The first two games of the Raptors-Wizards series have been relatively straightforward. Toronto has played below average on defense, Kyle Lowry is hurt and struggling, and Washington has taken a 2-0 series lead back home. In the postseason, players are looking to find any edge they can against an opponent. In doing so, psychological battles -- the game within the game -- often play out on the court.

The Raptors have two players -- Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas -- who like to block shots taken by opponents after the whistle. It's a move that was popularized by Kevin Garnett, and gained such notoriety ABC produced a halftime feature about it during the 2010 playoffs.

With nine minutes left in the first quarter of Game 1, Drew Gooden attempted to practice a mid-range jumper after a foul had been called on the Raptors. The shot was rejected at the rim by Valanciunas. The ball was batted back in Gooden's direction. He took another shot at the rim, which Valanciunas also swatted away.

This sequence of events does not show up on the box score. Gooden doesn't get two shot attempts next to his name, and Valanciunas isn't credited with two blocks. So, what's the point? "It's just fun and games," Gooden said afterwards. "The kids pick up on stuff we do in the NBA and they emulate it. [Garnett] started doing that and it's something that's been passed down."

Bill Cole is a leading authority on sports psychology and mental coaching. He is the founder and president of the International Mental Game Coaching Association. "It's the feeling of power," Cole said. "When the player [blocks the shot], they mark their turf and send a message. They become the alpha dog. On the other hand, the shooter may get frustrated because they don't see the fruits of their labor. They lose feedback on their shot attempt."

Cole cautions that these types of psychological battles likely have less of an impact on veteran players. Gooden calls the post-whistle shot block a "crowd pleaser." This is his 13th season in the NBA and sixth postseason appearance. A minute before the sequence in which both of his shot attempts were denied, Gooden had rejected Valanciunas' shot attempt at the rim and collected the rebound. The Raptors' starting center might have been returning the favor out of frustration.

Even if most of these post-whistle actions have no concrete impact on the game, it doesn't mean players and coaches will stop trying. In the Spurs-Clippers series, we've seen Gregg Popovich deploy the Hack-a-Jordan strategy in the fourth quarter of both games so far, repeatedly sending a career 41.7 percent free-throw shooter to the line. Any individual action on the floor may not create an edge, but collectively, it can disrupt the player's rhythm.

Gordon Bloom is an Associate Professor of Sports Psychology at McGill University. "What these athletes are doing is specifically intended to break the focus and concentration of their opponents," Bloom said. "In sports psychology, we try to get our athletes to focus on things they can control. Once athletes start thinking about actions [like a block after the whistle], it hinders their performance. They're not focused, the mind wanders and their performance decreases."

The Wizards' frontcourt players don't care much for blocking shots during a stoppage in play. Marcin Gortat says it's never been part of his repertoire of tricks, while Gooden jokes, "I don't think I can jump that high." These games within the games have played out off the court in this series as well, with Paul Pierce saying the Raptors don't have "it," essentially calling them pretenders. It provoked a series of reactions from the Raptors, including an expletive-laden response from general manager Masai Ujiri prior to Game 1. 

Pierce scored a team-high 20 points in the Wizards' overtime win to open the series, and afterwards talked about embracing the villain role and doing anything necessary to give his team a mental edge.

"He's got the psychological momentum from last year," Bloom said. "And now he's pushing it a little further." As a member of the Brooklyn Nets last season, Pierce keyed a Game 1 comeback win in Toronto and blocked Kyle Lowry's would-be series-clinching attempt at the end of Game 7 to advance to the second round.

The Raptors are more frustrated with their play on the court at this point than anything else. But after Game 1, Greivis Vasquez put an end to any more questions from the media regarding Pierce. "He's a Hall of Famer who knows what he's doing," Vasquez said. "We give him a lot of credit. He's got everybody's attention. We don't have any trash talkers in our locker room. Let him do the talking, and we'll see at the end who wins the series. We give him a lot of respect. We'll see what happens."

This series may not become a drawn-out psychological affair, especially if the Wizards finish the sweep this weekend with two home wins. But as we get deeper into the playoffs and the difference between two teams over a seven-game series shrinks, players and coaches will continue to search for that mental advantage. 

Even Gooden is prepared if Valanciunas dares to reject his shot again.

"Next time," he said, "I might pump fake him."