MINSK, Belarus - Jaromir Jagr would much rather be in the Stanley Cup playoffs than at the world hockey championship, especially three months removed from the Sochi Olympics. Michael Carter-Williams Jersey . "I thought the young guys from Czech Republic were going to play," Jagr said with a wry smile. "Obviously, they didnt. They took a break." Jagr seemingly never takes a break from hockey and never stops smiling on the ice. At age 42 hes by far the oldest player in the tournament yet the ageless winger has as much fun playing now as he did as a young man. "If it wouldnt be, I wouldnt be playing right now," Jagr said Sunday. "I want to have fun. As long as you have fun, everything is a lot easier. But you have to work hard, you have to love the game, and thats what you do." Jagr, who faces Team Canada on Monday night, is still able to play at a high level because of a unique mix of love for the game, Hall of Fame skill and a tireless, quirky work ethic. Signed on for another season with the New Jersey Devils, Jagr doesnt sound like a man whos close to being ready to hang up his skates. Even now after 1,473 NHL games, 1,755 points and two Stanley Cups, he finds new ways to motivate himself. "Its a big challenge to compete with the young guys," Jagr said. "Its not only physically. "You have to be one step ahead of everybody. Theyre going to be quicker, theyre going to be stronger. But I always have to look for the edge. I always have to think a lot more. Anything I practise, everything I do, I have to think before how to do it. Its a big challenge. Thats what I like about it — just outsmart somebody." Long before Jagr had to outsmart anyone, he oozed the kind of skill that made him an all-star early on in his career. For a very brief time in 1992-93, he was even linemates with Dave Tippett on the Pittsburgh Penguins. "He was a very young guy," the 52-year-old Canadian coach said. "I think I spent a couple shifts on his line and he looked at Scotty Bowman and said, No, next, please. " At the world championships, Jagr is on a line with 20-year-old Tomas Hertl, who flashes the same grin on the ice for practice as his idol. Hertl wasnt even born for Jagrs two Cup victories in Pittsburgh, but as a very young boy growing up in Prague he watched every game of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Hertl could only dream of making it big like Jagr, let alone playing alongside him. "Its unbelievable because its my idol as small guy," Hertl said Saturday. "Im learning. I watch too many games and YouTube and his shot is unbelievable, too many goals." More than that, Jagrs longevity is unbelievable. He has played for the Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins and New Jersey. This past season, Jagr was New Jerseys scoring leader with 24 goals and 43 assists. The mutual comfort between Jagr and the Devils organization led him to signing another one-year deal to return for 2014-15. "Im not surprised. I think he really enjoyed the year," Devils coach and Team Canada assistant Peter DeBoer said. "I think he came in and he really is taking it year-to-year at this point in his career. "He played a big role for us, felt important, was a big part of any of the successes we had during the year and I think he wants to do that again." Jagr said this, his ninth world championship, would be his last — but dont rule out maybe one more run when its in the Czech Republic next year. And certainly dont start the farewell tour thinking 2014-15 is definitely his last go-round in the NHL. "I dont know." he said. "If Im gonna play good, why? I love the game." Jaroslav Spacek loved the game, too, but the defencemans body gave out on him and caused him to retire in 2012. Hes two years younger than Jagr but is now an assistant coach for the Czech team and still gets a kick out of seeing Jagr still playing. "Hes using all his free time to work out and get ready for the games," Spacek said. "Hes got no family so hes putting all pressure on himself to be the best hockey player as he can be. "Thats the one thing hes working on it every day. He can get ready for the season even for the world championship, he can take a couple days off but then he comes and works hard. I never see anybody like that." Infamous for skating late at night and sometimes with weights on his body, Jagr is what Tippett would classify as a "hockey junkie." Seeing up close how those things worked, DeBoer wont question any of his techniques. "I marvel at him every day," he said. "He has some different thoughts on his own training and what makes him go. I can tell you theres very few guys, you can probably count on one hand, that are playing at a level that hes playing at at the age hes at." To continue playing at that level, Jagr consciously makes decisions to maximize preparation. Beyond joking hes here because younger players werent, he saw the world championships as a way to help him get ready for next season. "For my body, my age, to have five months or four months without the ice I think would be too long and would be tough to come back and be ready right away," he said. Jagr has to think about those things, but he doesnt feel like a 42-year-old. Being around Hertl and other young players helps him play down in age as he adjusts. But at some point he wont be able to play anymore. When that time is right, Jagr expects to be able to feel it. "You know," he said. "I think you know. Im not ready yet." Follow @SWhyno on Twitter. Larry Johnson Jersey . Louis Blues have returned to the top spot in the TSN. Custom Charlotte Hornets Jerseys . Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division. http://www.basketballhornetsauthority.com/dwight-howard-hornets-jersey-c-20/ .C. -- Cam Newton wasnt flawless on Sunday.BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Dwane Casey admitted hed been concerned about his young Raptors team who had zero experience playing in close-out games -- what awaited them with the vastly-experienced Brooklyn Nets, and how theyd react. It turned out, the Toronto coach had good reason to be. The Raptors couldnt overcome a horrible first quarter -- their worst 12 minutes of the series -- en route to a 97-83 loss to Brooklyn Nets on Friday, sending the series back to the Air Canada Centre tied at three games apiece. "Any Game 6, a team is going to come out with a desperate mindset," Casey said. "This team they built to win a championship this year. Theyre going to come out and give you their best shot. . . knew that coming in and tried to warn our team. "Guys who havent been in Game 6 before, its one of the toughest things to do. Again, experience is the best teacher. Now were going into Game 7, its our first time at that. Luckily we have it at home." DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points