2014 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors (3) vs Brooklyn Nets (6)

[Nils_the_Clean]

Of course us Raptor fans are going to be hyper-vigilant. We've been subjected to years of awful basketball and have finally been given something to be excited about. That coupled with the media embargo, the uneducated assumptions Americans bandy around about Canada,( I know this. I'm a dual citizen. Mother born and raised in Yonkers, Ny. Lived in Ironbound NJ for awhile, too.), and the widespread sentiment that the Nets will cake walk through the Raptors, and you have a very volatile, reactive Raptor fan base. Also, we're funny. Half of what is said is said with a tongue-in-cheek humour that can't be detected through online discourse. People take these things way, way too seriously. We're all having fun here. This is a great series. Look at the passion that it stirred up? This is the continuation of a rivalry with its roots in the Vince Carter betrayal of the Raptors.

With that being said.

Raps in 6.

[VanDamme]

Of course us Raptor fans are going to be hyper-vigilant. We've been subjected to years of awful basketball and have finally been given something to be excited about. That coupled with the media embargo, the uneducated assumptions Americans bandy around about Canada,( I know this. I'm a dual citizen. Mother born and raised in Yonkers, Ny. Lived in Ironbound NJ for awhile, too.), and the widespread sentiment that the Nets will cake walk through the Raptors, and you have a very volatile, reactive Raptor fan base. Also, we're funny. Half of what is said is said with a tongue-in-cheek humour that can't be detected through online discourse. People take these things way, way too seriously. We're all having fun here. This is a great series. Look at the passion that it stirred up? This is the continuation of a rivalry with its roots in the Vince Carter betrayal of the Raptors.

With that being said.

Raps in 6.

YES! Fans with the best humour award also goes to the Raps! Press conference tomorrow before tip-off.

By the way our history is actually older and deeper than the Vince Carter situation.

The Raptors played their very first game as a new franchise in 1995 against the Nets in the SkyDome.
I believe the Raptors were the first team to play at the new Brooklyn arena as well.

[Nils_the_Clean]

Of course us Raptor fans are going to be hyper-vigilant. We've been subjected to years of awful basketball and have finally been given something to be excited about. That coupled with the media embargo, the uneducated assumptions Americans bandy around about Canada,( I know this. I'm a dual citizen. Mother born and raised in Yonkers, Ny. Lived in Ironbound NJ for awhile, too.), and the widespread sentiment that the Nets will cake walk through the Raptors, and you have a very volatile, reactive Raptor fan base. Also, we're funny. Half of what is said is said with a tongue-in-cheek humour that can't be detected through online discourse. People take these things way, way too seriously. We're all having fun here. This is a great series. Look at the passion that it stirred up? This is the continuation of a rivalry with its roots in the Vince Carter betrayal of the Raptors.

With that being said.

Raps in 6.

YES! Fans with the best humour award also goes to the Raps! Press conference tomorrow before tip-off.

By the way our history is actually older and deeper than the Vince Carter situation.

The Raptors played their very first game as a new franchise in 1995 against the Nets in the SkyDome.
I believe the Raptors were the first team to play at the new Brooklyn arena as well.

Yup. I watched that game. We won handily. Alvin Robertson hit the first Raptor field goal ever. An elbow three. He went on to have a big game.

We've also had some really SIZEABLE wins against the Nets.

I remember a game in the 96-97 season where the raps went into New Jersey and took a 43-12 (something close to that) lead after one quarter.

There was also another game in 07-08 season where the Raps blew them out by 40 in NJ. We've had a few games such as those against that franchise. Not sure why that is.

