CLEVELAND - With just over a minute remaining in a three-point contest, Kyrie Irving, Clevelands lethal late-game weapon, barrelled into the lane as Kyle Lowry stood in his way, positioned above the restricted area. Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors two best players, their two leading scorers, made the two most important plays of Tuesdays 99-93 win over Cleveland. That much is not unusual. Of note though is both of those plays came on the defensive end. "Those defensive plays are deflation plays for the opposition," said Lowry, who struggled with his shot, hitting just three of 15 attempts from the field and misfiring on all nine of his jumpers from three-point range. "Its definitely fun to step up for the team in those situations." Lowry didnt think twice when faced with a split-second decision, one hes made time and time again in high-pressure situations during his breakout campaign. "Those are winning plays," he said, asked about the art of drawing a charge, crediting the tutelage of former teammate Shane Battier, whom he called "one of the best charge takers" in the league. DeRozans steal was just as vital, if not more so, to the teams sixth win in the last seven games and second over Cleveland in a span of five days. "He was like a free safety out there," Lowry said, shortly before DeRozan - in conversation with the media - made yet another reference to Seahawks cornerback and fellow Compton-native Richard Sherman. "I kind of anticipated it, I read the play a little bit," said DeRozan, who also made his share of big offensive plays, scoring 16 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter, adding six assists without turning the ball over. "They ran it earlier in the game. I knew they were going to look for it and I just went for it." Toronto, and DeRozan in particular, has come up short when faced with one final possession, one final shot in the past. Both guards heeded their coachs direction this time around. It didnt come down to a last-second heave. The Raptors won with timely defence. After enjoying a much-improved first quarter following a series of slow starts, the Raptors struggled on both ends of the floor during the meat of the game. Nothing was falling for Lowry - a 39 per cent three-point shooter on the season - and the team was accumulating sloppy turnovers at an uncharacteristically alarming rate for the second straight contest. Almost foreshadowing the nights eventual result, Casey was asked how to prevent his team from allowing its offence to dictate defensive effort prior to the game. "I havent discovered it yet in my 30 years of coaching," he responded. "Its the same in college, [in the] pros and its been that way for a long time. A lot of guys have to see the ball go through the basket to get themselves going on the other end, which you dont want, you preach against but I think its human nature." For at least one night, his team and his point guard bucked that trend. "That was one example of a guy not letting his offence dictate his defence," Casey said of Lowry, who also added nine assists, made all seven of his free-throw attempts and could have drawn a couple more charges if not for a pair of close calls that didnt go his way. "Thats how you have to play," Lowry added. "Youre not going to have great games all the time. Youre not going to shoot 10-for-12 every night or 20-for-30. Youre always going to have some sort of off game but you cant let that stop you from helping your team win a game." Terrence Ross bailed him out offensively, scoring what DeRozan called a "quiet 19 points", knocking down five of his eight shots from long distance. With the win, the Raptors climb seven games above the .500 mark for the first time in six years. It ensures theyll have a winning record for a third consecutive month, accomplishing that feat for the first time since 2007. Nike Air Force 1 Αγορα . Watch the announcement live on TSN.ca at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. This years honourees will be recognized at the 2014 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, scheduled for June 23-24 in Vancouver. Nike Air Force 1 Low Φθηνα . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. http://www.airforce1greece.com/ . Four years after winning gold on home ice in Vancouver, the Canadians will get a chance to make it two in a row Sunday against Sweden after beating the United States 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals Friday at Bolshoy Ice Dome. Nike Air Force Καλυτερη Τιμη . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. SF Air Force 1 Φθηνα . -- Byron Scott is taking over the Los Angeles Lakers with the vocal support of his fellow Showtime greats.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Diego Valeri scored in the 13th minute and Donovan Ricketts earned his 10th shutout of the season, leading the Portland Timbers to a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Friday night. Valeri scored for the third straight match as the Timbers (11-5-13) moved one point ahead of the Rapids (12-9-9) for third place in the Western Conference. "The game wasnt pretty," Portland head coach Caleb Porter said. "We need to be able to win those games. I thought we were very professional how we managed the second half, especially. I continue to see a very positive evolution." On the games only scoring play, Rodney Wallace leapt to head a Colorado clearance back towards goal, and Valeri raced onto the loose ball and chipped a shot from 20 yards out over Rapids goalkeeper Clinton Irwin for his eighth goal of the season. Valeri continues to be a driving force for the Timbers, despite recent injury issues. Porter noted the quality of the goal, while acknowledging the need to manage Valeeris playing time.dddddddddddd "That (goal) was class, and thats what he is, a class player," Porter said. "This was an important game and we got a good 75 minutes out of him. I hope hes still OK, he got a little tight at the end. Hopefully we saved enough in the tank for him to go the next game." Colorado nearly tied it 25 minutes later, when Portlands Pa-Modou Kah and Mamadou Danso both missed on their attempts to clear a pass, allowing the ball to fall to Edson Buddle. However, the Rapids forward could only manage to blast his shot off the goalpost. Despite the loss, Colorado head coach Oscar Pareja believes his team will make the playoffs. "Of course," he said. "With the team you saw on the field today, of course. I saw a team full of character." Both teams next face conference rivals for playoff positions. Portland will host Los Angeles on Sept. 29, while Colorado has two weeks to prepare before hosting Western Conference-leading Seattle on Oct. 5. ' ' '