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Carter returns to Toronto as Nets face Raptors in Game One

Apr 21, 2007 - 1:20 PM New Jersey at Toronto 12:30 pm EDT Eastern Conference First Round Game One

TORONTO (Ticker) - Vince Carter will get a chilly reception when he returns to his old stomping grounds.

Carter and the New Jersey Nets aim to jump on an inexperienced foe when they travel to Toronto to face the Raptors in Game One of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday.

Carter, who spent the first six-plus years of his career with Toronto, powered New Jersey to four straight victories down the stretch to help the Nets (41-41) finish at .500 and gain the sixth seed in the postseason.

The 31-year old guard returns to face the Raptors after he was traded by Toronto on December 17, 2004 after proclaiming publicly that he wasn't playing hard.

The eight-time All-Star will be ably assisted by fellow guard Jason Kidd, who averaged 9.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 10.7 assists in his last nine games for New Jersey, which went 7-2 in those contests.

The Nets will have to contend with rising star Chris Bosh, who is the new face of third-seeded Toronto. The 6-10 forward raised his game to a new level, averaging a career-best 22.6 points along with 10.7 rebounds in 69 games to lead the Raptors to their first-ever Atlantic Division title.

However the two-time All-Star was not his dominant self in the three games he faced New Jersey this season, averaging of 17.0 points and just 6.7 boards. The Raptors finished 2-2 vs. the Nets, winning just once with Bosh in the lineup.

It will be up to New Jersey big men Mikki Moore and Jason Collins to handle Bosh if the Nets want to advance. Moore posted his second-best scoring effort (22 points) of the season when New Jersey beat the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in a playoff-type atmosphere.

Game Two is on Tuesday.