Two weeks ago and 21 witnesses later, the prosecution rested its case against Oscar Pistorius. Now with the trial resuming, Pistorius lawyers get their chance to call witnesses and present their side of the story. Led by seasoned criminal defence lawyer Barry Roux, the Pistorius defence team will go on the offensive as its tries to convince the Court that Pistorius acted reasonably when he fired four fatal shots through a bathroom door killing Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius has stated he believed Steenkamp was an intruder when he killed her. The prosecution is arguing that it was no accident: Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp. So the defence team will look to discredit the prosecutions evidence. Here are some of the things that will be the focus of the Pistorius defence. The Couple: Were They Arguing That Night? Pistorius alleges that the room was pitch dark that night. As a result, he had no way of knowing that while he was retrieving two fans from the balcony, Steenkamp had left the bed to go to the bathroom. This is a key component of Pistorius defence and for that reason the prosecution vigorously sought to discredit it at the outset of the trial. They called a number of witnesses, including Michelle Burger, Charl Johnson, Dr. Johan Stipp and Estelle van der Merwe, who testified that the lights were on and they heard arguing and screaming. Stipp recounted that he heard female screams that sounded like a woman "scared out of her mind." Burger described female screams as "petrifying" and added this: "I was sitting in bed and I heard her screams," Burger testified. "She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. I heard the screams again. It was worse. It was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots. Four gun-shots... You could hear it was blood curdling screams. You cant translate it into words. The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold. She screamed terribly and she yelled for help". The defence team will call other neighbours who will say that they did not hear screams that night or the couple arguing. The Couple: Did The Go To Bed At 10pm? According to Pistorius, the couple was in bed by 10pm. However, pathologist Professor Gert Saayman testified that food found in Steenkamps stomach suggests she ate within two hours of her death shortly after 3am. The defence has already sought to discredit this testimony when they called pathologist Professor Jan Botha as the first witness. He testified that it was difficult to determine with any certainty when Steenkamp ate that night. Of course, the arguing and screaming would also undermine Pistorius version of an early bedtime. The Shooting According to Ballistics Expert Captain Christian Mangena, Steenkamp was facing the door when she was shot (rather than with her side facing the door). The first shot hit her in the right hip. The shot broke her hip and threw her back onto a magazine holder. She then assumed a defensive position by crossing her arms over her head. The second shot missed but broke into fragments and bruised her back. The third shot hit her in the right arm, which in the opinion of the expert, supports the conclusion she was shielding herself from fire. The fourth shot hit her in the head killing her almost instantly. The prosecution would argue that this evidence establishes that Steenkamp was in the bathroom hiding from Pistorius when she was shot. If she had simply gone to the bathroom, it would have been more likely that she would not have been facing the door as she was. Mangena also testified that there was likely a pause between the first and second shot. This is important because it would explain the petrified screams of Steenkamp heard by neighbours. When it was put to Mangena by Roux that the four shots could have been fired in rapid succession with no time for screams, he responded that it was unlikely given the location of Steenkamps wounds. Mangena reasoned that if the four shots were fired in rapid succession, her first two wounds would have been in similar locations. They were not: one was in the hip and the other in the arm. The defence team will call its own ballistic experts to tell a different story. The goal will be to undermine the prosecutions position that Steenkamp was hiding in the bathroom from an enraged Pistorius. Did Pistorius Sleep On The Left Side Of The Bed? Pistorius told police he slept on the left side of the bed that night because of a bad shoulder. According to ex-girlfriend Samantha Taylor, Pistorius typically slept on the right side of the bed. As well, Steenkamps overnight bag and shoes were neatly placed on the left side of the bed raising questions as to who slept where. Why is this important? Pistorius gun holster was on the left side of the bed. If Steenkamp had been sleeping on the left side of the bed, then it would have been more likely he would have noticed she was not in the bed when he retrieved his gun. Pistorius Was A Volatile, Jealous Man With An Affinity For Guns The prosecution has painted a picture of Pistorius as a volatile and jealous man who loved guns and was trigger happy. As well, in response to Pistorius accusing Steenkamp of flirting with another man, she sent him the following text two weeks before she was killed: "Im scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will react to me". As well, Taylor testified that after being pulled over for speeding, Pistorius recklessly fired his gun through the sunroof. In addition, both Kevin Lerena and Adam Fresco testified that Pistorius fired a gun in a crowded restaurant hitting Lerena in the foot. Pistorius then asked Darren Fresco to take the blame. The defence team will argue that Pistorius is not gun-crazed. Rather, as a double amputee in a violent South African culture with a high crime rate, he feels more vulnerable and his reaction to the sounds in the bathroom that night were completely reasonably. The defence will also look to focus on a botched police investigation complete with contaminated evidence. Overall, there are a number of improbabilities with Pistorius story and the defence team has no choice but to work hard to discredit the prosecutions case. However, the hurdles Pistorius is facing are significant. Perhaps each piece of evidence against Pistorius when viewed discreetly and in isolation is insufficient to result in a conviction. However, when viewed in their totality they do conspire to tell a story of a domestic dispute turned tragic. As a result, it would not be a surprise to see Pistorius convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years in jail. Vapormax Cheap Sale ." 