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TORONTO - Defence has long been the calling card of Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, a foundation for which his teams have prided themselves on and an identity he fears may be slipping away early in training camp. Were not anywhere near the defensive intensity we need to be [at], Casey said following another marathon practice session, roughly three hours long, at the Air Canada Centre Thursday afternoon. I know were not going to be in mid-season form but we need a better interest in playing defence and Im not seeing that right now. Thats our biggest challenge right now. With two exhibition contests under their belt, Casey has been unimpressed with his teams effort and toughness, primarily on the defensive end and on the boards. After taking Wednesday off - traveling back home from an eight-day trip out west - that frustration came to a head Thursday when Casey went back to the basics, as hes been known to do at this stage of the season. I think thats what preseason is for, said DeMar DeRozan, leading the team with an efficient 44 points in 44 minutes through two games this fall. We practice a lot of things but its different once youre in-game, going through it and experiencing it and learning on the go. Casey has seen the intensity hes expecting from the reigning Atlantic Division champs in spurts during camp - both in their own gym and during their time spent in Vancouver - but for whatever reason it did not translated to their two-game set with Sacramento as they split the series. Despite their perceived and justifiable flaws, the Kings, to their credit, are one of the tougher and more physical teams in the league. This wasnt the first time theyve given Caseys team fits, but thats something that needs to change if the Raptors are going to evolve and take the next step. Their coach is fully aware. They cause a few problems, that youre so concerned about, Casey said, citing the threat of DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings interior players on the boards and the way in which that alters Torontos defensive rotations. But thats a good excuse, and life is full of excuses. We still have to get it done. In Tuesday nights loss, Toronto allowed the Kings to shoot 55 per cent from the field (63 per cent after the first quarter), giving up 56 points in the paint and putting them on the line 50 times. The Raptors were out-rebounded 87-62 in both games. Last year the Raptors ranked 10th in defensive efficiency and were a top 12 team in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, but their sporadic production in those categories throughout the season is cause for some concern. Defensively, they faded over the final month of the campaign (ranked 17th over the final 20 games) while they struggled to rebound through multiple stretches, specifically against their more physical opponents. Overall it was those match-ups, against bigger teams like the Kings, that gave them the most difficulty during their breakthrough 2013-14 season. Are they mentally and physically tough enough to withstand the pressure they are about to face a year later? Their all-star caliber backcourt of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry has carried the offence through two exhibition games and are expected to do so most of the year, but much of Torontos success in that toughness department will be dependent on the growth and durability of its frontcourt. The Raptors have a lot invested in third-year centre Jonas Valanciunas, hoping he can grow into the anchor of their defence but understanding he still has a ways to go. Amir Johnson has served in that role for years but has taken a physical beating. Although its still early and it generally takes longer for big men to re-adjust to game speed at this stage of camp, theyve both stumbled a bit out of the gate. [Its] not only Jonas, its everybody, Casey insisted. Its everybody, all the interior people. Were just not there yet. These games dont matter, whether we win or lose, but the habits we create now are very important. [Theres] no sense of urgency on the defensive end, he continued. Were scoring the hell outta it. Everybodys shooting the ball very well but thats not going to win in this league. Injury Update Starter Terrence Ross was limited in practice Thursday, mostly taking part in shooting drills while nursing ankle and knee ailments on his right leg. Ross exited Sundays preseason opener late in the fourth quarter after getting tangled up with Kings guard Ramon Sessions and missed Tuesdays game as a precaution. An MRI, taken earlier in the week, came back negative and the third-year swingman is considered day-to-day. Patrick Patterson participated in full, wearing a wrap on his sore right hand after sitting out the first two games of the exhibition season. I was able to get on the floor today, Patterson said, running up and down a little bit with my teammates, test it out, see how I feel. So overall, getting better every single day. The Raptors forward sustained the injury in a collision with Valanciunas during workouts last week, jokingly attributing it to the JVs added muscle. He could be available as early as Friday, at home to the Celtics. Centre Greg Stiemsma was held out on Thursday as he undergoes testing as part of the leagues concussion protocol following his hard fall towards the end of the loss in Sacramento. Rookie Lucas Nogueira continues to be a spectator, hampered by what Casey called a very serious groin strain that has been lingering. Its a very tedious thing, Casey said of Nogueiras injury. What we dont want to do is rush it back where he gets it re-injured. So its something we have to be very careful with. Fake Lakers Jerseys . 