<div align="center"> <div align="center"><font color="DarkRed"><font color="Black">VS</font></font> </div> <font color="DarkRed"> </font> <div align="center"><font color="Blue">The New Jersey Nets</font> (0-0) @ <font color="DimGray"><font color="Purple">The Toronto Raptors</font> <font color="Black">(0-0)</font></font> Time: Wednesday, November 1st, 7:30 PM Location: <font color="Blue">Continental Airlines Arena</font> </div> <div align="center"><font color="Blue"><font color="Black">TV: Yes Network</font></font> <font color="Blue"><font color="Black"> Radio: WFAN 660 AM</font></font> </div> <font color="Blue"> </font>[div=50%]The Raptors are a different team this year compared to last. The Raptors traded Charlie Villanueva for T.J. Ford. This move gave the Raptors instant chemistry. Furthermore, Jose Calderon is a point guard who has been playing well in the preseason. Chris Bosh improves year in and year out, and expectations are high for him this season. The Raptors also drafted two decent rookies in Bargnani and Garbajosa. The Raptors have a fairly deep team and have a decent mix of youngsters and veterans. Projected Starters Point Guard: <font color="DeepSkyBlue"><font color="Purple">T.J. Ford</font> </font>[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/tj_ford.jpg[/imgl] T.J. Ford did not play in the last three preseason games. The reason he sat out was so that he could be 100% ready for the season opener after having a sore hamstring. In the only preseason game he played against the Nets, he was impressive, tallying 11 assists in 23 minutes. Ford has been riddled with injuries for most of the time he has been in the league. He is a player who wants to prove that he is worth a big contract. Shooting Guard: <font color="Purple">Morris Peterson</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/morris_peterson.jpg[/imgl] Morris Peterson is a veteran in the league. He is a fairly big part of the Raptors' offense. This preseason, he is been putting up big numbers. He is not the type of player who causes havok on other teams' defenses, but he certainly adds to the Raptors' new chemistry. Small Forward: <font color="Purple">Anthony Parker</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/anthony_parker.jpg[/imgl] Anthony Parker was brought in to be a verteran presence. He has been recieving a fairly large amount of playing time this preseason and is expected to start for the Raptors. He should help the Raptors with rebounding and passing. Defensively he might have a tough time keeping up with the younger and more athletic Richard Jefferson. Power Forward: <font color="Purple">Chris Bosh</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/chris_bosh.jpg[/imgl] Bosh is the heart and soul of the Raptors. He does a great amount for them, including rebounding, scoring, passing and blocking shots. From T.J. Ford, he is expected to recieve a lot of passes for a lot of buckets. Bosh will most definitly give the Nets' Jason Collins a defensive challenge in the season opener. Center: <font color="Purple">Rasho Nesterovic</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/rasho_nesterovic.jpg[/imgl] Nesterovic is one of the best shot blockers in the league. Nesterovic will certainly bother Krstic with his defense. Historically speaking, Nesterovic will not stay in the game for a very long time. It is highly likely that the Raptors will go small by replacing Nesterovich with one of the rookies. <font color="DimGray"> <font color="Purple">Raptors: Keys to the Game</font></font><font color="Sienna"> </font> 1) T.J. Ford needs to distribute the ball and keep a good tempo. He needs to look for Bosh as well as Peterson on back doors. Basically, Ford needs to be on top of what ever game he has. 2) The Raptors need to prevent Krstic from scoring with minimal man power, so that they can focus on double teaming Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter. The Raptors also need Bosh and Nesterovich to be down low, to force the Nets to be a jump shooting team. 3) The Raptors need to box out on rebounds. The Nets pull down a great deal of rebounds by gaining position for rebounds. The Raptors need to counter this to have a chance to win. [/div]Some say that the Nets are overrated, others say that they are underrated. Which ever it is, the Nets need to win against teams such as the Raptors. On paper, the Raptors do not have the combination of players that can come close to slowing down the Nets' offense. Furthermore, the Raptors do not have an offense that the Nets cannot shut down. The Nets' big three has played together for a year. This is the year that they begin to jell together more than ever. The more chemistry they develop, the more unstoppable they will become. We must also not forget about Krstic. He wants to get a good contract, and is willing to play hard this season to earn one. Projected Starters Point Guard: <font color="Blue">Jason Kidd</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jason_kidd.jpg[/imgl] Kidd is considered old, but according to reports, surgery and age not have slowed him down. Kidd is a triple double threat yet again. He is going to be looking to spark more fast breaks this season, because the Nets finally have a guy off the bench who can give Kidd the rest that he needs. A Kidd who does not have to conserve energy and has fresh legs in the fourth quarter is a Kidd who can dominate other teams. Shooting Guard: <font color="Blue">Vince Carter</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/vince_carter.jpg[/imgl] Expectations are high as usual for Half-Man Half-Amazing. He is going to play against the team that he started out with. The anticipation and distractions which were present