NBA

Matchups: Experience should give Nets edge over Raptors

By losing four of their final five regular-season games, the Nets fell from fifth to sixth in the East, going from facing the battle-tested Bulls to the inexperienced Raptors in the first round.

But despite Brooklyn’s vast edge in experience, the phrase “be careful what you wish for” comes to mind. The Raptors have just the right combination of explosive guard play from Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan with a traditional frontcourt of Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas that can pose the Nets problems, and the teams had a competitive four-game series this season that they split.

Here are the matchups:

Point guard

This is the position that likely will determine the outcome of this series. If the Nets can contain Lowry, they will win the series, and could close it out sooner than expected. Doing that, however, is easier said than done.
Lowry has been excellent. He’s curtailed some of the parts of his combustible personality that have hindered him in the past and instilled the backbone and fight into this Raptors team that has surprised everyone since trading Rudy Gay early in the season.

The Nets, though, should have a player capable of matching Lowry in Deron Williams. Although his numbers are hardly spectacular (14.3 points, 6.1 assists), the Nets have fared much better with him on the court. If Williams can match Lowry, the Nets should win the series.

Edge: Raptors

Shooting guard

There is some question about the health of Shaun Livingston, who sat the final five games of the season with a sprained right big toe, though it isn’t expected to be an issue. Livingston is crucial for the Nets, giving them a second distributor and ball-handler who also defends the opposition’s top option.

In this series, that means he’ll spend his time shadowing DeRozan, who blossomed after the Gay trade into Toronto’s go-to scorer, averaging 22.7 points per game and making his first All-Star team. But Toronto can become dependent on DeRozan isolations late in games, and Livingston’s length can slow him down.

Edge: Raptors

Small forward

Joe Johnson has been the Nets’ most consistent player, giving them quality minutes at both ends and making his seventh All-Star team. Most important, Johnson is healthy, after he went into last year’s playoffs basically playing on one foot because plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Johnson has a 40-pound advantage on Toronto swingman Terrence Ross. One of the league’s most explosive dunkers, Ross is also a capable 3-point shooter. But he’s going to have his hands full.

Edge: Nets

Power forward

Another position that could potentially swing the series. The Nets saw their season turn around when they switched to a small-ball lineup at the start of 2014. The move transformed the Nets into a perimeter-based team that draws defenders out to open space for Pierce and their guards to penetrate, and allows their bigger guards to post up opponents.

That’s the battle taking place in this series, with Pierce going up against a traditional power forward in Johnson. An excellent rim protector, Johnson will be drawn away from the basket by Pierce. Johnson also recently suffered an ankle injury, causing him to miss three games this month before returning to play limited minutes in the final four games of the season. If his mobility is lacking, that could prove troublesome for Toronto.

Edge: Nets

Center

Kevin Garnett has been a different player since being moved to center, shaking off his rocky beginning to shoot over 55 percent from the floor since Jan. 1. The question with Garnett, however, is health, after he missed all of March and some of April with back spasms.

Going up against a young, active big man like Valanciunas isn’t going to make things easy on Garnett. In his second year in the league, Valanciunas is showing why he was a top-five pick, averaging 11.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. If Valanciunas can wear down Garnett, that would be a big boost for Toronto.

Edge: Even

Bench

The most important player for the Nets could be Andrei Kirilenko, who when healthy — as he is — gives them an excellent defender at multiple positions. In addition, they have Marcus Thornton, Mirza Teletovic and Alan Anderson, as well as the big-man combination of Mason Plumlee and Andray Blatche.

Part of the benefit of the Gay trade was the influx of several quality veteran role players, including Patrick Patterson, Greivis Vasquez and John Salmons. Tyler Hansbrough can add energy to the second unit.
Edge: Nets

Coaching

Jason Kidd deserves credit for the Nets’ turnaround, as he’s found a way to get this team winning after it looked as if its season could be over when Brook Lopez went down for the season with a broken right foot.

Dwane Casey entered the season in the final year of his contract under a general manager, Masai Ujiri, who didn’t hire him, and led the Raptors to a franchise-record 48 wins, a second division title and likely earned himself a chance to be with Toronto for a long time.

Edge: Even

Prediction

The Raptors have the tools to give the Nets plenty of issues. But the Nets hold the vast edge in playoff experience. Lowry and Johnson have played a combined 24 playoff games (no starts), while Ross, DeRozan and Valanciunas have played none. The Nets have a starting five, plus Kirilenko, that has played a combined 444 playoff games (including 417 starts).

In the NBA playoffs, more than any other sport, experience usually rules the day, and it should be enough to help the Nets navigate a competitive and entertaining series.

Nets in six.