[VanDamme]

Of course us Raptor fans are going to be hyper-vigilant. We've been subjected to years of awful basketball and have finally been given something to be excited about. That coupled with the media embargo, the uneducated assumptions Americans bandy around about Canada,( I know this. I'm a dual citizen. Mother born and raised in Yonkers, Ny. Lived in Ironbound NJ for awhile, too.), and the widespread sentiment that the Nets will cake walk through the Raptors, and you have a very volatile, reactive Raptor fan base. Also, we're funny. Half of what is said is said with a tongue-in-cheek humour that can't be detected through online discourse. People take these things way, way too seriously. We're all having fun here. This is a great series. Look at the passion that it stirred up? This is the continuation of a rivalry with its roots in the Vince Carter betrayal of the Raptors.

With that being said.

Raps in 6.

YES! Fans with the best humour award also goes to the Raps! Press conference tomorrow before tip-off.

By the way our history is actually older and deeper than the Vince Carter situation.

The Raptors played their very first game as a new franchise in 1995 against the Nets in the SkyDome.
I believe the Raptors were the first team to play at the new Brooklyn arena as well.

Yup. I watched that game. We won handily. Alvin Robertson hit the first Raptor field goal ever. An elbow three. He went on to have a big game.

We've also had some really SIZEABLE wins against the Nets.

I remember a game in the 96-97 season where the raps went into New Jersey and took a 43-12 (something close to that) lead after one quarter.

There was also another game in 07-08 season where the Raps blew them out by 40 in NJ. We've had a few games such as those against that franchise. Not sure why that is.

The NBA has been trying to set up this rivalry for a while!

[TDevilsG]

or the lack of Net's fan in general. They won Game One and yet it's so quiet. The silence is deafening indeed.

The Nets had a higher home and road attendance percentage for 2014 than the Raptors. I don't know where people are getting their information from.


Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Hey man, I just opened up to you and ya'll still fighting.
I guess we'll get back to it.

The Raptors had the 10th best total attendance this season at home. The Nets are at 17th.
The same rankings apply to average attendance at home, 10th and 17th.

The percentages you're quoting... Raptors at 92.2% and the Nets at 95.3% for home games only show how much of the available seats were filled. You were closer to the maximum capacity of what your stadium can hold. Maybe you have more Nets fans than we have Raptors fans but you need to find other stats to make your point.

You beat us in away attendance numbers. No doubt. Considering the Nets were being showcased as contenders and the Raptors were supposed be tanking for Wiggins... no surprise there. You have a hall of famer coaching two other hall of famers. You got us beat on the draw factor.

In away games the Nets average attendance is 8th. The Raptors.. 29th!

I won't touch the combined away/home stats 'cause I'm not personally satisfied that would be representative of much since we can already see our rankings for home and away.

But for fun... our home stats are so good that they more than make up for our abysmal away attendance.
Combined stats put us at at 15th, the Nets at 16th.

This is not a shot at your fan base just showing you how you were looking and relying on stats that don't mean what you thought they meant. How close to capacity you can fill a stadium is irrelevant because each stadium has different capacities.

Agree to disagree. I find it more telling that the Nets averaged close to 1000 more fans on the road over the span of 30 arenas baked into the average than having a lower crowd capacity at home which is fixed at max. Considering the franchise has only been in Brooklyn for two years and was abysmal in attendance in new Jersey, I find it remarkable how quickly the brand has turned around and solidified itself in a very competitive metropolitan area.

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[Nils_the_Clean]

The Nets had a higher home and road attendance percentage for 2014 than the Raptors. I don't know where people are getting their information from.


Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Hey man, I just opened up to you and ya'll still fighting.
I guess we'll get back to it.

The Raptors had the 10th best total attendance this season at home. The Nets are at 17th.
The same rankings apply to average attendance at home, 10th and 17th.

The percentages you're quoting... Raptors at 92.2% and the Nets at 95.3% for home games only show how much of the available seats were filled. You were closer to the maximum capacity of what your stadium can hold. Maybe you have more Nets fans than we have Raptors fans but you need to find other stats to make your point.

