Canada pulled off a number of upsets on the way to a surprise appearance in the Davis Cup semifinals last weekend in Serbia. It was an incredible run that captain Martin Laurendeau feels was actually put in motion with a loss back in February 2012, when Canada dropped a 4-1 decision to a French side anchored by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. "What I liked was the way our guys responded and rebounded from that," Laurendeau said Wednesday on a conference call. "France is very deep, has a great tradition at Davis Cup. It really helped us as a reference point, just a way to approach the competition as a team. "I think it reinforced the bond and the team chemistry with the guys." Canada bounced back later in the year with a solid 4-1 victory over South Africa at Montreals Uniprix Stadium, with singles star Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., leading the way with a pair of victories. The win kept Canadas spot in the World Group and helped instil a feeling that the team belonged at the top level. Over the three ties that followed, the Canadians went out and proved it. The breakthrough season began with a first-round upset over top-ranked Spain in Vancouver. The Canadians returned to the indoor hardcourt at the Thunderbird Sports Centre two months later for an impressive quarter-final win over Italy. Canada then hit the road and pushed a powerhouse Serbian side the distance in front of a raucous crowd at the Belgrade Arena. Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil turned in a game performance in the fifth and deciding match on the indoor clay before falling to Janko Tipsarevic. It was a captivating weekend with plenty of drama and two five-set marathon victories for Canada. The effort should provide a tremendous building block for the 2014 Davis Cup, starting with a World Group first-round tie at Japan on Jan. 31-Feb. 2. "When you go through a Davis Cup weekend like we did against Spain, Italy and now Serbia, it really prepares you for the toughest experience you can go through," Laurendeau said. "So after that, you always feel like you can tackle anything that comes at you and I think the guys have handled that really well. "They really see now that Davis Cup is big, its huge, its very serious and theyre all aware of what we can do as a team. They know we can do great things and theyre really keen on doing that as best they can." Doubles star Daniel Nestor of Toronto is 41 now and continues to rise to the occasion. His five-set doubles victory with Pospisil was one of the highlights of Canadas first Davis Cup semifinal appearance in the modern era. Laurendeau said Nestor has no plans to slow down and expects to be in form for the Japan tie. "Hes going to be looking to be at his peak because theres a Grand Slam (Australian Open) the week before," Laurendeau said. "This guy plays for those big moments so hes going to be doing everything he can to be as fit as he can and continue his contribution. "He only has one shot at winning a point and he always makes every effort possible to be able to give himself the best chance to do that and I dont see anything different for 2014." No. 12 Japan holds a 5-0 record against seventh-ranked Canada, though the two teams have not faced each other in Davis Cup since 1938. Japan is making its return to the World Group in 2014 after a one-year absence. The host city for the Canada-Japan tie will be determined at a later date. Pospisil turned his ankle on the final point of the Serbia tie but it doesnt appear to be a serious injury. "Its not the first time hes gone over on an ankle," Laurendeau said. "It seems like the swelling and the injury is under control. Now its just a matter of the (doctors) figuring out when exactly he can step back on the court. At this stage its day to day from what I hear." Expect Canadas 2014 roster to look much the same as the last few seasons. Its a squad that appears to be positioned for even bigger things in the future. "We went from being qualifiers to being seeded in the main draw in the World Group," Laurendeau said. "Thats big progress, huge progress in just a couple years and Im very proud of the way the guys have done that." .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. [url=http://www.authenticbaseballonline.net/Toronto-Blue-Jays-Cyber-Monday-Ra-Di... Dickey White Jersey . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. . PETERSBURG, Fla. [url=http://www.authenticbaseballonline.net/Toronto-Blue-Jays-Cyber-Monday-Ra-Di... Dickey Blue Jays Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable.ORLANDO, Fla. -- One thing has remained consistent about Magic coach Jacque Vaughn whenever he is asked how he gauges improvement for his team. Its day to day and game by game, he says. Well, he can count Wednesday as one of the good days. Nik Vucevic had 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Orlando Magic beat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-94 to post back-to-back wins for the first time since early this month. "We needed it," Vaughn said. "We were all over the place...Just a lot of guys who were getting into the game who were ready to play and were playing unselfishly on both ends. "We need guys and were gonna continue to need guys throughout the course of the year," he said. Glen Davis added 19 points, and Arron Afflalo and Victor Oladipo each finished with 18. The Magic led by 15 points before fighting off several second-half surges by the Sixers, which they beat for 17th time in 20 meetings. The game was the first meeting between rookies Michael Carter-Williams and Oladipo, and both played big roles. Oladipo registered a season-high 42 minutes. Though both had their highlights, it was how Orlando played together down the stretch that stuck out more. The Magic saw their double-digit, first-half lead dwindled down to a point early in the third quarter. It was 85-83 when Afflalos three-point play gave Orlando a little breathing room with 6:49 to play in the game. The 76ers kept coming before Afflalo struck again and turned a Philadelphia turnover into a layup that made it 93-87. That was followed a few possessions later by a 3-pointer by Oladipo that put the Magic up 98-89 with three minutes remaining and ended the threat. "We had a pretty impressive win (Tuesday) night (at Atlanta)," Afflalo said. "We hadnt had the best track record of backing up good victories with solid, back-to-back victories on back-to-back nights. It got a little ugly there in the second and third quarters, but we showed a little mental toughness and got us a good victory." Thaddeus Young led Philadelphia with 26 points and Carter-Williams added 23. It was Youngs first game in a week after missing three games while dealing with a death in his family. "They did a good job tonight of keeping the lead," Young said. "Once they got it, wed make a run to take the lead and they would (answer with) five or six points. They just kept their foot on the ggas and kept moving.dddddddddddd" 76ers coach Brett Brown said the plan going forward was to ease him back into things slowly following his absence. Young didnt start, but entered the game for the first time at the 7:42 mark of the first quarter and immediately started to make an impact. "I didnt want to start him; I didnt know how long I was going to play him," Brown said. "You just go by gut feeling and judgment, and it was clear right from the get-go that he had bounce, he had energy, he wanted to play. He was good. So he ended up with (29) minutes, which I would not have guessed at the start of the game." The 76ers have now lost two straight and six of seven. Despite the victory, the Magic continued to deal with the injuries on Wednesday. Point guard Jameer Nelson left the game in the second quarter and did not return after limping off with a sprained left foot. Also, after making his season debut Sunday against Phoenix, Magic forward Tobias Harris sat out his second straight game with soreness in his left ankle. Harris was supposed to make his first start of the season against Atlanta Tuesday night, but was scratched just before tip-off. The ankle has now kept him out of 14 of the Magics 15 games this season. It was 55-50 at halftime as the Magic -- riding Vucevics 17 points and 10 rebounds -- dominated the first 21 minutes of the first half and built a 15-point lead. He went right at Philadelphias Daniel Orton, and hit his first eight shots of the night. It nearly evaporated in the final three minutes of the half, though, as the Sixers closed with a 10-0 run that included eight points by Young. Vucevic said he hopes the win will help the Magic to begin to play with a lot more consistency. "We made improvements, but weve still got a ways to go," he said. "We cant have streaks when we lose four or five games in a row. Its hard to make up for those. So we gotta try to be more consistent. We cant win every game ... but we gotta try to play the way we played the last two games." NOTES: Referee Tre Maddox left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. ... Davis made his second start of the season and appeared in his fourth game of the year since missing the first 11 games of the season with a broken bone in his left foot. ... Sixers F Spencer Hawes missed his second straight game with soreness in his left knee. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '