Following the Raptors’ surprising comeback victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday, the following was said:
ADJUSTING, DARKO RAJAKOVIC:
“We fixed (the halftime lack of paint protection).” I spoke with the players and told them, ‘I don’t expect you to go out there and win the game, but I expect you to go out there and compete at a much higher level,’ Rajakovic said.
“Guys responded well, especially in the second half.” We won the game tonight, but to be honest, I’d rather not dig a 19-point hole at halftime and then have to work twice as hard in the second half.”
RAJAKOVIC ON THE TEAM’S CHARACTER:
“It says a lot about character, but it’s also as if we can’t talk about character in the first half, right?” It’s always fair to say, but coming back from double digits at halftime and then finding a way and energy to win the game is not easy. And we just have to figure out what it takes to get going from the jump ball right away in the game.”
RAJAKOVIC ON CHRIS BOUCHER’S PLAY:
“He was fantastic,… He was all set to go out there. It’s a long season, and all the guys are going to be in and out of the rotation, starting and not starting, so they have to stay ready, which is why the chain (for player of the game) went to Chris Boucher.
PASCAL SIAKAM’S TAKE ON BOUCHER:
“Chris was an incredible man. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a belt or a chain. He brought a lot of energy to the game, blocking shots, finishing, transitioning, and just playing good basketball. Just his vitality… It’s been extremely difficult for Chris. Some games he’s playing, some games he’s not sure if he’ll play… his development and understanding that sometimes it’s going to be a little difficult and him not putting his head down and like, getting away from the team. He’s been extremely professional, and I admire his demeanor. The coaches and everyone else see it, and it will only benefit him.”
SIAKAM TALKS ABOUT RALLYING HIS TEAMMATES:
“Just by observing everyone’s body language.” I just thought, obviously, you get down, you have the, you want to come back, and every possession seems to weigh a lot. Like any other blunder. And it appears that the crowd will not assist you either. It’s like, ‘ohhh. And everything feels like it’s stabbed you every second, every time something happens.
“One thing I was trying to convey to everyone was that you can’t get everything back at once.” You must approach it one possession at a time. We’ll go on a six-point run, and they’ll come back and hit a couple of threes, and we’ll be like, oh. It feels like it sucks the life out of you when you’re trying to come back, but you just have to be patient and keep working the game. And I believe that if you have a positive attitude, the basketball gods will reward you. And we haven’t taken that stance every time we make a mistake. Instead of chastising them for making a mistake, it encourages them . “I believe that’s what I’m attempting to do by encouraging everyone and playing with visible energy.”
SIAKAM’S GAME-WINNER:
“I work on it every day.” That’s a shot I’ll take any day. It’s funny, one of the coaches, Drew, was telling me before the game that he would live with that shot [as a defender] any day, and I told him, ‘that’s a bad way to live.’ That shot is always there for me; I work on it every day, and luckily, it went in, but I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary. “I’ll take that shot 100 percent of the time.”
BOUCHER ON THE TEAM’S STANDING AFTER 10 GAMES:
“We’re still figuring things out.” Every aspect of the game is teaching everyone something. We have coaches and players. I believe we’re doing a good job collectively of working hard and trying to help each other. Games like this show not only the work that needs to be done, but also the potential.”
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