You beat us in away attendance numbers. No doubt. Considering the Nets were being showcased as contenders and the Raptors were supposed be tanking for Wiggins... no surprise there. You have a hall of famer coaching two other hall of famers. You got us beat on the draw factor.

In away games the Nets average attendance is 8th. The Raptors.. 29th!

I won't touch the combined away/home stats 'cause I'm not personally satisfied that would be representative of much since we can already see our rankings for home and away.

But for fun... our home stats are so good that they more than make up for our abysmal away attendance.
Combined stats put us at at 15th, the Nets at 16th.

This is not a shot at your fan base just showing you how you were looking and relying on stats that don't mean what you thought they meant. How close to capacity you can fill a stadium is irrelevant because each stadium has different capacities.

Agree to disagree. I find it more telling that the Nets averaged close to 1000 more fans on the road over the span of 30 arenas baked into the average than having a lower crowd capacity at home which is fixed at max. Considering the franchise has only been in Brooklyn for two years and was dreadful in attendance in new Jersey, I find it remarkable how quickly the brand has turned around and solidified itself in a very competitive metropolitan area.

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Ok, hate to play devils advocate, but I'm going to do it anyways.

Lets not kid ourselves here. The borough of Brooklyn has been branded for years and years. The branding of Brooklyn has become increasingly more aggressive. Many wearers of the "Brooklyn" Nets merchandise know not a single thing about the team or sport. It's similar to the Yankee insignia in way. NYC is a brand, a very marketable brand, and Brooklyn happens to be an extension of that product. The mystique and lore surrounding Brooklyn is enough to attract interest. It has been eternalized in literature, music, art, etc. Everyone is smitten with Brooklyn, which has unfortunately has led to the gentrification of the borough. Which is more appealing? Newwark, New Jersey, or Brooklyn, NY? No Brainer. Of course the brand has turned around quick.

Notice how the Nets merchandise is emblazoned with "Brooklyn" and not "Nets"? That's strategic. If it were the other way around you can chop sales down by 3/4's easy.

Anyways. That's my theory. And it's valid.

[VanDamme]

The Nets had a higher home and road attendance percentage for 2014 than the Raptors. I don't know where people are getting their information from.


Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Hey man, I just opened up to you and ya'll still fighting.
I guess we'll get back to it.

The Raptors had the 10th best total attendance this season at home. The Nets are at 17th.
The same rankings apply to average attendance at home, 10th and 17th.

The percentages you're quoting... Raptors at 92.2% and the Nets at 95.3% for home games only show how much of the available seats were filled. You were closer to the maximum capacity of what your stadium can hold. Maybe you have more Nets fans than we have Raptors fans but you need to find other stats to make your point.

You beat us in away attendance numbers. No doubt. Considering the Nets were being showcased as contenders and the Raptors were supposed be tanking for Wiggins... no surprise there. You have a hall of famer coaching two other hall of famers. You got us beat on the draw factor.

In away games the Nets average attendance is 8th. The Raptors.. 29th!

I won't touch the combined away/home stats 'cause I'm not personally satisfied that would be representative of much since we can already see our rankings for home and away.

But for fun... our home stats are so good that they more than make up for our abysmal away attendance.
Combined stats put us at at 15th, the Nets at 16th.

This is not a shot at your fan base just showing you how you were looking and relying on stats that don't mean what you thought they meant. How close to capacity you can fill a stadium is irrelevant because each stadium has different capacities.

Agree to disagree. I find it more telling that the Nets averaged close to 1000 more fans on the road over the span of 30 arenas baked into the average than having a lower crowd capacity at home which is fixed at max. Considering the franchise has only been in Brooklyn for two years and was abysmal in attendance in new Jersey, I find it remarkable how quickly the brand has turned around and solidified itself in a very competitive metropolitan area.

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lol are you trolling? You said you disagree but didn't tell me why..

Yeap, averaged 800 more seats filled on the road, but how does that mean 800 more Nets fans?

