Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic delivered a strong contender for the postgame rant of the year following Toronto’s narrow 132-131 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday.
Rajakovic emphatically expressed his frustration, physically pounding the table, as he criticized the officials for the glaring 36-13 free throw disparity favoring the Lakers. His critique extended to the handling of the fourth quarter, where Los Angeles was awarded a staggering 23 free throws compared to Toronto’s meager two.
Expressing his discontent, Rajakovic stated, “That’s outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely unacceptable. This is a shame—for the referees and for the league to permit this. Twenty-three free throws for them, and we get two free throws in the fourth quarter? How are we supposed to play the game?”
He continued by highlighting the disparity in treatment, questioning, “I understand the respect for All-Stars and all that, but we have star players on our team as well. How is it possible that Scottie Barnes, an All-Star-caliber player in this league, consistently attacks the rim with force, attempting to avoid flopping and not seeking foul calls, yet he only gets two free throws for the entire game? How do you justify that to me?”
Raptors HC Darko Rajakovic was heated in the postgame presser, unhappy with the Lakers 23 free throw attempts in the 4Q pic.twitter.com/1xvoXrUM6k
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 10, 2024
Certainly, the Lakers had numerous opportunities at the free-throw line in the closing moments of the game. Anthony Davis took 11 free throws in the fourth quarter, contributing significantly to his 41-point performance during that period. Notably, eight of those free throws were attempted in the game’s final minute-plus.
RJ Barrett was called for a moving screen before this game-tying three from Scottie Barnes.
Good or bad call? 🤔
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 10, 2024
Rajakovic contended that such calls deprived the Raptors of a fair opportunity to win the game.
“If they came to win tonight, just let us know, so we don’t show up for the game,” Rajakovic expressed angrily. “Just give them a win. But that was not fair tonight. And this is not happening for the first time for us. Scottie Barnes is going to be an All-Star. He’s going to be the face of this league, and what’s happening over here throughout the whole season … it’s complete nonsense.”
Beyond the questionable calls, Rajakovic was displeased with the lack of a satisfactory explanation for their occurrence.
“There is no explanation,” he stated. “They just come up there, they review it, and they see what they want to see. They don’t want to hear us, what we got to say. They don’t want to hear the players.” While Rajakovic anticipates a substantial fine for criticizing Ben Taylor’s officiating crew, he seems to believe it was necessary due to the treatment the Raptors have endured throughout the season.
“How are we supposed to play? It’s happening a lot, but I’m telling our guys to be professional, keep fighting, keep going for the next one,” Rajakovic asserted. “But until when? For how long?”
His public criticism of the officials seems to have earned the first-year head coach considerable respect in the locker room.
“It just says that he’s all for us as a family, as a team,” remarked veteran forward Thaddeus Young, as reported by ESPN. “We’re always going to stick together. We’re always going to be behind one another as a family, as a team. We’re always going to stick together, and he’s always been behind us since day one coming in here.
“We love Darko to death. We think the world of the coach, and we definitely appreciate him going to bat for us.”
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