TORONTO -- In the moments before the Toronto Raptors took the court for Game 4 in Brooklyn, they huddled in the locker-room and watched footage of their fans gathered back home in Maple Leaf Square. The Raptors went on to win Game 4 and even up the series and say theyve drawn inspiration from the swell of support theyre receiving in their home city. "I told the team, the fans are doing their part, weve got to do our part as a team, as a group of guys to lead the fight on the court, because the fans are behind us 100 per cent and theyre loud and theyre very proud. And they should be," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. The Raptors expect a repeat of Sunday, when a capacity crowd of 2,500 red-clad fans jammed Maple Leaf Square to watch the game on the giant screen outside the Air Canada Centre. Thousands more packed the roads leading up to the ACC in a raucous outdoor celebration similar to the citys playoff party during the Maple Leafs brief run last year. "Oh man, its unbelievable, our fan base," Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry said. "It makes you want to just be a part of it. Things that were doing right now and the way the fan base is going out there, we want to go out there and play hard and give them a reason to keep coming back and packing Maple Leaf Square and packing the ACC. "We need our fans, we love our fans. . . We cant wait to see (Wednesday) night, the vibe and the energy were going to get." The series has been a spirited battle even before the first ball was tossed up, thanks to general manager Masai Ujiris now-famous F-bomb. Its been a fierce fight on the court. Casey said Kyle Lowry looked like hed been through a 15-round bout after Game 4, and the coach expects both teams to come out swinging in Game 5 on Wednesday. "Its not going to be all smiles and bubble gum and fruitcakes. . . Its going to be a street fight," Casey said. "Thats the way weve got to come out, with that mentality." The Raptors, said Lowry, were caught on their heels Game 1 of the series. The less-experienced Raptors -- three of the teams starters had never made a playoff appearance -- werent prepared for how physical post-season action would be. They lost that game. They put up a fight in Sundays Game 4 victory in Brooklyn, holding the Nets to just three baskets in a scrappy fourth quarter. But they were forced to battle back from a lackadaisical third quarter, a bad habit the Raptors havent been able to shake all season long. "Weve got to compete like that for 40-plus (minutes)," Casey said. "The third quarter has been our nemesis. . . thats what we have to remedy, coming out of the locker-room at halftime with that desperate disposition." Despite being the No. 3 seed, the Raptors were considered underdogs in this series based on playoff experience. DeMar DeRozan said theyve played with a chip on their collective shoulder with that underdog mentality all season, so this is nothing new. "We understood coming into this series that people still counted us out, people still doubted us, people said: Brooklyns experience, this, that and the third. . . whatever you want to hear," said DeRozan, who struggled through playoff jitters in Game 1 but has shone for Toronto in the three games since. "Weve been counted out so long, weve got the underdog mentality. I dont think thats going anywhere." Playoff experience was a major theme when this best-of-seven series began. Future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce alone -- with 136 playoff appearances -- had played in almost as many post-season games as the entire Raptors roster combined. None of Torontos starters -- Lowry, DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas -- had ever started in a playoff game. DeRozan, Ross and Valanciunas had never played in the post-season, period. The Raptors say that four games in, experience doesnt mean much anymore. "Its just who wants it more from here on out. Thats what it boils down to now," DeRozan said. Added Casey: "I dont think were as wide-eyed and bushy-tailed as we were in Game 1." Ross remains the one Raptor struggling with the playing on the big stage of the post-season. The athletic sophomore, who poured in 51 points in a game earlier this season, scored zero in Game 4. Casey and the players remain fiercely supportive of the 21-year-old. "Im not going to do anything to crush that young mans confidence or what hes brought to the table thus far," said Casey, pointing out that Ross has done some good things on the defensive end. "And its not about Terrence Ross, its about our entire team," the coach added. "The spotlight should not be on him in any way whatsoever. The reason why we win or lose is not because of what Terrence Ross did or didnt do." Kyrie Irving Shoes Deals . According to MMAFighting.com, MacDonald needs an x-ray on his right ankle and doctors clearance to fight or he will be subject to a mandatory medical suspension that will end on August 22, 2014. Kyrie Irving Shoes From China . According to Dave Stubbs of The Montreal Gazette, preliminary talks have begun between Markov - an unrestricted free agent this summer - and general manager Marc Bergevin. https://www.cheapshoeskyrieirving.com/ . