reward on Sunday, and played very well. Hell be fine for (Saturday) and Im sure he play som

As 2013 winds to a close, TSN.ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TSN.cas writing staff reflects on the best basketball moments from the past 12 months including the return of Kobe, the fall of the Raptor, D-Roses poor luck and more! The Kobe Bryant Saga By: Isaac Owusu The year for the LA Lakers went from bad, to worse to maybe optimistic, back to bad again. With their star studded lineup that included Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant they fell way below expectations. The team created in 2012 with aspirations of an NBA Finals appearance opened the calendar year with a 24-28 record. As the team found themselves pushing for the eight seed in the western conference, Bryant willed himself to lead the Lakers until his body wouldnt allow him to do it anymore. On April 12 facing the Golden State Warriors, he finished with 34 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists but it was the final two points that are mostly remembered. He limped to the free throw line and made his final two free throws under obvious pain in his legs. and after the game it was revealed that he had torn his Achilles. The NBA and sports community took a morose tone when news hit and the immediate question was if Kobe could return and at what capacity. The Lakers never wavered in their belief of Bryants return, extending him to a two-year, 48.5 million dollar contract extension. On December 8, He made his triumphant return to the court against the Raptors. He started the game, logging 28 minutes and finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds. But on December 17, in his sixth game of the season, he seemed to be coming back to form. He finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists against the Memphis Grizzlies. There was a scary moment in the third quarter when he appeared to have been favouring a hurt left leg but came back into the game. It was announced on December 19 that he would have to miss 6 weeks going forward due to a fracture in that knee. Surgery is not required, but this is another chapter, in possibly the finality of his Hall of Fame career. Toronto Raptors lose their beloved mascot to injury By: Ryan Horne Toronto Raptors fans have said goodbye to some crowd favourites over the years. Jerome "The Junk Yard Dog" Williams, Morris Peterson, Matt Bonner, Jose Calderon. But when their beloved mascot - The Raptor - went down with a torn Achilles tendon in October that will likely cost him the season, it was as if they had lost their franchise player. And thats not too far from the truth. The Raptor has been with the organization since 1995 and has arguably become the most popular mascot in the Association (and maybe the best thing about going to a Raptors game), entertaining crowds with acrobatic slam dunks, eating referees and rollerblading down stairs. Not often does a head coach talk about the teams costumed cheerleader during a presser, but Dwane Casey did. "The Raptor will be back," he said after a pre-season game. When Casey told his daughter of the bad news, she cried. Stripes - The Raptors younger cousin - stepped in to replace the fallen hero for the 2013-2014 season, but will be in tough to provide half the joy of his predecessor. Now we must wait until next season when The Raptor hopefully makes his return. Sadly this could be the most exciting thing Raptors fans have to look forward to. Derrick Rose cant catch a break By: Ken Rodney At this point it doesnt even really seem fair. Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is not only one of the most dynamic and talented players in the NBA, but is by all accounts also a very well-liked teammate and member of a community where he not only plays but was born and raised. It was with league-wide excitement that Rose finally returned to the court to start the 2013-14 season after missing the entire 2012-13 campaign recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. On Nov. 22, Just as his game was starting to show sparks of returning to the form that already has one MVP trophy in his cabinet case, the 25-year-old point guard suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee once again causing him to go under the knife, ending his season prematurely and stealing more games from the prime of his career. Those around Rose - former and current teammates and coaches - believe that he will make it back from this latest injury just as he did the previous one, but how much of this promising career was lost on that November night in Portland? Jason Kidd says "Hit Me!" By: Isaac Owusu Theres often an idea of a coach "dropping the ball" in regards to a bad job, but dropping the cup? Thats a brand new low. Theres no denying that Jason Kidd will be a Hall of Famer for his contributions in the NBA as a point guard. NBA Champion, 10-time NBA All-Star, perennial All-NBA team member, second on the all-time assist list, second on the all-time steals list, third on the all-time three pointers made list and Olympic gold medalist Kidds coaching career however hasnt been as glorious, and can be exemplified by one night in Brooklyn. During the late stages of losing a game to the Lakers inside the Barclays Center, and out of timeouts Coach Kidd executed probably the most creative play of his career. Who knew spilling some diet soda on hardwood would cost you $50,000! Stephen Curry torches the Knicks, then loses By: Shane McNeil In the grand scheme of things, Stephen Currys night at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 27 wasnt really that historic. After all, whats 54 points in a game where Wilt Chamberlain can drop 100 or Kobe Bryant can torch the Raptors for 81? But what was impressive was how Curry racked up his points. The Knicks kept giving him open looks and he kept draining threes, winding up with 11 on 13 attempts. As if that wasnt enough, when he wasnt launching from behind the arc, he was driving the lane or hitting pull-up jumpers. Yet, in the dying minutes, J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony come through and the Knicks win by four, 109-105. Its one thing to have a career night. Its oddly exceptional to do it and not even get a W out of it. Raptors blow 27-point lead against the Warriors By: Ryan Horne There have been plenty of moments in Toronto Raptors history that fans wish they could forget. Kobe Bryant dropping 81 points in 2006, trading