NEW YORK - As the Knicks were on their way to an embarrassing 29-point Christmas Day defeat, the Madison Square Garden faithful chanted the name of their saviour, who just so happens to be the Raptors starting point guard. Their 9-19 record remains identical to the crosstown rivals in Brooklyn and trails both Toronto and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Raymond Felton, their declining point guard, is back on the sideline nursing his third injury of the season. Their owner James Dolan has reassured his team that no one is being traded or fired, at least for the time being. Still, some Knicks fans are holding out hope that help is on the way. "Thats very humbling," Kyle Lowry said, flattered by the thought of Knicks fans chanting his name. "Thats humbling, I appreciate it. Its kind of one of those things where you just dont know what to say, you just are like, wow thats pretty cool but at the end of the day, I play for the Raptors." Exactly two weeks ago, Lowry stood in front of the Toronto media and addressed multiple reports that had surfaced the day prior, connecting him to trade talks with the Knicks. The rumour mill has dried up since then, for the most part, but the Raptors guard found himself answering the same questions prior to Fridays game at MSG, the first in a home-and-home set with the Knicks. Catch both contests against the division-rival Knicks - Friday at 7:30pm et and Saturday at 7pm et - live on TSN2 and listen to Saturdays rematch on TSN 1050 Radio. "That wasnt in my mind," Lowry said, asked about the possibility of playing in New York. "My mind [said] to keep playing and be a competitor and play hard, try to win as many games for the Raptors. If something happens, then it happens, until that day Im a Raptor and I play hard for the Raptors." Reconvening in New York following a brief two-day break for the holidays, the Raptors are feeling good about their place in the putrid Atlantic Division. Despite the trade of Rudy Gay earlier in the month and ongoing speculation that Lowry and/or others could be moved next, no one is panicking. Quite the opposite in fact. The team is as harmonious as ever and thats a credit to their flood general, who hasnt been shaken by the off-court noise and is playing the best basketball of his career. Lowry is averaging 15.2 points and 7.0 assists this season, both career-highs. He has recorded six or more assists in a career-best 18 consecutive games, obliterating his previous high, which was eight straight contests. The Raptors sit atop the division, a half game ahead of the Celtics and three games in front of the Knicks and Nets. Although theyve won five of eight since the trade of Gay - including two of three during an exceptionally difficult Western Conference road trip - the Knicks are closing in. New York has won six of its last 12 and has Tyson Chandler, the heart of its defence, back in the lineup. With two straight games against the Knicks and four of the next 11 against Atlantic Division opponents, this stretch could go a long way in mapping out the Raptors next step, as well as the future of Lowry and his expiring contract. "We all want to win, we all want to make the playoffs, we all want to be a better team and continue to get better," said Lowry. "I think guys are just out here, were having fun, were taking advantage of every time we can step on the floor together and just trying to win games." "I just want to keep playing. No matter what, I want to try to win games. I made a commitment to the city of Toronto, to myself and to the fans to get the Raptors to the playoffs so thats what Im here to do." Much-needed rest for DeRozan For the second straight season, DeMar DeRozan is among the league-leaders in minutes played. The Raptors guard has logged 38.5 minutes per night through the teams first 26 games with only the Knicks Carmelo Anthony and Rockets guard James Harden averaging more playing time. The two-day break couldnt have come at a better time for Torontos best player. "I think we just needed that," he said following shootaround at Baruch College in New York Friday afternoon. "Just to have two days to relax, get your mind off things, I think it was definitely needed for us, especially with this push were trying to make to stay on top of the division and win the next couple games." Raptors coach Dwane Casey said he is planning to monitor DeRozans minutes closely and could deploy John Salmons or the sparingly used Landry Fields and Steve Novak to spell him more as the season goes on.
