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TORONTO -- Jonas Valanciunas was five years old when Kevin Garnett earned his first of 15 NBA all-star selections. He was 11 when Garnett was named the league MVP. Valanciunas -- now 21 -- went toe to toe with the 37-year-old Garnett in Torontos loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their playoff series last Saturday. And if there was any sense of awe in the name on the back of the Brooklyn jersey he was guarding, the young Valanciunas didnt show it, laying down a monster game in his post-season debut. "He was not intimidated, he wasnt fazed by the physicality or guarding a legend like KG. Youre talking about a guy who is going to be in the Hall of Fame," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "I told our guys, Youve got to respect them because those guys have accomplished a lot in this league. But you cant fear them. KG would think less of him, knowing him, if it was anything less. Respect him, but you cant fear him. (Valanciunas) did that." The Raptors host Game 2 of the series on Tuesday, then it shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday. Valanciunas had 17 points and 18 rebounds in the opener of the seven-game series, while holding Garnett to five points. While many of the Raptors appeared overwhelmed by the enormity of their first playoff appearance in six seasons -- for some players, it was their first playoff appearance, period -- Valanciunas looked especially fired up from the opening tipoff. When asked Monday about guarding Garnett, Valanciunas merely shrugged. "Hes the same Garnett in regular season, so Im playing him the same way. Just maybe adding 10 per cent more effort," Valanciunas said, laughing. On Garnetts infamous trash talking: "I dont understand English. So Im OK." More laughter. On whether Garnett was a player he looked up to growing up in Utena, Lithuania: "His last name is really famous, so I heard about him when I was a kid." Respect, but no fear. What helped Valanciunas keep the nerves at bay, Casey believes, is thats hes accustomed to playing in front of noisy, passionate crowds. "Thats one thing with the Euroleague, hes played in some big games over there for his country," Casey said. "He was not fazed by the crowd, by the moment, by it being the playoffs. I thought he did a good job of fighting the physicality, getting inside, rebounding, using his length against KG and (Nets centre Mason) Plumlee." As the Raptors season continues, so does Valanciunass development. His rebounds Saturday were a Raptors post-season record. His double-double was only the second by a Raptor in their playoff debut (Tracy McGrady recorded the other in 2000). He scored a career-high 26 points earlier this month, less than three days after he was charged with drunk driving. "Its a positive. Him growing over the last month or so has really been a positive for our season," Casey said. "Hes our future. Hes our starting centre for a while to come so its great to see. Plus, hes a great kid. He works at it." Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez, meanwhile, grew up watching the Nets other NBA legend Paul Pierce. He even attended Pierces basketball camp when he was a kid. The 36-year-old Pierce was huge down the stretch in Game 1, scoring nine of his 15 points in the final three minutes. Asked if there was one thing he learned from Pierces camp, Vasquez replied, with a wide grin: "I did. How to be clutch." Vasquez played like he was similarly unfazed by the big names on the opposing team. Vasquez, one of four Raptors acquired in December in the trade that sent Rudy Gay to Sacramento, scored 18 points off the bench and doled out eight assists. "You know what, to me, its fun," Vasquez said. "Im an underdog guy, so Ive got to prove myself every day. I wake up with 220,000 pounds on my shoulder, so Ive got to be able to find a way to walk and get to my job. "Its fun when you face Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, KG. I mean, I grew up watching those guys, especially Paul Pierce. Now I got a chance to beat em? To me, I cant ask for anything better than that. Its fun. Its a basketball game, man, at the end of the day weve all got two hands. We all can shoot. Weve got one of the best point guards, too (in Kyle Lowry). Ill take our chances, man." For the players who did look affected by the nerves in Game 1 -- all-star DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross, to name two -- Casey and his players believe Game 2 will be an entirely different story. "Were disappointed but were anxious to get a second chance at it. I think the second time around well get the first game jitters away, out of us," Casey said. Game 2 could be a repeat of Game 1 when it comes to officiating. The Raptors werent on the favourable