Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs Miami Heat | January 17, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame vs Miami Heat | January 17, 2024

There it’s the second time in in sort of 3 weeks where you had news about I guess what’s now a pending transaction uh and and you had to play the same day uh what’s it like to do that and and obviously you guys came out well so what

What keyed that for time no again at the end of the day we are professionals and we understand what league we we plan in and what comes with it and how it goes you know obviously a change like that it’s big you know obviously you’ve built relationships with guys over the years

Of playing with them and going to battles with them and seeing them at their highest points and their lowest points so you know I wish nothing but you know the best to se yakum you know obviously it should be a great thing for him the player that he is it doesn’t

Matter what organization he’s going to again a high level player uh high level thinker of the game a great player you know and a good person so you know what kind of example did he set to I know he wasn’t always the biggest talker but

What kind of example that he set for I mean you when you first came to the team but but also everybody else who came through him for me or everybody else like you said he doesn’t really talk too much but everything he does and everything he showed was through his

Actions you know being the first one at the gym every single day in the morning win loser draw he there getting his work in coming in being a professional setting a tone you know showing the ins and outs how to go you know he’s been

Here for nine years now so it it was great everything he’s done you know he teach you how to be a professional you know even the ability to help Scotty grow in a sense you know being at that four position whether it’s little thing that he sees on the offensive end or the

Defensive end so you know his impact on me his impact on the team on organization going to be here forever that’s uh dark also mentioned that he was the first guy in the gym that was something that was really happening yeah no he worked for real he really works

He’s really about his craft he really focused in he really locked in really a true professional that’s why he’s an Allstar that’s why he’s an NBA champion that’s why he’s accomplished what he’s accomplished everything in his League to accolades to money to everything that’s why he’s at where he’s at did you ever

Pick a lot of like his success as skill based like he’s added so much to his game is there anything you look at how he achieved things that you looked and you said I want to add that to my game you know sense you know we kind of

Different players he more on the Block and spinning and stuff like that but again our our ability to play off one another what I provided for him was spacing and helping him you know swing it out if he needed it and that’s he provided for me as well commanding the

Double team and it getting swung out you know in a sense like that so you know really that’s about it man just really again the main thing I took away was his approach you know how he thought about the game how he went about the game

Whenn Lose or Draw again whether he was saying not saying a lot or not saying anything at all his actions spoke louder than everything Gary today was obviously an emotional day how did you Channel those emotions into your best game of the season on the court um again just

Any opportunity I get out there just try to Showcase how much I can help and what I can do for this team uh I was just given a certain opportunity today teammates were finding me you know kept knocking them down obviously just continue to keep building and continue

Show show improve Gotti I know you want to talk about the game for a moment but just Pascal can you talk a little bit about you know your relationship with him and what you felt to this G ask SC I was God I was really close with uh you

Know we we just our relationship relationship just kept growing U you know he been here since before I got here um you know I talked to him about a lot of things watch them um come every day ready to work show up be happy um just bring a joyful Spirit every day

To practice no matter through the ups through the Downs um being able to talk to him through those down moments and him just being positive and just seeing him every day you know you know you just develop that relationship um so you know what he meant to this organization he loved it

Um and he came every day ready to work and continue to get better and just grow before the game coach rakovich spoke about how obviously Pascal had been the focus of this offense for SE for several years but this season the focus has shifted on to you and coach was praising

Pascal’s professionalism in that transition from your perspective how did that transition go uh I think it I think it went well you know he he was open to it and you know he allowed it to happen um I don’t know he he was open to it you

Know that’s hard you know him been here for a while and doing the things that he has done um you know it’s it’s hard for players to do that but you know he’s open to it and you know allowed it change is obviously very hard but um how does it feel now

Knowing that essentially you are the focal point of this team and you are essentially the face does that come with a lot of pressure are you feeling how are you feeling in that way I feel no pressure uh I think we already knew that we already discussed that and it was

Already out there um so yeah you know no pressure no nothing you know come every day to try to win and play the best basketball we can play coach Darko had his friend pass he mentioned that one of the atos that you guys ran was something that he had

Learned do you know what play out bu um I didn’t know what play was you know we just went out there and ran it the first play and then learned after the game it was uh they got it from his buddy um you know it was very emotional moment

You know you remember which play that was um first play it was uh I think it was a double way for me coming up and then I got like a it was a slip out for quickly and I think I think that’s a play I don’t know

