The Raptors coach discusses his objectives for the season’s stretch run.
If only Darko Rajaković had attempted a Jim Mora imitation. Twenty-three years have passed since Mora, the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach at the time, made one of the most famous and quotable statements in sports history. A reporter questioned Mora regarding the Colts’ prospects of qualifying for the playoffs after his team was humiliated by the San Francisco 49ers, dropping them to 4-6 on the season.
“Playoffs? Never bring up the playoffs! Are you joking with me? Postseason? All I want is for us to win this game! Mora answered. When Rajaković was questioned on Wednesday afternoon about his Toronto Raptors team’s chances of making the play-in tournament this season, it would have been the proper response.
To put it plainly, Toronto has little chance. With 27 games remaining in the season, the Raptors are five games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in position and eleven games behind the Orlando Magic for the eighth seed in the conference.
It isn’t taking place. However, Rajaković is not adopting the Mora strategy. Rajaković is telling his team that’s what he wants, even though it might be wishful thinking.
“We want to take every game seriously, and that was my opening statement with the team (Tuesday),” he said to them. “We want to compete in every game with the intention of making the playoffs, catching up for a play-in, and developing at the same time.” For us, those are all crucial elements.
That is not to argue that the Raptors will abandon everything in pursuit of an impractical goal. To compete for a play-in berth, no one is going to play illogical minutes or endure agony. It’s conceivable that during the last two months, long-term development will take precedence over even short-term goals.
On the other hand, Toronto intends to approach the last seven weeks with seriousness. Regarding his objectives for the last stretch, Immanuel Quickley stated, “I think just to keep getting better every day.” “Just keeping the attitude that you want to get better and giving it your all every day to try to achieve that.”
Rajaković stated that practices will be difficult and possibly more significant than what is witnessed in real games. It is hoped that the work being done behind the scenes will result in a successful summer and significant advancements in the future. Rajaković stated, “Practice is very important for us.” “It goes without saying that we will take advantage of every opportunity to compete, put ourselves out there, grow, and learn in every game.”
If that message seems a little unclear, that’s okay. Tanking is not a topic of conversation. To be honest, there are a lot of moving parts involved in tanking. It’s evident that Toronto wants to use the upcoming period of time to produce an on-court product that is respected for its diligence and hustle.
It would be fantastic if that led to enough victories to maintain the competition for a play-in position. The likelihood is much higher that Toronto, with a roster primed for success in the future, will finish outside the play-in picture.