Dwane Casey had worried for days that the Toronto Raptors might not come back from the NBA all-star break with the proper level of intensity and consistency of effort.
They had won seven games in a row and ascended to the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. The coach’s fear was that the team might be full of its collective self.
The coach was right; it just took a bit longer for it to manifest itself.
Paying the price for a litany of mistakes early in the game, the Raptors dropped a 122-119 overtime to decision to the Milwaukee Bucks at the Air Canada Centre on Friday.