end of any calls in the fourth quarter on Saturday. They sounded resigned to the fact after Mondays practice. "Weve accepted that all year long as far as not getting recognition or getting respect or even getting calls we think we should get," said Raptors forward Patrick Patterson. "Thats happened all year long, so for us to think its going to change in the playoffs, were fooling ourselves. We have to go out there and not worry about the referees, not worry about the calls and just play basketball." The Raptors are hoping for a repeat performance by the Air Canada Centre crowd. A sellout crowd of 19,800 took in Game 1, clad in white T-shirts and waving white towels, thanks to a pre-game giveaway. Hundreds more fans watched the game on the big screen in Maple Leaf Square outside the arena. "Unbelievable. Unbelievable," Casey marvelled. "We were in Dallas for the (NBA) championship ... but this arena Saturday was unbelievable. I was proud of our fans. They showed the NBA what were about. The white-out, it was unbelievable. The enthusiasm. They not only cheered when we were up, they cheered when we were behind. It was constant. It was like a soccer crowd. "Our players appreciated it. We appreciate it now weve got to go out and reciprocate with our effort." Saturdays game was also a ratings hit for TSN. Overnight data from BBM Canada indicated an average audience of 539,000 viewers watched Game 1. It was the most-watched Raptors game on English television in Canada since 2002, the network said in a release. Air Max 1 Usa For Sale . Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night. Cheap Air Max 90 China . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. http://www.airmaxsneakersonsale.com/ . The motion to expand the stadiums capacity passed through by a count of 39-3, with Toronto mayor Rob Ford being among those in opposition. Air Max Plus Tn Fake . Jannero Pargo scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help the Charlotte Bobcats erase a 21-point deficit and rally for an 83-76 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Cheap Air Max 95 .Y. -- Cory Schneider has to make the most of his opportunities to guard the New Jersey Devils net to earn more playing time.The 2016 NFL Draft is just days away, with exclusively live coverage of the first round on Thursday night from midnight on Sky Sports 1 HD. Were gearing up to the big day by looking at some of the biggest stories to have come from drafts past. Heres a run through of the top 10...10) Vernon Davis crying (2006) A teary-eyed Vernon Davis, pictured after being picked by the San Francisco 49ers at the 2006 Draft It’s common-place now for players drafted to cry but Vernon Davis is best-remembered for setting the trend in 2006. Players had shown emotion before but none to the extent of Davis, who was seen crying his eyes out when selected with the sixth pick by the San Francisco 49ers. It wouldn’t be the first and only time Davis would be drawn to tears either, he famously broke down after scoring the winning touchdown for the 49ers in the dying seconds of a dramatic play-off win over the New Orleans Saints in the 2011 season.9) Randy Moss falls (1998) Randy Moss celebrates scoring another touchdown during his record-breaking rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings Randy Moss is a future hall-of-famer, having set a number of NFL records throughout his 14-year career. The best known of the wide-receiver’s records are his most touchdown receptions in a season (23) in 2007 and the most by a rookie (17) in 1998. Moss played like he had a chip on his shoulder that year, having fallen in the draft from a top-projected pick to the 21st selection by the Minnesota Vikings.8) Denver trade up for Tim Tebow (2010) Tim Tebow pictured playing against the New England Patriots in the 2011 playoffs Tim Tebow was a college football sensation, winning two National Championships with the Florida Gators at college level and the Heisman Trophy – awarded to the best individual player – but people didn’t think the quarterback’s skill-set was up to professional standards. He was projected to be a third round pick, but the Denver Broncos shocked everyone by parting with a second, third and fourth round pick to trade places with the Baltimore Ravens and take Tebow in the first round. Sadly, despite taking Denver to the play-offs in his second year, Tebow was discarded and has struggled to find a home since with a passing completion percentage of just 47.9.7) Donavon McNabb booed (1999) Donovan McNabb had a stellar NFL career although lost in his only Super Bowl appearance against the New England Patriots The Philadelphia Eagles had the number two pick in the 1999 draft and fans had made it very clear who they wanted – a running-back called Ricky Williams who was a