TORONTO \u2014 Process, process, process, process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yup, we get it. The Toronto Raptors<\/a> don\u2019t want to lose sight of how they have arrived at this unexpectedly joyous point. It is only a product, they believe, of a steady, monastic commitment to the little things that add up to big things.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s like the whole organization has read and memorized\u00a0Atomic Habits, or\u00a0Cut Wood, Carry Water,\u00a0or falls asleep (early, and in a temperature-controlled room, of course) to wellness podcasts.\u00a0<\/p>\n The other day, I asked Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic if his club\u2019s surprising start to the season \u2014 this was a team Vegas oddsmakers pegged to win 39 or 40 games \u2014 might somehow change their internal goals or outlook.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNothing changes with us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are serious people. We are not entering the season and changing our goals like the wind blows, it does not work like that. At this level, in this organization, we exactly know what we want. We exactly know that it’s about processing, getting our guys better and then focussing on the process. One game at a time, one possession at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n After the Raptors strapped themselves to Brandon Ingram<\/a>\u2019s first official Raptors heater \u2014 he scored a season-high 37 as Toronto pulled away from the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers with a 110-99 win that extended their winning streak to eight games \u2014 I tried again.\u00a0<\/p>\n Given his team has lost one game in November and won 12 of its past 13 \u2014 the longest stretch of success the Raptors have enjoyed since winning a franchise record 15 games in 2019-20 \u2014 does he enjoy it? Does his team, which was 4-14 through 18 games a year ago, get to enjoy it?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s nothing to enjoy,\u201d Rajakovic said. \u201cThere is the next game coming very, very quickly our way. You know, it’s good for confidence. It’s good for us to continue learning through those experiences, to figure out our chemistry\u2026 there is always work to do. \u2026\u00a0We enjoy each other, we enjoy the journey, and it’s the most important thing. And thank God we\u2019re getting wins as well.\u201d<\/p>\n But the joy is spreading, whether Rajakovic and his charges are aware of it or not.\u00a0<\/p>\n The seats at Scotiabank Arena are filled sooner and the crowd stays later. The \u2018defence\u2019 chants are more full-throated. The Raptors have opted to have the crowd sing most of the Canadian anthem unaccompanied by the anthem singer. It was tentative early in the season, but seems to be gaining in momentum with each home win.\u00a0<\/p>\n Winning is one of the great legal intoxicants ever created, and it\u2019s been sorely missing around the Raptors since they last made the playoffs in 2021-22, Scottie Barnes<\/a>‘ rookie season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now that the Raptors are handing out winning pills by the handful, you\u2019d think that a team starving for some of the good stuff would get carried away with it, like kids at a high school bonfire.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think one person in the locker room has talked about the streak,\u201d said Ingram, who speculated that the last time he was on a team that won 12-of-13 might have been when he was winning state titles for Kinston High School. It certainly wasn\u2019t when he was trapped in basketball purgatory with the New Orleans Pelicans. \u201cI don\u2019t think Darko will let that creep into the locker room. We\u2019re taking it by the day. Every day is an opportunity to get better. Just worry about the next opponent. Of course it\u2019s a good feeling. We know we\u2019ve got to continue to do it so we can keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n They did what was necessary against Cleveland. Both teams were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but other than RJ Barrett<\/a> missing the game with a sprained right knee, Toronto was healthy. The Cavaliers had an injured list that needed more than the fingers on one hand to count off.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been a lot of that this month for the Raptors, with the schedule serving up weaker teams, or short-handed teams or teams on short rest. But rather than look at the opportunity sideways, the Raptors and their process have run the table.<\/p>\n The Raptors were never able to gain a lot of separation from the Cavs (12-7), but held the remote most of the night. The Cavs did cut Toronto\u2019s lead to four with 4:37 left, but Ingram responded with a tough step-back three, and the Raptors got a steal. And when Shead made two of his three free throws after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt and Toronto was back up by nine with 2:21 to play, they stayed the course from there.<\/p>\n