Vince Carter for spare parts in 2004 and the drafting of Rafael Araujo are all memories that sting. On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, the Dinos added to that list in sunny California. The Raptors led the Golden State Warriors 75-48 with 9:20 remaining in the third quarter. Up 27 points with less than half of the game remaining. Surely theyd be able to close it out, right? Nope. After an onslaught of three-pointers, Toronto was outscored 42-15 in the final quarter and lost by nine. It was arguably the worst - most miserable loss - in franchise history and may or may not have led to the trading of the trigger-happy Rudy Gay a week later. The pill was made even tougher to swallow when it was reported former Raptor, Jermaine ONeal, apparently made an inspirational halftime speech that led to the dramatic and historic comeback. Just more salt in the wound. The supporters of Canadas lone NBA franchise must be wondering how many more years of suffering will they have to endure before things improve. Heres hoping 2014 is the start of something better. Joe Nieuwendyk Jersey . The Oilers will try to get back in the win column on Monday when they continue a four-game road trip with a battle against the Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton won its third straight game last Wednesday against visiting San Jose, beating the Sharks 3-0 as Scrivens stopped 59 shots to set an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout. Calgary Flames Jerseys . The struggling New Orleans Pelicans were simply overmatched. Crawford hit seven 3s on his way to 24 points, and the Clippers beat the Pelicans 123-110 on Monday night. "We understand what we do well. If we all do what we do well, well make our team stronger," Crawford said. http://www.flamessale.com/authentic-lanny-mcdonald-flames-jersey/ . 3 Ohio State. Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, Marc Loving scored a career-high 13 and the bench provided 38 points as the Buckeyes sprinted past Nebraska 84-53 on Saturday. Gary Roberts Jersey . Louis second-period goal increased the New York Rangers lead but Dustin Brown has countered for the Los Angeles Kings who now trail the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden. Craig Conroy Jersey . Dancevic won his singles match on Friday, defeating Go Soeda 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-1, to even the best-of-five series at a game apiece. World No. 18 Kei Nishikori defeated Peter Polansky in the opening match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.VANCOUVER -- Their next opponent has yet to score a goal this season but the Vancouver Whitecaps arent taking the New England Revolution lightly. They know how dangerous a desperate team can be. The unbeaten Whitecaps head to Boston on Saturday afternoon to face a struggling Revolution squad eager to ignite their offence in their home opener. "Im not getting fooled by the results they had in the first two games," said Vancouver head coach Carl Robinson. "They are a good team and it will be a big test for us." New England has been outscored 5-0 in two road games so far, but has won both its previous meetings against Vancouver when playing at Gillette Stadium. New England is also unbeaten in home openers since 2007. "Its a dangerous time to play them," said Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit. "Theyll have a lot of fire in their bellies and we need to make sure we combat that. Our energy needs to be there from the start." DeMerit wont be on hand to deliver that spark, as he said on Twitter that he is being rested this weekend in advance of Vancouvers upcoming Western Conference matchups. Vancouvers energy level was a recurring topic during the teams training sessions this week on the UBC campus. After dazzling home fans in their season-opening 4-1 win over the New York Red Bulls, the team looked somewhat sluggish in a 1-1 tie against a 10-man Chivas USA side in southern California. Against Chivas, the Whitecaps fell behind 1-0 before Gambian forward Kekuta Manneh tied it with a spectacular strike in the 81st minute. Although Vancouver pulled out the road point, many on the team felt it was an opportunity missed. "We were not a 100 per cent in our energy last weekend and thats something we can improve on," said Whitecaps goalie David Ousted. "If youre up a man, you have to work maybe even harder to break them down than if theyre 11. "They did really well at ruining our play and we had to work hard to get through and I think thatts something well learn from.dddddddddddd. If it happens again, we will be even more aggressive in going for the goals." While fans pine to see Manneh and his scoring touch in the starting lineup on Saturday, Robinson says Mannehs not there yet. The quick-footed forward missed the pre-season with a lower back issue and right now his fitness level is still a work in progress. Manneh, who scored six goals and started six games last year, played 30 minutes against Chivas and seven in the opener. He was seen running drills alone during practice. "Hes a great kid and has got fantastic ability," said Robinson. "Its important we do the fitness that the guys did in pre-season. He missed that. He got his reward on Sunday, and played very well. Hell be fine for (Saturday) and Im sure he play some part in New England." Vancouver will need its offence clicking against a Revolution team that, despite its goal-scoring struggles, is known to be stingy at the back thanks in part Jose Goncalves, last years MLS defender of the year. The Portuguese centre back helped New England tie for the third-best defensive record in 2013 with 38 goals allowed. "They play tight and narrow at the back, so if we can spread them out and get some crosses, hopefully (we) get some of these guys on the scoreboard again," said DeMerit. "New England is a compact team. Theyve got a couple good forwards up top, guys who are proven scorers in this league. They havent scored a lot of goals yet, but that doesnt mean they arent capable of doing so." Notes: Whitecaps midfielder Russell Teibert of Niagara Falls, Ont., says hes feels good and is ready to return after missing Sundays match with a hamstring injury. Teibert started the season opener and registered one shot on goal. ... Vancouver defender Johnny Leveron (concussion) is also expected to be available for Saturdays match. ... Vancouver won the last meeting between the clubs 4-3 at B.C. Place on June 16, 2013. ' ' '