The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors have been going at each other and now the NBA playoffs Game 2 will put them back on the court as the postseason first round in the eastern conference continues and the matchup will be streaming online and on TV from the NBATV channel and starts up at 7:30 pm ET from the Air Canada Centre.
The Raptors dared to make fun of the old man Nets in their newspaper and in a pep rally and the team made them pay, as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were great down the stretch and they powered Brooklyn to a victory and now they are in position to win both games away to go up 2-0 on the Raptors, who beat out the Nets for the Atlantic division title. Some said that at the end of the season the Nets tanked to get the number six spot so that they could face off against the Raptors and now they are getting their wish and if Toronto was offended, they didn't show it enough in the first game and now they are trying to avoid losing two games in a row.
The Nets played a very solid game defensively and they kept Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan from doing anything and Terrence Jones was missing in action as well and now the Raptors have to show that they were a deserving division winner as they play in Game 2. The game was tight early on and the third quarter was very low scoring, but the Nest were able to pull ahead at the end and they kept it going as Deron Williams ended up with 24 points to lead the way and he will have to continue playing at that level for a chance at a championship.
Lowry led the Raptors in scoring but the Nets held him back when it counted and if the Nets can win Game 2 on the road, they will convince many that they are a worthy contender in the east. It took a while, but Jason Kidd has found the perfect plan for his team, as he plays the vets a little bit early on and works to get players like Shaun Livingston and Williams involved along with the role players to keep things close and then at the end he plays Pierce and Garnett more. Those two players can only handle so much, but their stat lines are not important, it's their impact on games and they have shown they can help win.
Williams averaged just over 14 points during the season and if he can keep that a bit higher in the playoffs, the Nets should have a good chance in the postseason. The team was not great on the road, but they are undefeated through one game in the playoffs and that is better than having lost the opening game. The Nets want a chance at the Heat, as they won all four matchups last season and feel like they could challenge LeBron James in the east.
Check here for the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors live coverage from the NBA and the game starts up past 7:30 pm on Tuesday.