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OKLAHOMA CITY - Prior to Sundays game - a game no rational person expected them to be competitive in, let alone win - Raptors coach Dwane Casey spoke about his teams newfound mental toughness. "I like the toughness factor in certain situations where last year and two years ago wed get bumped, get hit [and] wouldnt respond," Casey said an hour and a half before facing the league-best Thunder, a team that hadnt yet lost at home. "Weve grown up from that standpoint and learning how to win is huge." To suggest that Casey was foreshadowing is giving him too much credit. He couldnt have known or genuinely expected what was about to happen. No one did. But he was on to something. This is a different Raptors team than the one Casey was referring to, the one that would cower from adversity in years past. They were supposed to go winless on this exceptionally difficult Western Conference road swing. Instead, theyve won their first two games. “Im seeing it growing," Casey said of his teams resiliency after shocking the hosting Thunder, 104-98, winning four straight on the road for the first time since 2002. "It was one of those things where our guys fought through it and we could have folded or packed it in but they stuck with it and stuck together most of all and didnt fall apart." He called it their best win of the season, which is a given. To take it one step further, it was the Raptors most impressive victory of the three-year Casey era and for all the criticism Torontos coach takes, he had his fingerprints all over it. Casey earned his pay check Sunday evening. He didnt sit down, he didnt relax. He couldnt, not against this team. The Raptors got off to a quick start but withstood the inevitable counterpunch, they rose above spotty officiating and stood their ground when they needed to the most. Through it all Casey was manic on the sidelines. "Sit down Coach," a Thunder fan behind the Raptors bench kept yelling. He didnt. The Raptors were coming off an impressive win in Dallas, defeating a Mavericks team that was 11-2 at home on Friday. The Thunder, winners of nine straight and 17 of 18 overall, were perfect in 13 games at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Toronto threw the first punch and led by six at the break. They were "the aggressor," as Casey puts it, and they paid for it. The Thunder had attempted 22 free throws at the half, making them all, while Toronto shot just 10. That trend continued into the third when, finally the lopsided officiating began to seep into the psyche of a young team that has never been known for their mental resolve. A nine-point lead early in the third quarter turned into a nine-point deficit going into a fourth. Collectively Raptors fans thought, here we go again. The Thunder were fighting back - as we expected - and the Raptors couldnt catch a break from the officials. They missed 17 of 19 field goal attempts to end the frame. Thats when something seemed different. They didnt run, they didnt hide, they hit right back. For that, Casey and his players unanimously credited the work of veteran newcomer John Salmons. "I thought John Salmons maturity came through," Casey said of the reserve forward, who scored nine of his 14 playing the entire fourth quarter. "He has a settling effect when hes in the game and it helps us. It rubs off on DeMar and Terrence. He doesnt get rattled." "John Salmons, I mean give him the game ball, offensively and defensively," added Kyle Lowry. "Just, here, take the ball. He was a big-time player tonight." For the second straight game Salmons came up big when it mattered most. On Friday he slowed down Monta Ellis and two days later he was a big part of the brigade that frustrated Kevin Durant, holding him to 24 points on 5-of-16 shooting, 1-of-6 in the fourth, and forcing his six turnovers. A 12-year vet, Salmons was an afterthought in the seven-player deal that sent Rudy Gay to Sacramento earlier this month. He was - and probably is - a temporary Raptor, a contract that can be moved at the deadline or easily bought out in the offseason. A day after the trade was finalized, he stood in front of the local media without much in the way of emotion or excitement, complaining about being tired from the trip. He has brought more to this team than anyone could have expected. "Im not a rah-rah guy at all but Ive been around for a long time," he said. "Ive experienced a lot so I just try to give my advice when I can." Taking the lead of Salmons, his teammates remained even-keeled when things looked to be going south. Nobody panicked. They executed and made good decisions, the right plays down the stretch. "Weve done a great job of just everyone cheering for each other, supporting each other and nobodys getting their head down," said Lowry, who continues to play the best basketball of his career, leading the team with 22 points and nine assists on Sunday. "Everyones focusing on winning the game no matter how bleak it looks." DeRozan played well, scoring 17 points against a tough defender in Thabo Sefolosha, someone who has given him fits in the past and once again, Amir Johnson was the unsung hero. Johnson - who recorded a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds - made some crucial defensive plays down the stretch, switching off on Durant and swatting a Russell Westbrook floater in the final two minutes of the game. "I cant [say enough], theres too much to say about him," Lowry said, or attempted to say about Johnson. "Hes just an unbelievable player. He had his struggles (early in the season) but we all said hell be alright once he finds his groove. And look at him, hes playing unbelievable. He guarded Kevin Durant as tough as he did and the other night he guarded Dirk (Nowitzki) as tough as he did. You just have to tip your hat to him." Back atop the Atlantic Division, the Raptors play their final game before a three-day Christmas break in San Antonio on the second night of a back-to-back Monday. The Spurs have the third-best record in the West and are 9-3 at home. The Raptors are not supposed to win. Care to bet against them? Adidas Continental 80 Dam . -- Darrelle Revis says at least 26 teams called after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Stan Smith Adidas Dam Sverige . Particularly when speaking in the stadium of Tuesdays opponent: Manchester City. "Maybe they dont fear us as before," Pique said on Monday, "because in the last two years we didnt win the Champions League. http://www.nmdsverige.com/superstar-adidas-skor/herr.html . The Italian side scored twice in a four-minute span in the second half to defeat former stars from S. Adidas NMD R1 Billigt . According to the sportsbook BoDog, the Stampeders are 8/5 favourites to take home the Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on November 24. Adidas Falcon Herr . -- Arizona coach Sean Miller rose from his seat every time Roberto Nelson touched the ball and yelled "Shooter!" He could have been talking about his own team, too.MADRID - Maria Sharapova brushed aside Klara Koukalova 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the Madrid Open on Sunday, while Ana Ivanovic beat Madison Keys 6-1, 7-6 (4). Sharapova, who lost to Serena Williams in last years final, converted six of eight break points to take advantage of Koukalovas eight double faults on the Caja Magica clay court. The eighth-seeeded Sharapova will play Christina McHale of the United States in the second round.dddddddddddd The 11th-seeded Ivanovic ousted Keys to set up a meeting with fellow Serb Bojana Jovanovski. Ivanovic overcame her shaky serve by saving three of four break points. Top-ranked Williams opens her title defence later against Swiss Belinda Bencic. ' ' '