Raptors wary of threat from Nets
TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have spent this entire season embracing their underdog status, just as they did last year. But they can’t play that card at all in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs.
The Brooklyn Nets are the poster children of that status, coming into the series without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, or Spencer Dinwiddie, among other absences.
After firing head coach Kenny Atkinson just before the league shut down in March, the organization was clearly looking ahead. The remaining players, on the other hand, were not. The team won five of eight in the Orlando bubble and nearly won a sixth to beat a desperate Portland team earlier this week.
“They’re obviously one of the big surprises of the restart,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said. “(Caris) LeVert’s outstanding, they’re really playing with a lot of confidence, they’re playing fast, Coach (Jacque) Vaughn has obviously got ’em dialed in. And I think there’s a lot of opportunity there for some guys that are pretty good players.
“They’ve got a lot of guys who are playing with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence right now. They certainly earned and deserve this playoff berth and we will respect them, for sure. We will have to prepare and play really well to beat them.”
Raptors tarting guard Fred VanVleet agreed with his coach.
“They’ve got some talented guys that play hard, they’re very well coached, and so we’ve got our hands full,” VanVleet said.
The Nets feel like they have a chance, too, even though they also respect the Raptors.
“We know they’re a really good team,” LeVert said earlier this week.
LeVert broke out when he wasn’t sidelined due to injuries this season, averaging 18.7 points.
LeVert averaged 25 points in six games in Orlando, 12th in the league. Sharp-shooter Joe Harris averaged 20, nailing 54 per cent of his threepoint attempts, and young centre Jarrett Allen is a handful.
“We can win that series. We truly believe that,” LeVert said of a team that knocked off the Lakers before the shutdown and Milwaukee and the Clippers in Orlando.
Still, the Raptors aren’t lacking for confidence either.
“It’s going to be hard to beat us four times out of seven,” VanVleet said.
“If you can do that we’ll shake your hand and congratulate you. But we like our chances.”