That's what you get for being pumped as contenders, having 3 hall of famers, and an all-star. You realize you were the talk of the town until your early bad start - the most expensive roster.. etc etc. All this is headline news for you guys. The announcers and media still can't pronounce our starting Cs name... while you're still being touted as the team that could take down the mighty Miami Heat.

They came to see the Nets 'cause they expected a good show but they came to root for their home-team. The better the show the higher the ticket price because there's more of an entertainment factor so people will pay it and they'll line up to pay it. So you get more butts in more seats. That's what you guys had over the Raps.

Like my friend said about the branding thing and I said this in the first thread I think. Brooklyn sells as pop culture. The Nets are riding that, there's nothing wrong with it. Just realize it doesn't mean the number of hats sold = Nets fans. You have great marketability and history and it works and that's awesome.

Similarly, Drake is on board and helping market us now and so it'll only get worse for the other 29 teams on RealGM from here on out..

I find it remarkable how quickly the brand has turned around and solidified itself in a very competitive metropolitan area.

The size of your market doesn't create hurdles... it makes it easier to sell. You got it backwards.

Edit: Will be interesting to see how your fans respond in game 3 in BKN considering Masai's comments from Game 1.

[Volcano]

On the Nets side:
I hope Kidd stresses we don't need to take 25 3 pointers per game. IMO it's a sign of being lazy and not working for a better shot. There should be more post ups (JJ, PP and D.Will) and more ball movement in general. Our defense was great on Saturday, but I wasn't impressed by the offense. Toronto played OK D, but for the most part I did not like the ball movement or the settling for 3s.

Also, we will see more Plumlee I'm sure, and I think he will open up the game a little bit more and allow the Nets to attack inside some. His energy will be welcome, but I love the fact that he offers us an above the rim target in transition and half court.

A lot of the 3's were decent/open shots imo. Raptors were lucky most of them missed. Raptors had a lot of lapses in defense (sign of an inexperienced team) that the Nets took advantage of. They also had trouble containing JJ, DWill, Livingston (despite the low amount of shot attempts) and Pierce (4th Q). Even though it wasn't a high scoring game, I thought Toronto's perimeter defense was weaker than it should have been and the Nets repetitively attacked the short mid-range area.

I agree the Net's offense wasn't that good and a lot of the time it felt like they scored through poor D rather than through great O.

As a Raps fan, Net's big men are x-factors and scare me a bit. Raps have enough to worry about against the vets.

On Toronto's side:
They need to run more. Lowry needs to stay aggressive and look to get Deron in foul trouble. Jonas needs to look to score especially on Plumlee doesn't have the strength to guard him if he gets him down low.

I think they could also benefit from crashing the offensive glass. It's not as though Brooklyn is much of a transition team, so even if they don't get the offensive rebound, they should have time to get back.

In order to quicken the pace and get out and run, Raptors need to get stops and steals first in combination with the Nets having slow transition D. It feels like the Nets were in control of the entire game. I'd rather the Raps push when they can, but do a better job executing plays or running pick and rolls over one on one play in the half court set. Raptors have underused their bigs offensively all season. I agree with punishing them on the glass, especially if Amir is in over Pierce. Raps should go to their bigs more in p/r sets.

How will the Raptors limit Joe Johnson? Will they double more, blitz him, force the ball out of his hand

Ross defended him well during the regular season, but I still think they need to do a quick double when he's in the post. If he's facing the basket, there is no immediate need for a double.

Not a fan of doubling someone who's experienced and a capable passer. The occasional double in the post, sure, but not as a long-term game plan. Raptor fans want Fields taking Salmon's minutes and I agree with that. Raptors had no resistance in the short mid-range area. They need to play the lanes and cheat over more rather than double team. Ross needs to stay out of foul trouble and mentally check in as he's the Raptor's best wing defender.

Do you believe Casey will play Fields? Should he play him? How many minutes should he get? Just Salmons?