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The 36-year-old said a few months ago he would hang up his boots at the end of the season, but has since changed his mind. "Its a pity the season is ending now, as I am in good physical shape and enjoying myself," Di Natale said.TORONTO - When the Raptors reconvened in Washington following Februarys All-Star break, Dwane Casey had a hand-drawn contract waiting for them. It wasnt legally binding. "It probably wouldnt hold up in court," Casey joked. It was more of a symbolic gesture. "[It was] a document committing to the team, committing to the process, leaving their egos at the door." With two-to-three sentences scribbled up top and a row of lines indicating where to sign, Casey had everybody pledge allegiance to the (Raptors) claw. Players, coaches, trainers, equipment managers, the media relations staff, everyone came up to sign, one-by-one. The first signature belonged to Kyle Lowry. "If [they] didnt want to sign it, you would have been able to tell right off the bat, if guys wanted to read it," said the Raptors head coach, who kept the contract in his briefcase, traveling around with it for the duration of the season. "Everybody stepped up and didnt hesitate and the next night we went out and beat [the Wizards]. Guys probably forgot they signed it, but I didnt" "Im all in, was the head of the document. And they were." On Tuesday, Masai Ujiri and the Raptors went all in on Casey and, in two months, they will do so with the teams core group of players, namely Lowry, making every effort to keep the band together. A year ago, just around this time, Casey and former general manager Bryan Colangelo met with the media to deliver their annual end-of-season post-mortem. They conducted their press conferences separately, unsure of their own futures, let alone the direction of the organization. Now, Ujiri sat adjacent to Casey at the podium, announcing that he and his coach have agreed to a new three-year deal, using this strange, foreign word over and over again; "continuity". "We plan on growing as a team," Ujiri said. "Im not going to make any crazy, quick-fix decisions here. We want to keep building and one of the things weve talked about is continuity." If you take one thing away from Tuesdays proceedings its that message. Ujiri has every intention of doubling down on this past seasons surprising success. Naturally, Casey was the first domino, a quick decision, no-brainer and an easy deal to get done. In his third year with Toronto, Casey led his team to a division title and franchise-record 48-win season before bowing out in the seventh game of the conference quarterfinals. He has more than earned the opportunity to stay on and see this through. In fact, Ujiri was hoping to open talks of an extension with his coach in late March, but as the team stumbled - they had lost four of six games at the time - Caseys preference was to hold off until the end of the season. With that said, the 57-year-old never intended to test the market or throw his hat in the ring for another job. He felt it would be disingenuous and knew where he wanted to be. "My heart is here, my mind is here," Casey said. "Im committed to this organization and to these players going forward." Locking up Casey was the first step, and a logical one. For him, it made little sense to jump ship now and start fresh elsewhere, likely with a losing program, after working hard to change the culture and build an identity in Toronto. The real sales pitch will come in two months, when Lowry - an impending free agent - must decide whether to finish what he started with the Raptors or make like so many stars of the franchises oh-so-painful past and split. Thats why this day was important, thats why it was necessary. Ujiri and Casey were at the podium for over 46 minutes. They were speaking, at least indirectly, to Lowry. ";Its very important for us, in terms of continuity," Ujiri said, using that word again - "continuity" - when asked about re-signing Lowry.dddddddddddd. "For me, negotiating is easy if we want Kyle to be here and Kyle wants to be here." "I think well be fair with Kyle and well figure it out and I think its important. So well go through that process but were optimistic stuff will happen." With Casey in place at the helm of the ship, Lowry knows exactly what he would be signing up for and familiarity - or "continuity" - could go a long way in wooing the star point guard. Despite various reports of a rocky start to their relationship, Casey and Lowry have become close. Theyve lost together, theyve grown together and most importantly theyve won together. "Kyle came into a tough situation," Casey admitted before using a fantastically strange, albeit accurate, metaphor. "Its almost like coming into a relationship where you already have a girlfriend and a new girl comes in, because Jose [Calderon] was already here. We already understood Jose knew the system, he knew the calls. Kyle came in trying to learn them, and Kyle is a very prideful man and should be. Kyle came into that situation as kind of second fiddle and if you know Kyle, hes not a second fiddle kind of guy." "But again, he grew from that. Once Jose was traded, it got closer, it got closer. He understood what we were doing, I understood what he was going to do in certain situations [and] trusted him." Ironically enough, the two bonded at the wedding of former Raptor Rudy Gay, Lowrys best friend, last summer when they were able to get to know each other away from basketball. This summer should start off quietly for the Raptors, at least over the next couple of months. With Casey now part of the recruiting party, the focus immediately shifts to locking up Lowry, a process that they can begin on July 1. Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez - who spoke passionately about his desire to return on Monday - are both restricted free agents and also appear to be part of Ujiris offseason plan. "As far as Im concerned, keeping our core group going forward, with Kyle Lowry, Greivis Vasquez and Patterson and Nando (De Colo), those guys are priorities for us," Ujiri acknowledged. "And if you want to build, I think, a team where we have young players, we have to build continuity. When free agency comes, we have to attack our guys first." Theres still "building" to be done, but its looking likely that those tweaks will be made around the teams current foundation. Internal growth will be crucial, as Casey alluded to. He wants Terrence Ross to get stronger, Jonas Valanciunas to expand his post game - hell work with hall of fame centre Hakeem Olajuwon this summer - and DeMar DeRozan to improve defensively. Its hard to believe that this franchise is just 12 months removed from a summer plagued by uncertainty and indecision, though theyve had their fair share of them over the years. It seems like decades ago now. For most of that year Ujiri kept us guessing. What was his plan? On Tuesday he laid out his blueprint. "For me, theres not going to be any crazy decisions made, theres no quick fix," the Raptors GM said. "Were a growing team, and were going to grow gradually. I really dont care what the expectations are. The way to build in this situation were in is to continue to give our young players the opportunity, to try and draft well and make sure we figure out the right players to sign." The Raptors know what they want and are making no effort to hide it - continuity. ' ' '