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. Clearance Kyrie Irving Shoes . 4 jersey of former defenseman Rob Blake this coming season. The ceremony will take place prior to the Kings January 17 game against Anaheim. Kyrie Irving Shoes Free Shipping . The Raptors have been outscored 88-66 in the opening quarter over a three-game span to begin the month of February. Their most recent loss, 109-101 in Sacramento on Wednesday, was eerily similar to Saturdays defeat at the hands of the Trail Blazers.EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Tom Izzo is openly lobbying for someone else to move to No. 1 in next weeks rankings. "Weve just got to hope now that Kansas blows somebody out so they move them ahead of us," the Michigan State coach said. "We proved tonight were not ready to handle any kind of success, and that disappoints me." The angst was back in Izzos voice Friday night, even though No. 2 Michigan State did pull away from upset-minded Columbia in the final two minutes for a 62-53 victory. The Spartans trailed for a majority of the second half, but Adreian Payne was too much for the Lions inside, finishing with 26 points. Michigan State (3-0) beat top-ranked Kentucky earlier in the week, and No. 5 Kansas beat No. 4 Duke. Unbeaten Louisville is No. 3. Maodo Lo had 12 points for Columbia (1-2), which kept its poise for the most part but went scoreless for the final 4:27. "All credit to Columbia. They came out and played their heart out," Michigan States Denzel Valentine said. "We need to come out with more energy and passion than we did today." Michigan State scored the games first nine points, but the Spartans trailed 26-22 at halftime and didnt lead again until Gary Harris three-point play put Michigan State ahead 49-46 with 7:28 to go. Columbias Meiko Lyles made a 3-pointer with 6:08 to go to tie it at 51, and the Lions trailed 54-53 after a layup by Alex Rosenberg, but they didnt score again. Down 55-53, Columbia committed back-to-back shot clock violations. The Lions may have been thrown off by the Michigan State crowd, which was counting the clock down falsely -- a couple seconds too late. "When that happened, I almost got up and thanked them," Izzo said. "I didnt want to embarrass anybody." Still, Columbia had a chance to tie it with 1:47 to go, but Isaac Cohen missed the front end of a one-and-one. At the other end, Keith Appling drove into the teeth of the Columbia defence and lobbed an alley-oop to Payne that made it 57-53.dddddddddddd Michigan State hasnt been No. 1 in the AP poll since 2001, the year after the Spartans won the national championship. "Ill just save you guys the embarrassment of writing stupid things," Izzo said. "We havent proven enough to be considered a great team. Were a doggone good team with a long, long way to go." The Spartans were obviously in danger of a letdown after beating Kentucky, but they appeared to avoid that when they opened the game on a 9-0 run. But perhaps the game was a little too easy for Michigan State at the start. The Spartans ended up shooting 35 per cent in the first half, and Columbia got comfortable quickly. Rosenbergs layup capped a 9-0 run for the Lions that put them ahead 14-11, and Michigan State had a hard time shaking them after that. "It all falls on our energy level," Appling said. "They took advantage of that. They were in position to win." Payne had 11 rebounds and shot 9 of 15 from the field. The Spartans attempted 30 free throws to Columbias 11, but although they had some success inside in the second half, they finished 0 of 7 from 3-point range. Michigan State also had only five offensive rebounds. "Ill take most of the blame because Im the one thats supposed to have them ready to play," Izzo said. "Rebounding here is a religion, and maybe this team wants to change that, so Ive got to make sure that doesnt happen." Harris scored 11 points and Valentine had 10. Cohen and Rosenberg had 10 points each for the Lions. "You play to win. We try to compete and win," Columbia coach Kyle Smith said. "But the moral victory is that we were competitive, and I expected that. Our guys bring a good effort." ' ' '