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TORONTO - Moments after the Raptors storybook regular season came to an end, losing a meaningless game to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden Wednesday, Kyle Lowry addressed his teammates in the visitors dressing room. Turning the page, the focus immediately shifted to the challenge that lay ahead of them, their most arduous test yet and one many of them have only dreamt of, heard about or watched on television. With the battle-tested Brooklyn Nets looming - their first playoff game set to tip-off early Saturday afternoon - the Raptors are leaning on their veterans, on Lowry, his experience and leadership. What did he say to rally his troops ahead of the crucial preparation stage that precedes a postseason series? "Thats for me and my guys to know," he said, chatty as ever. "Kyle came in here, hes been in the playoffs, and told us it starts [Thursday]," DeMar DeRozan clarified, offering a little more insight. "[Thursday] morning, as soon as we come to work its going to start there - studying, understanding what they run, their tendencies." As youve probably heard by now, the Raptors are a young, inexperienced team. Theyve heard about too, its the narrative that drives this series. Lowry and Amir Johnson account for all 24 games of playoff experience in the Raptors starting lineup. Neither have been to the dance in five years, neither have ever started a postseason game. Meanwhile the Nets starters have played in 399 postseason games. They have six players who have logged more than twice as many playoff minutes as any Raptor. Theyll be reminded of it over and over again for two weeks and then, should they advance to round two, itll be revisited once again. They cant run from it, not until they prove its a non-factor, but give them credit for the effort. "I mean, it aint like its rocket science or nothing," said DeRozan, asked about making his playoff debut on Saturday. "Everybody keeps talking to me like, bringing it up like its rocket science or Ive got to know trigonometry or something. You just figure it out. You just go out there. Ive been playing this game long enough, Ive been in the league long enough, been in a lot of situations. So it shouldnt be hard." He has a point. Playoff basketball is still basketball, after all. The game is the same; its the stage that changes. The stakes that are higher and the room for error is narrowed. Some adjust to it better than others. "Everythings at stake so youve just got to be ready for everything," the all-star guard acknowledged. "I think Ive watched enough playoff basketball to see how physical it is and to see how things go. Even superstar players dont get calls out there. So Im conscious of it. Im not naive of anything. Now Im in a position to go through it myself." That heightened, more physically punishing brand of basketball has burned Raptors stars of the past. Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh all shot below 40 per cent in their first playoff series, with Carter barely breaking the 30 per cent barrier and scoring six points fewer than his average that season. "Its a different level," said Dwane Casey, who will be making his playoff debut as a head coach after winning a title as an assistant in Dallas. "Its a different level in intensity, more physicality, less fouls called. Youve got to play through it and thats one thing that theyll learn. The only way you can do that, though, is to go through it." "I dont want to overhype it to scare our guys. Its still basketball but guys will see the difference, theyll feel that as soon as they walk on the court." Along with DeRozan, sophomores Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross, as well as fourth-year forward Patrick Patterson are among the teams rotation players who have yet to experience playoff basketball. How big of a role does experience play in the postseason? Given the staggering discrepancy between the two teams, this series could solve that query as much or more than any other in recent memory. Theres no telling how Torontos players might react to the adjustments theyll have to make, both in terms of their mental approach and on-court toughness, but they wont have the luxury of a grace period, not against the team theyre up against. The Raptors cant afford to ease their way in, hosting games one and two at the Air Canada Centre - where they won 22 of their final 29 contests - before the series shifts to Brooklyns Barclays Center, a building the Nets have dominated in since Jan. 1. The most promising quality the Raptors players displayed following Thursday afternoons practice was fearlessness. Theyre not the least bit shaken by the Nets, their experience or the theory that they may have been at the top of Brooklyns postseason wish list. "I mean, were all in the same league, man," DeRozan said. "Honestly, thats how I look at it, man. Credit to them, they did what they did but we play against guys who are experienced all season, honestly." As DeRozan has pointed out, their young legs may also be beneficial against an older, slower club. Although they rank towards the bottom of the league in fast break points - just marginally ahead of the Nets - the Raptors have been able to get out and run against Brooklyn this season. However, the spaced out schedule - with their first four games spanning nine days - at least appears to favour the veteran Nets, who will get a chance to recharge their batteries following each contest, a concern Patterson expressed on Thursday. Torontos true advantage my lie in their size and strength up front, if they choose to utilize it. The Nets turned around their once disastrous season in part by featuring their small lineup, with two point guards in the backcourt and Paul Pierce at the four spot. Although closing out on Brooklyns shooters and defending Pierce on the perimeter presents a challenge in and of itself, they were ranked second to last in rebounding and the Raptors bested them on the boards by 19 this year. Kevin Garnett, who played in just two of the four meetings this season, is nearing his NBA swan song but is still a difference maker defensively and on the glass when hes on the court. The Raptors could force the issue by attacking the paint, putting pressure of Garnett and the Nets frontcourt, void of a true shot blocking presence. "We know who the match-ups are," Casey said. "Weve just got to take it and dissect it and take advantage of the things we have an advantage in, which is our speed, athleticism and our energy. Weve got to keep a fast tempo in the game." Wholesale Air Max 90 . James Jones got his turn Sunday. And the lift he brought, combined with the expected playoff showings from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, have the Heat off and running in these playoffs. Cheap Air Max 90 Free Shipping .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. http://www.wholesaleairmax90canada.com/. Now Arizonas new manager is hoping Yasmany Tomas can have the same effect on the Diamondbacks. Air Max 90 Canada Sale Cheap Authentic Air Max 90 .2 million in 2012, according to tax returns the league has submitted.SAO PAULO - Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is worried the street protests that are planned during the World Cup could hurt his teams chances of winning the title. Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right time." He said the protests "could, big-time" affect his players performance during the World Cup, although he will not prohibit them from talking about the subject during the tournament. In an interview with Globo TV late Sunday, Scolari also said Brazil should have done a better job in its preparations for the World Cup, and said he has already made up his mind on 21 of the 23 players of his squad. Violent anti-government protests erupted across Brazil last year as people took to the streets calling for better services and questioning the billions being spent on hosting the World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. The protests have since diminished in size, but they are widely expected again in the run-up to this years football tournament. "I think the protests can happen," Scolari said. "If they are peaceful, then thats democracy. Everyone has the right to protest. But I dont know if its the right time." The coach had already tried to distance the national team from the protests during last years Confederations Cup, when the largest public demonstrations in a generation broke out at the start of the warm-up tournament. Protests happenned in all six host cities at the time, although matches and teams were not directly affected as Brazil went on to win the title.dddddddddddd The players openly talked about the protests last year and the coach said they will be allowed to do it again during the World Cup. "They are national team players and they are on a mission," he said. "They can express themselves and say look, I also want a better Brazil, but I dont want it to be something that causes problems to our environment." Scolari also criticized Brazils preparations for the World Cup, saying that the country wasted time and should have done more to get things ready more quickly. "We could have done a better job to take advantage of these seven years that we had to prepare everything that was going to be needed, from airports to roads to education," he said. "But we lost time and we now we are out of time." Scolari last week confirmed nine players who will make Brazils squad — David Luiz, Oscar, Ramires, Willian, Paulinho, Julio Cesar, Thiago Silva, Fred and Neymar — and on Sunday he said there are only two spots remaining in the team. "We are still making observations, there are a lot of things we are still looking at," he said. Scolari will announce the official 23-man squad on May 7. Seven possible alternates will be announced later. Brazil will play friendlies against Panama and Serbia just before the World Cup opener against Croatia on June 12. ' ' '