BROOKLYN - There are more than a few self-inflicted ways to explain the Raptors Game 3 loss, a contest they deserved to lose, but when it was all said and done the conversation surrounded a familiar quandary. How much did a series of questionable late-game calls derail Torontos comeback bid? "I mean, is that something new," Patrick Patterson asked rhetorically on the heels of Fridays 102-98 loss to Brooklyn, giving the Nets a 2-1 series advantage. Its not the first time hes made this point. Its not the first time hes had to. "In regards to calls not going our way or us feeling a certain way about referees, it has been taking place all year long," he continued. "For us to think it is going to change in the playoffs, we are fooling ourselves." The Raptors were making one final push, flirting with what would have been another unlikely comeback - which has become something of a specialty - when a couple of poor calls shifted the attention from their wretched play to the men in grey. They were down by as many as 15 points midway through the fourth quarter as they began to chip away at their well-earned deficit. Patterson hit a triple, his first of two during the run, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry both converted three-point plays. A disappointing Barclays Center crowd went from apathetic to pathetic in a hurry and before long, the Nets lead was down to four. Surprised by the comeback? "No," Patterson exclaimed. "We have done that all year long." That they have. Unfortunately, procrastination is a dangerous thing, especially in this league, especially at this time of the year. More often than not it renders you vulnerable to the elements. With 47 seconds remaining, Greivis Vasquez was whistled for a foul, one he and his team vehemently disagreed with. Moments later he was slapped with a subsequent technical foul, a rare late-game penalty - especially in the playoffs - for the fairly pedestrian protest that took place. "I wasnt really cursing or anything like that," Vasquez told reporters after the game. "I was just saying he pushed me off a little bit and they called a tech. Thats just the way it is." "I cant remember one [being called at that point of game]," DeRozan added. "Its tough, especially during that time." From that point on five fouls were called, three on the Nets, two on Toronto, one of which was intentional. The officials had put their stamp on the game. "Lets let the game be dictated by [the players]," urged Dwane Casey, who is frequently tight-lipped after his team gets jobbed by the officials, a disturbingly consistent occurrence. This night was no different. Casey began his post-game address by using whatever voice he had left to apologize for his warn out vocal cords. "Again, I like my money but Ive got to go back and look at the tape," he said, pleading the fifth. "I had a different view of [those calls] than [the officials] did." The Raptors coach was barely audible but his face said it all. This is a topic hes grown tired of dodging. "I dont want to talk about the referees," said Vasquez, another Raptor who would rather not write a cheque to the league office Saturday morning. "The referees are going to go to sleep fine, Im not going to go to sleep because we lost." "That wasnt really dictating the game or anything like that. Cant blame it on the referees. Were not going to make excuses. It was just a play and I got a tech. Its part of the game." Therein lies the unfortunate reality. The officials didnt do them any favours, they rarely do, but the Raptors can and should only look inwards. Following a hot start, carrying over from Tuesdays spirited fourth-quarter run, they were outplayed, outmuscled and outworked for the bulk of the evening. The Nets outscored Toronto 58-43 in the second and third quarters, shooting 58 per cent and holding a 20-point advantage in the paint during that stretch. Brooklyn was the aggressor on both ends of the floor and naturally that physical style of play favoured the home team. "They picked up their defence, they were a lot more aggressive," said DeRozan, who led the Raptors with his second straight 30-point outing. "Weve just got to continue to play through the hits, be more aggressive in games. Weve just got to be more conscious of doing that." Thats playoff basketball for you and no one does it better than a veteran, battle-tested team like the Nets. Want proof? See Lowry, as he hobbles out of the visitors dressing room, taking most of the boroughs ice along with him. "Hes been in a 15-round bout," Casey said of Lowry, who tweaked his right knee injury late in the first quarter, limiting him throughout the game, and needed one stitch to close up a cut - still bleeding after the game - on his lower lip. "Its