RAPTORS CLAW BACK INTO CONTENTION
Toronto weathers injuries, losses, midseason fatigue
The Toronto Raptors have stuck true to the notion that hitting the panic button on their season is unnecessary. It appears that mentality could be paying off.
Despite a stretch from midJanuary to early February that saw the Raptors drop eight of 10 games, the team, and in particular head coach Dwane Casey, remained adamant they were merely experiencing the midseason blues.
The truth of that statement still must play out over the long term. But it’s difficult to deny the rough patch, which included losing five consecutive games for the first time since early 2015 and an injury to All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan, was worrisome.
“Everybody’s frustrated,” Casey said. “When things are going good, everybody’s excited and happy. And then when you lose a few games in a row, it does test you. A lot of guys are frustrated. You want them to be frustrated. I want them to be frustrated. Nobody’s jumping up and down and chirping and whistling Dixie or whatever.”
While Casey showed no pause in voicing his displeasure with ineffective defensive play and an overall drop in offensive production, he pushed his players to embrace the hurt and improve, rather than let disappointment rattle confidence.
“I don’t sense guys falling apart, pulling apart,” he said. “They know that this is part of the game, part of the profession, part of the journey, part of the marathon that you go through.”
Before the Raptors hit a downswing, they comfortably held the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference standings behind the de- fending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Center Jonas Valanciunas said after a Jan. 10 win against the Boston Celtics that the Raptors were chasing the Cavaliers, while the other teams in the top half of the conference standings were chasing the Raptors.
Fortunes began to change shortly thereafter. The Celtics got hot and moved into the No. 2 position while the Raptors are battling with the likes of the Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers for playoff position that will provide home-court advantage through at least the first round.
With 29 games remaining in the regular season, it’s as important as ever to find a rhythm. DeRozan’s return to the lineup has the team riding consecutive victories for the first time since the beginning of the year, and the impending return of veteran forward Patrick Patterson from injury will provide the team with an even bigger boost.
Over the past few seasons the Raptors have become familiar with injury woes. From All-Stars such as DeRozan and Kyle Lowry operating in an unideal state to key role players such as Patterson and DeMarre Carroll being sidelined, it has been rare for the Raptors to consistently put their best team on the floor.
DeRozan says there’s a chance for a healthy Raptors team to make a push down the final stretch of the regular season, though, especially with the NBA All- Star break looming, which will provide a resting period for most players.
“The last couple years we always dealt with injuries, always figured out a way how to fight through it,” DeRozan said. “It sucks not having your full team. Once we get (Patterson) back and guys get a sense of rest and once (the) All-Star break comes, hopefully we can take off running right in time.”
With a growing level of confidence from being back on the winning track, the Raptors’ goal is to regain the footing lost in the standings when victories were more difficult to come by.
DeRozan says he’s confident that can happen.
“We had a tough couple weeks, and we’ve been fighting to try to get out of that,” DeRozan said. “We’ll exert the energy we have now going into these next two weeks and use that rest wisely and after All-Star break just run away with it.
“After this All-Star weekend, you got a couple games, and then you’re in March. Once March is over, you have a handful of games, and then the season is practically over.”