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TORONTO -- The Raptors have talked the talk. Now they have to walk the walk in Brooklyn. Toronto backed up their GMs two-word foray into the world of trash-talk by evening their first-round playoff series with the Nets at one game apiece via a 100-95 win Tuesday night. The series now switches to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Game 3 Friday and Game 4 Sunday. "Its going to be a new frontier," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said Wednesday prior to flying to New York. "Weve been a good road team in hostile situations, hostile gyms. Our guys have responded." Toronto collected 22 wins on the road this season, tied with Miami and Washington for tops in the Eastern Conference (the 22 road wins would have tied for eighth in the Western Conference). One of those away wins came in Brooklyn, where Toronto was 1-1 this season. The teams also split their two regular-season games at the Air Canada Centre. Add in the first two games of this series and the teams are 3-3 against each other this season. The trash-talking in Toronto has essentially been restricted to general manager Masai Ujiris out-of-nowhere insult to Brooklyn at a fan gathering prior to Game 1. But Ujiris two-word slur continues to loom large. Veteran Net Kevin Garnett, no stranger to trash-talk himself, has openly wondered what the Raptors reception will be given the GMs comment. "I dont know if you can say F Brooklyn and then come into Brooklyn," Garnett said Tuesday night. "So were about to see what its like." Trash-talking is not the 57-year-old Caseys style. A basketball coach on the court and life teacher off it, he understands talking smack is something that fuels a great player like Garnett. But he gives his young charges different advice. "I say play basketball. Youve got to play, stand up for yourself, protect your position and play basketball. Let your game speak for yourself." Toronto guard Kyle Lowry was unconcerned about what awaits in Brooklyn. "Their crowds loud," said Lowry, who points to Portland and Oklahoma City as two of the leagues more hostile stops. "They get real loud, they get chants going. "When you have a good team, your crowd is always going to give you energy. You feed off of it." Does that intimidate you, he was asked? "No. I love it," he answered. In fact, Lowry welcomes life on the road, being on hostile ground, us against the world. "Its fun. Its what you play for. It brings your competitive nature out even more. Because you want to shut the crowd up." In the Raptors first dip into the post-season waters since 2008, Lowry acknowledged "the lights were probably a little bright" for Game 1. "After that, the lights were dim," he said, meaning the team had adjusted its eyesight to the playoff picture. "Every game were going to get more comfortable," he added. Raptors star DeMar DeRozan, who went from 14 points in Saturdays 94-87 Game 1 loss to 30 points including a string of big baskets late in the Game 2 win, also admitted the playoffs have been a revelation. "Night and day," he said when asked to compare the intensity. "I wouldnt trade it for the world. Its the best feeling, to play at the highest level of basketball. But its definitely night and day because every single thing matters. Everything." Lowry said part of the Raptors coming together has been the team chemistry, which he describes as unbelievable. "I can pick up my phone and call any of my teammates and have a conversation -- serious, joking. Its just cool, its just great to have a group of guys who really get along." "We really are like a band of brothers," he said by way of summary. "Its just a great group of guys," echoed DeRozan. "I think it showed with our play throughout the whole season." That bond has been helped by the many doubters that have decried the team this season, according to Casey who has taken every opportunity to portray his team as the underdogs. "Were all fighting for something ... that bonds you when your back is against the wall," he said. "Theres nobody in the league that gives us a chance against a veteran championship-laden team as Brooklyn, except ourselves." Toronto was the beneficiary of a raucous sellout crowd the first two games of the series. Casey said the ACC atmosphere was better than championship series he has seen. Now its Brooklyns turn to have home-field advantage. "Its a new beginning, a new frontier, a new experience -- that the only way youre going to get it is to go through it," Casey said of playing on the road in the playoffs. "We can talk about it, but I have faith in our guys and confidence in our guys that were going to go in there, as a group, bonded together, and fight together. Thats all we can do." 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The Canucks figured to be active prior to Wednesdays trade deadline, getting a jump on things the previous day when they dealt goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for netminder Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias. Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . Detroits powerful offence made that unnecessary. Scherzer allowed two hits and struck out seven, and the Tigers backed their star right-hander with three early homers in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.PHILADELPHIA - The Toronto Maple Leafs loaded up on youth and gambled on the future at the NHL draft Saturday. But they also looked after the present, acquiring Roman Polak from the St. Louis Blues for fellow defenceman Carl Gunnarsson and the 94th pick in Saturdays draft. At six foot and 236 pounds, Polak is a wide body. "He makes people pay a price," said Toronto president Brendan Shanahan. "Hes honest but hes tough. Hes a hard-worker, hes a low-maintenance guy." "Hes going to provide a little bit of edge. A tough guy to play against," added GM Dave Nonis. The 28-year-old Czech native has 79 points in 424 NHL games, including four goals and nine assists last season. Nonis said Polak would probably "play in the (No.) 4-5 hole" on defence. "We envision him having a pretty significant impact on our back end," he said. Despite his size, Polak can also skate. "People who dont think he has skating ability really arent watching," said Shanahan. Gunnarsson, a 2007 seventh-rounder, had spent five seasons with the Leafs and played with captain Dion Phaneuf on the teams top defensive pairing. Gunnarssons departure opens the door to Jake Gardner and sophomore Morgan Rielly to step up the depth chart. "Those guys are going to have to take steps forward," said Nonis. "It might be a lot to ask for Morgan in his second year but he made some pretty big strides last year. And we would expect that hell take some more next (year). I think Jake is a good possibility as well. "Again that will be up to Randy (coach Randy Carlyle) to see what he wants to do wwith that.dddddddddddd But we feel there are other people that can play that role effectively with Dion." The Leafs piled pressure on their goalies last season, giving up shots in high numbers. Change was needed. "We liked our defence individually. We didnt necessarily like how they fit together last year. So we wanted to move some pieces and change the look, rebuild it a little bit. I wouldnt say its a major overhaul by doing something like this but it does give us a different element and its a player we didnt really have." A right-handed shot, Polak also fills a void on the Toronto blue-line. Nonis sees Petter Granberg, listed at six foot three and 200 pounds, as a similar-style player to Polak. But the Swede is just 21 and has played only one game for the Leafs. "To ask him to play that way and fit in as a top-six (defenceman) right away, I think might be difficult," he said. "If he does that, great, then we have even more options there." Nonis said the Leafs will "be active" during the free agency period. "If theres a fit there, I wouldnt rule out adding a defenceman and/or a forward," he said. "But I wouldnt promise it either." Toronto took Russian winger Rinat Valiev of the Kootenay Ice in the third round (68th overall), USHL winger John Piccinich in the fourth round (103rd overall), USHL centre Dakota Joseph in the fifth (128th overall), USHL winger Nolan Vesey in the sixth (158th overall) and Swedish winger Pierre Engvall in the seventh (188th). The Leafs used their first-round pick Friday night to take Swedish winger William Nylander eighth overall. ' ' '