I don’t know if that was a play I think that was a play I think the first was gr had the assist to Dennis I don’t think that was to play okay just just I don’t know yeah yeah there’s a few in the game yeah okay Scotty this was obviously a really

Emotional day how did you Channel those emotions onto a great performance on the court and a big win against an Eastern Conference ryer I think me for me you know I think basketball you know it relieves all that outside noise that stress um whatever you’re feeling in the

Outside world um you know basketball helps me become that have that peace uh where it just has my mind be as free as possible flowing and just being locked in and being happy have fun I think you’re just like a natural instinct that happens by my the floor so I think it me

Being out there on the court It just relieves all that um I think when I’m off the floor that’s probably when I think about it more uh it gets me more but when I’m on the floor you know it’s like a reliever while I’m not thinking about anything and just focusing that in

In on that moment and I they enjoying and having fun Scotty before the game you were introduced last in the starting lineup obviously that’s sort of a symbol of respect uh what does it mean to sort of tap that moment uh I don’t know I’m just I’m just ready for the game to

Start to be honest uh this was ready for the game to start a lot of changes have happened obviously uh transactions personally how you been dealing with that just um is it just like sort of open your eyes to like how the NBA is

Sort of like a business in way uh it is a business but you know you develop those relationships those friendships you know you know that goes beyond basketball um you know these guys you know I’m always going to be talking to no matter what uh FaceTime no matter what just keep communicating keep

Talking to them you know those guys are like family to me uh so no matter what it is you know I’m always going to be close to these guys what do you credit to tonight’s performance in terms of your overall you guys playing really really well and coming out the gate uh

Well we just came ready to play um got some stops focusing on those matchups uh went out had great ball movement um you know they was really clicking for us you know we made shots getting into the rim attacking you know we was doing it all on offeman and

Defenseman very happy with the way you guys responded on a very difficult day what did you see in their emotional statement I mean uh for sure a very complicated day um as I said before the game I thought that guys uh in a film session in walk

Through they were really logged in and in the first half we followed the game plan to to to the point uh we did really good job there defensively which allowed us to have really good opportunities on offense we had a really good 23 assists in the first half uh that that first

Half was really how we need to be playing on offense and defense and uh once we once we play with that kind of mentality I think it’s it’s it’s very good for us playing like basically four out all night opens up a lot of three-point shots for you guys did you

See more open shot tonight normal maybe yeah for sure I think also uh having out there uh Gary with the starting unit who was 8 for n tonight that was that was great but also just uh the factor of uh Jon Porter and he can stretch the floor

Like it’s just different like when he makes shots that’s great but just like that gravity that that people’s got to be aware of the three-point shooting opens up a lot and that that team is really really good defensive team and we were able to to attack the paint and get

Extra passes and play Team Basketball speaking of jonte he and that I thought did a really impressive job on bam tonight what did you think about that front Court match up I mean when you go against Ben Ado like he is one of the best bigs in the league a lot of respect

For for that guy but I thought that our guys did really good job job like uh you know Ted is doing his best out there competing he knows angles he knows you know how to meet uh early and and use his physicality without fouling which is

Great uh and the best thing like during whole game he was talking and teaching Jon what he needs to do you know uh because of their their Lefty stroke for those of those guys I I called Jon his little son there you know so um he they were both good tonight without Pascal

There’s obviously opportunity a lot of shots a lot of minutes and I’m sure you have a lot of guys on your bench that have been clamoring for a bigger role did you get the sense today that there are a few guys out there that that were kind of embracing that opportunity in

The first game um we will need we’ll need time there’s going to be ups and downs uh even in tonight’s game you know that third quarter like we were trying to figure out a lot of things and like there is a lot of learning for us to to

To come over here but but for sure each player when when they see more opportunities and more more chance they they’re going to try to take advantage of the situation and and I’m fine with that as far as it’s part of the team system and playing for the team and

Playing the right way Darko I can only imagine how challenging today was for you personally and professionally what did you say to the team before heading up for opening tip off I told told my guys I loved them and uh opening play in a game was

ATO that um that Dei my friend I learned that play from him and that’s what he brought to NBA that’s what he brought to Golden State I stole that play from him and that was our opening play tonight and we were able to score on that one

So you know I dedicated this this team win to our team and and to to de

Players and Coach speak with the media following the Raptors’ 121-97 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

00:00 Gary Trent Jr.
03:00 Scottie Barnes
08:47 Darko Rajakovic

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