‘We are ready. We play for our fans. We play for the city. We\u2019re going to block out all the outside noise and really focus on us.’<\/p>\n
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Published Apr 15, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 9\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Darko Rajakovic walked in to take his regular seat in the Raptors interview room and took just a moment to look around and take in the large number of those waiting to ask questions.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n He was a touch startled by the attendance in front of him. It normally isn\u2019t this kind of crowded for the coach.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n But then, he hasn\u2019t been in this place before, just days before the Raptors\u2019 first playoff game in four years. And if\u00a0 there is any kind of Raptors theme as the NBA playoffs begin for them on Saturday afternoon, it is that. Haven\u2019t been here before.<\/p>\n Not the coach. Not so many of these Raptors players. Not the players the Raps will depend upon when their series with the Cleveland Cavaliers begins.<\/p>\n The long-armed, all-purpose Scottie Barnes has played five seasons in the NBA. He\u2019s been in the playoffs once. He got hurt in that series, has never won a round and has never been close to the post-season since in his time emerging as an NBA player who does almost everything.<\/p>\n He\u2019s now looked upon as a leader for a team that\u2019s probably not good enough to be a contender, not bad enough to be a pretender.<\/p>\n This is Brandon Ingram\u2019s 10th season in the NBA. He started with the Los Angeles Lakers and may be one of the few in history to miss the playoffs all three seasons in L.A. He\u2019s made the playoffs just twice in six years with New Orleans. In his nine seasons before coming to Toronto, Ingram has won two playoff games.<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Defining moments<\/p>\n These are your Toronto Raptors.<\/p>\n A coach, undefined, still looking to make a name for himself.<\/p>\n A star, defined but not with the bright lights shining, looking to be great when it matters most.<\/p>\n A scorer, reinvented in this season, looking to score at playoff time, really, for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n Do we know what Darko Rajakovic is as an NBA coach? We didn\u2019t really know Nick Nurse until his series with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019. We didn\u2019t really know Dwane Casey before his playoff ups and downs in Toronto. This isn\u2019t just a time of year for players to be explained. This is when you understand how well-coached your favourite team happens to be.<\/p>\n Players don\u2019t hide a lot in the post-season, and neither do coaches. This is the time when they are exposed or the opposite, defined. Basketball isn\u2019t hockey. The game needs coaching in all 48 minutes. Rajakovic has been waiting his whole life for the bright lights to shine on his team, which by extension, shine on him.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n He isn\u2019t a look-at-me kind of guy as a coach. It\u2019s not about him, it\u2019s about his team. But here\u2019s the thing: The more it\u2019s about him in these coming playoffs \u2014 assuming the best \u2014 the better it will be about his team.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is awesome and this is very exciting for us,\u201d said Rajakovic from the podium Wednesday afternoon. \u201cEverything we do over the season is preparation for the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n Coach obsessed<\/p>\n He is obsessed the way most coaches are obsessed. They study and work and study some more and then have to decide how much of the information they turn over to their players.<\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t want to overwhelm his team. The Cavaliers with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell may do that on their own. He doesn\u2019t want his players \u201coverthinking\u201d and not naturally reacting.<\/p>\n He wants the team to be well-prepared, but not robotic.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are ready,\u201d he declared. \u201cWe play for our fans. We play for the city. We\u2019re going to block out all the outside noise and really focus on us.\u201d<\/p>\n And then he said what everyone who has ever seen an NBA playoff game says for the first time: \u201cThis is a man\u2019s game. It\u2019s going to be physical.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n That\u2019s always the eye-opener for every young player in every sport. The welcome-to-playoffs moment. The blitz you didn\u2019t see coming. The Gordie Howe\/Bill Laimbeer elbow you ate for dinner. The contesting of every jump shot, hand in your face, all night long.<\/p>\n The question with the Raptors isn\u2019t can they beat the Cavs? The question is: Can they compete at a level needed to win in the NBA post-season, at this point in time in the rebuilding of their franchise?<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Why Raptors can’t afford to be without Immanuel Quickley in playoffs<\/p>\n <\/a> Raptors back in the NBA playoffs, will face Cleveland Cavaliers<\/p>\n![\"Raptors](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/darko.jpg\")
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic watches play during the first half of a game against the San Antonio Spurs, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in San Antonio. Photo by Darren Abate \/THE ASSOCIATED PRESSArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.0.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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