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Valeri Nichushkin Jersey . The South Africa international, who rejoined the club last month on loan from Tottenham, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful shot into the roof of the net.TORONTO -- Toronto FC has claimed another body. The underachieving Major League Soccer club fired president and general manager Kevin Payne. The club has not made the move official but Payne told The Canadian Press that he was leaving. "I wish TFC and its supporters all the best," he said in a text. "Im confident the team is in a great position heading into next year and Im proud of that. "I understand the desire to move forward in a different direction and want nothing but the best for the club." Payne said he had no other role with the team but had agreed "to help with the transition." The former D.C. United executive arrived in late November with the task of turning around the worst team in Major League Soccer. But progress has been hard to find and the team, which has never made the playoffs, stands tied for 18th in the 19-team league with a 4-12-10 record. Ultimately Payne paid the price for yet more failure at a franchise that is losing fans as well as matches. It didnt help that he was hired before Tim Leiweke took over as president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the team. Payne, 60, may also have suffered for his penchant for talking. Like the manager he hired -- rookie coach Ryan Nelsen -- he complained this season about the team getting a raw deal from officials. That is not Leiwekes style. "I tend to believe that sitting here and revisiting those calls doesnt serve much of a purpose," the MLSE boss said in a July interview with The Canadian Press. "And so we probably have to as an organization spend less time bitching and more time just moving on and understanding that sometimes thats the way those calls are going to go." Both Payne and Nelsen also complained about the salary cap handcuffs they had inherited. And Payne liked to talk about his master-plan, detailing imminent player moves that proved to be not so imminent. Payne also raised some hackles at the club early on when he questioned the fitness level of some players in pre-season without naming names. "Lots of guys did a great job and came back in great shape," he said in January. "But there were more than one or two who were not even close to being fit. I have a hard time understanding that. Ryan feels the same way ... Theres just no excuse for it." Payne, while clearly dedicated to his task, seemed to come across as thinking he was the smartest man in the room. Then Leiweke arrived. He oversaw the Los Angeles Galaxy during his time in charge of AEG, helping bring David Beckham and Robbie Keane to the team. Leiweke spoke favvourably of Payne -- "He knows where the bodies are buried and he knows what it takes to build a championship team" -- in a June 4 in-house interview aired on YouTube.dddddddddddd And he said in July he would wait until the end of the season to assess the teams management, explaining he didnt think it was "fair or proper to get into an analysis" mid-season. Toronto was 2-10-8 at the time. It apparently took Leiweke two wins, two losses and two ties to change his mind. The club, which plays Saturday in Portland, has eight games remaining this season. Payne arrived with a flourish, wearing one of his four MLS championship rings to his Toronto FC introduction. The former D.C. United boss routinely wears one of his rings, but wasnt going to at the news conference in Toronto until wife Pam changed his mind. "I said to my wife this is weird. For the first time since 97 -- when I got the 96 ring -- Im not going to put on a championship ring," he related Nov. 28 after being unveiled in Toronto. "And she said I think you should put it on. I said Well, I dont want to be always talking about D.C. She said But you need to get people to aspire to win their own ring. Understand that thats the goal. So thats why Im wearing it." Payne was Toronto FCs first president. He became the soccer teams equivalent to the Leafs Brian Burke and the Raptors Bryan Colangelo, both of whom have since moved on. "We found the right guy," Tom Anselmi, MLSEs COO, said at the time. "I think its probably THE best signing that well make," added head coach Paul Mariner, who was soon to be dumped by Payne in favour of Nelsen. Nelsen is the teams eighth manager in seven seasons. Until his resignation as president and CEO just days before joining TFC, Payne had spent 17 years at D.C. United -- helping the franchise find its feet in time for the debut MLS season in 1996. Payne joined a Toronto franchise that has failed to make the playoffs since its inception in 2007, winning just 45 games over those six seasons. Toronto (5-21-8) posted franchise worsts in 2012 for wins (five), losses (21), points (23), goals against (62) and winless string (14). "I really love to build things," he said when asked about why he would take charge of such a floundering franchise. Payne has helped set the stage for whoever takes over. The team has shed the big contracts of the likes of Torsten Frings and Darren ODea and the 2014 salary cap situation will offer far more flexibility. There is also a base of good young talent at the club. But the franchise continues to disappoint.
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