Historic Night for the Toronto Raptors but the Team Still isn't Satisfied
Historic Night for the Toronto Raptors but the Team Still isn't Satisfied
The Toronto Raptors made history on Friday night, but the celebration will have to wait.
The Toronto Raptors made history on Friday night, but the celebration will have to wait.
With Friday night's 92 to 73 whooping of the Indiana Pacers, the Toronto Raptors managed to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference and set a new franchise win record with 57 victories on the season. On top of those feats, the squad also set a franchise record for wins at home with 33.
The Raptors won against the Pacers thanks to a determined defensive effort, holding Indiana to only 35 percent shooting and their lowest point total all season. This defensive effort let the Raps pick up slack and apply pressure to Indiana even when their shots weren't falling, a hallmark feature of historically good basketball teams.
Fortunately, though, Toronto's shots fell often enough anyway. While Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan turned in relatively mundane performances, Serge Ibaka lit the Pacers up with 25 points on 77 percent shooting. He went five-for-seven from deep and also grabbed eight boards. Friday was by far his best night in a Toronto jersey.
This recent victory marked the apex of what many presumed was Toronto's best regular season in the team's 23-year history, a presumption that has since evolved into certainty.
But despite the cause for celebration, the team's prevailing sentiment was one of desire. Instead of patting themselves on the back for their successes thus far in the season, Toronto chose to focus on the challenges that await in the coming weeks.
They felt a sense of gratification but they were "not satisfied," said Dwane Casey. "We haven't got to where our ultimate goal is," he added. Lowry chimed in saying that Toronto's journey isn't over yet.
In an interview with Doug Smith, DeRozan noted that the team has loftier aspirations in mind. "Now, we've got another goal that we want to reach as well... this gives us the confidence that we can do it and take it to another level," noted DeMar.
The Toronto Raptors have three games remaining this season. They'll host the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, then head to Detroit to challenge the Pistons, and on to South Beach to close their historic run against the Miami Heat.
All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com, unless otherwise stated.
With Friday night's 92 to 73 whooping of the Indiana Pacers, the Toronto Raptors managed to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference and set a new franchise win record with 57 victories on the season. On top of those feats, the squad also set a franchise record for wins at home with 33.
The Raptors won against the Pacers thanks to a determined defensive effort, holding Indiana to only 35 percent shooting and their lowest point total all season. This defensive effort let the Raps pick up slack and apply pressure to Indiana even when their shots weren't falling, a hallmark feature of historically good basketball teams.
Fortunately, though, Toronto's shots fell often enough anyway. While Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan turned in relatively mundane performances, Serge Ibaka lit the Pacers up with 25 points on 77 percent shooting. He went five-for-seven from deep and also grabbed eight boards. Friday was by far his best night in a Toronto jersey.
This recent victory marked the apex of what many presumed was Toronto's best regular season in the team's 23-year history, a presumption that has since evolved into certainty.
But despite the cause for celebration, the team's prevailing sentiment was one of desire. Instead of patting themselves on the back for their successes thus far in the season, Toronto chose to focus on the challenges that await in the coming weeks.
They felt a sense of gratification but they were "not satisfied," said Dwane Casey. "We haven't got to where our ultimate goal is," he added. Lowry chimed in saying that Toronto's journey isn't over yet.
In an interview with Doug Smith, DeRozan noted that the team has loftier aspirations in mind. "Now, we've got another goal that we want to reach as well... this gives us the confidence that we can do it and take it to another level," noted DeMar.
The Toronto Raptors have three games remaining this season. They'll host the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, then head to Detroit to challenge the Pistons, and on to South Beach to close their historic run against the Miami Heat.
All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and NBA.com, unless otherwise stated.