Darko Rajakovic lost his temper against the Grizzlies to wake up his players. “ It was more of a general attitude, an expectation of our group. We hold each other to a high standard and, clearly, we weren't playing at that level.” he confided to justify his expulsion. So, before the match against the Hawks, the coach expected the Raptors “a reaction, combat, fire”. He was probably disappointed…
Because his players exploded in defense, as too often lately. They actually conceded 136 points in this setback, after having already taken 139 against the Knicks, then another 155 against Memphis. That’s 430 units conceded in three matches, so an average of 143.3!
“Right now, we’re in tough times. It's very simple: we're in trouble. We look tired, exhausted. The guys are not in the rhythm. This is our current reality,” can only observe and miss Darko Rajakovic, while his players were coming out of two days of rest. “We have to find a way out of this. And the only thing is always the same: work, stay united and watch the images. »
“By finishing with 31 lost balls, we have no chance of winning”
And while the attack managed to keep up a little, while the defense sank, this time, the Raptors were more than messy, losing 31 balls! It's huge and it started from the start of the game with five turnovers in the first five possessions…
“We started the game in a very, very disappointing way with the lost balls. They put us in a very bad position. We lost seven balls in the first three minutes, then nine after seven minutes…”counts the coach. “By finishing with 31 lost balls, we have no chance of winning. We need to be more serious in this area. This is recurring for us this year. »
Toronto players, now on ten losses in a row, are among those who waste the most possessions per game (16.7 on average, 27th in the league). In this match lost against Atlanta, it was Scottie Barnes who was the worst performer with 8 lost balls.
“Our effort needs to be better. It's up to us to do it. No matter how tired we are, we have to make the effort”announces the All-Star. “There are no excuses. We have to do better on defense, block our opponent better, grab the rebounds. Do the things that make you win again. It's not pleasant there. Losing by 30 points is not us. We can't let this happen. One moment, you have to get up, fight, me first. We have meetings, we talk about it but it's no use if we don't do it afterwards. »
