winning is, but I would think in this league its pretty low," Pistons interim co

MIAMI - The Associated Press will periodically look at the changing landscape of the NBA during the season from varied perspectives: A players viewpoint, from the bench, and from the business side. In this installment, Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce sits down to talk about the significance of Christmas to players:___For the third straight year, Paul Pierce will awaken to Christmas in New York.The feeling never gets old.Playing on Christmas Day — the traditional start of the NBAs national broadcast schedule, and when fans seem to begin paying more attention to basketball as football winds down — is still a big deal to players. Pierce is trying to make sure that the Washington Wizards understand the significance.Of the 14 players currently on the Washington roster, eight have never played in a Christmas game. Pierce has played in five, not including two others that he missed because of injury.By Christmas, you should know what type of team you are, Pierce said. You should have an identity. Around Christmas, this is the time you should be showing everybody, This is who we are. Youre in it or youre out of it. This the time for the rest of the league, the rest of the world to find out, this is who we are.Heres who the Wizards are: A contender in the Eastern Conference.Off to a 19-7 start, the Wizards are proving Pierce made the right decision when he raised eyebrows this past summer by deciding to move to Washington. Theyre on pace for their best season in 30 years, are led by a point guard likely worthy of some MVP buzz in John Wall, have no one among the leagues top 25 scorers yet have six players averaging double figures.And now for the first time since 2008, the Wizards get to play on the leagues showcase day.A lot of times, Im opening presents with my kids the day before because Im gone on Christmas, said Pierce, who visited New York on Dec. 25 in 2012, and was part of a home game with Brooklyn on the holiday last year. I think out of six or seven Christmas games, I think Ive played at home one time. Weve been on the road pretty much the whole time.Sometimes you get to be there and open presents with your kids and enjoy the day with them. But they get to watch Daddy on TV and know Ill be coming home that night, so its fun.Other players who also changed addresses this past off-season will also be playing on Christmas, including LeBron James and Kevin Love with the Cavaliers and Pau Gasol with the Bulls. And for the leagues biggest stars, playing is as annual a rite as caroling and egg nog.If he plays Thursday, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers will be taking the court on Christmas for the 16th time — just 17 points shy of getting to 400 on the holiday. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is No. 2 on the active Christmas-scoring list, with 227 points in nine appearances.Wade insists that playing on Christmas is still a very big deal.Its the game you grew up watching, Wade said. Christmas, its the game that you watched every year and dreamed about being in one day, the day that you knew everybody was watching whatever game was on.This year, the Wizards — who visit the Knicks in the start of the Christmas quintuple header — are the game thats on, or one of them, anyway.Wall has never played on Christmas, nor has Washingtons other young guard, Bradley Beal. And while every game on the NBA schedule is televised somewhere, Pierce knows that the exposure his young backcourt teammates will get on Thursday might be like none other theyve experienced.You remember as a kid, oh, man, we get to watch Michael Jordan on Christmas, Magic Johnson, all your favourite players, all the key matchups, Pierce said. And now being a part of it six, seven, eight times, youre kind of used to it, you kind of embrace it, but youre still up for it.Moreover, its a chance for fans to see a Washington team that they might see in April, May and possibly beyond.Entering this week, only four NBA teams had better records than the Wizards. Barring an all-out collapse, Washington will be putting together a string of consecutive playoff appearances for the second time since the 1980s. Its a team with a mix of young talent and veteran savvy, which is exactly what Pierce envisioned months ago.Sure, there will be plenty of presents to open on Thursday.Pierce thinks the biggest gifts for the Wizards are yet to come.I knew I was coming to a team that was hungry, wants to win and wants to take the next step, Pierce said. A lot of these guys, theyve exceeded expectations ... and from the outside looking in, you can say Man, they look hungry. But you dont know how much until you see them every day. They dont want to be good. They