The Raptors began the series with a whimper, their inexperience showing in the Nets' easy Game 1 victory. They haven't displayed those nerves lately, however, winning two of the last three games to take back home-court advantage as the teams prepare for Wednesday's Game 5 in Toronto with the best-of-seven playoff series tied 2-2.
DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors 24-year-old All-Star, has mirrored his team's play. He was a dud in the series opener, scoring 14 points on 3-of-13 shooting, but has looked like a postseason veteran since. He registered back-to-back 30-point performances in Games 2 and 3, and added 22 points in the 87-79 Game 4 win on Sunday, exploding for 18 first-half points as Toronto built a big early lead.
"He has confidence. He's growing," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said on a conference call Monday. "He's made himself an All-Star, that's a confidence builder. Confidence is a huge issue in this league. He went through Game 1, experienced that, got that out of the way.
"From that, he grew and gained confidence. He's continued to grow and he probably will be the first to tell you he's not a finished product."
Neither are the Raptors. Casey repeatedly described his team as a group that is still learning.
"We're a young team. Nobody expected us to be here," the coach said. "The guys are growing as we go. That's the hard part of being a young team in the playoffs."
The Raptors built a 17-point lead Sunday night, only to quickly cough it up, before finishing strong, closing the Game 4 victory on a 14-2 run over the final 5:56. Aside from the Game 1 setback, Toronto has been the better team down the stretch. The Raptors eked out a Game 2 victory, nearly eliminated a 15-point fourth quarter deficit in Game 3 and then pulled out the victory Sunday night.
"That's been our personality throughout the year, playing hard in the fourth quarter," Casey said. "The guys don't quit. They've never given up. They leave it on the court. … That's something you try to develop and the guys have developed that personality and it has carried over into the playoffs."
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Casey said point guard Kyle Lowry (right knee) should be fine Wednesday and former Knick Landry Fields (back spasms) is feeling better and could return as well after missing Game 4.
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