part of the playoffs, man," he said. "Im happy, Im excited to be icing up at this time [of year]." Any doubt hell be in the lineup when the Nets host Game 4 on Sunday? "Is that a trick question," Lowry asked. Hell be ready to go and his team will need him. Theyll need Amir Johnson - seven points in 28 minutes Friday - to be better. Theyll need something, anything from Terrence Ross, who was held to five points, struggling in his third straight playoff contest. Theyll need to move the ball, protect it and engineer a more efficient and cohesive offence. Most of all theyll need their defence, theyll need to match Brooklyns physicality. "Its 2-1," Vasquez pointed out. "[Theres] no need to panic at all. This Sunday is going to be a must-win for us. We cant go home [down] 3-1." Custom Chicago White Sox Jerseys .com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day. Custom Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.customjerseysbaseball.com/. The thinking at the time was Clowney could have already been promised he would be selected first overall by the Houston Texans, therefore negating any need to meet with any other teams. The plot took another twist this week. Custom Milwaukee Brewers Jerseys . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1. Custom Baltimore Orioles Jerseys . Lupul injured the hand in a fall at practice on Thursday. He will wear a cast for a minimum of 10 days before he can put a glove back on it and get some mobility back, said Carlyle, who added the winger wont go on the teams upcoming road trip.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. The Mountaineers, who have won 16 of their last 25 games played at MSG, have lost just one game through the first 10 this season, a narrow 74-73 setback to LSU earlier this month during the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Since that setback WVU has rattled off two more victories, the latest being a 69-66 final versus in- state rival Marshall last weekend during the Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic in Charleston, West Virginia. With one more victory WVU head coach Bob Huggins, who trails only Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) as the third-winningest active Division I coach, will reach 750 for his career. Meanwhile the Wolfpack, which is 5-4 all-time at The Garden, most recently took the floor versus Tennessee earlier this week as it took down the Volunteers by a score of 83-72 victory. The win came on the heels of their monumental 55-54 loss to Wofford, the first in eight decades versus the Terriers. West Virginia leads the all-time series, one that began during the 1946-47 campaign, by a count of 9-7 and has captured 11 wins in its last 14 matchups versus opponents from the ACC. The most recent meeting took place during the 2007 NIT where the Mountaineers captured a 71-66 victory, their fourth in a row in the series versus NC State. After the devastating loss to Wofford, the Wolfpack came back to take down the Vols at PNC Arena on Wednesday night by double digits. Ralston Turner had a huge game with a season-high 33 points, stemming from an impressive 8-of-17 shooting beyond the arc, followed by Trevor Lacey with 20 points and eight rebounds for a squad that converted 51.dddddddddddd.1 percent from the floor and outscored Tennessee at the free-throw line, 26-12. Despite the huge effort by Turner the last time out, he is still second on the team in scoring with 14.9 ppg, trailing Lacey and his 17.2 ppg for a team producing 74.7 ppg. Between the two theyve made a total of 50 attempts from 3-point range, the rest of the team only 20 triples through 11 games. In addition to being a 44.4 percent shooter on the perimeter, Lacey is also second on the unit with 5.4 rpg and a total of 39 assists. With state bragging rights on the line, WVU and Marshall dealt with nine ties and 10 lead changes last weekend and after being tied at the half (27-27), the Mountaineers used a 17-14 scoring edge at the free-throw line in the second half to squeeze out the three-point win. Juwan Staten led four players in double figures with 15 points, followed by Jonathan Holton and Jevon Carter with 14 points and six rebounds apiece, while Gary Browne tallied 10 points off the bench. Staten, who needs 17 points to become the latest WVU player to reach 1,000 for his career, leads the program in scoring with his 15.0 ppg, thanks to a 79.2 percent effort at the free-throw line, which is a huge improvement over the team as a whole which is converting only 65.3 percent at the stripe. Holton pitches in with 11.8 ppg and a team-best 7.8 rpg, while Devin Williams follows closely in both departments with 10.2 ppg and 7.1 rpg. 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