The Raptors continue to struggle against big teams

If they have a very good season, with their fifth place in the East, Raptors they suffer from a problem that is not a detail: as soon as you encounter big people, they become prey. They played twenty matches, against ten teams, against teams that have a better result than them. The result? 4 wins for 16 losses.

And of the four wins, three came in the season opener against the struggling Cavaliers. So much so that for more than three months, against the strong ones, they were 1-15… “When the time is right. It wasn’t tonight.”, replied Darko Rajaković when asked when his team will manage to overcome this obstacle.

The coach can only see it afterwards this new loss against the Knicksfourth in four meetings this season. This loss was infuriating because they didn’t trail all that much in the final quarter but, at the same time, never looked capable of putting New York down.

Bad conclusions

“Obviously it’s frustrating.”, comments by Immanuel Quickley. “What happens against big teams has nothing to do with systems, it’s about being difficult. In the last game against the Knicks, we were 12 points ahead, and now we’re two points down with five minutes left. So I’d say the difference is not that big. We’re learning to close out matches, they’re doing it very well, and we’re not doing it well enough.”

Still, the Raptors are at a perfect time to operate. They’ve only played six games since resuming after the All-Star Game, so they’ve been rested and had time to practice. Luxury during the regular season.

But the performance against New York was incomplete, with highlights too short and episodic. There is always something missing.

“When we look at the pictures, we have to find a solution for the good execution of our systems in the last quarter”announces the too discreet Brandon Ingram in the last act precisely against New York, since he did not score. “Whenever you play a good team, they know exactly what they want to do in the fourth quarter and they do it over and over again. The good thing is that we’re in games, but we’ve got to find a way to finish.”