beaten the Hawks twice already, but this is a different Atlan

CLEVELAND -- Lucky in the NBA lottery, the Cavaliers are hoping their good fortune continues as they look for a new coach. The team asked the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday for permission to speak with assistant coach Alvin Gentry about Clevelands coaching vacancy, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. Gentry, who has coached four other franchises, has not yet set up a meeting with the Cavs, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting on its search. The sides are working through some details, and are expected to meet in the next few days. Earlier this week, the Cavs defied long odds to win the draft lottery for the second year in a row and third time in four years. Cleveland is seeking its third coach in three years after Mike Brown was fired -- for the second time by owner Dan Gilbert -- last week following a 33-49 season. Gentry worked previously in Phoenix with Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, who said there is no timetable to hire a new coach. "We do not feel this is a race," he said. "This is not about being first. This is about getting it right. At the same time, if the right candidate did meet the criteria that we set out and is available and is as interested in us as we are in them, we would act on it at the time it presented itself." The Cleveland Plain Dealer was first to report the Cavs intentions to interview Gentry. The Cavs are not limiting themselves to coaches with pro experience and are expected to reach out to college coaches. Having the No. 1 overall pick has certainly made them a more attractive destination. However, Gilberts penchant for firing GMs and coaches would have to make any candidate at least hesitant about coming to Cleveland. Brown was told to make the Cavs better defensively, and did so as the team went from last in the league in defensive field-goal percentage to 12th. Still, that wasnt enough as Cleveland missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Gentry has solid qualifications and is believed to be a candidate for other openings. He has a 335-370 record in 12 seasons with Miami, Detroit, the Clippers and Phoenix. He led the Pistons and Suns to the post-season. Griffin said he hopes to find a coach more attuned to his offensive roots. With the team expected to land one of the best players in what is considered a deep draft along with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and guard Dion Waiters, the Cavs could have the core for a high-scoring team. "Ive had a primarily offensive based focus with the people I was raised by," Griffin said. "And I think its fair to say the Cavaliers have had a defensive focus. What excited me most about coming here is that I believe you find the truth in the middle. No franchise thats incredibly well run is all one thing. We need to find a way to speak to the best of all parts of the offensive background I know, the defensive background thats dyed in the wool of this franchise. "Ownership believes in defence, I believe in offence, and theres a truth in the middle. Were going to find that." ------ AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report. Discount Under Armour Canada . - The Minnesota Vikings have ruled Christian Ponder out for Sundays game at Baltimore, because the quarterback has not yet passed all of his post-concussion tests. Under Armour Wholesale Canada . Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night. http://www.underarmoursalecanada.com/ . Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse will reunite at this weekends season-opening World Cup at Canada Olympic Park as they begin their buildup to the Winter Games in Sochi. Cheap Under Armour Canada .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. Under Armour Sale Canada . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two.TORONTO – As the Toronto Raptors get set to host the red-hot Atlanta Hawks at the Air Canada Centre on Friday, coach Dwane Casey smiled when asked if the game will be a good measuring stick for his team. “Tomorrow night’s game isn’t going to make or break our season,” said Casey following practice on Thursday. No, he’s right it won’t. But it will give the Raptors a good sense of where they match up at this time against a surprising powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. “It’s a big game because they are one of the best teams in the league right now,” noted the Raptors head coach. “We are not going to judge who we are and what we are not, by one game.” What the 26-12 Raptors are right now is a team that is struggling with just two wins in their last seven games and a team that has not been strong on the defensive end, having allowed 100 or more points in six of their last eight. Toronto finds itself four-and-a-half games back of Atlanta for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks meantime have won 10 straight and are 31-8 sitting in top spot in the East. They enter play on Thursday seventh in the league in points per game (103.1) and second in the Association in assists per game (25.6) and points allowed (96.7.) The Hawks have five players who are averaging double digits in points per game, led by point guard Jeff Teague (17.5 PPG) and centre Al Horford – “one of the top centers in the league,” said Casey – who in his eighth season in the league is averaging 14.8 PPG and 6.6 RPG. “No, I don’t envy anybody,” said Casey. “[The Hawks] play the game the right way. I don’t envy them because our job here is to play that way. Not out of envy, but out of necessity. “ “One thing they do is shoot the ball extremely well at every position,” said Casey. “They come off the bench with shooters. And their commitment to defence. They play a team defence. They don’t have a team of stoppers. They play the way we want to play, as a team concept.dddddddddddd With DeMar DeRozan back, fresh off playing 29 minutes and scoring 20 points against Philadelphia on Wednesday, including eight points in the fourth quarter, the Raptors expect to give the Hawks all they can handle. But will they – can they – pick up the defensive intensity for the entire game? “We are getting there,” said DeRozan. “Especially with me back, we are definitely going to get there. You got to give Atlanta credit, they are one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. It is going to be a good test for us.” The Raptors have beaten the Hawks twice already, but this is a different Atlanta team “One thing we caught them early before they got hot,” said Casey of the Raptors season-opening 109-102 win and in the 126-115 win November 26, the final game of a six-game winning streak. “We were playing better defensively at the time and clicking better offensively. We’ll see where we are [on Friday.]” “They are kind of like us in the sense where they really don’t have a superstar player,” said DeRozan. “All their guys just play together and play hard.” “Their consistent effort on every possession,” is what impresses Casey the most right now. “They are all pulling together, they are playing as a team right now, Casey explained. Everything they are doing is clicking. If we have a chance [on Friday], we got to be the hardest working team on the floor. Casey sees similiarities between the two clubs. “We both are shooters that have to play defence - that’s kind of the personality of both teams,” noted Casey. “We are similar from that standpoint. They’ve done it at a high level for longer than we have.” “I think our biggest test is becoming a team for a whole 48 minutes,” said James Johnson. “It’s all about us at this point. There is no bigger test right now for the Raptors than the NBA’s hottest team. ' ' '