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Your support makes all the difference.When the Orlando Magic hosted the Toronto Raptors back in November at the Amway Center in Florida, the Canadians were the hottest team in the NBA.
They had started the season with five wins in a row, and although new Magic head coach Scott Skiles had clearly improved the young hosts, the Raptors were expected to beat a team that had only won 25 of their 82 games last season.
What unfolded was a disinterested, somewhat lazy performance from Toronto that saw them nine points down at half-time off the back of some poor shooting. They stormed back in the third quarter, even leading by six at one point, but they couldn't put the Magic away and lost 92-87.
The Independent was at the game and caught up with the Raptors players at practice the next day, having travelled south to Miami. Small forward DeMarre Carroll, injured and unavailable for tonight's game, said the Raptors brought their 'C-game' and the Magic took advantage.
Point guard Kyle Lowry, an All-Star last season and heading that way this season, said that the Raptors would owe them a game at the O2.
"The Magic play hard. I respect them, they are well coached and we look forward to playing them over there," was the No 7's brief answer about the rematch in London, understandably brief given the length of the NBA season - the Raptors have played 33 games in the three months since.
But Lowry was looking forward to the trip, even then.
"For us it's a great experience to be able to get out and see other fans and for the youth of the world to see the game," he added. "It will be good to play in front of new fans and at the great O2 Arena and have my family over there to enjoy the culture."
Is he a fan of British culture, then?
"I’m a fan of James Bond. Duh.
"We go to other countries around the world and play the game that we love and sample other cultures. I’ve never been to England apart from a stopover in Dubai so I’m going to enjoy it."
We catch up at another practice session 67 days later. No longer in the sunny climes of Miami, but the miserable winter of January in London.
"We’re a different team than we were," Lowry tells The Independent. "We were 5-0 when we played them and they played extremely hard.
"The way they came out at us was a bit different than we expected, they played aggressive. We know we have to match their intensity, match their hard play and do our job.”
After a summer of criticism following their embarrassing first round sweep at the hands of the Washington Wizards, Lowry went to work in the gym, shedding weight and adding speed after critics claimed he ran out of steam in the post-season.
The 29-year-old, who had a reputation for being a difficult character in his younger days, was an All-Star last year but is back and better than ever. Just short of half-way into this season he is averaging career highs in points and steals, while getting to the free-throw line and shooting from three-point range at a career-high rate.
"That’s the reason I came back [in the summer] like that," he said.
"To just get better, that’s all that really matters to me, to keep it going as an individual and as a player."
When we spoke he hadn't yet got the chance to see the City - the Raptors have since - but he had been enjoying his trip.
"I like London, it’s an interesting place, it’s different," says the Philadelphia native. "I haven’t really had a chance to go out and experience anything yet because we’ve only been out a couple of hours.
"London’s a place where the culture is cool, the language is awesome, there’s so many things to see, we don’t have enough time in the days to see everything we want to. I’m just enjoying my time and just having my family and friends with me."
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