So was I the only one having flashbacks to last season when Chris Bosh missed the second of two free throws with 15 seconds left? Jason Kidd getting the rebound, down by 2 points with no timeouts, streaking down the right side, handing it off to Vince Carter…
As this happened, all I could think was: ohmygod if Vince hits a three I'm not leaving here alive.
Lucky for me, and the Raptors, Carter passed the ball to Bostjan Nachbar who missed badly on his three point attempt and the Raptors walked away with a 98-96 victory.
I'm so happy that the Raptors showed some heart and toughness and pride. I don't mind if they lose the series now; at least they went out with a bit of fight, not like pussycats. I fear they may get blown out again in Jersey - I think the Raptors may be so relieved to have won this one, they won't have anything left for game 6. But that's OK. They rewarded the home crowd with a great effort.
And you know, to everyone saying “47 wins, division championship, it all means nothing”… well, look at what a difference home court makes. That's why you win 47 games. (Of course, if we'd won game 1…. How big is that loss looking now? If the Raptors had been able to take that one, I'd still believe we'd take this series in six or seven.)
Even though they lost the big lead, I still thought the Raps played a decent second half - the Nets just shot the lights out in the fourth. Well, except for Nachbar. The Raps were lucky he had such an off-game. From the second it left his hand, you could tell that last shot wasn't going in.
What are the odds of both of Toronto PGs going down with injury? Sigh. Well, at least they have two days off… and at least they now have a valid excuse for losing game six. 
If Derek Martin needs to play more than 2:00 we're dead in the water. But what a game Jose Calderon had, on both ends of the floor. I feel like it was a success that he held Kidd without a triple double! Tells you how amazing Kidd’s been in this series. But Jose’s been pretty impressive too, all series long; last night was just his best performance yet. He even inspired a “Jose, Jose-Jose-Jose” chant – an instant classic. It was like a soccer game!!
Mitchell finally made some adjustments that worked, starting with moving MoPete into (and Rasho out of) the starting lineup. The Andrea Bargnani, MoPete, TJ Ford, Anthony Parker, Chris Bosh lineup was very effective, jumping out to the big lead (perhaps not coincidentally, that lineup also closed out the game 2 victory).
The Nets definitely had trouble with Andrea being out there and the spacing was much better. The small lineup is a smart move, when you think about it - after all, Jason Collins doesn't play offense, why bother leaving Rasho out there to guard him? And Mikki Moore only really scores on dump-offs from Kidd and Carter, so Bargnani can handle him no problem.
If only Bosh coulda stayed on the floor… or you know, contributed anything of value at all on the offensive end. Our MVP is laying a big fat egg in this series - in that sense, it’s amazing we’ve even managed to win two games. And that missed dunk!! Oh, man. That was almost the TSN Turning Point right there. If he made it, that would have been the ball game. Instead he missed it, the Nets score on the other end… and well, it went down to the wire. Geez. At least he showed up on defense…
The other adjustment I liked was the way they put Joey Graham in the post. Sure, he only scored on it twice, but it changes the way the Nets have to defend – he’s big and strong and you have to guard him there (they could leave him open on the perimeter). It also opened up the Bargnani-Calderon pick and roll a bit.
Overall, it was true “Raptors basketball” - everyone got involved, everyone contributed. Even Juan Dixon, who still can't hit a freakin' shot, actually played great defense on Carter on the final drive!
MoPete really was sensational. Hit big shots (3-3 from downtown!) and played defense, and played practically the entire game before fouling out (and at least two of his fouls were basically air fouls). And it was probably his last game at the ACC as a Raptor. I'm happy he got the chance, and happy he came through. Seriously, it's gonna be a sad day when he goes somewhere else.
Speaking of defense, I liked the hard fouls the Raps were dishing out. Finally! No easy layups (although Vince made a couple great shots even when getting fouled). I loved it when Joey tackled Boone.
I gotta say, the NBA needs to do something about the consistency of the refs. I mean, in the first two games, guys were getting mugged but the refs swallowed the whistle. (There wasn't much to call in games 3-4, of course). Then last night, you breathed on a guy and got whistled. How are the players suppposed to know how physical they can play when every game is called differently? I'm not saying the officiating was bad (though Bosh's block on Jefferson was about the worst call I've ever seen, it was 100% clean as a whistle), but it was so different from the first two games, it would drive me crazy as a player.
Oh, and it's about time Mikki Moore got T'ed up. That guy bitches at every single call! Someone should tell him he's Mikki Moore, not Rasheed Wallace. Last one full season without a D-League stint and maybe you'll get some respect, you scrub. And get a Goddamn haircut.
Anyway, great game, and now, I'm OK with the season ending on Friday - at least now we can go into the offseason without the bad taste in our mouths that three straight losses would have left. Of course, they pull off the miracle in Game Six, Game Seven is going to be off the charts! I’m going to have to go to that one. No way will I be able to handle it, watching it at home – I’ll be freaking out, climbing the walls, yelling and screaming and throwing things… being in the arena actually keeps me calm, and getting caught up in the chanting and cheering (and booing) gives an outlet for my energy.
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