at other Raptors-Nets games will not be as high as they were before. The Raptors do not have anyone who can guard or come close to slowing down Carter. He should open the season with a strong game statistical. Small Forward: <font color="Blue">Richard Jefferson</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/richard_jefferson.jpg[/imgl] Jefferson is expected by some to have a breakout season. If he is able to average more than 25 points per game this season, it will be an amazing feat considering the proportion of touches that go to Carter. Last season, Jefferson was one of the most efficient players given his shot attempts. This season should be no different. Power Forward: <font color="Blue">Jason Collins</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jason_collins.jpg[/imgl] Collins is back in the middle for the Nets. He will be a constant presence, who will play great defense. He won't stop Bosh, but definitly will slow him down more than most other big men. Expect Bosh to pull down less rebounds than he will average during the season because Collins will work hard to box him out. Center: <font color="Blue">Nenad Krstic</font> [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/nenad_krstic.jpg[/imgl] Krstic is going to play physical, and play harder than we have seen. Expectations are fairly high for the seven footer. He pulled the Nets through some big play off games against Indiana last year, and needs to consistently pull the Nets through the same way this season. Krstics' ability to be consistent will be the X-factor most games. <font color="Blue">Nets Keys To The Game</font> <font color="Black">1) Krstic needs to hit his mid-range jumper to pull the Raptors' big men out of the paint. If he can't hit his jumper, Carter and Jefferson are going to have a tough time scoring in the paint, and will end up shooting from long range (something the Raptors want). 2) The Nets can't become lax on defense. The Nets cannot get over-confident and think that they do not need to play hard against the Raptors. 3) Carter and Jefferson need to get going offensively. If Carter and Jefferson get thier offensive rythems, there is nothing the Raptors will be able to do. </font></div>
Excellent Preview. For some this looks like an easy win, but like every game we play against the Raptors they will fight to win. I'm sure we can win but it won't just be handed to us.
ive heard that bosh is injured..if its true then this will be a breeze..if it is a lie then they have some some work to handle down low
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Oct 28 Bosh returned for Friday's 108-97 preseason loss to the Bulls after missing four of the last five games with soreness in his left ankle and heel. The Raptors' forward finished with eight points, but went scoreless in the first quarter and played only four minutes in the second half.</div> http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3707/news
Great preview. The Nets should win this one. One of the easier opponents will be the Raps, but for some reason everytime we face them, we have trouble. I wonder how Marcus Williams will play.
The Raptors were 7-1 in the preseason, so they're showing signs of being a more cohesive unit. Should definitely be an interesting game though, especially with both teams favoring the uptempo, fastbreak offense. I would be surprised if the game did not crack the 100-point plateau.
its gunna be so hard watching this game, especially when there is the free preview of league pass ahhh
Before the game starts lets have questions and answers. 1. Will Vince Carter score over 30 points? 2. Will Nenad Krstic get atleast 10 rebounds? 3. Will Jason Kidd have over or under 10 assists? 4. How many three's will Richard Jefferson make? 5. Who will have more minutes Krstic or Williams? 6. Will we win or lose and by how much?
1. Will Vince Carter score over 30 points? Yes 2. Will Nenad Krstic get atleast 10 rebounds? No 3. Will Jason Kidd have over or under 10 assists? Over 4. How many three's will Richard Jefferson make? 2 5. Who will have more minutes Krstic or Williams? Krstic 6. Will we win or lose and by how much? Win by 5
1. Will Vince Carter score over 30 points? Yes, but probably from a low FG% 2. Will Nenad Krstic get atleast 10 rebounds? No 3. Will Jason Kidd have over or under 10 assists? Under 4. How many three's will Richard Jefferson make? No Idea 5. Who will have more minutes Krstic or Williams? Krstic 6. Will we win or lose and by how much? You will lose by 58 points
1. Will Vince Carter score over 30 points? No 2. Will Nenad Krstic get atleast 10 rebounds? Yes 3. Will Jason Kidd have over or under 10 assists? Over 4. How many three's will Richard Jefferson make? 2 5. Who will have more minutes Krstic or Williams? Krstic 6. Will we win or lose and by how much? Lose by a gajillion
1. Will Vince Carter score over 30 points? sure its the first game 2. Will Nenad Krstic get atleast 10 rebounds? i guess 3. Will Jason Kidd have over or under 10 assists? under 4. How many three's will Richard Jefferson make? 1 5. Who will have more minutes Krstic or Williams? krstc 6. Will we win or lose and by how much-win by like 5 or 7
Nets first quearter stats: VC: 6 points (3-4 FG) Kidd: 4 assists RJ: 8 points, 2 rebounds Krstic: 6 points, 3 rebounds
You can just tell that Williams has the jitters. Of course it's his first real NBA game so you can understand he is pretty scared.
<div class="quote_poster">Kidd Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You can just tell that Williams has the jitters. Of course it's his first real NBA game so you can understand he is pretty scared.</div> Yeah. Most rookies will be like that for the first couple of games.
