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As I sit here in Milwaukee waiting for the Raptors last game of the first half of the season to be played tonight, I give you five quick thoughts on areas that the team needs to improve on in the second half. After a wonderful start, its been a rough recent stretch that has exposed some concerns. Nonetheless, overall its been a positive run. In order to reach their potential, here is a little food for thought. 1. DEFENSE: Its been difficult to watch of late and I must say how surprised Ive been with the deterioration from where it was early in the season. This team with much greater effort and attention to detail can be a solid club. Right now, not even close. A quick observation - Dwane Casey had great success in Dallas teaching the zone. This team struggles to guard dribble penetration and protect the paint. Why not a little zone to hide some weak perimeter defenders and change the look on certain possessions? Just a thought. This team concerns me. When their offense goes south, the D has to be able to find ways to win ugly. They havent been able to. Thats what playoff basketball is. 2. TERRENCE ROSS AND AMIR JOHNSON: Are these guys starters at this stage of their respective careers? If yes, then we need much better play. They have been inconsistent and it holds back their unit on occasion. Need greater focus and consistent effort and productivity. Cant be as patient as youd like. 3 OFFENSIVE EXECUTION: Deterioration on this end as well. We saw this during the playoffs against the Nets. When you really guard them and body them with physical force, they wilt under the pressure. This is a good offensive club thats become too nonchalant and individual of late. Player and ball movement is a must and the screening and usage can improve. You do that and the turnovers will decrease. 4. HABITS: This is my biggest issue right now. Somewhere along the path from Oct 1 to now this group has taken some shortcuts and its showing now. Seems like this club only plays at optimal level when it feels challenged. The Backs to the Wall mentality they display is terrific, I just dont see it as their daily makeup yet. I look at the best teams and they sustain sound habits and demand the optimum from themselves for long periods. This group can do it. Commitment time. 5. ATLANTIC DIVISION: Congrats! 9.5 games up with 42 to play. Unless you totally screw it up and/or experience multiple injuries, youre going to win back-to-back Division titles. Cool! Heres the question; Are you going to be satisfied with that or is the focus now going to be on being an elite Eastern Conference team? Success has a way of messing with your focus. Do you really want to play a brutal opponent at the fifth seed (Im saying it will be Cleveland - good luck winning that series) even though you have home court as a fourth seed? In the Atlantic, you have three teams in a rebuild mode (Im being kind) and the Nets up for sale and trying to figure out what to do. Great spot to be in to get a top-four seed. Some of its you being good and some of the rest is the other four teams being so lousy. Dont fool yourself. To make next step as a franchise, theyve got to grow to the point that they can compete and win a first round series. How does that happen? Not being satisfied and pushing on to a new and greater challenge. Player internal leadership, professionalism and maturity are a must. This team has good guys. They can do it. Now time to do so. Cheap Packers Jerseys China . Fans in the Jets viewing region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 5:30pm ct and listeners can tune in to TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg. Jace Sternberger Jersey . Greece was on the wrong end of a 3-0 rout to Colombia in its first game of the tournament. 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Bergesen was claimed off waivers from Baltimore on Friday.Edmonton Oilers 6 Winnipeg Jets 2 - The Oilers scored three unanswered goals in the third period for the win on Monday, as they snapped a six-game losing streak while handing the Jets their second straight road loss and dropping them two games below .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. It was Jordan Eberle with the goal. Mark Stuart with his second from Olli Jokinen and Devin Setoguchi tied it less than three minutes later, but poor defensive zone coverage resulted in a Sam Gagner goal and a 2-1 Edmonton lead after one. The Oilers outshot the Jets 14-7. If not for great goaltending by Ondrej Pavelec, the score would have been much worse. The Jets were much better to start the second and controlled the play. The Jets power play connected for the ninth time in eight games to tie the game. Andrew Ladd snapped an eight game goalless stretch by deflecting a Dustin Byfuglien miss fire. A great play by Brian Little to enter the zone started the play. Little snapped a season-high three-game pointless stretch with the assist. But at 16:40, again poor defensive zone coverage led to a David Perron goal to regain the lead for Edmonton after two periods. The Jets outshot the Oilers 10-7 in the second. Early in the third, the Jets went back to the power play and came close to tying the game with a Blake Wheeler shot going off the cross bar. Seconds after the power play expired, Jeff Petry came in from the right point unnoticed and made it 4-2. Taylor Haall made it 5-2 at 8:34 with the Oilers second power play goal of the game.ddddddddddddAfter a clean hit by Stuart on Yakupov, Luke Gazdic went after Stuart to start some of the rough stuff with lots more to come. Yakupov made it 6-2 and the fireworks were on. Earlier in the game, Yakupov made contact with Pavelec. Andrew Ladd after the game saying "I wasnt happy he threw a forearm at our goalies head. That was pretty much it." After the goal, Byfuglien got a minor for slashing Yakupov. On the ensuing face-off, Yakupov and Ladd exchanged slashes; Ladd got his stick into the stomach of Yakupov and that brought everyone into it. Zach Bogosian ended up with two Oilers, as the Jets were down a man with Byfuglien in the penalty box. Somehow here were the penalties when all was said and done. Yakupov got two for slashing and a 10-minute misconduct. For the Jets, Bogosian got a spearing major and a game misconduct, Little two for slashing and a misconduct, Ladd two for slashing, two for cross-checking and a game misconduct. The final penalty total in minutes was Jets 78, Oilers 25. Final shots 30-20 Oilers. The Jets were not happy with their performance. "Frustrating doesnt begin to describe it," stated captain Ladd. "Its the same (crap) game after game." "We didnt play very intelligent," added coach Claude Noel. "The way we played you knew the game was going to get out of hand and by opening it up against this team, we got what we deserved."The Jets next action is Friday at MTS Centre against Minnesota. (TSN Jets, TSN 1290). After losing 6-0 at home against St. Louis, the Oilers got the response game they were looking for. Friday it will be the Jets turn. 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