they were trying to get their guys in last year," Casey admitted. "Ill beg the coaches, bribe them with lunch or dinner, whatever, when we have a coaches meeting," he joked. "But its what we should be doing as an organization, and we are doing it as an organization and Im doing it with the coaches." More than likely, Miamis Dwyane Wade and Clevelands Kyrie Irving will get the nod from fans to start in the backcourt for the Eastern Conference. The leagues coaches will then vote in the reserves, two backcourt players, three frontcourt and two wild-card spots (players at any position). Theres a legitimate case to be made for both Raptors guards to represent the East as reserves in the annual midseason showcase, taking place on Feb. 16 in New Orleans. DeRozan is 13th in the NBA in scoring, averaging a career-best 21.2 points per game. He has made notable strides as both a passer and a defender, once considered to be holes in his game. Hes recorded five or more assists in eight of 34 games after doing so 12 times last year and accomplishing that feat in just five contests combined over his first three seasons in the league. "Look at what hes doing," Lowry said of his teammate. "He leads our team in scoring, hes done a great job of being our go-to guy, hes been a complete professional and he gets better every single night." Lowry has been Torontos most valuable player, carrying the team at the point guard position. In his eighth season, Lowry is averaging career-bests in points, assets and steals while shooting his highest percentage from three-point range. His career-best streak of 24 consecutive games with six or more dimes recently came to an end, topping his previous high of eight straight. Hes fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. "Look at the stat sheet after he plays," said DeRozan, making the case for Lowry. "Any given night he gives you 16 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, somewhere around that margin every game. Thats just what he [does]. He goes out there and plays hard, hes scrappy, hes a bulldog when hes out there on that court. Hes definitely a leader, he definitely wants to win, I see it in his eyes." True to character, both players were hesitant to make their own case but neither could downplay what the honour of being named to the All-Star squad, alongside the leagues best, would mean to them. "It would be an unbelievable, phenomenal thing, it would be humbling," Lowry admitted. "Im sure if either one of us [makes] it, it would be a great time and a great accomplishment and achievement to tell our families and our kids one day." Lowry made sure to follow up that statement with a reminder that he, DeRozan and the rest of the team remain far more concerned with their collective success than individual accolades. The Raptors recent success could be the very thing that nets them their first All-Star since Bosh was named to the team in 2010. "We deserve it," Casey said proudly. "Our record, were ranked at the top of our division, were number four in our conference so we do deserve All-Star ranking and All-Star consideration with our players, because those guys are playing at a very high level." Entering Fridays slate of games, Toronto is one of just four teams in the East with a record at or above the .500 mark. As a team, the Raptors have gone 11-5 since the early-December trade of Rudy Gay with both Lowry and DeRozan - the teams two leading scorers - playing key roles in the resurgence. Although his percentages have dropped slightly, DeRozan is taking the same amount of shots as he was pre-trade and hes averaging nearly two more assists per contest. Lowry is tied for fifth in the league in assists since the trade was made on Dec. 8, averaging 8.4 to go along with 17.6 points. While Lowry may be more deserving of the honour given his value over replacement this season, DeRozan should have a favourable shot at earning recognition from the leagues coaches. DeRozan is highly thought of as a hard working, evolving player and has been universally praised by opposing coaches this season, whereas Lowry has developed a reputation for being somewhat combative. "Kyles showed hes a positive leader," Casey said of his point guard, who - in the final year of his contract - came into training camp with a renewed focus, in the best shape of his career. "I think that was the biggest question among coaches around the league, could he be a positive leader and be productive on the court. Hes done that." "I think theyre [both] very well respected. DeMar has been playing at a very high level, being very efficient, not just a volume shooter, so hes done that. Everything those guys have [done have answered] the questions about them as players. Plus on top of that theyve put us at the top of our division." The Raptors backcourt duo, or at least one of them, could be the beneficiary of a weak Eastern Conference. Unlike the loaded West, the conferences player pool reflects its overall inferiority. Their primary competition figures to come from Washingtons John Wall (19.7 points, 8.7 assists), Orlandos Arron Afflalo (21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists), Atlantas Jeff Teague (16.8 points, 7.9 assists) and Indianas Lance Stephenson (13.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists). All-Star starters will be announced live on the TNT broadcast Jan. 23 and the reserves will be revealed a week later, also on TNT. Jonathan Ogden Jersey .Y. - Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs didnt flinch in the face of adversity. Jaylon Ferguson Jersey . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse. http://www.cheapravensjerseysauthentic.com/ . -- Desperate to stop Tom Bradys latest comeback bid, the Miami Dolphins sought help from a reserve safety making his NFL debut after being signed Tuesday off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. Cheap Baltimore Ravens Jerseys . Both of Padakins goals came in the second period while Zane Jones added a single in the first period for Calgary (13-6-4). Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger finished with 30 saves for the shutout. Joe Flacco Jersey . The Missouri Tigers Defensive End and SEC Defensive player of the year is eligible for the upcoming NFL draft in May.Zinedine Zidane is hopeful both Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema will be fit for Real Madrids Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Manchester City. Ronaldo missed the weekends La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano with a thigh injury and did not feature in the goalless semi-final first leg at the Etihad on Tuesday night, despite training the day before.Benzema, meanwhile, was withdrawn at half-time against City, leaving his participation for the return leg at the Bernabeu on May 4 in doubt. Zidanes Real Madrid side claimed a 0-0 draw against City at the Etihad on Tuesday night We hope that they can both be fit for the second leg, thats the idea, said Real head coach Zidane. But we cant say right now. We have to see. We have to take it day by day and see how they are.Cristiano felt something after that last training session. Thatss why he didnt play.dddddddddddd Karim, it was a little bit different. But at the end of the day, little by little, he felt a little bit worse in himself. We dont want to gamble with his fitness. We know how important both players are for us.Real had the better chances in a tight contest, with Benzemas replacement Jese heading against the bar in the second half and Pepe firing a close-range shot at Joe Hart. Man City also suffered an injury setback as David Silva went off late in the first half I am happy with the game, said Zidane. It was not easy but in the end, we defended really well. We had the ball more in the second half and we had more chances after the break. It was a tough game but I am happy with the result.Before this game, it was 50:50 and now its the same. We have the second leg at home, but its 50:50. We are going to have to work like we did today.It is a Champions League semi-final so nothing is easy, but I am happy with the result and the work the players did.City did not have a shot on target until injury-time when Kevin De Bruynes free-kick needed to be tipped over by Keylor Navas.Defensively, we played really well, said Zidane. We know (Sergio) Aguero is a good player so we didnt give him much space. The idea was to defend together. We managed to achieve what we wanted. Watch highlights of Real Madrids La Liga clash away to Real Sociedad on Saturday on Sky Sports 3 HD from 9.30pm. Also See: Man City 0-0 Real Madrid As it happened Real Madrid fixtures Get a ￡10 free bet! 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