I wouldn't.

I would because Salmons is hurting the Raps on both ends of the court and he's been like that for the last 2 months or so. If Salmons doesn't play, Raptors are left with Novak, Vasquez, de Colo at the back-up wing positions. All terrible defenders. Fields can facilitate ball movement and make cut/back door plays on offense, rebound well, and give a different look defensively. However, due to his inability to shoot, Patterson must play at the 4 if Fields is at the 3. If they go small ball with Fields at the 4, Amir/Jonas should be at the 5 for interior defense and the 1, 2, 3 should have shooters.

[irie]

How did Hawks-Pacers get TNT while this series got NBA TV? Best series of the first round imo. Can't wait. Going to put this game on one tv and Bruins on the other.

To encourage people to buy that NBAtv package

BTW Portland is where I'm living at this summer

Nice, Portland isn't a bad city. Are you from the states originally?

Originally Jamaica

[NBAfan3024]

Is it finally game 2 tonight?

[dr3am]

Is it finally game 2 tonight?

Yessir, 7:30 pm ET tonight........................................................................................

On NBA TV

[saham]

Is it finally game 2 tonight?

Finally !

I don't like how there is 3 days between each game. Game 2 should have been on Monday.

Game three is on Friday also, correct ?

[ChampionRed]

I absolutely HATE how many days there are in between the games. Game 1 was on Saturday so why wouldn't game 2 be yesterday? It doesn't make sense. Game 3 and 4 in Brooklyn are on Friday and Sunday, respectively. So why were games 1 and 2 separated by two days? This scheduling is so weird! Either way, I'm really excited for game 2 tonight. It should be another good one!

[isekii]

RAPS IN 5

[Vandal Savage]

^ you did it wrong

[deneem4]

Remember this post
Pierce 22
johnson 18
Williams 18

derozan 16
ross 12
Lowery 15

[NBAfan3024]

I absolutely HATE how many days there are in between the games. Game 1 was on Saturday so why wouldn't game 2 be yesterday? It doesn't make sense. Game 3 and 4 in Brooklyn are on Friday and Sunday, respectively. So why were games 1 and 2 separated by two days? This scheduling is so weird! Either way, I'm really excited for game 2 tonight. It should be another good one!

It's weird seeing as Clippers/GS had just one day break

[Prokorov]

How did Hawks-Pacers get TNT while this series got NBA TV? Best series of the first round imo. Can't wait. Going to put this game on one tv and Bruins on the other.

because the NBA desperately wants the pacers to be the next big thing. the anointed them before the season even started.

[Prokorov]

How did Hawks-Pacers get TNT while this series got NBA TV? Best series of the first round imo. Can't wait. Going to put this game on one tv and Bruins on the other.

This is why Raptor fans have developed such a complex. We've been consistently shafted by the American media in spite of the teams situation. There's no way there's more interest surrounding the Hawks-Pacers game than there is the Raps-Nets. Ridiculous.

i think there is more interest in this series then that one... but i dont think there is much interest in this series. adding pierce/KG helps, but nationally the nets dont really have any fans. and in the US id assume there are not many raps fans either.

hell, the nets cant get coverage in NY, let alone national following. Nets beat the raptors and the headlines where in order:

Yankees recap
Mets starting pitchers for todays game
Rangers playoff report
Knicks - woodson on the hotseat/what will phil do
Jets sign chris johnson
What will the giants do in the draft
Brooklyn wins game 1

and thats not even an exaggeration. thats legit the exact order of the sports flash on WFAN

[Prokorov]

suprised its so quiet in here.... first thread went to 100 pages in like a split second. now its crickets in here???

Hard for Raps fans to talk 50 pages of useless **** now that they're losing. I think they realized their team actually has to win a game before they start spouting off.

or the lack of Net's fan in general. They won Game One and yet it's so quiet. The silence is deafening indeed.

Nets fans know not to prematurely talk smack.