There is nothing less appealing about the NBA than its predictability. At the start of any season, anyone with the slightest basketball IQ can identify roughly half-a-dozen teams that have a true chance of winning a championship. That team that no one saw coming raising the Larry OBrien Trophy at the end of the season? Well, it never happens. And while there are always surprises from year-to-year, teams that rocket up the standings over the course of a season or two without a major overhaul are rare. Its a sport where it can be a very long and hard road going from being really bad to being very good, especially if youre a team that isnt lucky enough to land a superstar, one of those players who can turn a teams fortunes almost with his presence alone. All of which makes the Toronto Raptors turnaround over the course of a little more than 12 months that much more amazing. Two seasons ago this week, the Raptors were 4-15 after 19 games. A year ago, they were 7-12. Right now, they are 15-4, best record in the Eastern Conference. Things like that just dont happen in the NBA, where success follows the obvious movement of talent around the league. The NBA is the easiest league to determine who will be good and who will be bad at the start of a season. And at the start of last season, there was no shortage of those predicting the Toronto Raptors would be very bad, and for quite a while. It would be years by the time they next made the playoffs, and by then, there would be hardly anyone from this roster still on it. Maybe Jonas Valanciunas. The Raptors would have to tank a season or two or three and hope to land one of those generational talents around whom they could build for better times. None of that happened. And yet here are the Raptors, having defied almost every rule of the universe when it comes to how the NBA works, suddenly being recognized as one of the better teams in the NBA, the best Toronto team ever, and an apparent legitimate contender to represent the East in an NBA Final next spring. Think about all the counterintuitive qualities of this team: - It went from bad to good without anyone seeing it coming - It did so over the course of essentially one season - It has no superstar player Some may be ready to suggest Kyle Lowry has become an NBA superstar, although even that notion itself is counterintuitive since NBA players rarely blossom into superstars in their late 20s. The whole thing is part genius, part accident, part chemistry and part smarts. It took luck and timing and a special group of players who dont see themselves as too good to be playing in Toronto. But somehow its worked and we continue to be treated to the kind of phenomenon that is ever so rarely witnessed in the NBA. Zach Parise Wild Jersey . Moors, from Cambridge Ont., landed a double-twisting, double somersault in the layout position, en route to a score of 14.600 points in the womens floor exercise, more than a full point ahead of runner-up Pia Tolle of Germany. Mikko Koivu Jersey . - Ryan Spooner scored twice to lead the Boston Bruins to a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders in a preseason game Friday night. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Zach-parise-wild-jersey/ . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games. Jared Spurgeon Wild Jersey . He learned about pressure and expectations at the 2010 Games in his hometown of Vancouver. His next mission is to build on that experience at his next Olympic appearance in Sochi, where he plans to ride the momentum from the teams strong start to the season. Alex Stalock Jersey . "It feels good, Ive never had one before, not even in College," Hagelin said after the Rangers outgunned the Jets 4-2, behind some solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist following a pretty wide open first period.SEATTLE -- Hundreds of thousands of notoriously loud Seahawks fans cranked up the volume Wednesday, cheering, chanting and going berserk during a parade and ceremony to celebrate the first Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise. The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. Players were introduced by the order of their jersey numbers and ended with No. 3, quarterback Russell Wilson, who walked onto the field pumping the Lombardi Trophy in the air to thunderous applause. "Our plan is to win another one for you next year," Wilson said later. Coach Pete Carroll led the crowd in a "Seahawks! Seahawks!" chant and said the team will be back. "Were just getting warmed up, if you know what Im talking about," he said. Nick Sutton watched the parade from Westlake Center and considered it a highlight when he threw a football to one of the players who threw it back to him. "Its surreal. Its hard to believe. Seeing this now, its finally sinking in," he said. Hundreds of thousands of fan lined the streets of downtown Seattle early in the day and cheered as the players rolled by. Thousands of students apparently skipped school to attend. Seattle Public Schools said more than 25 per cent of the districts 51,000 students were absent in the morning. By comparison, about 5 per cent were absent the day before. The school district also said 565 teachers were absent, far more than usual. "This is a historical event, once in a lifetime. To not show up would be blasphemy," said Jesse Lake, 36, a carpenter from Port Orchard, who stood in the packed parking lot outside CenturyLink Field to greet the team as they arrived. Shawn Cooper and Marlana Studebaker of Covington staked out a spot hours before the parade started and displayed supersized photo cutouts of Wilson and cornerback Richard Sherman, prompting many fans to stop and take photos. "This was a long-awaited win. Its well worth thee wait," Cooper said.dddddddddddd "Theyre years ahead of their time, which makes me believe theres another one coming." Dakota Heaphy, 20, and friend Ellie Hergert, 20, drove all night from Cheyenne, Wyo. -- more than 1,400 miles away. "My boss is a Broncos fan and said we kicked their butts and deserved to go," Hergert said. Revelers packed the 2-mile route, wearing blue and green wigs, waving flags, scarves and signs, and breaking out into song and dance. The Washington National Guard chauffeured many of the players in Humvees and other military vehicles under blue, sunny skies in cold temperatures. Elected officials rode along in amphibious vehicles used to take tourists around the city. Players enjoyed the celebration as much as the fans. Running back Marshawn Lynch sat on the hood of a vehicle carrying the Sea Gals cheerleaders. He tossed Skittles -- his favourite treat -- into the crowd. Other Seahawks players threw jerseys and T-shirts to fans while waving blue "12" flags as a sign of gratitude. Boisterous fans observed a "moment of loudness" at 12:12 p.m. Crowds also gathered in Spokane, Olympia and elsewhere in the state to celebrate the first championship in the 38-year history of the franchise. Many fans had camped out overnight to reserve front-row seats along the route, braving freezing temperatures. Others perched on window sills and balconies, climbed trees and pillars, or sat on sturdier shoulders to get a better view. At Westlake Center, smartphones and cameras were thrust into the air whenever players rolled by. Seattle city officials asked the public to keep cellphone use to a minimum to keep lines free for emergency use. There were some reported difficulties with 911 calls getting through, said Jeff Reading, a spokesman for the mayor. Chris Hoops, a sales worker from Everett, and his school-aged daughters left home at 7 a.m. to get a good spot. The girls, 11-year-old Emily and 8-year-old Bella, were bundled in sleeping bags at his feet. They warmed up when they were asked whether they were sorry about missing school. They shouted "No!" in unison. "I like the Seahawks," Emily said. "They were really good this season." ' ' '