want to be great. Cheap Adidas Nmd Wholesale . Watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. Serge Ibaka returned to the Thunder lineup from a calf injury that was supposed to sideline him for the remainder of the postseason and the results were sparkling. Adidas Nmd Trainers Uk Sale .Ryan Anderson had 14 points for the Pelicans, who trailed 78-63 after three periods before trimming the deficit to 86-83. Jrue Holiday had 13 points and Eric Gordon added 12 for New Orleans.Mike Scott and Jeff Teague each had 11 points for Atlanta. http://www.nmdukonlinestore.com/ultra-boost-trainers-outlet-deals.html . The Raptors (15-15) posted six road victories last month and have won seven of their last nine games overall. Toronto visits the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Wholesale Adidas NMD R2 .com) - Robert Martin and Josh Hicks combined for more than 300 yards rushing and three touchdowns, as Rutgers rolled past North Carolina, 40-21, in the Quick Lane Bowl. Adidas Tubular Sale Uk .Airport spokeswoman Heather Lissner said that all departing flights were back on schedule. However, arriving flights were still trying to catch up.Super Bowl Sunday got off to an inconvenient start for hundreds of passengers trying to get to Phoenix for the game.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Kyle Lowry picked up his fifth foul at around the midway point of the fourth quarter -- then was called for his sixth 20 seconds later. It was the type of mistake that could prove costly for Toronto in the playoffs, but this time the Raptors were able to overcome it. DeMar DeRozan scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and the Raptors tied a franchise record for victories with a 116-107 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Lowry scored 28 points before fouling out with 5:51 remaining. "I was just glad the guys won it without me," Lowry said. "DeMar was rested going into the fourth quarter, and he really took over down the stretch. Thats what happens when he is aggressive -- he can take over a game." The Raptors (47-33) had already clinched the Atlantic Division, and the victory over Detroit was their 10th in 14 games. Toronto has reached the 47-win mark for the third time. The Raptors went 47-35 in 2001 and 2007. Andre Drummond had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons in the final home game of their dismal season. Detroits Josh Smith missed a fourth straight game with tendinitis in his left knee. Detroit trailed by as many as 18 in the first half but rallied to take the lead late in the third quarter. But no matter what the Pistons did, DeRozan always seemed to have an answer in the fourth. "I understood if we were going to win the game, then I had to step it up," DeRozan said. "I just tried to make plays for us and get a couple of easy baskets." DeRozans three-point play put the Raptors ahead 97-95 and started an 11-2 run. His emphatic, right-handed dunk made it 107-99 and thrilled the vocal contingent of Toronto fans who were in attendance. "The fanss were unbelievable," Lowry said.dddddddddddd "Ive never heard anything like that, especially not here." The Raptors shot 74 per cent from the field during a brilliant first quarter and looked headed for a blowout. A three-point play by Terrence Ross put Toronto up 20-5, and an alley-oop to DeRozan made it 28-12. It was 42-26 at the end of the quarter, and DeRozans four-point play early in the second made it 46-28. "We had no rhythm early on and we didnt guard. You give a team 42 points in the first quarter, I dont know what your chance of winning is, but I would think in this league its pretty low," Pistons interim coach John Loyer said. "Then you really have to fight uphill the whole way. But to our guys credit, they fought an uphill battle." The Pistons trailed 63-49 at halftime but made a game of it by outscoring Toronto 37-24 in the third. Detroit dominated the boards, finishing with 21 offensive rebounds. Greg Monroe had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Lowrys fifth foul came with 6:11 remaining. He then fouled out going after a rebound on a missed shot by DeRozan. The Pistons couldnt take advantage, though. After a free throw by Drummond cut Detroits deficit to two, Jonas Valanciunas answered with a free throw and Ross made a 3-pointer for the Raptors. A layup by Patrick Patterson made it 105-97. NOTES: Detroits Tony Mitchell had four fouls in 6:16 of playing time in the first quarter. Then he didnt play again until the final minute of the fourth. ... The Pistons werent thrilled with the officiating early. Monroe was called for a technical foul in the first, and Detroit was charged with a team technical in the second. ... Toronto has scored at least 100 points in six straight games. ' ' '