Nets vs. Raptors: NBA Rivalry Rundown

The Brooklyn Nets were founded in 1967 as the New Jersey Americans of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The franchise changed its name to the New York Nets a year later after starting to play home games in Long Island. The Nets were one of four ABA teams absorbed by the NBA as part of the 1976 merger. The team moved to New Jersey a year later before a long stretch of misery. In fact, the New Jersey Nets sputtered for the better part of 35 years before moving back to New York and becoming the Brooklyn Nets in 2012. The Nets finished with a losing record in five of their first six ABA seasons. The first flicker of hope came when future Hall of Famer Rick Barry led them to the 1972 ABA Finals. Julius Erving won the ABA MVP in his first season with New York before leading the Nets past Utah for their first ABA title in 1974. Erving was the ABA's brightest star. “Dr. J” finished in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, free throw percentage, and three-point shooting percentage in the final ABA season that resulted in the Nets' second championship. Unfortunately, the Nets made a franchise-altering blunder by selling Erving's contract to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976 to finance the cost of joining the NBA. The Nets, who moved back to New Jersey in 1977, won just one playoff series in their first 25 years in the NBA. Eventually, though, future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd lifted the franchise out of the basement by helping the Nets reach back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. The Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012 and bottomed out with two 60- and one 50-loss seasons from 2016 to 2018. The tide turned in 2019, though, when they signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and added James Harden in 2021 to create a formidable Big Three.

The Toronto Raptors joined the NBA in 1995 as part of the league's expansion into Canada. The Raptors became the only NBA team north of the border after the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2001. The Raptors won their only NBA championship in 2019 after years of living in the margins. Toronto missed the playoffs in its first four seasons before enduring another four-year playoff drought from 2003 to 2006. The Raptors won only one playoff series in their first 25 seasons before reversing course. General manager Isiah Thomas, who led the Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles in the late 1980s to early '90s, was tasked with building a team from scratch in 1995. He hit on first-round picks Damon Stoudamire and Marcus Camby, but there was still plenty missing. The franchise's fortunes changed when new GM Glen Grunwald traded for University of North Carolina star Vince Carter at the 1998 NBA Draft. Carter helped Toronto earn its first playoff berth in 2000 before the Knicks swept them in the matchup. The Raptors' prolific scorer led the way to a franchise-record 47 wins and the first playoff series victory in 2001. The Raptors plummeted after a three-year playoff run. A disgruntled Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2004. Chris Bosh became the face of the franchise but didn't win a title until he joined LeBron James in Miami years later. The Raptors won their first playoff series in 15 years by outlasting the Indiana Pacers in 2016 before falling to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. Toronto finally captured the brass ring after a blockbuster trade to land Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard in 2018. The Raptors foiled the Warriors' bid for a three-peat in the Finals. Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason. Toronto re-tooled by adding OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, and Khem Birch with the hope of claiming the big prize again. The Raptors played their home games during the 2020-21 season in Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, due to coronavirus-related Canadian travel restrictions.

The Nets and Raptors rivalry started at the very beginning for Toronto. The new kids on the NBA block squared off against the Nets in their first regular-season game in 1995. Although the Raptors beat the Nets in their franchise lid-lifter, they didn't have much to cheer about during their humble beginnings. The dynamic between the clubs changed when the Raptors moved from the Central Division to join the Nets in the Atlantic Division in 2004. The new divisional setup made for a natural storyline, but the rivalry didn't truly take off until a villain emerged.

Vince Carter was everything the Raptors had hoped for when they traded for him during the 1998 NBA draft. The high-flying star became the main attraction in a hockey-crazed town with his penchant for scoring whenever and however he felt like it. Carter was nicknamed “Air Canada,” “Vinsanity,” and “Half Man, Half Amazing” for his high-wire act. Raptors fans embraced his thrill-a-minute style of play, keeping their fingers crossed that he would take them to the Promised Land. Carter's supporting cast did him no favors, though. The perennial All-Star couldn't carry the Raptors past the second round in three playoff trips from 2000 to 2002. Carter's mistrust of ownership and management grew before the dam broke. His request for a trade was granted. A new rivalry was born on Dec. 17, 2004, when the Raptors traded Carter to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, and two first-round picks. Carter teamed up with Jason Kidd in New Jersey and left behind a loyal fan base that would not let him forget about his betrayal. Carter became Public Enemy No. 1 in Toronto, and a new rivalry was born.

