Raptors' Final Shot At Series Win Denied By Paul Pierce

The Raptors were doing everything right in the final minutes of Game 7. They were quickly scoring and fouling right after. With a sloppy inbounds pass, Terrence Ross was smart enough to bounce the ball off of the Nets' Paul Pierce before he went out of bounds, giving Toronto a chance to win their first seven-game playoff series ever.

Air Canada Centre was thrilled when they realized the opportunity presented to the Raps. Drake was preening on the sideline. Maple Leaf Square—temporarily dubbed Jurassic Park to stick with the dinosaur theme—was buzzing. Six seconds, down by one, with the ball. A Toronto team was taking advantage of another team's collapse. They could totally do this.

Kyle Lowry received the inbounds, and it appeared that he was tasked with taking the last shot. All the smart play that led up to this went away as Lowry struggled with Kevin Garnett and Deron Williams while none of his teammates attempted to get open. Lowry fumbled the ball, but recovered put up a shot, and the ancient, wily, loathed-by-teams-he-doesn't-play-for Paul Pierce expounded what may have been the last dregs of his youth to tap Lowry's shot away, taking all the raging energy in Toronto away in an instant.

[ABC]