The Brooklyn Nets showed their age in Game 2. The team was out played, out rebounded and out ran by the much young Toronto Raptors after they took Game 1 on the road. Now the Nets head home to the Barclays center, a place they have played exceptionally well at in the second half of the regular season. They remained unbeatable in Brooklyn over the last two months of the season and are hoping to keep that streak alive in the postseason.
The Raptors have not struggled on the road this year. They went 22-19 in the regular season, but comments from general manager Masai Ujiri might have the crowd a little extra fired up. Ujiri was fined $25,000 by the league after starting the chant "F--- Brooklyn" during a pep rally before Game 1. The players did not take too kindly to the words of the general manager and it is likely the home crowd will not either.
The Raptors got the momentum swing in Game 2. The team nounced back and put up 30 points in the fourth quarter while DeMar DeRozan had 17 himself. The Raptors have the most road wins teams in the Eastern Conference as current playoff trends are not favoring home court advantage. Chicago and Houston both got swept at home, putting themselves in a hole for the series. Brooklyn will look to avoid the same fate and take the series lead.
Kevin Garnett is trying to put some fire into his teammates. The veteran called out the defensive unit for being too soft in Game 2. If the Nets are going to get the series lead, they must own the boards better and shutdown the defensive rebounding effort from the Raptors.