Raptors fans' hatred for Carter was unmatched. They reviled him unlike any other sports figure, burning Carter's jersey and making it clear that he was not welcomed back to his former home. Carter was unmercifully booed every time he touched the ball in his first game back in Toronto in 2005. Fans wore “FUVC” T-shirts and No. 15 baby bibs to let him know exactly how they felt about his desire to divorce them. Carter, however, remained undaunted by filling up the stats sheet (39 points, nine rebounds) to help the Nets defeat the Raptors. The Raptors fans didn't let go of their anger. Carter was showered with boos every time he returned to Toronto. Carter seemingly enjoyed being the villain, repeatedly torching his former team in the face of all the vitriol. His 20-point performance in Toronto early in the 2005-06 season amid all the boos prompted him to admit that all the noise was “beautiful.” Later that season, Carter drilled a buzzer-beating fadeaway three-pointer to cap a brilliant 42-point, 10-rebound performance to beat the Raptors. Although Raptors fans would give Carter a warm embrace years later for a 20th-anniversary celebration, they were filled with anger throughout Carter's five-year tenure with the Nets. Carter was the seed that helped both franchises despise each other. The Nets and Raptors squared off for the first time in the playoffs in 2007. Toronto's remarkable turnaround from a 55-loss season to a playoff team helped Sam Mitchell earn NBA Coach of the Year honors and general manager Bryan Colangelo NBA Executive of the Year honors. Chris Bosh and T.J. Ford faced off against the Nets that featured the three-headed attack of Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson. The Raptors had visions of making a deep playoff run but lost to Carter & Co. in six games. It would be the only time that Carter's Nets played the Raptors in the postseason, though Carter wasn't done tormenting the Raptors fans. He put a dagger through their hearts once again with a performance for the ages in November 2008, drilling a last-season three-pointer to force overtime before a game-winning reverse dunk off an alley-oop. Carter's heroics overshadowed Bosh's 42-point performance in the losing effort. The rivalry lay dormant for several years after Carter, who was at the center of the hatred, was traded from the Nets to the Orlando Magic. The next chapter of the clash began when the Nets moved to Brooklyn. The Nets' trade for veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett reignited the rivalry with the Raptors, who were on the rise with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The teams squared off in the postseason for the second time in a classic first-round series in 2014. The Nets and Raptors, who finished atop the Atlantic Division standings, played a wildly entertaining series that climaxed when Pierce blocked Lowry in the waning moments of Game 7 to help the Nets advance. The Raptors swept the Nets in the playoffs in the NBA Bubble in 2020. Fred VanVleet's 30 points and 11 assists paced Toronto in the series opener. Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris left the NBA Bubble for nonmedical reasons after Brooklyn's loss in Game 2. Pascal Siakam starred in Game 3 to overshadow Nets guard Tyler Johnson's 23-point performance. The Raptors set a single-game record with 100 bench points to complete the series sweep. The Nets added Blake Griffin after the season to help them reload for a championship run.

No player personified the Raptors and Nets rivalry more than Vince Carter, who fueled all of the hate after wanting out of Toronto. Carter's exemplary play coupled with Toronto fans' deep-seated disgust for the former Raptors hero made for great theater. But there were others who added to the rivalry. Richard Jefferson was much more than a third wheel for the Nets. While Carter and Kidd received most of the accolades, Jefferson was a key piece to the puzzle. His heroics in the series-clinching game in the first round of the 2007 playoffs still makes Toronto fans' blood boil. Jefferson's layup with eight seconds remaining in Game 6 gave the Nets the lead. But the Raptors still had a final chance to escape with a win and force a decisive Game 7. Jefferson, however, ended Toronto's season with a series-clinching steal in the waning moments. Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri also thrust himself into the rivalry in 2014 after whispers that the Nets had tanked late in the season to purposely avoid the Chicago Bulls in the first round. Ujiri and the fans took that as a slap in the face. Ujiri got caught up in the moment during a Raptors rally before the start of the series and told the crowd “F--- Brooklyn!” The Brooklyn Borough President chimed in with a sanitized rebuttal in what had all the makings of a hyped prize fight. Even after the NBA fined Ujiri $25,000 for his profane public message, the Raptors GM reiterated that he simply didn't like the Nets. Pierce and Garnett took center stage for the Nets during the ensuing series, but Joe Johnson was the quiet assassin who ended the Raptors season. Johnson's 28-point performance in Game 7 still annoys Raptors diehards.

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