Schedule and 2013-14 Results
Regular Season Records: Toronto 48-34, Brooklyn 44-38
Game 1 on Saturday, 19 April: Brooklyn wins at Toronto, 94-pts-87
Game 2 on Tuesday, 22 April: Brooklyn loses at Toronto, 100-pts-95
Game 3 on Friday, 25 April: Toronto loses at Brooklyn, 102-pts-98
Game 4 on Sunday, 27 April: Toronto wins at Brooklyn, 87-pts-79
Game 5 on Wednesday, 30 April: Brooklyn loses at Toronto, 115-pts-113
Game 6 on Friday, 2 May: Toronto loses at Brooklyn, 97-pts-83
Game 7 on Sunday, 4 May: Brooklyn wins at Toronto, 104-pts-103

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The Brooklyn Nets visited and defeated the Toronto Raptors 104-pts-103 to complete a 4-games-3 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1238 victory. With the series 1238 win, the Brooklyn Nets improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 1-1 overall and 1-1 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1238 loss, the Toronto Raptors see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Brooklyn Nets in series 1238 was WLWLLWW: Series 1238 thus becomes the first NBA Preliminary-round series, the fifth NBA series (all rounds), and the 16th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. With the series 1238 loss, the Toronto Raptors have now lost their first four best-of-7 NBA playoff series, and thus are approaching the Detroit Pistons for most best-of-7 NBA playoff series losses at the outset of entity existence (six such series were lost by Detroit before the Pistons notched their first best-of-7 NBA playoff series victory). The Raptors’ municipal mates, the NHL Maple Leafs and the MLB Blue Jays, each lost their first three best-of-7 playoff series before winning their fourth such series. The NHL Phoenix Coyotes and the old NHL Hartford Whalers each lost an MLB/NBA/NHL-worst seven best-of-7 playoff series (without the Hartford Whalers’ having ever won one) from the outset of their respective existences. The sum of the victory margins in the seven games of series 1238 was 41 points – the second smallest such sum in a best-of-7 format NBA Preliminary-round series lasting all seven games (next only to series 1177, in which the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2012 NBA Preliminary round, and in which the sum of the seven victory margins was only 37 points).

After Game 6: The Brooklyn Nets hosted and defeated the Toronto Raptors 97-pts-83 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1238 at 3-games-all. When tied 3-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Toronto Raptors have a Game 7 record of 0-1, while the Brooklyn Nets have a Game 7 record of 0-1.

After Game 5: The Toronto Raptors hosted and outscored the Brooklyn Nets 115-pts-113 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1238 lead of 3-games-2. The Toronto Raptors thus take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series lead of 3-games-2 for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Brooklyn Nets have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 6 record of 1-0. Despite losing series 1238 Game 5 and falling behind 3-games-2 in their series, the Brooklyn Nets outscored the host Toronto Raptors 44-pts-24 in the fourth quarter: In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games since and including 1947, series 1238 Game 5 marks only the seventh game in which the visitors outscored their hosts by 20+ points in the fourth quarter, and only the second game in which they did so but lost the game (the first: series 136 Game 6, in which the Boston Celtics did so in St. Louis against the old Hawks in the 1960 NBA Finals).

After Game 4: The Toronto Raptors visited and topped the Brooklyn Nets 87-pts-79 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1238 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 5 record of 0-1, while the Nets as the “Brooklyn Nets” are tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the first time.

After Game 3: The Brooklyn Nets hosted and outscored the Toronto Raptors 102-pts-98 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1238 lead of 2-games-1. The Nets as the “Brooklyn Nets” are leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1 for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 4 record of 0-2.

After Game 2: The Toronto Raptors hosted and bested the Brooklyn Nets 100-pts-95 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1238 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 3 record of 1-1, while the Nets as the “Brooklyn Nets” have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 3 record of 0-1.

After Game 1: The Brooklyn Nets visited and defeated the Toronto Raptors 94-pts-87 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1238 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Nets as the “Brooklyn Nets” have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 2 record of 0-1. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Toronto Raptors have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 2 record of 1-1.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2013-14 NBA regular season, Toronto finished four games ahead of Brooklyn. From 1947 through the 2013 NBA Finals round, inclusive, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by four regular-season games, they have posted a 24-10 (.706) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1238 is the second best-of-7 NBA playoff series for the Nets as the “Brooklyn Nets,” and the fourth for Toronto. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, Brooklyn has a 0-1 series record, a 0-1 Preliminary-round series record, and a 1-0 Game 1 record, while Toronto has a 0-3 series record, a 0-2 Preliminary-round record, and a 1-2 Game 1 record. Series 1238 is the first best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the “Brooklyn” Nets and Toronto; in series 1007, the New Jersey Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors in the 2007 NBA Preliminary round, in the only previous best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between the Raptors and the Nets (irrespective of geographical designation).