Raptors unfazed by jokes at their expense as series shifts to Cleveland

Toronto trailing 2-0 after dominant display by LeBron

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey told his players to stay off social media before the NBA post-season even began.

If they ignored him, he’s hoping they will use Friday’s onslaught of memes and jokes at their expense as a motivational tool to dig themselves out of a 2-0 deficit in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Basketball fans have been ruthless in their mockery of the Raptors following Thursday’s disastrous 128-110 home loss to LeBron James and the Cavaliers, showing off their creativity with a photo of the Toronto sign at downtown’s Nathan Phillips Square being altered to read “LEBRONTO” and videos of dinosaurs going extinct being widely shared.

“If our players are reading that, that should motivate you,” said Casey. “We’re professional people. We should use execution, physicality, toughness as our motivation and understand what we need to do from there.

“And I’m not making light of what they’re saying. I don’t know how to use social media. We should have that to motivate us. What happens on the court should motivate us.”

As they prepared to head to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 in danger of being swept by the Cavs for a second straight year, the Raptors were unfazed by the online mockery.

“I’m not paying attention to it,” guard Fred VanVleet said at the team’s practice facility. “I don’t think most guys on the team are really paying to social media right now. We’re locked into the playoffs.

“I haven’t really seen or heard any of it. I’ve been tuned out to most of the outside world, to be honest with you.”

C.J. Miles, one of the Raptors’ leaders coming off the bench, claims he doesn’t follow social media. He’s more concerned with stopping James, who led Cleveland with 43 points and 14 assists Thursday.

“You’ve got to put some pressure on him, you’ve got to put some pressure on everybody,” said Miles. “Make them wrestle, make them fight. I always say if I’m going to go down, I’m going to go down with all my bullets gone. You’re going to go down fighting. And that’s the way it’s got to be.”

Toronto’s all-star guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were not made available to media on Friday. They combined for 45 points, 11 assists and four rebounds in the Game 2 loss. Game 3 goes tonight.