The Brooklyn Nets will play the Toronto Raptors on Saturday lunchtime in a game that kick-starts the NBA 2014 postseason. The teams have been seeded 6<sup>th and 3<sup>rd respectively for this year's Playoffs, but seedings will count for little when the two sides come face to face this afternoon.
Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Round 1 match up takes place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, and will be a game the Raptors want to win to maintain their home advantage.
The game will tip off at 12.30 p.m. ET and can be watched on the ESPN and YES networks on TV. Alternatively the Nets vs Raptors game can be watched online through live stream – free for ESPN subscribers – via the link provided below.
The Nets should be well-rested – they sat out all five of their starters in the final game of their regular season calendar. That decision dropped the Nets down to sixth seeds in the postseason, however, it appears Brooklyn were happy for that to happen in order to rest their aging roster.
The Raptors meanwhile have had a great season. After a lackluster start of 7-13 they finished the season as the only team in the Eastern Conference with both a top 10 defense and a top 10 offense.
Their success has been built on a strong defensive unit, and the Raptors are one of the most impressive teams in the NBA for speed, size and athleticism. They have a youthful outfit – in fact it is the second youngest team in this year's NBA Playoffs. So they could be a handful for the aging Brooklyn roster to deal with.
The game starts at 12.30 p.m. ET and can be watched by clicking here.
