Raptors vs Nets preview

RAPTORS 
The Raptors (48-34) come into the playoffs as the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference with a young team that does not have that much experience at least in the playoffs. The last time that the Raptors made the playoffs was in 2008 where they got beat in the first round by the then Dwight Howard led Magic. But just because they have not been to the playoffs in a while does not mean that they are not a good team. By their stats there are not a lot of things that jump off of the page. In most of the major statistics such as ppg and rpg, they are in the middle of the pack. However they do get to the free throw line a good amount at 25 free throws a game. Also they make them at a high percentage at 78% which is 5th in the NBA. There defense is actually one of the better ones in the NBA but I think that is due to the other teams defenses not being that good because they still give up 98 ppg. One thing that youth gives you is energy and against the Nets that may be one advantage that they definitely have.

NETS

Unlike the Raptors, the Nets (44-38) have one of the oldest teams in all of the NBA if not the oldest. The Nets made a trade to get two vets with lots of experience who have won the championship before which is what they want to do. One of the players on the Nets, Paul Pierce has played in almost as many playoff games as the entire Raptors roster. When the Nets ownership were putting their roster together, the playoffs is what they were planning for, a team that could win it all. One thing that could hurt the Nets is their lack of rebounding. They rank 2nd to last in rebounds per game. Does Brooklyn have enough left in the tank to get all the way to the final with all of their old players? Time will tell that, and if they can  they could be a team that surprises people and makes the NBA finals or the Eastern Conference Finals.

STARTERS
PG RAPTORS Kyle Lowry NETS Deron Williams
Kyle Lowry is a up a coming point guard in the league. He had a good year in that he averaged 17.9 ppg and 7.4 apg. He is very quick and get to the rim well, but is slightly undersized. He shoots the three well at 38%. Deron William has been having a down year in that he has had the worst ppg and apg since his rookie year. However, he is consider one of the better point guards in the league and is an all star.

ADVANTAGE: NETS

SG RAPTORS DeMar DeRozan NETS Shaun Livingston
DeMar DeRozan is extremely athletic and has some crazy dunks and has been in the Slam Dunk Contest. He get to the free throw line well and makes 82 % of them. His three point shot need to get better as he only shoots around 30 % from beyond the arc. Shaun Livingston is an average player with some length for the shooting guard position. He can post well for a guard and has a good medium range jumper.

ADVANTAGE: RAPTORS

SF RAPTORS Terrence Ross NETS Joe Johnson
Terrence Ross is mainly a scorer and is streaky from the three point line. He only averaged 10 points per game on the year and I do not expect him to do much in this series. Joe Johnson is really a shooting guard playing the small forward position. It always seems that when the game is close and it comes down to the wire He makes the winning shot like 90% of the time. He is definitely good in close game situations late in the game. 

ADVANTAGE: NETS

PF RAPTORS Amir Johnson NETS Paul Pierce 
Amir Johnson is just a big guy with average stats and an average post game he can dunk also. He is just coming off of a recent injury so I do not know how production he will be and his production is not really that much any way. Paul Pierce is a veteran pro with a ton of experience and who knows how to win. He has a good three point shot and a good post up game and gets to the free throw line frequently. Paul Pierce is a winner.

ADVANTAGE: NETS

C RAPTORS Jonas Valanclunas NETS Mason Plumlee
Jonas Valanchunas is a center who stays mainly in the paint which is different from post European players with his height. He does an average job at blocking shots and gets about 1 per game. He has a high field goal percentage at 53% and a good free throw percentage for a big guy at 76%. Mason Plumlee is big and slim for a center. He also is a stay in the paint player with lots of dunks and layups. He also has a great field goal percentage at 66%. One thing he needs to work on is his rebounding as he only averages 4.4 per game.

ADVANTAGE: RAPTORS

PREDICTION: The season series got split with each team going 1-1 at home and on the road. I think that the experience of the Nets will take them through the first round and will avoid the costly mistakes that the inexperienced Raptors will probably make. Nets in 6.