but got little help from the rest of the Raptors who trailed 34-19 at the end of the first quarter against a Nets team that was facing elimination. Now its down to one game for Toronto to make the second round of the post-season for just the second time in the franchises 19-year history, and a date with the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat. "Yeah, its Game 7," Kyle Lowry said. "We all grew up watching Game 7s and want to be a part of Game 7s. Weve still got to go out there and not be too over anxious. Weve still got to go out there and do what we need to do. "Me personally, Im not going to be all amped up. Its going to be a game that we have to go home and win." Theyll clearly need a better effort than they gave Friday. Lowry was the only other Raptor to score in double figures with 11 points. Jonas Valanciunas had nine points and nine rebounds, while Greivis Vasquez added nine points. "We just didnt come out with the competitive nature that we needed tonight," Lowry said. "They did an unbelievable job of forcing their will on the game tonight, but we have to find a way to match that intensity." Deron Williams, playing on a bad ankle for the better part of the second half, led the Nets with 23 points, while Joe Johnson added 17 points, Kevin Garnett finished with 13 and Paul Pierce added 12. "We were at home. Brooklyn. You cant come in here and get a win, not when its like this," said Garnett. "It was all on the line and thats what we did. I had to go into my vintage bag of tricks. Its the same thing in Game 7. Stay aggressive." Coming off victories in Games 4 and 5, the Raptors were outhustled and outplayed by the Nets from the outset Friday, looking much like the fourth-quarter Raptors in Game 5 on Wednesday that coughed up a 26-point lead yet still managed to hold on to win. The Nets -- who assembled an all-star squad this season, trading for Pierce and Garnett with sights set on an NBA title -- played easily their best basketball of this series. "We started the game out with the opposite disposition that we wanted to, I thought they came out in a desperate mode and we didnt," Casey said. "We didnt start to play that way until we got knocked down in the second half. Thats what the playoffs are about, your start probably tells you how youre going to finish. And tonight, they got their foot on the pedal a lot quicker than we did." Toronto trailed by 26 points midway through the third and went into the fourth down 79-59. The Raptors pushed back in the fourth, opening with a 17-7 run to pull within 10 on a three-pointer by Lowry with 5:02 to play. With the fans at the Barclays Center on their feet, Williams drained a three with 1:13 to play that put the Nets up by 13 and secured the victory for Brooklyn. The fans chanted "U-S-A!" as the final seconds ticked down. A grinning Garnett high-fived Jay-Z. DeRozan who, along with starters Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross, had never pplayed in the post-season before this, said the Raptors werent ready for the intensity of a Game 6. Frank Kaminsky Jersey. "We didnt really realize, we had Brooklyn against the wall and we didnt take advantage of it like we should have," he said. "We should have known they were going to come out throwing haymakers, and we werent ready for it until the second half." Outside the Barclays Center, there were tongue-in-cheek missing person posters taped to posts of Williams, that read: "MISSING Have you seen this person?" above Williams mug shot. Reward was listed as $63,128,400 -- the amount remaining on the point guards contract. Williams showed up Friday, but the Raptors didnt. Despite spraining his left ankle early in the third quarter, Williams made good on 8-of-16 shots from the floor and dominated his matchup with Lowry, who shot 4 for 16. The Nets shot 47 per cent from the field, while the Raptors shot 38 per cent on the night. Toronto was outrebounded 45-42. With the Nets cobbling together their star-studded lineup with its payroll plus taxes of more than US$180 million, experience was a theme early in the series -- Pierce alone had almost as many post-season appearances as the entire Raptors roster prior to Game 1. And it reared its head again Friday with the Raptors response to Game 6. Pierce said he cant wait for Game 7. "Its going to be fun," Pierce said. "This is what the NBA is all about -- these pressure-type moments. These are the types of games that elevate good players to great players. We have so many of them coming up this weekend, its an exciting time, and were going to enjoy it. Its a hostile environment -- win or go home. "Hey, this is the type of situation that I love and want to be in. I love our chances." Casey, however, doesnt believe this loss will affect his teams confidence in its win-or-go home game on Sunday. "To listen to some of this (talk of losing momentum), we may as well not play Game 7," Casey said. "Every game is different and I know our team will bounce back. Weve got to come out of the gates a lot fresher, a lot harder, especially starting on the defensive end of the floor." The sellout crowd of 17,732 included Drake, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Rosie ODonnell, Ellen Pompeo -- Meredith on "Greys Anatomy", New York Giants receiver Mario Manningham, and Brooklyn rapper Fabolous, who announced the Nets lineup. There were numerous pockets of red-clad Raptors fans who stood out against the Nets fans, wearing white T-shirts as part of a giveaway. This series has been drama-filled since Game 1 when Raptors GM Masai Ujiri dropped his famous F-bomb about Brooklyn -- earning him a US$25,000 fine -- and the shot clocks malfunctioned at the Air Canada Centre. There was Drake and his lint roller, and the huge crowds that packed Maple Leaf Square for every game, home and away. Several thousand braved the chilly temperatures again Friday to watch the game on the big screen outside the Air Canada Centre. Nets coach Jason Kidd was fined US$25,000 earlier Friday by the NBA for public criticism of officiating. The New York Daily News back cover photo Friday morning was of the Brooklyn coach, under the headline "Whiny Kidd." When asked about the fine prior to tipoff, Kidd replied: "Fine? Its a beautiful day today isnt it? Did it rain?" The Raptors trailed by double digits less than eight minutes into the game. DeRozan scored 10 points in the first, but got little help from his teammates, and the Raptors trailed 34-19 heading into the second. It was more of the same in the second, a putback layup by Andray Blatche giving the Nets a 21-point advantage with four-and-a-half minutes left in the half. Former Raptor Alan Anderson drained a 17-foot step-back jumper with less than a second on the clock to put t