File this one under missed opportunities.

Minutes away from taking a commanding 2–0 lead in their first-round series against Toronto, the Nets couldn’t stop the smallest man on the court down the stretch. Diminutive guard T.J. Ford scored seven points in a two-minute span late in the fourth quarter, leading the Raptors to an 89–83 win yesterday’s Game 2 that tied the bestof-seven series at a game apiece. Game 3 will be Friday at the Swamp.

Toronto’s attack most of the night was a two-man game between guard Anthony Parker (26 points) and forward Chris Bosh (25), but in crunch time it was Ford who did the damage. His unlikely 3-pointer from the corner (he shot 30.4% on the year) gave Toronto a 79–78 lead with 2:45 to go, and he hit two free throws with 39.5 seconds left to put the Raps ahead to stay at 84-83. He’d hit two more foul shots following a Richard Jefferson miss, putting Toronto ahead by three with 15 seconds to play.

New Jersey had a chance to tie, getting a wide-open 3-point look for Bostjan Nachbar in the corner — the kind he’s been knocking down consistently for the past month. This time, however, it went awry, and the Raptors rebounded. Three cosmetic free throws from Parker accounted for the final margin.

While the Nets will rue the ending, the defining sequence may have come earlier in the fourth quarter. New Jersey led 63–58 after three periods, but when Lawrence Frank gave Jason Kidd his customary rest, things quickly fell apart.

Frank opted to bench Marcus Williams, who was torched in a brief first-half stint by Toronto’s Jose Calderon and Juan Dixon, and instead sent out Antoine Wright, with Vince Carter playing point guard. But the voracious Raptor guards quickly exposed that group’s ballhandling difficulties, sparking a 10-0 run to put Toronto back in front. Needless to say, Kidd quickly returned.

Nonetheless, the sequence amounted to a vote of no-confidence in the rookie guard, and it will be interesting to see how he bounces back in Game 3. One thing is for sure — we’ve probably seen the last of Carter as a point guard in this series.

Speaking of bouncing back, the Nets got the wrong kind of bounce back in this one. Instead of Vince Carter bouncing back from a rough Game 1, it was Richard Jefferson bouncing back to earth. Jefferson scored 28 points in the opener but put up a bagel in the first half in this one. He shot 4-for-16 on the night, including a crucial miss in the final minute, and had only 13 points.

Carter didn’t fare much better, hounded all evening by the defensive pressure from Parker. He shot 8-for-24, although he again played a solid floor game with 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Nonetheless, he’ll need to snap out of this funk if the Nets are to win three of the next five games.

The only reason New Jersey stayed in it for so long was Nachbar. He was again brilliant off the bench, scoring 17 points in 30 minutes to make up for the struggles of the Nets’ two wings. He was especially effective subbing for Moore at power forward, as Toronto’s big men seemed disinclined to follow him out to the 3-point line.

For much of the game, it appeared that meager dose of offense would be enough, as New Jersey’s zone defense befuddled Toronto. Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, who was awarded the Coach of the Year trophy before the game, couldn’t seem to find an answer against Lawrence Frank’s system. Bosh struggled to get room to work one-on-one, while Kidd went under screens and baited Toronto’s guards into shooting long jumpers early in the shot clock.

Mitchell answered with rookie Andrea Bargnani, but he seemed completely over his head in the crucible of playoff competition after missing most of the season’s final month. Another sub, Morris Peterson, was similarly invisible, leaving Bosh and Parker to fend for themselves.

But when it mattered most, those two took over — in stark contrast to Carter, one might add. Bosh’s monstrous rejection of a Jefferson dunk attempt was perhaps the defining moment of the 10-0 run at the start of the fourth, while Parker’s late fourth quarter steal on Carter and subsequent free throw provided the only non-Ford points in a three-minute stretch. Between them the duo offset some seriously wayward shooting from their teammates — just 13-for-43 among the other Raptors.

Meanwhile, New Jersey’s offensive problems caught up to them. The Nets didn’t attack the basket enough and ended up with a pitiful 14 free-throw attempts. Kidd kept posting up the smaller Ford but was only looking to pass, waiting for a double team that rarely came instead of attacking the little man and putting fouls on him. And the bench, after a glittering Game 1, was fairly worthless besides Boki.

At least the second half provided some entertainment. The Nets led 36–33 after a first half that was borderline unwatchable. The seesaw affair that consisted mostly of contested jumpers that missed their mark and confused-looking sets by both offenses. The first quarter was particularly unsightly, ended with the Raptors up 14–12 after Parker’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer provided the lone dash of excitement.

Nonetheless, the Nets will head back to New Jersey lamenting what might have been. Instead of being halfway to the second round, with a chance to close it out quickly in the Meadowlands, they’re right back where they started.

Getting one in Toronto was nice, because New Jersey effectively stole home-court advantage. But now the Raptors have two chances to steal it back … and if Carter can’t shake free of Parker’s defense, one has to think they’ll probably succeed.

jhollinger@nysun.com