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." Wholesale NHL Jerseys .com) - The San Francisco Giants delivered plenty of big hits to tie the World Series. Authentic NHL Jerseys . "After consultation with the Team USA medical staff and officials, it was determined that he should return to Winnipeg as a precaution due to his previous injury history," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Wednesday in a statement. https://www.cheapnhljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . That was OK with him. He was just happy his team came away with two points. Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. NHL Jerseys . Sizemore, who turned 29 on Jan. 4, has been limited to six games over the past two seasons because of an injured left knee that twice required surgery. He originally got hurt on Feb. 25, 2012, during a fielding drill in Oaklands first full-squad spring training workout and had surgery that March 21 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Cheap NHL Jerseys . Jose Bautista homered for the fifth straight game in the sixth inning, following a two-out solo homer by Melky Cabrera. Edwin Encarnacion led off the seventh with a homer to tie the game 3-3 and, with two out in the seventh, Munenori Kawasaki came through with the two-out single to score pinch-runner Steve Tolleson with what proved to be the winning run.Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart talks through the best and worst of his derby moments on Soccer AM. With the Manchester giants set to collide on Super Sunday, the City shot-stopper goes through some memorable moments from down the years.The First - Man Utd 1-2 Man City [Old Trafford] 10 February, 2008 Darius Vassell was on target at Old Trafford It was my first time at Old Trafford to play. It was the 50th year anniversary to the Munich disaster so we wore really old school kits. We literally had the Man Utd badge and the Man City badge. It was a great occasion, Benjani (Mwaruwari) scored and Darius Vassell. It was a dream come true. The Last - Man Utd 0-0 Man City [Old Trafford] 25 October, 2015 The last Manchester derby ended in a bore draw The last derby was a bore draw - it wasnt a great game. Man Utd didnt get many chances. I think Chrissy (Smalling) had a late chance off a (Marouane) Felliani knockdown and just managed to head it wide. It was an important point and hopefully it will prove a more important one at the end of the season.That Goal - Man Utd 2-1 Man City [Old Trafford] 12 February, 2011 Wayne Rooney with that maginificent bicycle kick Obviously the ball deflected off a Nani cross and Wazza (Rooney) swears blind to me that it came off his shin, but his celebration - the fact that it was the winner - it hurt me, it was against me and it cost us the derby. But like I said it was a special moment for a special player.The Best - Man City 1-0 Man Utd [Etihad Stadium] 30 April, 2012 Vincent Kompany headed home the winner in 2012 The best has to be the 6-1 victory - or was it? I dont know.dddddddddddd That was a special because of the score, but when we played Man Utd with a couple of games to go, I think it was on a Monday night and a huge deal was made of it all across the world. It was practically a title decider. Vinny (Kompany) scored a fantastic header and went on to win the game 1-0 and went on to win out first ever title.The Worst - Man Utd 4-2 Man City [Old Trafford] 12 April, 2015 Marouane Fellaini scored in the 4-2 win last season We lost the game 4-2 which was an all-round bad game. It was a real low point in a pretty exciting career so far at Manchester City, especially in the last couple of years. It was a really bad game and we really didnt do ourselves justice.Next - Man City v Man Utd [Etihad Stadium] 20 March, 2016 Hart will be out for another famous derby day win on Sunday Weve been disappointing the last two games, two 0-0 draws which is not where we want to be. Weve been struggling a bit for form. Weve got so much that were fighting for and that much riding on the game that we cant really change how you approach the game because we go to win every single game - its all about three points.Watch the Super Sunday clash between Manchester City v Manchester United on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm. Also See: Sky Live: Man City v Man United Redknapp: City to win derby Kompany faces two months out Get Sky Sports ' ' '