Today at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, the NBA Playoffs tip off in Toronto, where the No. 3 seed in the East, the Raptors, play host to the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets. Live stream the game free by clicking this link; Nets fans can find the radio broadcast on 101.9 WFAN, while Raptors fans my do the same on Fan 590.
Tanking likely isn't the right word, but the Brooklyn Nets didn't necessarily try their hardest to win games. They dropped four of their final five games while keeping their older stars fresh-and head coach Jason Kidd's fine with that. "I like right where we are. A good place," Kidd said.
Some have suggested that the Nets tried to lose so that they could avoid facing the Chicago Bulls. That's difficult to comprehend, since there was no guarantee of the Bulls being a No. 4 seed, but Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey could be using it as fuel anyway. "It would tick me off if that was the case," Casey said.
"If they did, sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for."
Toronto isn't quite the juicy matchup that might be expected of an upstart group with little postseason experience. The Raptors are scoring 101.2 points per game, second most in the Eastern Conference, and topped the Nets for the Atlantic Division title. They also have a point guard in Kyle Lowry who has played with a chip on his shoulder all year, and given All-Star level performances while his better-known counterpart Deron Williams continues to receive attention as the series' X-factor.
Lowry posted career-highs in points (17.9 ppg) and assists (7.4 apg), while Williams' scoring to 14 ppg and his assist numbers dipped to 6.1 a night. Shaun Livingston has assumed a lot of Williams' playmaking burden as well, but his battle with Lowry might be key.
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