TORONTO -- Together, theyve logged 10 seasons of mostly disappointment with the Toronto Raptors. Friday night, DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson wrote the perfect ending to the Raptors 105-103 victory over the Boston Celtics that -- finally -- sent the Raptors into the playoffs for the first time in six years. "It makes it feel all worth it, honestly, the hard work, the struggles, the nights going home where youre just frustrated and dont want to turn on sports," DeRozan said. "It really shows you that if you stick at it and dont give up -- not to sound cliched -- it definitely pays off." DeRozan scored 30 points to top Toronto, including a fadeaway jumper with 34 seconds left. Johnson had a relatively quiet night with eight points and eight rebounds, but it was his putback on a miss by Kyle Lowry with seven seconds left that sealed the win. "Amir knows," DeRozan said. "Weve been through tough times here where we just look at each other like You cant give up now, youve got to learn from it, even when things are going bad. Thats what we did." When reporters walked into the post-game dressing room, Johnson was on his phone with his grandma Dora. "Dora the Explorer, thats what I call her," Johnson said, smiling. "She said shes proud. "This team has worked so hard," he added. "We were playing our butts off, playing through injuries, weve had our ups and downs. But we made it. It was just coincidence at the end of the game that it was me and DeMar making two clutch shots, the players who have been here the longest, so it meant a lot to clinch our spot in the playoffs." Terrence Ross added 17 points, while Greivis Vasquez finished with 15, and Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and eight boards for Toronto (41-31). Former Raptor Jerryd Bayless led the Celtics (23-49) with 20 points, while Jeff Green finished with 16. The Raptors went into the night with a two-and-a-half game lead over Brooklyn for first in the Atlantic Division and tied with Chicago for the No. 3 seed in the East. They needed a win or a loss by the New York Knicks in Phoenix to secure their spot in the playoffs. But the win didnt come easily against a team the Raptors had beaten in Boston 99-90 two nights earlier. Against a team that has been all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, Toronto led by only single digits until late in the third quarter and took an 85-73 advantage into the fourth in front of a capacity crowd of 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre. DeRozan scored Torontos first 10 points of the fourth and his basket with 8:03 gave the Raptors a nine-point lead as they looked headed for certain victory. But the pesky Celtics fought back with a 15-2 run and a basket by Canadian Kelly Olynyk with 3:07 left put the visitors up by four. The game was tied with 1:14 to go before DeRozan scored, then Rajon Rondo replied to even it up with 27 seconds left. Then with the crowd on its feet, Johnson darted in to tip in the winner. The crowd went mad. The cheerleaders danced. Kool and the Gangs "Celebration" blared over the loudspeakers. "My hat is off to all the guys who have come through here, to DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson, whove been through it all, and to the fans for being understanding and being patient," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "It was fitting for those two guys, because theyve been through thick and thin and good times and bad times." DeRozan said it was sweet to soak in the applause from the fans, and praised them in the post-game locker-room. "It just sums up everything these past four seasons that weve been through, that it was all worth it," DeRozan said. "Since Ive been here, the fans have been sticking behind us through the tough times, you cant ask for better fans than that. It aint like these fans started coming around this season, our fans have been here from the gate, when we were playing bad, having 20-win seasons. "Just to see it turn around and be able to share that with our fans is definitely cool." Lowry, who had scored 20-plus points in the previous eight games, finished with nine points playing on a heavily-taped ankle after rolling it late in the first half when he stepped on Avery Bradleys foot. He limped to the locker-room, had it taped at halftime and returned to start the second half. Torontos first-round opponent will be determined over the final 10 regular-season games. If the playoffs started today, the Raptors would face the sixth-place Washington Wizards. Other potential first-round opponents: the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets. By all accounts, the Raptors werent expected to do much this season. The turnaround started after a blockbuster seven-player trade in early December sent Rudy Gay to Sacramento. Casey said theres still plenty of work to be done, especially on the defensive end, before the playoffs begin. But he took a moment to talk about the growth of his team. "Its understanding of what it takes, the belief that defence wins, the commitment of: togetherness wins, binding to the culture. . .," Casey said. "The guys who have bought in, they understand what it takes to win and theyve seen the fruits of it. The roots are in the ground for what our culture is about." Olynyk, a Celtics rookie, finished with 10 in 19 minutes. Olynyk was born in Toronto and spent 12 years here before moving to Kamloops, B.C., with his family. He grew up a Raptors fan -- his mom Arlene was a scorekeeper for the NBA team. His dad Ken coached the University of Toronto basketball team for 13 seasons. The Raptors got out to a slow start and trailed for most of the first quarter despite shooting 58 per cent, but came to life in time to put together a 32-26 lead going into the second. A driving layup by DeRozan six minutes into the second quarter gave the Raptors a nine-point advantage, but the Celtics used a 13-3 run to take a one-point lead two minutes before halftime. Toronto took a 56-53 lead into the locker-room at the break. The Raptors finally put together a double-digit lead in the third, taking a 12-point lead on a three by Vasquez with 1:48 to play. NOTES: Casey said injured Patrick Patterson is "a little sore but making great progress." Casey said Patterson, a key player off the bench, could return to action Sunday or Monday. . . The Raptors are at Orlando to face the Magic on Sunday, then head to Miami to play the Heat on Monday. . .Rondo played Friday with the bridge of his nose bandaged; Rondo received nine stitches on Wednesday after an errant elbow by Vasquez. