Nets' road to playoffs about to get rougher – Nets – NorthJersey.com
"Do you really think Atlanta’s going to sit everybody against us?" Nets coach Lionel Hollins said Thursday on WFAN radio. "I don’t think they’re really concerned about not wanting to play us. But I think the [draft pick] is probably more important to them." Meanwhile, the Raptors still have ill feelings toward the Nets, who knocked them out of the playoffs last season. Remember, that series started with Toronto GM Masai Ujiri shouting "[Bleep] Brooklyn!" Tonight, Toronto will have a chance to harm Brooklyn’s playoff chances. "These [games] are tough," guard Deron Williams said. "But we’re trying to focus on one at a time, focus on Toronto, and see where it goes from there."
Sim Bhullar is NBA’s first South Asian player | CanIndia NEWS
Sim Bhullar is the son of immigrant parents from Punjab, his father Avtar was a seasoned Kabaddi player who wanted his children to play cricket, but quickly realized they were better basketball players. “Being away from my family is one of the biggest sacrifice I’ve had to make. I’ve been at schools in the US since I was 16. I’ve missed going out with friends, missed family get-togethers etc. That I guess is what is required to get to a level,” Bhullar said in an interview with Can-India in June 2014. Speaking to Can-India, Raptors Superfan and the team’s community ambassador Nav Bhatia was jubilant about the news. “It is very exciting for South Asians and basketball. Last year Nav Bhatia tried to get Sim drafted by Raptors but it didn’t quite pan out. “Sim was not ready then. Now he is ready. He has lost a lot of weight over last summer and has taken his body conditioning very seriously. I think he is ready to play a real game in a real league. He is ready for the NBA,” said Bhatia.
On Saturday the Raptors, the Atlantic Division winners, come up against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are currently the 7th seeds in the East. They’re half a game ahead of the Miami Heat who are hot on their tail as the 8th seeds. Just behind them on the standings and with an identical 34-41 record are the Boston Celtics. The 2008 NBA championship winners and 2010 runners-up will push hard for that final spot in the East. The Raptors face the Celtics on Sunday in Toronto. Another tough contest will see the Canadian franchise travel to Charlotte to battle the Hornets next Thursday. The Hornets are 1.5 games behind the Heat and the Celtics. It really is very close as the 7th and 8th places haven’t been sown up yet.
Toronto has already beaten Milwaukee twice this year, including the 124-82 rout early in the year. Milwaukee is a young team with inexperienced players, many of whom will be getting their first taste of the playoffs. The pace of the game is notoriously slower in the postseason, which doesn’t fare well for Milwaukee. There won’t be as many fast break opportunities as Milwaukee is accustomed to. Additionally, the Raptors commit the third fewest turnovers a game in the NBA, so buckets off turnovers will be hard to come by.
Raptors playoff tickets on sale April 10 to general public | Toronto Star
Raptors playoff tickets go on sale to the general public on Ticketmaster on Fri. April 10 at 10 a.m. A special pre-sale will begin the day before at 6 p.m., with fans able to sign up for pre-sale access atRaptors.com/offers. Season ticket holders had the chance this week to purchase additional playoff tickets, in addition to their regular seats, before the general public.
Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets – Preview
Brooklyn (34-40) has used this win streak to move into playoff position in the Eastern Conference. The Nets blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter beforeBrook Lopez's follow shot with 2 seconds left gave them a 100-98 win at New York on Wednesday. "We've been playing hard each and every game, trying to take it one game at a time, trying to stay in the winning column, that's it," guard Joe Johnson said. Lopez is averaging 26.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and shooting 61.7 percent during a 7-1 surge for Brooklyn, which last won six straight during a seven-game run Jan. 2-15, 2013. The Nets are the only team with a better record on the road than at home, where they look for a season-high fourth straight victory.
Chanting for Bruno Caboclo – Hardwood Paroxysm
Once the Raptors were up by 15, and then 20, and then 25, and then 30 points, chants began, quiet and sporadic at first, then louder and louder as the lead grew and grew. “BRUUUUU-NO! BRUUUUU-NO! BRUUUUU-NO! BRUUUUU-NO!” Boisterous fans clad in Toronto gear, Raptors jerseys, Blue Jays caps, and the occasional Argonauts t-shirt, stood during stoppages in play to chant for the opportunity to see their 19-year-old Brazilian rookie. With around four minutes to go, with the visitors up by 26 points, the lanky kid walked to the scorer’s table and began taking off his warm-ups. The sight of him brought more claps and confident chants, and when he finally checked in following a kicked ball violation with 3:33 to play, the building heard its loudest cheers of the evening.
Raptors' playoff chances depend on opponent
Depending on how the final games of the regular season play out, Chicago could pass the Raptors with a better record, meaning that the Dinos will be matched with the Washington Wizards. The Raptors swept the season series 3-0, but those games were far from blowouts. The Wizards have a deadly combination of slashing guards and physical forwards that size up well in a playoff series against Toronto. Big man Nene isn't ready to hand over the title of Brazil's best to heir-apparents and Toronto bench-warmers Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo. Also, if the Raptors' D had a hard time with Dwight Howard's sparring partner, how will it handle both Nene and Marcin Gortat?
