Here are five thoughts on the Toronto Raptors seven-game loss to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 1. JOE JOHNSON (Nets): If I had to pick the guy that was the MVP on this Series, No doubt in my mind it was him. Forget his numbers for a second which were impressive to say the least. It had more to do with his presence and the inability for the Raptors to find a viable/consistent solution to overcome his vast talents. Bottom line, hes a very difficult cover and his strength, post skills, passing ability, creativity off the bounce and distance shooting make him a fascinating and gifted offensive player. Give him credit, He took on all the challenges and made the adjustments and was the difference in this series. 2. STATEMENT: Thanks again! You - the fans have made a wonderful statement across the North American sports landscape and in the NBA community that Toronto and the country of Canada is a growing and vibrant hoops hotbed and will be heard from for generations to come. Cant tell you the impression its made on folks all across the NBA. Utterly remarkable to say the least. Great Opportunity for Raptors President and GM, Masai Ujiri, to now build from a position of strength in his retention and recruitment efforts as he formulates his vision for the long term success of the franchise. A step forward. Long way to go though - yet you can start to see the light. 3. KYLE LOWRY: No idea what will happen with him regarding his future with the Raptors. Im hopeful they can work something out. Ill say this though, the man has really impressed me this season. Every day he left everything out there on the floor for you and competed like few players ever have in a Raptors uniform. For that, we should be grateful and impressed at the same time. Hes been a joy to watch this season and an inspiration to so many young players that can learn from his sheer will and effort that you can overcome a whole lot if you give it your all. He came up short but the man is a winner. Fingers crossed it all comes together and hes back in Toronto. 4. MARCUS THORNTON (Nets): In a Game 7, many times you need that guy that just comes out of left field that gets you over the hump particularly when youre the road team. Give coach Jason Kidd credit, he played a great hunch and it paid off huge dividends for him. His perimeter shooting, creativity, rebounding and overall explosiveness were the edge the Nets sorely needed to pull off the road win in a deciding game. He was lousy in the early part of the series after playing quite well since being acquired from Sacramento but Coach Kidd showed renewed faith in him and was justly rewarded for it. Joe Johnson was the MVP but he was the difference. 5. DWANE CASEY: Actions speak louder than words. Three years and each year his teams have gotten better and he has grown each year as a head coach. As good a coach as he is - and hes a very good one - hes an even better man. Class act. He did an outstanding job this year and when I reflect over the three year period he has been consistent and stayed true to his core beliefs which I truly respect. He led a team this year that had many limitations (as we could all plainly see in this Series) to 48 wins, an Atlantic Division title and came up a bit short to a much more experienced, talented and deeper Nets team. Yes - Were all bitterly disappointed in the loss of this series yet when you take time to reflect, this organization has a true leader who is bright, steady and wont be out-worked by anyone. When I evaluate a coach, I always point to year three as my barometer of where you truly judge them. Theyve had more than enough time to get things the way they want and now you want to see that vision unfold before you. He has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt in my mind that hes more than deserving of being the head coach of the Raptors and when I evaluate him against his peers Im quite impressed. As a former coach, I think I have a pretty decent feel when I compare/contrast coaches strengths/weaknesses and when I look at coach Casey I see a man who has rolled up his sleeves, paid his dues and is truly a right fit for the task of the challenges that lie ahead for the organization. Hes a coachs coach and I can tell you flat out that the men in his profession not only truly like him but all respect him tremendously. Happy for his success. Good man. Good things do truly happen for good people. Yeezy Powerphase Kopen . With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds. Yeezy Bestellen Nederland .Y. - Brooklyn Nets centre Brook Lopez has a strained lower back and will miss at least a week. http://www.yeezysnederland.com/. Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes, the bandleader of the beard brigade during Bostons run to the 2013 World Series title, said he will be shaving his off before spring training so that he can file it "in the archive" with his memories of the teams improbable championship. Yeezy Goedkoop Kopen . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. Yeezy Winkel Nederland . - Quarterback Brady Quinn says he has been released by the Miami Dolphins. DETROIT -- The Anaheim Ducks used a fast start to stay on a roll. Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. Detroits Tomas Jurco got his first NHL goal 3:15 into the game but Jacob Silfverberg tied it just 25 seconds later and Nick Bonino gave the Ducks the lead for good at 5:29. "When Silfverberg scored, I think it deflated them a little bit. But when Bonin (Bonino) scored, it really deflated them," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. Corey Perry and Saku Koivu also scored for Anaheim. Andrew Cogliano had three assists and Jonas Hiller made 16 saves. Perry scored with 1:43 left in the first, which chased Red Wings starting goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, and Vatanen made it 4-1 with just a second left in the opening period. It was the first game between the two teams since last spring when Detroit upset Anaheim in seven games in the first round of the playoffs. "I dont know if it was a big game for us after last spring but it was big game for us to have a good start on the road trip," Hiller said. Daniel Cleary also scored for Detroit, which has lost its past six (0-4-2). Gustavsson stopped eight of 11 shots before being replaced by Petr Mrazek late in the first period. Mrazek made 17 saves. "I liked how we started. Things were going pretty good for about three minutes. Obviously, it didnt go very well for us," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "They shot the puck in the net and we lost momentum very fast and didnt have a very good effort from that point on." The Red Wings are missing a lot of their key players. Center and captain Henrik Zetterberg (herniated disc), centres Darren Helm (shoulder) and Steven WWeiss (groin) and defenceman Danny DeKeyser (separated shoulder) are all on the long-term injured reserve, goalie Jimmy Howard (knee) is out, forward Johan Franzen and left wing Justin Abdelkader are out with possible concussions and right wing Gustav Nyquist missed the game with a sore groin.dddddddddddd "Its got no part of it. Theres no excuse whatsoever. Injuries got nothing to do with it," Detroit defenceman Niklas Kronwall said when asked about the injuries. "We got to get back to basics, but at the same time, enough talking, weve been talking about. Its time for us to get out there and actually show it on the ice." Jurco, playing in his second NHL game, scored on a breakaway. Silfverberg, who returned after missing 24 games with a broken right hand, tied the game by putting in the carom off the end boards for his fifth goal. Bonino then put in a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle. It was Boninos 10th goal. Koivu scored at 12:26 of the second. Cleary scored his third of the season with 1:58 remaining. NOTE: Anaheim D Mark Fistric missed his third game with an upper-body injury. ... Jurco was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids on Sunday ... Anaheim captain and centre Ryan Getzlaf went to the dressing room with 5:40 left in the first period after being shoved into the boards from behind by Detroit defenceman Kyle Quincey. Getzlafs mouth was cut and Quincey got a five-minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct. Quincey faces a possible suspension. Getzlaf returned in the second period but his 16-game scoring streak was snapped. ... Anaheim D Cam Fowler was born in Windsor, Ontario -- across the Detroit River from Detroit -- and grew up in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills. ... Ducks C Andrew Cogliano played at the University of Michigan. ' ' '