Head coach Dwane Casey will insist until the end of time that his Raptors approach every opponent with deadly seriousness. This is the job of a professional basketball coach, to prepare the team for the challenges — such as the are — ahead. But if you’re a player on the Raptors looking at the hapless assembly of “talent” on the Atlanta Hawks roster, how serious would you take it?
If Friday night’s contest is anything to go by for Toronto, the answer is: not very. The Raptors eased into their return to the ACC (after two disappointing losses on the road) with obvious calm.