Nets dump Raptors in NBA playoff opener

 Paul Pierce found his form in the final minutes, sparkingthe Brooklyn Nets over the Toronto Raptors 94-87 Saturday in the opening game oftheir NBA first-round playoff series.Pierce scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Nets took a road winto launch the best-of-seven Eastern Conference matchup.Kevin Garnett, who won an NBA crown with Pierce in Boston and joined him in beingtraded to Brooklyn, scored his first basket of the game with 3:38 remaining to givethe Nets a 79-76 lead.Pierce followed with a 3-pointer and the 36-year-old playmaker added a layup and apair of jumpers, scoring nine Nets points in a row as part of a game-ending 19-11 run for the triumph."Just veteran experience," Pierce said. "A lot of those moments could have goneeither way. I thought I had the matchup and I took advantage of it."A young Raptors lineup battled back to briefly lead in the fourth quarter beforePierce's heroics."I'll use my experience and leadership to help the guys," Pierce said. "We're not going to get rattled. We stayed together. We stayed calm during their runs andplayed together down the stretch." Joe Johnson and Deron Williams each scored 24 points to lead the Nets.Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 22 points while Venezuelan guard Greivis Vasquez cameoff the bench to score 18 for the Raptors and Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunasadded 17 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Source: AFP