Its safe to say the Toronto Raptors have been a pleasant surprise this season, especially since trading Rudy Gay. Joe Thomas Jersey . When general manager Masai Ujiri shipped Gay off to the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 8, many thought it was the beginning of the "Tank." They would lose as many games as possible in attempt to grab the first overall pick and select potential superstar – and Canadian – Andrew Wiggins. Well, the complete opposite has happened. Since the move, the Raptors have won 14 of 20 games and sit in third place in the weak Eastern Conference. So with the recent success, has your perception and expectations of the Toronto Raptors changed? Experts and fans alike thought the 2013-2014 Raptors would be a success if they managed to sneak into the playoffs with the seventh or eighth seed and then get steamrolled by the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers in the first round. But, with disappointing performances from the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto finds itself atop the Atlantic Division with a better than decent shot at not only avoiding the Heat or Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, but earning home-court advantage. Should a second round playoff series be expected from this club now? Over their hot streak, the Raptors have defeated some of leagues elite teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks, both on the road, as well as the East-leading Pacers. They were even able to keep it close against the Heat in South Beach. Theyve shown they can play against the big boys of the NBA so does this mean they can push a series to six or seven games or possibly even upset one of those top teams in the playoffs? It seems head coach Dwane Casey finally has the right players to play his type of defensive basketball. The team is third in the league in opponent points per game with 96. The Raptors are getting all-star performances from DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, whos even getting some MVP consideration. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging close to a double-double in his sophomore season while the players sent over from Sacramento have all contributed, especially Patrick Patterson. At the very least, have the Raptors played well enough to earn respect from around the league? Or maybe Toronto is overachieving and fans should enjoy the success while it lasts, because if Raptors history tells us anything, it may not last long. Let it be known theyre doing all of this in the East where only four teams are over the .500 mark. So with all this considered, has your perception and expectations of the Toronto Raptors changed? As always, its Your! Call. Baker Mayfield Youth Jersey . Future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray is in his prime and back for a third season in double blue. The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process. Ozzie Newsome Youth Jersey . The Grizzlies erased most of a 25-point deficit before Durant, the leagues scoring champion, got hot. http://www.footballbrownsnflprostore.com/Youth-Bernie-Kosar-Elite-Jersey/ . Henderson (20-3) received winning scores of 48-47 and 49-46, and the other judge scored it 48-47 for Thomson (20-6). The announcement drew boos from the United Center crowd. "Train this hard for this long, its such a long camp and I see my title shot disappear," said Thomson, who fought most of the fight with a broken right hand.HOBART, Australia -- Sam Stosur beat Victoria Kan 6-2 6-3 Sunday to give Australia a winning 3-0 lead over Russia in their Fed Cup World Group tie, lifting the Australians into the semifinals for the first time in 20 years. Stosur, the world No. 16 and former US Open champion, had too much power for 158th-ranked Kan, winning 24 of 25 points on first serve. Russia altered its lineup to send the 18-year-old Kan into action in the reverse singles but wasnt able to break Australias grip on tthe tie. Odell Beckham Jr Jersey. Stosur and Casey Dellacqua had given Australia a 2-0 lead Saturday when they comfortably won their opening singles. Australia last played in a Fed Cup semifinal in 1993 on its way to the final against Spain. Russia, who made the final last year, are without their 13 top-ranked players. Casey Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty later combined to beat Irina Khromacheva and Valeria Solovyeva 6-1, 6-3 in the doubles. The second reverse singles was not played. ' ' '