Brace yourselves Raptors fans, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and pop star Justin Bieber have been dragged into the nasty war of words being waged between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets.

Hours after Raptors’ general manger Masai Ujiri sparked controversy for yelling “F--- Brooklyn” in front of fans during a pre-game rally at Maple Leaf Square on Saturday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams fired a few shots of his own.

In a snarky statement released Saturday evening, Adams took some jabs at the city of Toronto – calling out the city’s “colourful” mayor and headline-grabbing pop star Justin Bieber.

“It’s unfortunate that the Raptors’ GM felt desperate facing our Nets, that he would throw profanity around discussing our beloved borough, but I can’t say I’m surprised. After all, Brooklyn is a classier place. Just compare Babs (Barbra Streisand) to Biebs (Justin Bieber), or spend some time with their ... colorful mayor,” Adams said.

In an interview with local radio station WCBS 880 Sunday morning, Adams continued his attack against the Raptors’ hometown, bringing up the infamous crack-scandal that has plagued mayor Ford and the recent legal troubles trailing Bieber.

“When you have a place where the mayor smokes crack and Baby Bieber shows crack, you could expect something like that from him (Ujiri),” Adams told WCBS. “He needs to stop talking about it and put his product where his mouth is.”

Adams took the tense rivalry one stop further, offering Ford a six-pack of Brooklyn beer on the outcome of the Nets-Raptors series.

Ujiri, who later apologized for his comments during Saturday’s halftime show, told reporters he was simply trying to pump up the fans.

“I apologize. Wrong choice of words out there,” he told reporters.

“I apologize to kids out there and to the Brooklyn guys. Nothing against them. Just trying to get our fans going. That’s it,” he added.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey was quick to come to Ujiri’s defence, explaining that the GM is extremely passionate about his team.

"That's Masai," he said when asked after the game about the incident. "That's why our team plays like that. He's a fiery guy and that should represent how we feel."

Toronto guard Kyle Lowry echoed his support, telling reporters Ujiri was simply standing behind the players and showing his support for the team.

"He's a very passionate guy," Lowry said. "He believes in what we have and what we're doing. That's what he is, he's a very passionate and emotional guy."

Meanwhile, veteran Nets star Kevin Garnett seemed unfazed by Ujiri's comment.

"It's all good. It is motivation," he said. "Keep rooting for the Raptors, keep rooting for the home team. It is what it is."

Adding to the drama of Game one, the shot clocks stopped working in the final minutes of the third quarter, prompting a break in play. The shot clock was subsequently counted down by longtime PA announcer Herbie Kuhn as he looked at the stopwatch held by the official next to him.

On Sunday night, a Raptors official said an ESPN technician was to blame for the embarrassing malfunction.

The Nets won Saturday’s game 94-87. Game two of the playoff series is set to take place in Toronto on Tuesday.

With files from The Canadian Press