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Juanfran-Jersey/ . - Young and old. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Vitolo-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Filipe-Luis-Jersey/. Golden States second straight road win wasnt painless. David Lee scored a season-high 29 points -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and Nate Robinson added 17 points, leading the Warriors to a 105-95 win Tuesday night over the road-worn Cleveland Cavaliers. Atletico Madrid Jerseys . The club says Fridays surgery was successful. Holiday, a former Eastern Conference All-Star acquired from Philadelphia last summer, has not played because of the shin injury since Jan. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Lucas-Hernandez-Jersey/ . James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win.CINCINNATI - Two big goals are still out there for the Cincinnati Bengals: Shine in prime time, win in the playoffs.The AFC North leaders have a chance to put a dent in the first one on Monday night when they host Denver (11-3), which has already clinched the AFC West. Throughout their history, the Bengals (9-4-1) have been at their worst at nighttime.Cincinnati is 18-41 all-time in prime time, including 10-20 on Monday night. The Bengals have been beaten badly by New England and Cleveland in their two night games this season, reinforcing their reputation as a team that withers under the brightest lights.Its a label theyd love to eliminate.Its annoying and its our job to make it unannoying, safety George Iloka said on Thursday. If we lose this game, the talk will come back again.And if we want to silence the critics, so to say, weve got to put up or shut up. Thats how it goes. It might be annoying, but thats on us.For now, thats how theyre known.A loss at home to San Diego in the first round of the playoffs last season cemented their reputation as a team that cant handle the toughest pressure. Cincinnati has lost in the opening round each of the last three postseasons and hasnt won a playoff game since the 1990 season.And then there are those high-profile games at night.The Bengals went to New England determined to shake their reputation in a Sunday night game, but got pushed around throughout a 43-17 loss. Their next chance in prime time came in a Thursday night game at home against Cleveland, a 24-3 loss that only made matters worse.Defensive end Wallace Gilberry said he has no idea why playing in prime time bothers the teeam.ddddddddddddI guess were afraid of the dark. I have no idea, he said. But I can tell you this: Were going to come out Monday and were going to put our best foot forward.That would be a first. And in order for it to happen, Andy Dalton is going to have to play well.The fourth-year quarterback is 0-3 in the playoffs and 2-6 in prime time games. During the Thursday night loss to Cleveland, he completed only 10 passes, threw three interceptions and finished with a career-low passer rating of 2.0.A lot of it is on the quarterback.Its well documented whatever the record is, 2-6. Ive heard all kinds of stuff. Trust me, I get enough emails, letters, cards, advice, all kinds of stuff, offensive co-ordinator Hue Jackson said. I do understand whats at stake, and I think he does, too.In the big games, Dalton has made the biggest mistakes, losing the ball on fumbles and interceptions. That has to change.We cant make mistakes, we cant turn the ball over, weve got to be sound in our execution, Dalton said. And if we do that, well put ourselves in a lot better position than we did in the other ones.Notes: Receiver A.J. Green did his conference call with media in Denver on Thursday, then was excused from practice because he was sick. ... Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (Achilles tendon) and defensive end Carlos Dunlap (calf) were held out of practice as well. ... Tight end Jermaine Gresham missed a victory over Cleveland on Sunday with a sore toe, but practiced fully on Thursday. So did defensive end Margus Hunt (ankle) and cornerback Terence Newman (ankle).___Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Authentic Bills Jerseys Dolphins Stitched Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Wholesale Jets Jerseys Wholesale Texans Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys Jaguars Jerseys Store Authentic Titans Jerseys Authentic Broncos Jerseys Authentic Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Chargers Jerseys Store Cheap Ravens Jerseys Wholesale Bengals Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys Steelers Jerseys Store Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys Wholesale Giants Jerseys Authentic Eagles Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Authentic Falcons Jerseys Panthers Jerseys Store Wholesale Saints Jerseys Authentic Buccaneers Jerseys Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys Cheap 49ers Jerseys Seahawks Jerseys Store Wholesale Rams Jerseys Wholesale Bears Jerseys Authentic Lions Jerseys Cheap Packers Jerseys Vikings Jerseys Store ' ' '