They're down 1-0 in their Eastern Conference quarter-final with the New Jersey Nets, but the Toronto Raptors insist there's no need to panic.
Adversity has been something Toronto has dealt with throughout the regular season. The team started the campaign with a 2-8 record and overcame a rash of injury problems to win its first Atlantic Division title and clinch an NBA playoff berth.
So, a 96-91 loss to the Nets Saturday in Toronto doesn't overly concern a Raptors team that looks to tie the best-of-seven series with a win in Game 2 on home court Tuesday night.
"When we take a step back we always take two or three steps forward," Raptors forward Chris Bosh said Monday.
"We pick up our intensity in the next game, we don't make the same mistakes we did before.
We're a fast-learning team, and in Game 2 we're going to need that."
In Game 1, Toronto trailed by as much as 15 points late in the third quarter before storming back in the fourth to trim it to 84-83 with two minutes remaining.
But Bostjan Nachbar netted five points on a three-point basket and two free throws, and former Raptor Vince Carter scored four consecutive points on free throws and a finger roll to make it 92-85 for the Nets.
Bosh completed a three-point play to keep it close heading into the final minute, and Anthony Parker provided a ray of hope for the Raptors with a three-pointer that made it 94-91 with less than 12 seconds left.
But Carter and teammate Jason Kidd completed the scoring on free throws to halt Toronto's comeback bid.
"We showed good poise," Nets head coach Lawrence Frank said.
While the Raptors did a good job of containing Carter, limiting him to 16 points, they'll have to do a better job on Kidd and Richard Jefferson.
Kidd finished with 15 assists and 10 rebounds, and Jefferson led all scorers with 28 points.
"T.
J. [Ford] and Jose [Calderon] have to keep attacking Jason Kidd, they've got to keep defending him," said Toronto coach Sam Mitchell. "He's a smart guy.
It's not just a single part of his game he can beat you at, he can beat you rebounding, he can beat you passing the ball, there are some nights when he beats you scoring.
"Jason Kidd is a Hall of Fame point guard, without a doubt."
Mitchell also wants his players to attack more.
"We need to be aggressive within our offence with ball movement," he said. "We need to run the break and run the lanes better, be more aggressive that way."
The series shifts to New Jersey for Game 3 Friday.
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Keywords: Jason Kidd, New Jersey, Toronto Raptors, Sam Mitchell, Eastern Conference, Jersey Nets, New Jersey Nets
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