RAPTORS: NEW JERSEY'S UNCON-VINCE-ING VICTORY

Quick talking points following the Raptors' 96-91 defeat against the Nets in Game 1 of Eastern Conference quarter-final (first half notes, second half notes):

• In the grand scheme of the Great Raptor Redesign, this game might be good for a retrospective piece in, say, 2009 or '10. Remember that first playoff game in the Nets series? Chris Bosh missed a game-tying free throw ... Andrea Bargnani, a rookie limited by appendix surgery, was actually worse than three points in 15 minutes suggests? And T.J. Ford handed out just two assists, while Jason Kidd had 15?
  
  Don't scoff -- the long view is preferable since the present looks kind of scary, although the Raptors can still pull this out in seven games, starting with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday.
• The way the teams traded baskets easily in the first 5-6 minutes really was unsettling. The nastiness you usually associate with the post-season, especially with home teams, wasn't there -- that might have been the lack of experience manifesting itself, or the tension in the building. It's been a long time with no playoffs
• Reasons to be optimistic. 1) The Nets really played over their head shooting 49% in the first half to take that 10-point lead; 2) Without the three-pointer (7-for-19) and the running game, the Raptors had essentially come to a high-noon showdown without their best weapons; 3) The Nets' energy was a carryover from their finishing stretch, while the Raptors have not had a meaningful game for a week.
• How much time do you think Bosh will spend on free throws over the next two days after that miss he had with three minutes left?
• If you add in good passes to teammates who couldn't finish, that probably gets T.J. Ford up to five assists. He was Me-Jay today. Don't go talking crazy stuff about starting José Calderón (13 points, eight assists), though. He can't go the whole game against Kidd.
• No one in good conscience can ever speak of ill of the game Kidd (pictured) brings. Look in his eyes. He's a killer, and you respect him even more for carrying Vince Carter.
• If Michelle Carter really believes that the Vince-venom "is love because they didn't want him to leave," well, that's the maternal prerogative. Moms believe all sorts of things about their sons that have little-to-no basis in reality.
• The Star's Dave Feschuk has a good profile today on Raptors GM Maurizio Gherardini and the culture shock he got at Tim Hortons. Apparently, people in Italy know from quality coffee better than Canadians.