There is no substitute for experience. And the short-lived Nets got a hard-earned lesson in the hands of reigning champion Raptors in Monday’s playoff opener.
The Nets got concrete early, and even after rising from the deck and back in battle, they never really hurt the Raptors. They lost 134-110 in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference, an up-close look at how a champion plays.
“They are champions and have played on the big stage before, and seemed like they were trying to deliver an early message,” said Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn. “I liked the way our group reacted to the stop and accepted the first punch: the rounds will continue.”
The Nets got blood in Round 1, and were on their way to a TKO. She trailed with 33 in the first half before showing some pride in the second song, cutting it to eight.
Eight, but not closer.
“They ended up jumping on us, finishing at 30 at one point,” Joe Harris said. “They were definitely the more aggressive team at both ends of the ball.”
And flatten out the better ones, having won 12 of their past 13 games dating back to the pandemic.
Fred VanVleet had a game-high 30 points, 11 assists and hit 8 of 10 from deep. In some cases 30-feet deep. Serge Ibaka had 22 points and seven rebounds from the Bank of Toronto, while Pascal Siakam added 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Nets looked enchanted against Toronto’s long, athletic defense. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 26 points from the bench, while Harris added 19 points on 3 of 5 shots from deep.
The Raptors used hedges, kicks and doubles to turn Caris LeVert (15 points, 15 assists, six boards) from a score to a facilitator. The tactic worked.
“They caught all my isos, mid-post, top, all my ball screens,” LeVert said.
‘Boys will have to make plays. That will be likely for a majority of the series, ”Harris said. “Caris is our best attacking player, and teams will try to get the ball out of his hands.”
The Nets will need to get LeVert in transition, as they did in the second half. Because playing like they did in the first place is a recipe for disaster.
The Nets fell behind 10-2 right out of the gate, missing five of their first six shots and craving a few quick turnovers. They were 37-20 down after the first quarter, and in a 68-35 hole after VanVleet drilled consecutive 3s.
At that point, the Nets just shot 3 of 17 from deep with eight innings, harry in bad passes and less bad selection. At least they didn’t go down without explaining themselves first.
The Nets mounted an extended 47-22 run that overtook the half. They held Toronto to 27.8 percent shooting with seven conversions in that sprint, getting Luwawu-Cabarrot to battle and LeVert found Harris in early misdemeanor.
“[The comeback] was enormous for us. We know the type of game we have to play, ”said LeVert. ‘We know the type of mentality we have to play with offense. And defensively, play with more power. … The first quarter they just got off freebies, and made shots as if they were just warm-up pots. We can not play like that. “
Brooklyn got inside 90-82 on Luwawu-Cabarrot’s 3 with 2:06 in the third. But when Toronto reopened it to 119-102 with 3:54 to play, Vaughn capitulated and laid down his bench – though not before his players had learned a valuable lesson.
“This is the defending champion, and it will not be easy. Every game will be tough, ”said Luwawu-Cabarrot. ‘We know the recipe now, and we know how to play, and that’s how we do it. … That’s what we’ll start with every game. ”
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