Dwane Casey has gotten the Toronto Raptors to the Conference Finals, but he would’ve been out of a job had they lost to the Indiana Pacers.
The Toronto Raptors deserve credit for getting to the Conference Finals as well as evening their series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwane Casey is the reason behind their unprecedented success this season, as he has improved the team every year he has coached them.
But before they got to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Raptors were on the verge of losing to the Indiana Pacers in the first round. And had they suffered a third consecutive first-round exit, Casey would’ve been fired according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
It’s unclear if Casey knew his job was on the line in that series, but even if he wasn’t, a first-round exit for a 56-win team would’ve been unacceptable. But for a team that hadn’t won a playoff series in over 15 years, getting over that hump was always going to be hard.
The Raptors exorcised a lot of playoff demons this year when they not only got out of the first round, but also when they beat the Miami Heat in Round 2 for their first Conference Finals trip in franchise history.
While Dwane Casey has had his detractors in Toronto, especially after those last two first-round exit’s, he has improved the team a lot this year and deserves credit for getting them here. And after tying the series 2-2 with the Cavaliers, it isn’t a stretch to suggest that Casey has outcoached Tyronn Lue, at least in Game 4.
The Raptors board has shown a lot of loyalty by sticking with Casey and acknowledging the success he’s brought to the team, who only had five playoff appearances before he took over. He is now the longest-serving coach in the NBA, behind Erik Spoelstra, Rick Carlisle, and Gregg Popovich, and the last one thinks the Raptors have what it takes to get to the Finals this year.
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