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TORONTO - If things dont work out for Masai Ujiri as president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors, he could have a career in motivational speaking. Ujiri followed an uplifting speech from his boss, Tim Leiweke, with one of equal - perhaps even greater - passion on Friday night when the Raptors hosted an event for season ticket holders. His message to the fans in attendance at the Air Canada Centre and to those watching online: "we need your help." "We have to make this place a living hell for [opponents] to come play here," he told them, standing centre stage in the middle of the ACC court. "And you guys can do it." "When you come play here on [a] Sunday at 1:00, guess what, youre getting your ass kicked. Thats what we need to do here. Thats how we need to build it here. When you come here, play here on a Friday night, youre getting your ass kicked." For over 30 minutes Ujiri held court. He preached, he joked and he shared a story or two. One such story occurred when he visited Toronto as GM of the Denver Nuggets three years ago. It started off with an anecdote about having dinner at the house of Bryan Colangelo, playing him and his kids at ping pong and kicking their butts (he also challenged the crowd to take him on). When he returned to the team hotel, the Four Seasons, at 1am he ran into 10 of his Nuggets players who were just about to head out on the town 12 hours before their Sunday matinee with the Raptors. They were not worried. "We will win tomorrow," they told him. That cant happen going forward, Ujiri insisted. Opposing teams shouldnt be able to get away with taking the Raptors or their fan base lightly. Ujiris third-seeded Nuggets were recently upset by Golden State in the first round of the 2013 playoffs. The difference, according to Ujiri, was the advantage the Warriors had at home thanks to their fans and the environment at Oracle Arena. Thats the impact he believes home-court advantage could have in Toronto. "You know you guys can win us five, you can win us 10 more games, do you guys know that," he asked. "You can. You can. Weve got energy that you guys give us and we have to do it here." This was the first time the Raptors have ever hosted a "season preview" event in which the teams high-powered executives were able to address and interact with some of its most loyal fans face-to-face. The goal for the organization, per Leiweke and Ujiri, is to strengthen the teams relationship with its supporters. Friday nights meet and greet was the first step. "This crowd, everybody talks about it around the league," Ujiri told TSN.ca following the event. "How do we get their support even more? Thats what were trying to encourage." "When there are hard times Im going to interact with them, when there are good times Im going to interact with them. For me thats the nature of the business and there are going to be hard times, we have to be patient here but we have to be spirited, I think, as an organization." It all starts with honesty and respect, Ujiri explained. Although he acknowledged there is always going to be certain information that cannot be shared with the public, he stressed the importance of being up front and avoiding false promises or expectations. "For me theres no spin to it, I dont believe in all that, for me everything is from here," he said pointing to his heart. "You say what your plan is, you say what your direction is and you go execute. We have to be accountable and thats what [fans] want, thats what I think we are supposed to do." "These are the people that pay, these are the people that support the team, these are the people that fight for these guys and we have to be accountable, I truly believe that. Ujiri, like Leiweke before him, thanked Raptors fans for sticking it out through hard times but promised to deliver change. The caveat: it may take some time for the results to reflect that change. This year the measurement will not be wins and losses, the Raptors GM told the crowd, instead success will be contingent on growth. Accordingly, the plan will be determined based on that growth. "We have to figure out our team and evaluate everything and that evaluation starts October 30," Ujiri explained. "Is there chemistry? Is there growth? Are we moving in the right direction? Are players getting better? Are we giving them the right opportunity?" "You try that and when you see that doesnt work, then well figure it out. Trust me, well figure this thing out." For at least one night, the Raptors brass had fans drinking the Kool-Aid. Whether it was Leiweke taunting a fan for wearing a Celtics jersey - "How is the preseason going for you," he joked - or Ujiri regaling us with a tale of executive VP Jeff Weltman attempting to fleece him in a trade a few years back, they put on a show. The culture around this organization has certainly changed, but when will the results follow suit? The answer to that question could go a long way in strengthening the relationship this new regime is working to build with an already restless fan base. "Were one team, one country," Ujiri preached to those fans. "Together, one team, one country. We dont care what the 29 other teams think of us. Were here and Im telling you its going to take patience [but] were going to win. Were going to build it here, were going to work and were going to work hard and build this team." New York Jets Jerseys . -- The Oakland Raiders added a veteran presence to their young receiving group by signing free agent James Jones to a