Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic views the first two playoff games against the Cleveland Cavaliers as critical learning experiences. Facing an 0-2 deficit, the Raptors must quickly implement these lessons to contend in the best-of-seven series, resuming Thursday for Game 3 in Toronto.
"Expecting us to be perfect right now would not be fair toward our team and the young core that we have," Rajakovic stated. "But when you look at the big picture, how important those are, and what are we learning through this? I’m telling you, our team is so much better now than seven days ago."
The Raptors lost Game 1 decisively, 126-113, and Game 2, 115-105. As the series shifts home, the team aims to leverage crowd support and address key issues.
A major focus is reducing turnovers, which contributed significantly to their Game 2 loss, leading to 22 points for the Cavaliers. "That’s something that you cannot live with in the playoffs and expect to win," Rajakovic noted.
Additionally, All-Star Brandon Ingram is expected to improve his performance after a quiet Game 2, while the status of point guard Immanuel Quickley, sidelined with a hamstring injury, remains uncertain for Game 3.
The Raptors are counting on a strong home-court advantage at Scotiabank Arena to energize their comeback bid.