The game in a nutshell: Dwane Casey
“I thought we did an excellent job defensively. We held them to 39 per cent, and a lot of the rebounds in those situations they scored. What, did they have 20 second-chance points? That’s the game. I mean, we’ve talked about it. It’s not just out big guys. We start watching once the shot goes up. We got to get in and clean up the boards, and we know that. We don’t do the job, so we got to get consistent with it. Until we make it a priority, it’s going to be hard for us.”
On Kyle Lowry fouling out: DeMar DeRozan
“I think he came out a little over aggressive at both ends, you know, tell him to slow it down a little bit, but that’s him. That’s our point guard. Sucks that he had to foul out, but one thing I know about him, he going to bounce back even better on Tuesday.”
On being out-rebounded by the Washington Wizards: Amir Johnson
“We did a good job defensively, we held them down to 39 per cent. They killed us on the offensive glass. You know, they were getting tip-outs and those extra hustle points which is really what killed us.”
On what the Raptors can do about it: DeMar DeRozan
“We got to push them out of the paint the best the way we can, even if we got to take a foul instead of letting them get another chance at getting another basket.”
On whether it’s dangerous for Raptors fans to antagonize Paul Pierce: DeMar DeRozan
“They got on [Paul Pierce] last year, and he won Game 1 for ’em. I guess it’s [the same thing] all over again, but, you know, it happens. It’s part of the job. Fans are going to pick on us, and it’s our job to react by playing well. So you can’t fault the fans for that.”
On what killed the Raptors’ momentum in overtime: Dwane Casey
“[The Washington Wizards] got three straight offensive rebounds that broke our back. I thought that took our will and our little mojo that we had going in.”
On whether getting into Playoffs mode is a challenge: DeMar DeRozan
“No. We were still aggressive, I was aggressive. I didn’t, you know, shy away from a lot of shots I’m used to taking; not just me, all of us. Kyle [Lowry], Lou [Williams]—we missed a lot of easy shots as a team, we shot over 39 per cent from the field. Overall, I still thought we played well. We played great defence. We just got out-rebounded. We could’ve done a better job on that part.”
On the fans and atmosphere: DeMar DeRozan
“The atmosphere’s always amazing. It’s great to have the fans that we have, especially inside and outside you know they got our back, and we know they’re going to be ready just like us on Tuesday.”
On what the Game 1 loss means for Toronto: Dwane Casey
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Plus a look at other notable match-ups on the first day of the 2015 NBA Playoffs
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‘6 Man’ turned sixth man
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Toronto Raptors draw the Washington Wizards in the first round
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