three-year contract Monday. Mark Gastineau Jersey . - A retired Indiana school principal who was NASCAR star Jeff Gordons drivers education teacher was killed with his wife in a Tennessee crash while returning from watching Gordon race. http://www.authenticnyjetspro.com/Ladainian-tomlinson-jets-jersey/ . She was 30. The former British No. 1 died peacefully surrounded by family and friends, the Womens Tennis Association said on its website. The Kyiv-born Baltacha, who represented Britain at the 2012 London Olympics, was diagnosed with the illness in January, two months after retiring from tennis and only weeks after she married her long-time coach Nino Severino. Jamal Adams Jersey . This is the final meeting of the season between these teams.? The Capitals were 5-4 winners in a shootout Oct. LeVeon Bell Jersey . Goldeyes third baseman Ryan Pineda drove in three runs and the pitching staff didnt allow an earned run, as Winnipeg downed Kansas City 6-3 in American Association exhibition action at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas. NEW YORK -- J.R. Smith left Anthony Bennett standing still and Tristan Thompson on his backside. The New York Knicks didnt just beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, they embarrassed them. Carmelo Anthony and rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. each scored 29 points, Smith had 19, and the Knicks won 117-86 Thursday night for their fourth straight victory. The Knicks wrapped up a 10-6 January after going just 9-21 through the end of December. They have rebounded from losing the first three games on their franchise record-tying, eight-game homestand and can finish it with a winning record if they beat Miami on Saturday night. "It is starting to feel a lot better here on our home court to win basketball games," Anthony said. "Were just trying to keep it going." Anthony scored 18 in the first quarter, only two off his total from his franchise-record, 62-point game Friday night. But he sat nearly half of the second quarter to fall well off the pace, as he had 37 points at halftime that night. He still scored enough to become the 50th player in NBA history to surpass 19,000 points. Hardaway had a career high in points and tied the Knicks rookie record with six 3-pointers. "I knew that if I could shoot the ball very, very well at the next level, then I should be able to help the team out," he said. But the dazzling plays were provided by Smith, who had to keep himself from laughing when he crossed over Thompson so bad that the forward fell down as Smith was making a jumper. Smith was starting for Iman Shumpert, who was out with a sprained right shoulder. The Knicks were also missing Andrea Bargnani (left elbow ligament), Kenyon Martin (sprained left ankle) and Amare Stoudemire (sprained left ankle), who are all starters or key reserves. Even without them, they cruised to their third easy victory during their winning streak. "These are the bright spots you want to have, especially playing at home," Smith said. "Youve got your teammates on the bench going crazy, guys on the court are excited and love to play the game and theres nothing better than that." Kyrie Irving scored 24 points for the Cavs on a day in which his long-term commitment to Cleveland was again questioneed.dddddddddddd "Theres just so much negative attention. I mean I know were struggling, but I mean its just not about me. Its about our team," Irving said. Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick, was coming off a season-best 15 points in his last outing. But this one was another of the forgettable performances that have made up his season: four points on 1-of-6 shooting. He came in a little more than 4 minutes into the game, and the Knicks immediately began attacking him. Smith had the ball in the corner and blew by him along the baseline before pulling the ball down while in the air and then pulling it back up before slamming it in. Anthony had the ball near the free throw line on the next possession, easily went by the rookie and laid it in to make it 26-9. The Knicks doubled the Cavs up at 58-29 when Anthony made two free throws with 4:23 remaining in the half, and New York led 60-36 at halftime. The Cavaliers have lost three straight and five of six. General manager Chris Grant said Wednesday that the Cavs "lack of effort is just not acceptable," but they were so bad so fast in this one that it was hard to tell if the effort was any better. But the bigger concern for Cavs fans may have come earlier in the day, when an ESPN.com writer wrote that Irving, the 2011 No. 1 pick, was already telling people privately that he wanted out of Cleveland. He said it was too early to say if he would sign an extension this summer, but said he enjoyed playing for the Cavaliers. "Im still in my rookie contract and Im happy to be here and Im pretty sure that Im going to be here for a long time," Irving said. "Im not saying anything to foretell the future, but Im pretty sure the relationship I have with (owner) Dan Gilbert and management extends off the court and I enjoy being here." Dion Waiters had 21 points for the Cavs, who played without Anderson Varejao (bruised left knee) and allowed the Knicks to shoot 57 per cent from the field. NOTES: The crowd included Denver Broncos defensive back Champ Bailey and NBA Commissioner David Stern, who is retiring Saturday. The Knicks honoured Stern with a video narrated by former Knicks star Bill Bradley, a member of both of New Yorks championship teams. 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