college superstar coming out of Texas. So when quarterback Donovan McNabb from Syracuse was selected, Eagles fans made their dissatisfaction well-known. Williams ended up going to New Orleans – who traded all of their draft picks to get him – but never sustained success in the NFL, while McNabb took the Eagles to five Conference Championships and a Super Bowl.6) Raiders unknowns (2000s) JaMarcus Russell was criticised for being overweight and under-prepared during his time with Oakland Raiders Sure as eggs is eggs, the Oakland Raiders would select an unknown player with their first pick of a draft. In 2000 they made the unheard move of picking a kicker in the first round, Sebastian Janikowski. In 2007 arguably their biggest flop came in the form of number one overall pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Plus, wide-receiver Darrius Heyward-Bay (2009) and linebacker Rolando McClain (2010) never worked out, although the latter found some success at the Dallas Cowboys last year.5) Vikings miss their picks (2002 & 2003) Bryant McKinnie (right) is selected by Minnesota Vikings after they missed their original pick in the 2002 Draft Letting time expire and missing your pick one year is a disaster, doing it twice in consecutive years is unforgivable, but that’s exactly what happened to the Minnesota Vikings.dddddddddddd In 2002 they were guilty of the Kansas City Chiefs beating them to a trade with Dallas and grabbing the player – defensive tackle Ryan Sims – they wanted. And in 2003 it only got worse, as two teams – the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers – overtook them. It worked out fine for the Vikings in the long run though as both of their eventual selections in those drafts – offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie and defensive tackle Kevin Williams – became pro bowl players.4) Colts pick a fight (1994) Trent Dilfer had a fairly middling NFL career although did win a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens The Indianapolis Colts had two first-round picks in 1994 and created little fuss with their first, picking running-back Marshall Faulk as expected. Although it was their selection of linebacker Trev Alberts with the fifth pick that caused a stir. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper criticised the move with an on-air rant, claiming the Colts should have picked quarterback Trent Dilfer. It prompted a retaliation from Colts general manager, Bill Tobin, who said: “Who in the hell is Mel Kiper. We don’t have to take anybody that Mel Kiper says we have to take. He has no more credentials to do what he’s doing than my neighbour, a postman.”3) ‘Eli Manning sucks’ (2004) Eli Manning has gone on to win two Super Bowls for the New York Giants That was the chant that rang around Madison Square Garden when the first pick of the 2004 draft was announced. Manning – selected by the San Diego Chargers – had been making it very clear in the weeks leading up to the draft that he didn’t want to go to San Diego. He eventually got the move he wanted, with the New York Giants striking a trade and bringing Manning to the Big Apple, but not before an uncomfortable-looking Manning and his family had to take to the stage to pose awkwardly with a Chargers jersey as the crowd turned on him.2) Jets fans boo (1983 & 1995) Dan Marino came back to haunt the New York Jets, scoring 72 career touchdowns against them, more than any other team This could apply to any year of the draft really. The long-suffering New York Jets fans are the most vocal in their disapproval of the players their beloved Jets have picked. The two greatest examples of their anger were in 1983 when picking 24th and with future hall-of-famer, Dan Marino, still on the board they took another quarterback, Ken O’Brien instead. And then in 1995 they passed on another eventual hall-of-famer, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, for tight end Kyle Brady. Oh dear.1) Aaron Rodgers waits (2005) Aaron Rodgers has been a huge success for the Green Bay Packers The quarterback-needy San Francisco 49ers held the first pick in the 2005 NFL draft and much of the debate was down to whether they’d pick Alex Smith out of Utah or Californian native and 49ers fan Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers seemed like the obvious pick but the 49ers went for Smith and Rodgers had a four and a half hour wait till eventually being picked up by the Green Bay Packers with the 24th pick. It was good preparation for Rodgers as he had to wait till 2008 till he replaced Brett Favre as the Packers starting quarterback, ultimately leading them to a Super Bowl title in the 2010 season. Also See: Richard Graves Mock Draft NFL Draft: Beginners guide Shaq Lawson exclusive interview NFL Draft: Previous No 1 QB picks ' ' '