Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri made the firing of seven-year head coach Dwane Casey official on Friday morning with a statement, but apparently, the writing was actually on the wall after Game 3 of their second round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“After careful consideration, I have decided this is a very difficult but necessary step the franchise must take. As a team, we are constantly trying to grow and improve in order to get to the next level,” Ujiri said via the Raptors team website. “We celebrate everything Dwane has done for the organization, we thank him, and we wish him nothing but the best in future. He was instrumental in creating the identity and culture of who we are as a team, and we are so proud of that.”

At the end of Game 3, the Raptors tied the game with about eight seconds to go. The Cavs opted to bring the ball the length of the floor, so LeBron James caught the ball, dribbled into the frontcourt, and took his shot which ended up being a buzzer-beating game winner. According to Raptors reporter Michael Grange of SportsNet, the team's failure to double-team James and take the ball out of his hands infuriated Ujiri, who apparently, let Casey know about it after the game.

According to multiple sources the confusion and subsequent lack of execution on the final play was another log on the fire. After the game, Ujiri stormed into the Raptors dressing room at Quicken Loans — just out of sight of most of the players but not out of earshot — and rebuked Casey in the coach’s office for failing to double-team James.

Ujiri didn’t reserve his frustration for just Casey – he also tore into the officials in the hallway as well. But observers noted that the intensity was more than typical for Ujiri, who can run hot at the best of times.

With Casey now gone, Ujiri and the Raptors have to cash in on their next hire after their last coach led the team to franchise record 59 wins.