They’ve been three and mostly easy for the Raptors, who say they’re motivated by “something bigger” in the series with the Nets

The Toronto Raptors had never gone 3-0 in a playoff series but, by then, only 25 years had passed. Every Raptors playoff series in recent history had included anxiety, heartache, a hint or more of doubt, and occasionally despair. It also happened against Orlando last year, when the Raptors decided to play hard after finishing first place, and it went pretty well from there. But they lost the first game.

But the defending champions are comfortable and confident in the bubble, and after a 117-92 Game 3 win to a 3-0 lead in their first-round streak with the Brooklyn Nets, they are in complete control. It’s as it should be, of course. The Nets were not only injured by injuries, they were also decimated by COVID-19, and then their best shooter, Joe Harris, left the bubble for personal reasons. As fragmented as the leftovers are, this is not a fair fight. The Raptors made sure to remind everyone involved.

“The good thing is we know we have something to lose,” said Raptors center Serge Ibaka, who beat the smaller Nets by 20 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. “It’s not like we’re here, you know what, alright. No, we have something to lose if we lose, and that’s really the thing that motivates us to stay focused, because we know we’re playing for something bigger.

“We have a chance, we believe in us, we have a chance. This is one of the reasons we can’t come here and play. We can’t come here and play well. We have to stay stuck as a team and try to improve every night. “

He was obviously talking about the defense of the NBA title. Obviously it is not the same. The league may make extra noise in the stage arena, but it’s not a real street game. The field changes color, but everything else is the same. All that’s left is the boiled essence of a basketball game and who plays it best.

The Raptors, from start to finish, played better. They took away Jarrett Allen’s easy baskets in the center, and he didn’t attempt a basket. They took away Brooklyn’s ability to get to the edge: The Nets made four shots in or around the restricted area, while the Raptors, in the middle of the fourth quarter before garbage time started, had 15.

And again the Toronto office took turns. Pascal Siakam found his touch again for 26 points, albeit on 23 shots; Fred VanVleet has continued to bomb the three at a similar rate to Steph Curry’s, and is 17 out of 31 in his three games so far. Kyle Lowry was the glue between the cracks again and many three spikes fell. The Raptors have been in charge all night.

And they ended it in the middle of the fourth quarter with spectacularity: Gasol pushed his still husky chassis to an orphaned Siakam pass, and the Spaniard immediately launched a touch pass as if he were the world’s greatest Globetrotter, and VanVleet, showing the sense of the moment, he punched the three. Lowry pulled up another three points in transition from 30 feet to the next possession, and with that, the series was over, barring contractual obligations.

“The purpose of going 3-0 is so you can go 4-0,” VanVleet said.

Game 2 was a slogan, but Games 1 and 3 were completely under control. One more and Boston will be next, probably, and that’s where the Raptors need to be closest to their best. How far are they now?

“I don’t really know,” said coach Nick Nurse. “But I know this bunch of kids haven’t been healthy all year, right? So I think we’re finding this group is good enough when they’re healthy. Maybe he doesn’t dominate or anything, but this group will find a way to win a lot of games.

“Again, there are some people who can play a little better offensively, I’m sure. I think today – I mean I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I think we made a lot of mistakes in Race 2 … I don’t think we did that much tonight. “

Toronto has a championship to win, or lose, and this is how a contender takes care of the little fish. As Ibaka said, “We know everyone will come to us, everyone will come to us. We have something to lose, so we don’t want to lose it. “

So what will it look like if Siakam really gets going, if Gasol finds a better offensive pace, if Lowry comes out of his sneakily silent offensive series? What will it be like when the Raptors peak?

“A championship in October,” VanVleet said. “This is what it looks like to me.”

But that’s what overwhelming favorites do: overwhelm. The Nets do not have Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler and super-shooter Joe Harris, who left the bubble after Game 2 for personal reasons.

It felt less like a playoff battle and more like a game on Tuesday in February, in a snowstorm that prevented fans from getting to the game. The Raptors upped the defensive work and kept the Nets out of the paint, and once their shots haven’t dropped, you can see Brooklyn’s spirit subside.

The Nets have tried a zone. The next.

Boston will be a headache.