Brooklyn Nets: 3 most satisfying moments of playoff clinch vs Raptors

The Brooklyn Nets came into Tuesday night’s clash against the Toronto Raptors with revenge on their minds. Not only were they looking to avoid a season sweep of the series, but the Raptors had beaten them in 20 of their last 22 meetings, if you can believe it.

By the time the fourth quarter buzzer sounded, however, the Nets had taken care of business, defeating their inner conference rival by a final score of 116-103. In doing so, Brooklyn became the first team in the East to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

While the Nets clearly haven’t taken the regular season as seriously as some other teams around the league, next up on their agenda will be locking down the No. 1 overall seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

As long as the roster remains intact for the duration of the campaign, they, despite their somewhat difficult remaining schedule, should be able to accomplish that goal. In the meantime, however, let’s highlight some of the best moments from Tuesday’s playoff clincher.

3. Blake Griffin Clutch Three

The final score would suggest this wasn’t a down-to-the-wire game, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. The Nets actually didn’t pull away until late in the fourth quarter, where they held a distinct 16-point advantage (36-20) over Toronto.

With just under nine minutes remaining in regulation, Brooklyn was actually trailing by six points and the contest looked there for the taking. That was until Joe Harris and Blake Griffin responded with a 6-0 run to knot up the score at 90.

Blake Griffin just continues to deliver for the Brooklyn Nets.

Harris’ three was followed by a stop on defense. On the subsequent possession, backup point guard Mike James found Griffin wide open at the top of the key. After a brief moment of hesitation, the six-time All-Star pulled up and drained the three.

From there, the Nets wouldn’t look back.

In many ways, this highlight is just a microcosm of the impact Griffin has made off the bench of late, as he finished the game with 17 points, six rebounds and two steals on 6-of-11 shooting.

2. Filthy Mike James Step Back

Let’s just say the Nets are extremely fortunate that Mike James, who they recently signed to a 10-day contract, left EuroLeague juggernaut CSKA Moscow last month after he was suspended indefinitely following a heated altercation with his head coach.

James came up huge for Brooklyn vs the Raptors, especially in the fourth quarter.

With the Nets trying to put the game to bed with just over five minutes remaining, Fred VanVleet drained a deep three to cut Toronto’s deficit to five points.

Mike James was as good as advertised off of the Brooklyn Nets’ bench.

Then, however, James cleared out the left side of the court after a switch on defense saw him isolated against Raptors big man Khem Birch.

Clearly aware that this was a glaring mismatch, James unleashed a dazzling sequence of dribbles before draining a step back jumper in Birch’s grill to put Brooklyn up seven with 4:58 left on the game clock.

That shot in that moment took guts and proved James belongs on this stage, as he finished with 11 points, three rebounds and eight assists (a team high) on 4-of-5 shooting and a +9 in 21 minutes off the bench.

If the former undrafted talent continues playing like this, don’t be surprised if the Nets sign him for the rest of the season.

1. Jeff Green Dunk

On a night where Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving failed to make their usual impact– they combined to score 26 points on just 8-of-20 shooting — Jeff Green really helped fill their void.

For the game, Uncle Jeff tallied a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while shooting 50% from the floor. Only five of those points came in final 12 minutes, but Green was a huge reason why the Nets were able to remain within striking distance early on.

What more is there to say about Jeff Green’s influence on the Brooklyn Nets?

Amazingly enough, the winner for our most satisfying moment of the clinching game was the basket after James’ cold-blooded step back.

Finding himself running the Nets’ offense down the stretch, the 30-year-old guard executed a picturesque pick and roll with Green, who threw down a one-handed flush after a beautiful pass from James that gave him a free lane to the hoop … and Brooklyn another eight-point cushion.

On a side note, Raptors star Pascal Siakam made a wise business decision by choosing not to meet Green at the rim. Toronto’s coaching staff probably would’ve liked to see a more inspired defensive effort with the game on the line, but Nets fans weren’t complaining.

There you have it, folks: the three most satisfying moments of Brooklyn’s playoff clincher.

Next up for head coach Steve Nash’s side is a road clash against the Pacers, who just got steamrolled by the free-falling Trail Blazers, on Thursday night, as they continue their quest to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

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