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Four years after winning gold on home ice in Vancouver, the Canadians will get a chance to make it two in a row Sunday against Sweden after beating the United States 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals Friday at Bolshoy Ice Dome. MADRID, Spain -- Atletico Madrid finally got the better of Spanish rival Barcelona on Wednesday as Kokes early goal guided his team to a 1-0 win and into the Champions League semifinals with a 2-1 aggregate victory. Adrian Lopez filled in for injured striker Diego Costa and created the fifth-minute goal after hitting the post, as the Atletico forward headed an ensuing cross on to Koke to fire home. The boisterous atmosphere at the Vicente Calderon Stadium unsettled Barcelona early on, and Atletico striker David Villa hit the woodwork twice within the opening 20 minutes. Barcelona dug in but produced few tangible scoring chances apart from a pair of first-half misses by Lionel Messi. Atletico, which leads Barcelona by one point in the league, reached the last four of Europes top competition for the first time since 1974. The teams had played four previous games this season which all ended in draws, but Atleticos breakthrough kept Barcelona from the semifinals for the first time in seven seasons. "We just have to keep working hard and stay calm because we still havent won anything," said Atletico coach Diego Simeone, whose team will face either crosstown rival Real Madrid, Chelsea, or Bayern Munich in a two-legged semifinal. Bayern beat Manchester United 3-1 on Wednesday to eliminate the English champions 4-2 overall. Adrian replaced Costa after Atleticos star striker failed to recover from a hamstring injury and the little-used forward immediately made a mark by rocketing a shot off the near post just before the opening goal. Adrian eventually headed the ball back across the area for Ko from the restart as Atletico hung ke to score from close range to the delight of the capacity crowd. Atletico, feeding off the roar of its home supporters, had Barcelona consistently on the back foot early on and Villa found the post in the 11th-minute. Barcelona controlled possession but Atletico was dangerous on the counter as Villa fired on the run over goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto but off the crossbar -- the teaams third touch of the woodwork.dddddddddddd Messi had Barcelonas lone scoring chances of the first half as he headed Dani Alves cross past the near post in the 13th before firing wide past the opposite post near the break after Neymars quick footwork created the chance inside the area. Barcelona took controlback, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois doing well to poke the ball away at Messis feet as he darted through the area and then recover in time to ensure the ball was deflected over goal in the ensuing scramble. "There was a big difference between one team and another early on. We couldnt string together four or five passes like we needed to," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. "If we had managed to equalize we might have been able to play the game we wanted." Adrian was taken off to a rousing ovation in the 61st and replaced by Diego Ribas, who scored Atleticos goal in the 1-1 draw in the first leg. Minutes later, Pinto was diving to save from the Brazilian on a counterattack before Atleticos penalty appeals were waved off when Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano tripped up Villa inside the area. Villa and Gabi Fernandez led another counter in the 70th, only for Pinto to kick out Gabis weak shot. Barcelona failed to muster up anything more and Pinto had to make a late save on Villa to keep it close, but the Catalans could not break through the hosts tight defence. "I thought we deserved the draw," Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said, despite his team managing just five attempts on goal to Atleticos nine. "The game got away from us." After walking off the pitch to loud cheers, the Atletico players re-emerged again to celebrate a memorable victory with the nearly 50,000 fans. "The five games (between Atletico and Barcelona this season) all turned out nearly the same way, there werent any major differences except there was a clear winner this time," Martino said. ' ' '