For Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, his team's misfortune against the Cleveland Cavaliers continued on Saturday night when they lost their ninth consecutive postseason game to the Cavs and now face a 3-0 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. DeMar DeRozan should take some of the blame, but more on that in a second.
Although the top-seeded Raptors erased a 14-point deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter and eventually tied the game, it was none other than Cavs superstar forward LeBron James who ended up breaking their hearts. With only seconds remaining in regulation, James raced down the court to hit a floater off the glass right before the buzzer to give the Cavs the stunning 105-103 victory over Toronto.
One player who had a really rough night shooting the basketball for the Raptors was star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who finished with only eight points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field before coach Casey decided to bench him late in the third quarter.
However, Casey said that DeRozan's poor performance was not the reason the Raptors lost Game 3.
“Even when you are not shooting well you can defend and do things to help us win, but those nights are going to happen,” coach Casey said. “He had a tough night. He wasn't the reason we lost. We are professionals, he's a pro. He has had tough games before, he'll bounce back.”
A video of Casey's full press conference with members of the media, which was uploaded to the Toronto Raptors' official YouTube account, can be viewed below.
Coach Casey and his Raptors will look to keep the series alive on Monday night for Game 4 and avoid being swept, with both their pride and season on the line.
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